Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

Yesterday we highlighted the GTCbio Stem Cell Summit in Boston. Another company we've been closely following is also represented at the conference, Asterias Biotherapeutics (NYSE: AST). Asterias is developing therapies based on pluripotent stem cells to address significant unmet medical needs in neurology and oncology. According to Boston Children's Hospital, pluripotent stem cells are the body's master cells, potentially able to produce any cell or tissue the body needs to repair itself. Like all stem cells, pluripotent stem cells are also able to self-renew, meaning they can perpetually create more copies of themselves. The company draws its name from the common starfish, Asterias rubens, which has the ability to regenerate lost limbs even in adulthood. The company's lead product candidate, AST-OPC1, is currently in a Phase 1/2a dose ranging trial for spinal cord injury. As Patrick Cox discussed two months ago, Asterias' clinical trial has been generating significant interest. In the company's earnings call last week, CEO Steve Cartt highlighted the ongoing clinical and corporate progress: Source: Asterias Biotherapeutics Corporate Presentation, Jan. 24, 2017 We note that the company's cash position is much better than it was a year ago. As shown in the chart above, Asterias' spinal cord trial … Continue reading →

Giant Steps For Humankind Researchers at the Mayo Clinic successfully used intense physical therapy and electrical stimulation on the spinal cord to help a patient stand, intentionally move his paralyzed legs, and make step-like motions. These were the first movementsthe patient had experienced in his legs in three years. 26-year-old Jered Chinnock injured his spinal cord at the sixth thoracic vertebrae three years ago. He could not move or feel anything lower than the middle of his back, and was diagnosed with a motor complete spinal cord injury. At the outset of the study, Chinnock underwent 22 weeks of physical therapy with three training sessions per week. His training goal was to prepare his muscles so they would be strong enough to attempt the physical tasks while his spinal cord was being stimulated. Next, the team implanted an electrode below the injured area in the epidural space, close to the spinal cord, and a computer-controlled device just under the patients abdominal skin.The FDA gave permission to the Mayo Clinic for this off-label use of the device, which controls thetransmission of an electrical current to the spinal cord, which in turnallowed the patient to create movement in his muscles. After a … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV)today announced that it has received approval from the Toronto Western Hospitals Research Ethics Board to enroll patients as part of its cervical spinal cord injury study. Toronto Western Hospital is the first study site for the companys cervical spinal cord injury study and Michael Fehlings, M.D., Ph.D., has been named Principal Investigator at the site. Dr. Fehlings is currently Director of the Spinal Program, part of Toronto Western Hospitals Krembil Neuroscience Centre at the University Health Network, Professor in the Department of Surgery, full member of the Institute of Medical Sciences School of Graduate Studies, a Scholar in the McLaughlin Centre of Molecular Medicine, a Scientist in the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, a Senior Scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, Director of the University of Toronto Neuroscience Program, Co-Director of the University of Toronto Spine Program, and Krembil Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration. Dr. Fehlings has published over 725 peer-reviewed articles principally in the area of spinal cord injury and complex spinal surgery. He is also currently the Principal Investigator at the site for InVivos INSPIRE study, which is studying the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold in acute, complete (AIS A) thoracic patients. … Continue reading →

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. A drug developed during World War II as an antidote for a chemical warfare agent has been found to be effective at suppressing a neurotoxin that worsens the pain and severity of spinal cord injuries, suggesting a new tool to treat the injuries. The neurotoxin, called acrolein, is produced within the body after nerve cells are damaged, increasing pain and triggering a cascade of biochemical events thought to worsen the injurys severity. Researchers have now found that the drug, dimercaprol, removes the toxin by attacking certain chemical features of acrolein, neutralizing it for safe removal by the body. The findings, detailed in a paper published online this month in the Journal of Neurochemistry, involved research with cell cultures, laboratory animals and other experiments. Dimercaprol may be an effective acrolein scavenger and a viable candidate for acrolein detoxification, said Riyi Shi (pronounced Ree Shee), a professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering in Purdue Universitys Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. An extensive body of evidence exists suggesting the toxic nature of acrolein and its pathological role in a variety of disease processes, prompting the use of acrolein scavengers as … Continue reading →

A man paralyzed in a car accident is making remarkable progress after receiving a stem cell transplant at Froedtert Hospital. Shekar Kurpad, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon, is leading the clinical trial. Read the article. Our Spinal Cord Injury Program provides individualized, comprehensive care to patients with spinal cord injuries and their families. This is a unique, carefully integrated transdisciplinary program. We address patients' physical recovery as well as their psychological health with the goal of helping them resume their lives with as much independence as possible. Between 250,000 and 400,000 people in the United States have spinal cord injuries. Each year, about 11,000 people sustain some degree of paralysis as a result, including more than 200 new injuries in Wisconsin each year. More than half of spinal cord injuries occur in people between the ages of 16 and 30, and the injuries are more prevalent in males than in females. Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries (accounting for almost 50 percent), followed by violence, falls and sports injuries. Our team of dedicated specialists includes neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, rehabilitation physicians, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, a recreational therapist, speech therapist, a vocational counselor, dietitians, … Continue reading →

