The body is an extraordinary machine, but also fragile. All it takes is an instant, a trauma to the spine, and everything changes: the world turns into an immobile cage. Paralysis, this invisible enemy that afflicts 20 million people worldwide, it seemed like a final sentence. Until today. Four paralyzed Japanese men received something revolutionary: an injection of stamina cells reprogrammed neural networks. And two of them have broken the unthinkable barrier of immobility. One is standing again. The other is moving his arms and legs. The cell therapy, this promise that for years always seemed to be “five years away”, is now showing its first, concrete results.
The science that gets you back on your feet
Behind these results is the team of Hideyuki Okano, stem cell scientist atKeio University in Tokyo. The trial, presented at a press conference on March 21 (and not yet peer-reviewed), first of all demonstrated that the treatment is safe. That's no small feat, considering we're talking about injecting foreign cells into a person's nervous system.
We are talking about induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS): adults returned to an embryonic state and then directed to develop into nerve cells. Two million of these neural cells were injected into the exact site of each patient's injury, with the hope that they would develop into functioning neurons and glial cells.
The bet was ambitious. The results illustrated in Nature? Contrasting, as often happens in the most advanced research: two patients showed no significant improvements, while the other two experienced what we can define as a rebirth.
Cellular therapy, the numbers behind the hope
In 2019, nearly 1 million people worldwide have suffered spinal cord injuries, with approximately 20 million individuals living with this condition. These numbers make one think about the scope of this research.
The first operation was performed in December 2021; the other three between the 2022 e the 2023. All four participants were adult males, two of whom were over 60 years old. The intervention occurred between two and four weeks after the trauma, a timing that was likely crucial.
This is a dramatic shot
Commented Organ referring to the patient who can now stand unaided and is training to walk. Preliminary analysis suggests the treatment works, although larger studies will be needed to determine whether the improvements are truly a result of the therapy or a natural recovery process.
The dawn of a new approach
It makes me think of the many previous trials that have attempted similar paths, without ever obtaining truly satisfactory results. “So far nothing has really worked,” he confirms. James St. John, translational neuroscientist of the Griffith University in the Gold Coast, Australia. He added: “This is a great positive result. It’s very exciting for the field.”
All subjects entered the study and cell therapy with the highest injury classification on the AIS (American Spinal Injury Association) scale, level A. People with this classification they have no sensory or motor function below the site of injury. Two participants remained in this condition, one is improved to level C (can move some muscles in arms and legs but cannot stand independently), while the last one he reached level D (normality is E) and can stand on its own.
It's just the beginning, of course. There's still a long way to go. But for the first time, the results aren't just promises or theoretical hopes: they're people moving again. And that changes everything.
