Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE Amex:CUR) announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase I safety clinical trial for chronic spinal cord injury with its spinal cord stem cells. This multicenter Phase I safety trial will enroll a total of 16 long-term, or chronic, spinal cord injury patients, with an American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Grade A level of impairment, one-to-two years post-injury. ASIA A refers to a patient with no motor or sensory function in the relevant segments and is considered to be complete paralysis. Continue Reading »

District court judge blocks federal funding for embryonic stem cell research

Just when you thought embryonic stem cell research would begin to show whether regenerating damaged cells would allow spinal cord injury victims to walk again or help repair damaged hearts, a federal district court judge has ordered it to stop. Continue Reading »

The University of California, Irvine, has just completed the very first study to show that human stem cells can bring back movement in spinal cord injury, advocating the possibility of treatment for a more vast populace of patients.

Past breakthroughs in stem cell studies concentrated on the vital or beginning stage of spinal cord injury, a time span of up to a couple of weeks after the onset of the trauma when medications can bring about some mobile recovery. Continue Reading »

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Obama administration Monday from using federal dollars to fund expanded human embryonic stem cell research, saying the research involves the destruction of embryos.

The ruling comes after the National Institutes of Health last year issued new guidelines permitting federal funding for research on certain stem cell lines that had already been created. Continue Reading »

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia –A Saudi court is trying to persuade a man paralyzed in a fight to drop his demand to inflict a similar injury on his attacker by having his spinal cord surgically damaged, a judiciary spokesman said Monday. Continue Reading »

The first patient to undergo an adult stem cell procedure that may help spinal cord injury patients regain function had an injection Thursday that may change the course of medical history.

Sitting in his den Thursday morning, surrounded by pictures of Dr. John, Matt Cole, the patient, was cool, calm and collected. His wife Kim was with him, and he answered questions for documentation of the medical procedure he was about to undertake – an injection of his stem cells into his spinal cord that may help him regain use of his lower body. Continue Reading »

IRVINE — A UC Irvine study is the first to demonstrate that human neural stem cells can restore mobility in cases of chronic spinal cord injury, suggesting the prospect of treating a much broader population of patients.

Previous breakthrough stem cell studies have focused on the acute, or early, phase of spinal cord injury, a period of up to a few weeks after the initial trauma when drug treatments can lead to some functional recovery. Continue Reading »

Three community-based health and wellness facilities to provide better access to exercise for those living with paralysis

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has named three new locations to its NeuroRecovery Network (NRN) Community Fitness and Wellness facilities, which afford people with physical disabilities the chance to improve their health through exercise. Courage Center in Minneapolis, MN, Neuroworx in South Jordan, UT, and NextSteps Chicago, in Chicago, Illinois join Frazier Rehab Institute – Community Fitness and Wellness Facility in Louisville, KY and NextStep Fitness in Lawndale, CA. Continue Reading »

Who: Heidi Schindler, 27, Gervais; 5 feet 6 inches, 145 pounds.

Backstory: Schindler, a lifelong athlete, suffered a spinal cord injury in January while snowboarding. Her injury is at T9, which means she has full use of her upper body. She grew up playing team sports, swimming, running, a little of everything. “I’m very active,” she says, “so it’s not the lifestyle for me, to be stuck in a wheelchair. All I can do is try, and I’m always trying.” Continue Reading »

HOUSTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The United States Department of Defense (DoD) awarded the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation a $5.4 million grant to support the expansion of translational research to find treatments for military men and women with spinal cord injuries.

The DoD gave the two-year, peer-reviewed grant to the Foundation’s North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN), an international network of hospitals led by Dr. Robert G. Grossman, chairman of neurosurgery at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston. Continue Reading »