Previously, I blogged about the use of olfactory mucosal stem cells* in an attempt to heal the injured spinal cord of Jacki Rabon. Now, another article published in the Weschester Journal describes the use of it in Beijing. Dr. Hungyun Huang will perform a similar procedure for another 23 year-old spinal cord injury patient, Christan Zaccagnino, to that conducted in Portugal.
The article states that whilst there is no success rate documented, and the surgery has not been approved in the US (hence, Lisbon, Beijing and Brisbane). But Dr. Wise Young, a Rutgers University professor and neurologist who has studied the surgery, said each of the dozen of Huang's patients he has spoken with had more sensation and some muscle strengthening after the procedure, according to a forum on the Web site of the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers University.
According to the "Cure Paralysis Now" advocacy group website, Dr. Wise Young from Rutgers University posted some notes from Dr. Hungyun's paper:
Hungyun Huang and colleagues recently published a paper in the Chinese Medical Journal (2003, 116:1488-91) reporting the neurological results on the first 171 patients into whom they transplanted olfactory ensheathing glial (OEG). The patients ranged from 2 to 64 years of age, were mostly male (139, female 32), and were 6 months to 18 years after injury (average 2 years after injury). The cells were cultured from olfactory bulb of aborted human fetuses. The spinal cord above and below the injury site was exposed by laminectomy. Approximately a half million cells were injected into each of two sites, above and below the injury. Improvement was shown in the motor score, touch score, and pinprick score in the patients at 4-6 weeks after transplantation for each age group. Approximately 71% of the patients were ASIA A (complete spinal cord injury). There was no significant difference of recovery between the age groups.
During the surgery, Dr. Hungyun Huang of Beijing will transplant cells derived from stem cells in the lining of the nose into Zaccagnino's spinal cord above and below the spot where she was injured. Huang normally uses cells from aborted human fetuses, but Zaccagnino requested that he use cells from the frozen umbilical cord blood of her two young nephews instead (like the procedures performed in Korea by Histostem).
$$$ How much is the procedure?
USD 30, 000 for the procedure to take place in Beijing next April. Funds are now being raised by charitable donations organized by her family, friends and classmates.
It will be interesting to see the results of stem cells from umbilical cord blood versus olfactory mucosa lining, clearly there is big difference in the way that the stem cells can be obtained (cord blood does not require surgery, no controversy with aborted fetuses, no growth medium contamination problems) and if this can be repeated consistently with similar or equivalent results, will provide a lot more options for patients wishing to undergo this therapy.
*Olfactory ensheathing glia (OEG) are of particular interest because of their ability to facilitate regeneration and remyelination of the spinal cord. They are believed to be the reason why the olfactory nerve is the only central nervous system structure continuously regenerates in adults. However, umbilical cord blood derived stem cells have also produced significant recovery in patients under the same surgical procedure.
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