Every day, researchers are working hard to develop new therapies and treatments designed to treat symptoms, slow progression, and repair damage to the spinal cord. One of these treatments involves the use of stem cells.

Supporters and Detractors of Stem Cell Research

Because stem cells may have the potential to generate cells designed to replace or repair cells damaged by spinal cord injury, supporters feel it’s possible the benefits may far outweigh the negatives. Detractors of stem cell research focus on the moral and ethical dilemmas related to the fact that stem cells are harvested from embryos and fetal tissue. As a matter of fact, it’s difficult to turn on the television, flip through a magazine, or read the newspaper without encountering the controversy surrounding stem cell research and treatment.

The New Miracle Cure?

The jury is still out regarding whether stem cell treatment could be the miracle cure for spinal cord injury and paralysis. While scientists and researchers are hopeful, there just hasn’t been enough research to substantiate any particular result. Currently, most of the research on stem cells has been done on mice, which have significantly different cells than humans.

Human Trials

The political and moral debate surrounding stem cells continues to hamper research. There are also some legitimate concerns regarding the safety of stem cell research on human patients, including concerns related to the immune response to a cellular transplant. The biomedical company Geron received the green light to conduct the first human clinical trial of the treatment of spinal cord injury with embryonic stem cell transplants and drug therapy earlier in the year, but the process was recently halted by the FDA for unknown reasons.

We are pleased to share this guest post with our readers:

I’m Megan. I was born on May 6, 1985. I’m 23 years old and I am so thankful that I can say that. I nearly died when I was 22.

It was November 26, 2007. It was the night before Thanksgiving. My partner Shannon & I had been going through a rough financial time, but finally got back on our feet. So we decided to ask off work to visit my family in Charlotte for two days. Originally we had planned on just the two of us going the night before and having a romantic dinner out and then spending the holiday with the family. However, we learned that my sister had just recently gotten back together with her husband and we thought it would be nice to include them in our dinner since we didn’t get to see much of each other.

This soon turned into a dinner of seven because my step brother and his friend decided to come along, and so did my sister’s husband’s friend. At first the dinner was all kinds of awkward, because half of us didn’t even know the others. But, it wasn’t anything a little alcohol couldn’t fix. Soon, we were all laughing and joking and having a great time. The fun didn’t stop after dinner. We were having so much fun we decided to go next door to the pool hall. The alcohol didn’t stop there either.

It was around 9:30pm and we had a designated driver to get safely back to my parent’s house. My sister’s kids were being babysat by her husband’s dad, so we figured why not squeeze just a little more fun in there? We went back to their house to do some more drinking. While hanging out in their garage, we caught eye of the ATV. We thought it would be a good idea to hop on and ride it around the neighborhood a few times.

Shannon got on the back with me once, but was too scared so she decided not to ride it. Something you should probably know about Shannon is that she is not a risk taker. She’s more like a maternal nurturing person. She likes to play it safe and make sure everything is always okay. This night, she decided not to nag me because she knew it had been a while since we’d gotten out like this with no worries and didn’t want to ruin my fun. She stayed in the garage and chatted with the guys while I rode the ATV with my sister. We pulled back into the garage and turned it off and were ready to leave, when my sister and I decided to take it out one more time.

I remember driving it down the street. I remember my sister yelling “Slow down, Megan! You’re going too fast!” I remember U-turning to go back to the house. What I don’t remember is the wreck. All I can tell you is what Shannon and my family have told me, and try to piece it all together.

Here’s what Shannon says happened:

“I was talking to the guys in the garage, when Megan’s step brother (our designated driver) asked, ‘Do you guys hear that? It sounds like Katie yelling.’ Of course, we didn’t hear it because we were all too drunk. About 5 minutes later, he said ‘I’m going to go find out what’s going on.’ Then Megan’s sister’s husband decided to go check things out because he wasn’t back yet. I was still chatting it up and was just waiting for them to pull into the garage when the husband comes running up to us. He tells his friend to lock up his house that we had to go to the hospital. They’d been in a wreck. I laughed it off. I really had only known this guy one night, and the whole night he’d been joking around, so I thought he was kidding. When his eyes told me a different story, I knew something had gone terribly wrong.

I leaned out of the garage and peeked down the street. All I could see were ambulance lights. I cannot describe the feeling that overcame my body. I kicked off my 4 inch heels in the yard and started running with everything I had. ‘Megan, Megan, Megan, Megan’ that’s all that came out of my mouth with every single step. It was like the world stopped and everything was just swirling around me. I passed the ATV which was up against a tree. They were about 30 yards away, one on each side of the ditch. Katie was screaming ‘Help Me! I can’t breath!’ There were about 10 neighbors all standing around.

