A paralysed 38-year-old man regained his ability to walk after receiving a pioneering spinal cord repair procedure that was performed in Poland in collaboration with researchers in London.
The Bulgarian patient, who suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury in a 2010 knife attack, is believed to be the first person in the world to recover from a complete severing of the spinal nerves. Patients with partial spinal injury have made significant recoveries, but having severed ends of the spinal cord grow back together was previously thought to be impossible.
For the procedure, which was performed at Wroclaw Medical University, olfactory ensheathing cells were taken from one of the patient’s olfactory bulbs in his nose, along with strips of nerve tissue from his ankle. The technique was discovered by scientists at University College London’s institute of neurology.
The cells, known as OECs, were cultured and injected around the damaged site on the spinal cord. The nerve tissue was grafted across the gap on the spinal cord. The researchers believe that the injected cells stimulated the inert spinal cord cells to regenerate, using the nerve strips as a bridge fill the gap in the spinal cord.
The patient has since regained function in his lower limbs. He can now walk with a frame, and has even been able to drive a car.
If the hospital receives sufficient funding, three more paralyzed patients are expected to be treated in Poland over the next three to five years.
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