Man With Severed Spinal Cord Walks Again After Cell Transplant
A man paralyzed for two years is now walking again, albeit with a frame, after a transplant to his spine.
In 2010, Darek Fidyka was repeatedly stabbed, rendering him paralyzed from the chest down. Fortunately, however, his nose was unscathed.
Olfactory ensheathing glia (OEGs) surround olfactory axons, the nerve fibers that conduct electrical charges from the nose to the brain to allow us to smell. What makes them of interest to spinal patients is that OEGs maintain their capacity to promote new neurons into adulthood.
This capacity for regrowth has inspired spinal researchers frustrated by the fact that the mammalian central nervous system does not regenerate axons. The idea is that if OEGs are transplanted into the spinal cord at the point of injury, damaged axons will start to restore themselves.
After the attack Fidyka was put on an intensive exercise and physiotherapy program, without success. After two years, he was selected as the subject for the OEG transplant trial. Cells from one of his olfactory bulbs were cultured for two weeks before being transplanted through 100 microinjections around the scar site.
BBC TV program Panorama was invited to film his response to the treatment. At first, despite five hours of exercise, five times a week, Fidyka showed no response, but at the three month mark he noticed that his \left thigh was putting on muscle. After six months he was able to take faltering steps with the assistance of leg braces and parallel bars.
As the program prepares to go to air, Fidyka is able to walk on his own with the help of a walking frame. Some bladder, bowel and sexual function has also returned. Progress continues, and Fidyka told the BBC, "I think it's realistic that one day I will become independent."
Adaptado de: http://www.iflscience.com/health-andmedicine/nasal-leads-paralyzed-man-walk Acessado em 21 de outubro de 2014.
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