USC Says Stem Cells Restored Limb Movement To Paraplegic

USC Keck Medical Center has claimed to restore partial limb control to a 21-year-old man who was paralyzed below the neck in a traffic accident earlier this year.

            Kristopher Boesen was enrolled in a clinical study wherein embryonic stem cells converted into cells common in the nervous system were injected into the spinal cord. The 21-year-old Bakersfield resident had been severely injured in a traffic accident in March. He needed to be weaned from a ventilator in less than a week in order to give voice consent to participating in the study, officials said.

            A team of researchers that included clinicians from Keck and the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center announced earlier this week that since receiving the injection of approximately 10 million AST-OPC1 cells in April, Boesen has since regained motion of his upper limbs.

            "As of 90 days post-treatment, Kris has gained significant improvement in his motor function, up to two spinal cord levels," said Charles Liu, M.D., director of the USC Neurorestoration Center.  "In Kris' case, two spinal cord levels means the difference between using your hands to brush your teeth, operate a computer or do other things you wouldn't otherwise be able to do, so having this level of functional independence cannot be overstated."

            USC did not say whether more improvement was expected in Boesen's case. Under the study protocol, he will be under close observation for a year after the injection was received,