Stem Cell Study Will Be One of the First to Target Old, Rather Than New Spinal Cord Injuries

Stem cell researcher Hans Keirstead is soliciting funds to launch research investigating stem cell therapies for chronic spinal cord injuries (SCI). This is good news for people like our very own Steven Edwards, who suffered a high-level SCI more than 10 years ago. He's watched as various scientists have launched studies looking at treating new injuries with stem cells. New injuries will be easier to treat, the rationale goes, because as injuries get older, damage continues and scar tissue grows, making the spinal cord less potentially regenerative.

On Friday I wondered whether Geron, a California stem cell company, was still supporting Keirstead's research at the University of California at Irvine; he emailed me Friday saying Geron is indeed still backing his acute SCI research. The recent solicitation for $1.5 million was for a separate, chronic injury study.

On a $200,000 donation from an SCI victim, Keirstead wrote in the email:

Donations to the laboratory will be used to support the development of a new
treatment that my group is developing for chronic spinal cord injury and
diseases of the spinal cord. This work is distinct from that supported by
Geron Corporation, which continues to support my research.

Such donations are humbling on a personal level, and nothing short of
enabling on a professional level. They will permit us to work on the
pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies, to determine if this treatment is
suitable for clinical application.

Related post: Spinal Cord Injury Patient Donates Life Savings to Stem Cell Researcher