Tel Aviv University researchers are preparing for the world’s first spinal cord implant in humans using engineered tissue grown from the patient’s own cells, marking a breakthrough that could restore walking ability to paralyzed patients within the coming year.
The groundbreaking procedure, developed at Tel Aviv University’s Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, uses a fully personalized approach that transforms a patient’s blood and fat cells into functional spinal cord tissue. Professor Tal Dvir, head of the research team, explained that “more than 80% of the animals regained full walking ability” in preclinical trials using the engineered implants.
The innovative process begins by reprogramming blood cells from patients through genetic engineering to behave like embryonic stem cells capable of becoming any type of cell in the body. Meanwhile, fat tissue from the same patient is used to extract substances such as collagen and sugars to produce a unique hydrogel that serves as the foundation for the implant.
“We take the cells that we’ve reprogrammed into embryonic-like stem cells, place them inside the gel, and mimic the embryonic development of the spinal cord,” Professor Dvir said. The result is a complete three-dimensional spinal cord implant that contains neuronal networks capable of transmitting electrical signals.
Hellbound and Down 