Long-term clinical and safety outcomes from a single-site phase 1 study of neural stem cell transplantation for chronic thoracic spinal cord injury

This study reports on the long-term (five-year) results of a phase 1 clinical trial that investigated the safety and potential benefits of transplanting neural stem cells (NSI-566) into the injured spinal cords of four patients with chronic thoracic spinal cord injury. The primary goal was to assess the safety and feasibility of the procedure. Secondary goals involved monitoring any neurological improvements, changes in pain levels, and overall quality of life in the participants. The researchers found that the stem cell implantation procedure was well-tolerated by all four subjects. Two subjects showed evidence of neurological improvement and increased motor and sensory scores five years after the transplantation.

• 1
  All four subjects tolerated the stem cell implantation procedure well, with no serious adverse events immediately following the procedure.
• 2
  Two subjects showed durable electromyography-quantifiable evidence of neurological improvement, as well as increased neurological motor and sensory scores at five years post-transplantation.
• 3
  Two of the four patients experienced overall decreased pain scores post-operatively.