Your ability to control your limbs after spinal cord injury depends on two factors: the place of the injury along your spinal cord and the severity of injury to the spinal cord. The lowest part of your spinal cord that functions normally after injury is referred to as the neurological level of your injury. The severity of the injury is often called "the completeness" and is classified as either of the following: Additionally, paralysis from a spinal cord injury may be referred to as: Your health care team will perform a series of tests to determine the neurological level and completeness of your injury. Spinal cord injuries of any kind may result in one or more of the following signs and symptoms: Emergency signs and symptoms of spinal cord injury after an accident may include: Anyone who experiences significant trauma to his or her head or neck needs immediate medical evaluation for the possibility of a spinal injury. In fact, it's safest to assume that trauma victims have a spinal injury until proven otherwise because: . The rest is here: Spinal cord injury Symptoms - Mayo Clinic … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV)today announced that it has received approval from the Toronto Western Hospitals Research Ethics Board to enroll patients as part of its cervical spinal cord injury study. Toronto Western Hospital is the first study site for the companys cervical spinal cord injury study and Michael Fehlings, M.D., Ph.D., has been named Principal Investigator at the site. Dr. Fehlings is currently Director of the Spinal Program, part of Toronto Western Hospitals Krembil Neuroscience Centre at the University Health Network, Professor in the Department of Surgery, full member of the Institute of Medical Sciences School of Graduate Studies, a Scholar in the McLaughlin Centre of Molecular Medicine, a Scientist in the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, a Senior Scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, Director of the University of Toronto Neuroscience Program, Co-Director of the University of Toronto Spine Program, and Krembil Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration. Dr. Fehlings has published over 725 peer-reviewed articles principally in the area of spinal cord injury and complex spinal surgery. He is also currently the Principal Investigator at the site for InVivos INSPIRE study, which is studying the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold in acute, complete (AIS A) thoracic patients. Dr. … Continue reading →

INTRODUCTION Spinal cord injury has become epidemic in modern society. Despite advances made in the understanding of the pathogenesis and improvements in early recognition and treatment, it remains a devastating event, often producing severe and permanent disability. With a peak incidence in young adults, traumatic spinal cord injury remains a costly problem for society; direct medical expenses accrued over the lifetime of one patient range from 500,000 to 2 million US dollars [1]. This topic reviews acute traumatic spinal cord injury. The anatomy and clinical localization of spinal cord disease, other diseases affecting the spinal cord, and the chronic complications of spinal cord injury are discussed separately. (See "Anatomy and localization of spinal cord disorders" and "Disorders affecting the spinal cord" and "Chronic complications of spinal cord injury and disease".) Issues regarding injury to the vertebral column and ligaments are also discussed separately. (See "Spinal column injuries in adults: Definitions, mechanisms, and radiographs" and "Evaluation and acute management of cervical spinal column injuries in adults" and "Evaluation of thoracic and lumbar spinal column injury".) EPIDEMIOLOGY Most demographic and epidemiological data related to traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in the United States have been collected by the Model Spinal Cord Injury … Continue reading →

March 29, 2017 Riyi Shi. Credit: Purdue University A drug developed during World War II as an antidote for a chemical warfare agent has been found to be effective at suppressing a neurotoxin that worsens the pain and severity of spinal cord injuries, suggesting a new tool to treat the injuries. The neurotoxin, called acrolein, is produced within the body after nerve cells are damaged, increasing pain and triggering a cascade of biochemical events thought to worsen the injury's severity. Researchers have now found that the drug, dimercaprol, removes the toxin by attacking certain chemical features of acrolein, neutralizing it for safe removal by the body. The findings, detailed in a paper published online this month in the Journal of Neurochemistry, involved research with cell cultures, laboratory animals and other experiments. "Dimercaprol may be an effective acrolein scavenger and a viable candidate for acrolein detoxification," said Riyi Shi (pronounced Ree Shee), a professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering in Purdue University's Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "An extensive body of evidence exists suggesting the toxic nature of acrolein and its pathological role in a variety of disease processes, prompting the … Continue reading →

InVivo Therapeutics enrolled another patient in its INSPIRE study of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold for spinal cord injury patients. Here are five key notes: 1. The most recent patient is the seventh out of 11 patients who reported an AIS grade improvement at the one-month follow-up after the procedure. The trial's conversion rate is currently 63.6 percent. The patient improved from AIS A to AIS B spinal cord injury between the one- and two-month evaluations. 2. The trial includes two other patients who haven't had their one-month visit yet, but the conversion rate is already higher than published rates for other SCI treatments, which is below 25 percent. 3. In addition to AIS conversion, the patient reported substantial improvement in sensory and motor function; before surgery the patient had T12 neurological level of injury with some spared bilateral sensation at the front of the legs and unilateral palpable hip muscle contraction but couldn't move the legs. However, two months after treatment the patient could move his hips and knees bilaterally and regained some sensory function in almost all regions of the lower back, feet and back of the body below the waist. 4. The Neurovascular Program Director and Principal Investigator at … Continue reading →