Artificial 3D spinal cord tissue may allow paralyzed people to walk again

On June 13, 2010, at the Rick Hansen "Wheelchair in Action" fundraiser in Vancouver, Canada, a woman picked up items in a wheelchair to experience how people with disabilities can shop at the store. On the same day, more than 40 cities in Canada, including Vancouver, held a "wheelchair in action" fundraising campaign, and the proceeds of the activity will be used to improve the quality of life of patients with spinal cord injury. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Ma Dan)

Jerusalem, February 7 (Xinhua) -- Tel Aviv University in Israel issued a statement on the 7th that researchers at the university synthesized 3D human spinal cord tissue for the first time in the world, and this technology may allow paralyzed people to walk again.

Researchers at the university's Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology used human materials and cells to design 3D human spinal cord tissue and implant it into a lab model with chronic paralysis, and the results showed a success rate of about 80 percent in restoring the ability to walk in the lab model, the statement said.

This technique uses a sample of adipose tissue from the patient's abdomen. After isolating cells from the extracellular matrix in adipose tissue, the researchers used genetic engineering to reprogram the cells, transforming them into neural network 3D implants containing motor neurons by mimicking the process of spinal cord development in human embryos.

Researchers at the university are preparing for clinical trials of 3D spinal cord tissue, which the researchers hope to implant in paralyzed people within a few years, enabling them to stand and walk again, the statement said. The results of the research have been published in the German journal Advanced Science.