Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury
About spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the spinal cord becomes damaged, most commonly, when motor vehicle accidents, falls, acts of violence, or sporting accidents fracture vertebrae and crush or transect the spinal cord.
Damage to the spinal cord usually results in impairments or loss of:
Movement/Muscle Control
- • Inability to move muscles
• Muscles may have spastic contractions or may atrophy from disuse
Sensation
- • Inability to feel hot/cold, pressure, pain, position sense
• Inability to regulate body temperature
Organ System control
- • Loss of control of bowel/bladder
• Spinal cord injury-related pain, sexual function and fertility
Can stem cells help treat spinal cord injury?
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Presently, post-accident care for spinal cord injury patients focuses on extensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other rehabilitation therapies; teaching the injured person how to cope with their disability.
A number of published papers and case studies support the feasibility of treating spinal cord injury with allogeneic human umbilical cord-derived stem cells and autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells.
Feasibility of combination allogeneic stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury: a case report references many of them. Published improvements include improved ASIA scores, improved bladder and/or bowel function, recovered sexual function, and increased muscle control.
Which types of stem cells does the Stem Cell Institute use to treat spinal cord injury and how are they collected?
The adult stem cells used to treat spinal cord injuries at the Stem Cell Institute come from two sources: the patient’s own bone marrow (autologous mesenchymal and CD34+) and human umbilical cord (allogeneic mesenchymal and CD34+).
A licensed anesthesiologist harvests bone marrow from both hips under light general anesthesia in a hospital operating room. This procedure takes about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Before they are administered to the patient, these bone marrow-derived stem cells must pass testing for quality, bacterial contamination (aerobic and anaerobic) and endotoxin.
Stem cells are also recovered from donated umbilical cords. These umbilical cord stem cells are screened for viruses and bacteria to International Blood Bank Standards.
How do the physicians administer these stem cells?
Our stem cell treatment protocol for spinal cord injury calls for a total of 16 injections over the course of 4 weeks.
The bone marrow-derived and umbilical cord-derived stem cells are both administered intravenously by a licensed physician.
They are also injected intrathecally (into the spinal fluid) by an experienced anesthesiologist. Intrathecal injection enables the stem cells to bypass the blood-brain barrier and migrate to the injury site within the spinal canal.
SPINAL CORD INJURY STEM CELL TREATMENT PROTOCOL (OUTLINE)
- • The standard protocol takes 4 weeks
- • The first two days: medical evaluation, blood testing, and bone marrow collection
- • 8 intrathecal (spinal canal) injections of expanded/non-expanded cord blood-derived stem cells (2 per week)
- • 4 intravenous injections (IV) expanded cord blood-derived stem cells (1 per week)
- • 2 intrathecal (lumbar puncture) injections of bone marrow-derived stem cells (during final week)
- • 2 intravenous injections (IV) bone marrow-derived stem cells (during final week)
- • 19 physical therapy sessions (throughout stay)
- • Medical consultation for hormone evaluation
- • StemKine supplement (2 bottles)
*Please not that the above treatment outline is typical. However, actual treatment scheduling might vary slightly.
How do you follow-up with patients after they return home?
Proper follow-up is essential for us to monitor your condition after treatment. It also helps us evaluate treatment efficacy and improve our protocols based on reported outcomes over time.
Therefore, one of our medical staff will be contacting you at the following intervals: 1 month, 3 months, 4 months, 1 year and 2 years.
Do you have any successfully treated patients who would be willing to speak with me about their experiences at the Stem Cell Institute?
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Yes, we do. Several of our spinal cord injury patients currently volunteer to speak with prospective patients. Your patient coordinator will be happy to put you in touch with them once your treatment evaluation has been completed.
We’ve published written testimonials, news articles and videos from our spinal cord injury patients on our spinal cord injury patient experiences page. Please take a look!
How do I request more information?
You may contact us by telephone 1 (800) 980-STEM (toll-free in US) and 1 (954) 636-3390 or by web-based inquiry form.
To find out if you are eligible, Apply for Treatment Today:
To apply for stem cell treatment, please complete this Patient Application Form.
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Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury – Testimonials, Videos, and News