StemCells reports breakthrough using human neural stem cells to restore motor function in chronic spinal cord injury

StemCells, Inc. announced the publication of new preclinical data demonstrating that the company’s proprietary human neural stem cells restore lost motor function in mice with chronic spinal cord injury.

This is the first published study to show that human neural stem cells can restore mobility even when administered at time points beyond the acute phase of trauma, suggesting the prospect of treating a much broader population of injured patients than previously demonstrated.

This groundbreaking study, entitled “Human Neural Stem Cells Differentiate and Promote Locomotor Recovery in an Early Chronic Spinal Cord Injury NOD-scid Mouse Model,” was led by Dr. Aileen Anderson of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

In this latest study, StemCells’ human neural stem cells were transplanted into mice 30 days after a spinal cord injury that results in hind limb paralysis. The transplanted mice demonstrated a significant and persistent recovery of walking ability in two separate tests of motor function when compared to control groups. These results are particularly significant because it is the first time that human