Megan was on her back surrounded by EMT. I leaped down on the ground next to her. She was lifeless. Her eyes were open but there was nobody inside. ‘Mam, you need to step back.’ Was all I was told. Nobody to tell me everything was going to be alright. I was barefoot, alone, cold, and scared to death. My everything was about to be nothing. How could I be the last one to know what happened? I could have stopped this from happening if I would have just told her to get off. I could have helped her if I was there sooner. This is my fault. The ride to the hospital was the worst ride of my life. Following those flashing lights knowing she was inside and I couldn’t ride with her, was the absolute worse feeling. Getting to the hospital and not being able to see her, was horrible. One second we were laughing and talking and hugging, and the next second, she’s gone.

I saw her being removed from the ambulance and I noticed all of her clothes were off. They had taken off her clothes. I felt so violated for her because I did not know at the time the extent of the injury. The EMT told me she was scared and drunk and she’d probably be fine. I waited for her to walk out of the ER room and come give me a great big hug. This never happened. When I finally got to see her, she looked like a corpse. She was purple, not talking, not moving. Was she going to die? That’s when the trauma doctor told me what had happened during the wreck. Her T-8 & T-9 vertebrae were wedged together. Her spine had been smashed. I had no idea what this meant because I had never had to deal with anything like this before and had no knowledge on the subject. ‘What does that mean?’ I asked him. ‘Is she going to be okay?’ I waited for his reply. When he cocked his head and scrunched his face I knew it wasn’t good.

‘She’s going to have a long hard road ahead of her. She smashed her spinal cord. She has no feeling or movement from here down.’ He pointed above her belly button. I didn’t know how to take this. I was thankful she was alive but I didn’t know what that meant for our lives. I went two rooms down to check on her sister. I first heard she had one broken rib. Then I heard she had two broken ribs. I eventually came to find out she had eight broken ribs (all of them), a broken shoulder blade, broken collar bone, and collapsed lung, all on the right side of her body. She had 2 children to care for at home. How could this have happened? What are we going to do? I have to be back at work the day after tomorrow and so does Megan. What’s going to happen? I ended up calling my boss, and getting as much time off as I needed (which happened to be a month). I still to this day cannot thank my boss enough.

The first two nights she had to stay in ICU to be stabilized. I had to spend Thanksgiving day without her. How could I eat? How could I sleep? How could I be enjoying the holiday knowing what she was going through in the hospital? Of course, she had no idea because she was basically in a coma for about a week. I just couldn’t eat knowing she couldn’t. I moved the food around on my plate and that was about it. I don’t even think I could cry anymore. I had shed so many tears in such a short amount of time my body was exhausted. This did me no good either, because I couldn’t sleep. After she finally got her own room I didn’t leave her side. I stayed in that hospital room 24/7. Sure she may not have spoken a word, or looked at me, or held my hand, but I was going to be there when she came out of it.”

That’s what Shannon has told me from day one. About a week later when I did come to, I had already had back surgery. My surgeon said it looked like someone took a sledge hammer and smashed my spinal cord on a table. They did testing and confirmed I was an ASIA A Complete. For those of you that don’t know, that means that I had no feeling, no movement, and my spinal cord was so damaged I most likely would not get any of it back. I did not see this as depressing. I try to look at life as positive as possible. It’s almost as if I already knew what had happened to me before being told. The first words to come out of my mouth that I still say to this day are “I don’t need to walk to love.” (more…)

This week’s spotlight is on the United States Adaptive Recreation Center (USARC).

The USARC was founded in 1983 in order to help those with disabilities participate in outdoor recreational activities. They work with everything from park and recreation departments to hospitals to reach those with both cognitive and physical disabilities. There are programs for snowboarding, skiing, water skiing, sailing and even bike riding. All of the equipment has been modified to cover a variety of disabilities and trained instructors are always close by working to provide a fun and safe experience.

Their mission statements says that their goals are:

* Facilitating challenging and adventurous recreational programming.
* Enabling achievement with superior instruction and personnel.
* Confronting limitations resolutely and educationally.
* Developing independence through a cooperative reliance on others.
* Providing resources for sustained participation with peers.
* Creating awareness throughout the community.

