US stem cell company treating quadriplegics looks to bring therapy to Australia

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Pioneer Founding member
By David Spicer

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-31/stem-cell-treatment-for-quadriplegics-hoped-to-come-to-australia/7981300

A stem cell treatment which has successfully restored some movement in quadriplegics' arms and hands will soon be available in Australia if a US company has its way.

The chief medical officer of Asterias Biotherapeutics, Dr Edward Wirth, told delegates attending the NSW Stem Cell Network conference in Sydney his company had seen a recovery in arm and hand function in patients paralysed from the neck down after stem cells were injected into their spinal cords.

"Previously tests of a low dose of cells saw a modest hand and arm function in those individuals," he said.

"What we are starting to see at a higher dose is a more robust return of arm and hand function and finger function three months after the injection of the cells."

The US Federal Drug Administration has been closely monitoring the trial, which commenced in 2010, to see if there are any side effects from the treatment.

Dr Wirth said so far none of the patients have shown adverse symptoms.

"It would be great to trial it outside of the US because Australia has an excellent spinal cord injury network," he said.
The treatment is presently only suitable for use in patients two weeks to two months after they have been injured.

Dr Wirth said the treatment was offered to Australian BMX rider Simon Willoughby, who suffered a spinal injury in September.

"He was very interested, but some of his family members had reservations so he decided not to participate," he said.

Professor Bernard Tuch, the director of NSW Stem Cell Network, said the results were exceptionally promising.

"There have been improvements in motor function. Not all of a sudden [so] I can walk again but an improvement in terms of capability," he said.

"Now that we have a company looking at the possibility of bringing it to Australia that is most important."

Professor Tuch said if Australian clinical partners were found it could be up and running here within a year or two.

Funding could be a barrier to trials

The chair of SpinalCure Australia Joanna Knott was more cautious.

"I think it is early days but it has potential. Funding is always an issue," she said.

The stem cell cloned for use in this therapy was originally harvested from a single embryo.

"It was donated in 1998 by parents who were about to discard an embryo they did not require for IVF," Dr Wirth said.

"Every cell comes from that single cell as they divide indefinitely."

Dr Wirth said the cells could also be differentiated to combat other illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and strokes.
 
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