Paralysed people may soon be able to walk again, scientists create revolutionary spinal cord implant

In a first, scientists have created spinal cord implants that may soon enable paralysed people to walk again. The 3D implants are made using human cells. As per researchers, the breakthrough implants returned a success rate of 80% in a lab test on paralysed mice. This means 8 out of 10 mice were able to overcome the limitations in mobility induced by their paralysis. Preparations are underway for the revolutionary implants to undergo clinical trials in human, as per a Bloomberg report.

Millions of people around the world are paralysed and there is currently no treatment for the problem. Researchers hope to implant the creation in paralysed humans in the coming years.

With findings published in the journal Advanced Science, the Israel-based researchers used tissue samples of patients and then converted them into ‘functioning spinal cord implants.’ The process mirrors how spinal cord develops in a human embryo.

Scientists hope that their work would enable personalised implants in paralysed patients which can repair damaged tissue but does not carry the risk of being rejected by the body.

The research was conducted by a team led by Professor Tal Dvir at Sagol Centre for Regenerative Biotechnology, the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Israel’s Tel Aviv University.

“This is the first instance in the world in which implanted engineered human tissues have generated recovery in an animal model for long-term chronic paralysis – which is the most relevant model for paralysis treatments in humans,” Bloomberg quoted Professor Dvir.