Posted: Jan 26, 2012
While we’ve blogged about research using umbilical cord blood stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries in the past (see here and here), a new animation illustrates what intrigues researchers about how stem cells might be helping the healing process. Laboratory and clinical research is looking at stem cells from both cord blood and cord tissue as possible therapies for spinal cord injury.
Recently, a clinical trial using embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries was discontinued. Newborn stem cells are not embryonic stem cells and are not controversial.
There are still four active trials looking specifically at cord blood stem cells as a possible treatment for spinal cord injury. Many more are looking at other sources of adult stem cells as potential therapies for spinal injury as well as other diseases and injuries, such as heart defects, leukemia, stroke and diabetes.