Using stem cells to treat spinal injuries

TOKYO: Japanese scientists will test the use of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to treat spinal cord injuries, a health ministry panel that approved the research project said yesterday.

The research team from Tokyo’s Keio University planned to inject about two million iPS cells into the damaged areas of a patient and review the results over the course of a year, according to the plan approved by the health ministry.

The Keio University team seeks four patients, aged 18 or older, who have lost mobility and sensory functions from spinal cord injuries sustained.