Therapy for Spinal Cord Injuries Approved By FDA - Health Aim

For the past 27 years, Marc Buoniconti has been paralyzed due to a football injury from his neck down. He sustained the injury while playing at The Citadel in South Carolina. His father, Nick Buoniconti, is a Hall of Famer who played football for the Miami Dolphins and Boston Patriots. He has worked tirelessly since his son was injured to find a cure for spinal paralysis.

The father and son have been working on a joint venture for years and finally can see the fruits of their labor. The two are the heads of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis that tries to help the thousands suffering from spinal cord injuries in the U.S. The Buoniconti’s finally heard good news when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a phase one trial to evaluate the safety of making transplants of human Schwann cells as a treatment for those with paralysis. It will be the world’s first trial if its kind.

Researchers are confident these cells that are found in the body’s peripheral nervous system and responsible for sending the body’s electrical signals, might be key to eventually curing paralysis. One neurosurgeon on the team said the announcement today was as important for their field of study as was the first step taken on the moon to the NASA space program.

Eight patients will take part in the clinical trial. All eight have acute spinal-cord injuries. They will receive injections of their own Schwann cells while being monitored by scientists at the University of Miami. The first test will only be a safety trial nevertheless, the researchers hope the cells will behave as stem cells and eventually restore sensation and function.