As we know, living with a disability can seem overwhelming and limiting, but with programs such as this one, both kids and adults can stretch their self perception as they find alternative ways to participate in activities that previously seemed out of reach.

Q: What factors need to be considered with an acute spinal cord injury (SCI)?

A: For acute spinal cord trauma, stabilization is the first priority. After an injury, according to Jack de la Torre MD PhD, there are biochemical, metabolic and physiological issues that arise such as reduced blood flow to the spinal column, the formation of free radicals, sodium channel activation, inflammation and energy substrate depletion.

To address these issues de la Torre suggests the use of fructose 1,6-diphosphate combined with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as when combined, the two stabilize the SCI and provide a high-energy substrate to the damaged tissue. Dr. de la Torre is a professor of neurosurgery and physiology at the University of New Mexico Medical School in Albuquerque who has been one of the main advocates for the use of DMSO, a controversial drug that has many healing properties.

Anders Holtz with the Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden emphasizes the need to consider secondary injuries that can result from surgery. He believes that the aim of surgery is to minimize neurological deterioration, stabilize and align the spinal cord, reduce pain and prevent secondary complications.

Immediately after a trauma to the spine, Holtz stresses the importance of monitoring the respiration system in order to time drug treatment so that the chosen medication is given at the most optimal time. In addition to the respiratory system playing an important role in medication administration, it also accounts for a high percentage of illnesses in SCI patients.

According to the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing in an article by Kathleen T. Lucke, “lung diseases and breathing complications cause significant illness in patients following spinal cord injuries. The mortality rate from pulmonary complications, such as pneumonia, lung collapse, respiratory failure, and infections, can be 40-80% in the first year after injury.”

As you can see, there are a variety of important factors that need to be addressed and closely monitored immediately and soon after a SCI. Awareness of the areas of special concern will help you to better understand what your doctor is focused on and why - not to mention that this knowledge will help you to determine if your doctor is competently approaching the treatment of the injury.

The majority of people who sustain SCIs will not have the medical knowledge to determine the best course of treatment, but even some awareness of the problems that can arise can add to you overall security that you are getting the best treatment available.

For further reading:
Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Review and Self-assessment, Julie K. Silver & Walter R. Frontera, pp. 346, 2003. Price £28.99. ISBN: 1-56053-563-6. Hanley & Belfus, Philadelphia

Pulmonary management following acute SCI. (spinal cord injury) Journal of Neuroscience Nursing; Apr 1, 1998; Lucke, Kathleen T.

This week’s technology report is on wheelchair seating products. For those who spend large periods of time in a wheelchair, finding the right seating enhancements that provide both comfort and support is of high importance.

There are a wide selection of seat cushions that take into account everything from moisture resistance to pressure relief. Some products include materials that are lightweight and contoured to fit your body, while others emphasize your degree of activity and how likely your lifestyle is to cause skin breakdown.

Other options to look for are whether or not the manufacturer provides a solid cushion such as those made with gels or foam or a liquid one that prevents bottoming out - a situation that can lead to skin sores. Most companies will take into account your size and shape, fitting you with the best seat for your situation.

Backrests are another important item to consider when shopping for optimal comfort and health. There are an assortment of wheelchair backs that are suited to a variety of lifestyles. For the active person, there are specifications such as flexible positioning systems, removable hardware and lightweight structure. For those with a more sedentary or indoor lifestyle, you can find backs that will align your posture, provide maximal support and easy release.

Backs come in as many different materials as seats do and can be found in either hard shelled form or with an upholstered structure. Some are created for a greater weight bearing ability and others specifically for those who want to travel quick and light.

Consider what sort of life you lead and under what conditions before buying a wheelchair and seating products. These run in a wide price range and it will pay off later to research first!

While we don’t endorse any specific manufacturer, Sunrise Medical may be a good place to start looking as they have over 30 years of experience providing assistive products to those with disabilities.

Rich Newsome with the Newsome Law Firm, along with Tom Harmon, Pete Newsome and Clancey Bounds will be participating in the Nov. 2nd 2008 Florida Ironman on behalf of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation as “Team Reeve Ironman.” Team Reeve Ironman is raising money for the Reeve Foundation.

The Florida Ironman race will take place in Panama City, Fla. and is one of only seven official Ironman races held annually in the United States. Ironman Florida is also a qualifying event for the Ironman world championship in Kona, Hawaii. The Florida Ironman race includes a 2.4 mile swim, 110 mile bike race and a 26 mile run.

