STEM CELL NEWS
Geron Corp., which owns nine of the embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federal research money, has successfully used stem cells to cure mice of spinal injuries. According to the WSJ report (link should work for a week), Geron plans to try the technique on humans with new spinal injuries. From the report:
The Menlo Park, Calif., company hopes that injecting stem cells -- which have been modified to become the naturally unreplacable cells that insulate nerve cells -- into the site of a spinal trauma will help reduce the severity of paralysis.
It worked in mice. The company anesthetized the rodents and broke each of their backs in the same way. The control group ended up paraplegic, unable to move below the waist. A video showed these mice dragging around hindquarters. For the others, Geron scientists injected the site of the injury with human embryonic stem cells. Within a couple of weeks, these mice were walking on their hind legs.
Dr. Okarma said he expects this to help only for new cases of spinal injury. "Scar tissue gets in the way, so this won't help the Christopher Reeves of the world," he said. But it could be a potential answer for the 11,000 Americans who suffer spinal-cord injury each year. "What we are achieving in this model is what no drug could ever do," he said.
Next year, the company plans to file for FDA approval to start studying stem cells in humans with new spinal-cord injuries.
Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ren Benjamin expects the agency to ask for substantial animal safety data before allowing human studies because the company obviously won't be able to test the safety of the stem cells on healthy adults who haven't already suffered spinal injury. Mr. Benjamin doesn't own Geron shares, but his firm did investment banking for Geron in the past 12 months.
If the process ends up working, Geron would probably be able to charge a hefty sum for the treatment. "Think of the benefit to those patients versus the economic burden if you remain crippled," Mr. Benjamin said.