November 18, 2003
Stem Cells On Spinal Cord Injury Opened Connection To Brain

A Brazilian team took blood stem cells from patients suffering from paralysis and delivered the stem cells to an artery running to the site of injury.

The researchers harvested stem cells from the patients' blood, and reintroduced them into the artery supplying the area which was damaged.

Electrical nerve signals evoked in the part of the body below the injury site could be found showing up as brain activity.

"Two to six months after treatment, we found that some patients were showing signs of responding to somatosensory evoked potential tests," says Barros.

This approach produced a measurable result in 12 out of 30 patients.

A team from the University of San Paulo in Brazil, led by Tarciscio Barros, said after treatment 12 out of 30 patients responded to electrical stimulation of their paralysed limbs.

Keep in mind that these patients did not get a large amount of function restored. They had to be tested to see a measurable difference.

The published accounts of this work do not provide enough details to be able to make any guess as to the quality of the work. Two obvious questions come to mind: Were the somatosensory evoked potential tests also performed on all the patients before they had the stem cell treatment? Also, were any controls used to compare the difference between getting and not getting the treatment?

If there really was a benefit then the question is why? The mechanism of the effect is unknown at this time. The stem cells might be delivering growth factors to the existing nerve cells to cause them to recover and grow. Or the stem cells might be merging with the nerve cells and, as a result, enhancing their functionality. Or the stem cells might be differentiating into nerve cells that bridge the gap of the injury site.

By Randall Parker at 2003 November 18 10:03 PM  Biotech Organ Replacement | TrackBack

Comments
rosie graham said at November 23, 2003 06:03 PM:

dear dr barros could you please contact me on 00447971482328 or at 00442075869298. i read about your
stem cell jab breakthrough and i very much hope you can help my son nicholas graham age 23 who had a diving
accident and broke c5 he is classified tetraplegic and at present he is in stoke mandeville hospital
in aylesbury in england which i am told you spent some time in. until 3 december i am in miami florida usa
and the no is 5617414032.awaiting yor response, yours sincerely, rosie graham.

Chris Grice said at November 30, 2003 11:12 AM:

Did Rosie Graham get in touch with dr Barros?
If so could she forward his details as i have a friend in serious need of help.

thank you

Walid Jradi said at December 1, 2003 06:51 AM:

Rosie, Chris.

You'll find a lot of information about Dr. Barros procedure in

http://carecure.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=frm&s=4754088921&f=3854088921

I hope this help you.

[]s
Walid

sue said at December 1, 2003 12:25 PM:

I have a friend who has had a spinal cord injury for the past 5+ years. Stem cell in the US is not available. Are there any other countries that are practicing this procedure? Please send info. THANK YOU! SUE

Saif said at August 4, 2004 04:04 AM:

CAN I GET TRAIL TREATMENT OF SPINAL CORD INJURY WITH MY OWN RISK(STEL CELLS THEARPY)? BECOZ I HEARD THAT SOMEONE IS GIVING THIS SUCH TREATMENT AS LIKE AS TRAIL TREATMENT CAN I GET ?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ken Harris said at April 22, 2005 10:30 PM:

Who out there is willing to do stem cell therapy. Seems I can't find anyone in the US. I am willing to look at possibility of assisitng in a trial.

Ken Harris said at April 22, 2005 10:31 PM:

Who out there is willing to do stem cell therapy. Seems I can't find anyone in the US. I am willing to look at possibility of assisitng in a trial.

Tania Mortensen said at June 14, 2005 11:48 AM:

My husband was shot in the back a month and a half ago, with the bullet entering the spinal canal (L4/L5). He has lost function in his legs below the knees and we´re very interested in the possibility of stem cell therapy. He is Brazillian, and we live in Salvador, Brazil. Any information on stem cell therapy here in Brazil would be extremely helpful.

Thank you.

Jeff Weeks said at August 15, 2005 12:29 PM:

The link Walid posted has been moved to new discussion forums:

http://sci.rutgers.edu/spinewire/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=32

mala said at April 2, 2006 09:59 AM:

My daughter pallavi injured her spinal cord at L1,L2 and is completely paralyzed below her waist.Can this treatment help her? we live in Switzerland,
mala 2nd April 2006

Sarah said at November 26, 2006 02:02 PM:

although i cannot personally understand the pain and despair of having a loved one being paralyzed, i must caution anyone trying these somewhat experimental, unregulated stem cell treatments. i'm an undergraduate student working in a stem cell laboratory in canada, and i know that a stem cell absed therapy for spinal cord injuries described above is years, if not decades away from human trials... i don't mean to dampen your hopes of recovery, however i honestly just want everyone to make smart, safe decisions.. do thorough research on the doctor and the procedure... is this doctor internationally recognized? also, check out www.quackwatch.com it's a great site that has information on questionable doctors and procedures... good luck to all :)

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