The athletes who are part of Team Reeve Florida hope to raise not just money, but also awareness about the Reeve Foundation and the vital work they are doing for the SCI community. The Reeve Foundation is focused on finding a cure for paralysis as well as giving spinal cord injury (SCI) survivors much needed direct aid.

Please help support this worthy cause.

For more information on how to support the Team Reeve Ironman, please visit their Web page.

According to a Washington Post article, scientists have figured out how to turn one type of adult stem cell into another. What makes this development even more interesting is that it wasn’t done in a petri dish - this change was created inside of a living animal.

This breakthrough will potentially lead to cures for currently un-fixable illnesses and injuries such as spinal cord injuries (SCI) while bypassing the ethical objections that are now hindering stem cell research.

Research on mice by Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) co-director Douglas A. Melton, and colleagues, found three molecular switches that were able to turn a common cell in the pancreas into one that can produce insulin. This has the potential to benefit people suffering from diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses.

Imagine being able to cure your illness or heal your body through the flip of a cell switch - a process that would save both time and money that is currently spent on drugs and other ongoing therapies.

“I see no moral problem in this basic technique,” said Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a leading opponent of embryonic stems cell research. “This is a ‘win-win’ situation for medicine and ethics.”

While researchers warn that “many years of research lay ahead” before they will be able to prove that this innovation will be of use for curing disease and injuries, it is another big step made by science towards creating health and longevity.

As of today this study hasn’t been posted on the HSCI Website, but for those interested, here is the HSCI list of research projects.

Click here for the original article.

Living with pain after a spinal cord injury (SCI) is something that many are familiar with, if not resigned to. There are a variety of ways in which to reduce or eliminate the pain, but what works for one person’s situation often fails to produce results for someone else.

An option we recently read about is the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) treatment - a therapy that is said to relieve neuropathic pain after a failed back surgery. (The original article can be found here.)

Patients in a prospective randomized controlled multi-center study (PROCESS) trial were rated on their level of pain before and after the use of SCS while a control group was given more traditional therapies such as nerve blocks and physical rehabilitation. Out of a 100 participants, 48 percent achieved at least a 50 percent reduction in pain. The control group experienced little or no relief.

SCS is not a cheap therapy, so you will definitely want to research your options and thoroughly consider the costs vs. the potential benefits. If you are interested, this Website has some good information on how SCS works.

Reference:
Manca A, Kumar K, Taylor RS, Jacques L, Eldabe S, Meglio M, et al. Quality of life, resource consumption and costs of spinal cord stimulation versus conventional medical management in neuropathic pain patients with failed back surgery syndrome (PROCESS trial). European Journal of Pain 2008.

We are always looking for new developments that can lead to spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery and press releases like this one are a great incentive to keep looking.

The PLoS Medicine site reports that researchers studying spinal cord injuries in mice found that chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) is needed for the repair of the neurons that will facilitate the regaining of movement, but after time, it actually hinders a full nervous system recovery. In studies on mice, the researchers allowed CSPG to act uninhibited for two days after the injury before interfering and by doing this, created a promising response in the animals.

Heavily secreted after an injury, CSPG helps to form glial scars after a SCI. These scars protect the damaged areas, but they also release chemicals that work to prevent further regeneration in the nervous system. Because of its link to preventing axonal development, researchers were focused on eliminating CSPG from the injured area.

This compounded data suggests that eliminating CSPG may not be the best answer, and scientists are opting instead to control it. CSPG has a place in the healing process as it regulates the local immune response which is vital for proper healing.

So far studies only extend to animals, not humans, but there are similar enough correlations between spinal cord repair processes that it’s believed this research can soon be applied to human subjects.

To read the original release, please click here.

Stem cell research is moving along at a fantastic pace these days, with non-controversial sources being discovered at a seemingly increasing rate.

An important development came to our attention on BrightSurf.com’s news site. Dr. Noboru Sato, an assistant professor of biochemistry at UC Riverside, has created a way to grow human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), cells that can produce any type of adult cells in humans, without the use of animal-derived material.

Currently, the majority of researchers use animal-based materials for cell cultures, risking the transmission of viruses and pathogens to the growing hESCs. Sato has figured out how to use poly-D-lysine, a chemically synthesized extracellular matrix that the hESCs attach to, instead of the animal-derived Matrigel-coated culture plates typically in use now.

Not only is the poly-D-lysine cleaner, it is easier to work with and has a high rate of pluripotency, a term meaning that it helps hESCs with the ability to divide into specialized cells.

This study will appear online in the Aug. 20 issue of the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE.