A paralysed man has been able to walk again after a pioneering therapy that involved transplanting cells from his nasal cavity into his spinal cord, it was reported in late October.
Darek Fidyka, who was paralysed from the chest down in a knife attack in 2010, can now walk using a frame. The treatment, a world first, was carried out by surgeons in Poland in collaboration with London scientists.
Professor Geoff Raisman, chair of neural regeneration at University College London’s Institute of Neurology, led the UK research team. He said what had been achieved was ‘more impressive than man walking on the moon’.
How?
The treatment used olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from the patient’s own nose, meaning there was no danger of rejection or need for immunosuppressive drugs. These are specialist cells that form part of the sense of smell. OECs act as pathway cells that enable nerve fibres in the olfactory system to be continually renewed. In the first of two operations, surgeons removed one of the patient’s olfactory bulbs and grew the cells in culture. Two weeks later they transplanted the OECs into the spinal cord, which had been cut through in the knife attack apart from a thin strip of scar tissue on the right. They had just a drop of material to work with – around 500,000 cells. The scientists believe the OECs provided a pathway to enable fibres above and below the injury to reconnect, using the nerve grafts to bridge the gap in the cord. A programme of intense physiotherapy commenced before the treatment has continued since the operation.
Six months later
Mr Fidyka first noticed that the treatment had been successful after about three months, when his left thigh began putting on muscle. Six months after surgery, Mr Fidyka was able to take his first tentative steps along parallel bars, using leg braces and the support of a physiotherapist. Two years after the treatment, he can now walk outside the rehabilitation centre using a frame. He has also recovered some bladder and bowel sensation and sexual function.
None of those involved in the research want to profit from it.
