Reprogrammed Stem Cells Treat Spinal Injuries

Researchers at the University of New South Wales, report that stem cell therapy may soon repair human spinal damage much like salamanders regrow their limbs. They claim to have developed a method for turning fat and bone cells into any other cell and their method could be subjected to human trials as early as next year.

Study author John Pimanda, M.D. said, “We have taken bone and fat cells, switched off their memory and converted them into stem cells so they can repair different cell types once they are put back inside the body.” The scientists call the cells “induced multipotent stem cells, ” or “iMS cells.”

According to Cosmos writer Vivian Richter, the researchers claim that their iMS cells are similar to the cells salamanders form around damaged tissue, which allow them to grow new limbs. “This technique is ground-breaking because iMS cells regenerate multiple tissue types, ” explained Pimanda.

The research team injected iMS cells into mice implanted with a bone graft and saw new marrow-filled bone and cartilage form around the transplant within 12 weeks. A similar bone implant of mice not injected with iMS cells did not show this level of regeneration, according to Richter.

Reprogramming cells to lose their memory and form a different cell type has been a valuable research tool for the researchers. But using these induced stem cells to treat tissue damage such as spinal injury in a patient has long been out of reach and unsuccessful. One problem is that the cells can form tumors. Other stem cells, isolated from embryos and reprogrammed for the same purpose, have had limited use because they are ethically controversial and cannot be programmed to form more than one cell type.

The method used by the New South Wales researchers involves treating fat or bone cells with a compound which relaxes the hard-wiring of the cell, followed by growth factors which prompt the cells to multiply.

“This technique is ground-breaking because iMS cells regenerate multiple tissue types, ” Pimanda explained. “We have taken bone and fat cells, switched off their memory and converted them into stem cells so they can repair different cell types once they are put back inside the body.”

The researcher’s sights are set on spinal implants, which heal poorly in 20% of recipients. Injecting iMS cells alongside the implant, the team hopes, will stimulate the implant to fuse with the surrounding tissue.

“The therapy has enormous potential for treating back and neck pain, spinal disc injury, joint and muscle degeneration and could also speed up recovery following complex surgeries where bones and joints need to integrate with the body, ” said University of New South Wales’ Ralph Mobbs, M.D., who will lead the human trial. “This represents a potential huge leap forward for spinal and orthopaedic procedures, ” he said.