A medical team in Ecuador, using methods in some ways similar to proposed New Zealand trials, has achieved for all of the eight people confined to wheelchairs, improvement in muscle function and feeling.

Some have regained ability to walk with assistance.

The report just received by the Spinal Cord Society of New Zealand (SCSNZ), describes the clinical trial of spinal cord injury treatment.

The trials used the patients’ own bone marrow cells and patients received the treatment over the past 15-24 months.

Four of the patients in the trial had chronic spinal cord injury and had been paralysed and confined to wheelchairs for periods of between 6 to 22 years and four had recent spinal cord injuries. People with chronic spinal cord injury do not normally show any improvement after 1-2 years but those with recent injury can show moderate improvement in the first year after the injury. more