A 23-year-old man, who was paralysed from below the
waist, is now able to walk after the first successful
stem cell therapy in India for spinal cord injuries
was conducted at a hospital here.
According to Dr J.S. Rajkumar, chairman, Lifeline
Hospitals, the young man, Akbar Ali, suffered serious
injuries in his spinal cord when he fell from the
fourth floor of a building last October. He was then
working at a construction site in Abu Dhabi.
Though he underwent a surgery to stabilise his
spinal cord, it was not successful. After he returned
to India a month later, he lost sensation in his legs
and was paralysed below the waist.
He could not control his urine and bowel movements
and was thus admitted to Lifeline Hospitals. The
doctors there diagnosed him as a patient for
autologous stem cell therapy wherein the stem cells
from the patient's body are taken and used at the
injured spot.
The technology, which is available at the hospital
in collaboration from the Nichi-In Centre for
Regenerative Medicine, Japan, was applied to Ali’s
body. Nearly 100 ml of his bone marrow was removed,
harvested and isolated before the stem cells were
injected near the injured spot in his spinal cord.
The stem cells emit trophic factors, which enable
neurons and vessels to grow; a part of them becomes
integral to the region, another component becomes part
of the growing nerves.
Two months into the therapy, Ali has now regained
50 per cent sensation below his waist. He can control
his urine for up to two hours and can also walk.
Lifeline doctors said this treatment could be used
for paraplegics, but usually worked better on younger
people with more recent injuries.
The hospital is presently examining the use of this
therapy in treating cardiac problems, liver failure,
diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s
disease.
Of the various sources of stem cells, the
autologous stem cell therapy was used by the hospital
as there was no risk of rejection nor was there any
concern of medical ethics.
Doctors say that preserving stem cells is a kind of
bio-insurance for an entire family as the stem cells
could help in the treatment of the person’s
siblings, parents and even grandparents. While
preserved cord blood stem cells are a perfect match
for the child from whose umbilical cord it was
collected, there is only a 25 per cent chance of it
being a perfect match for other family members.
