Paralyzed man walks again after a pioneering treatment hat involved cell transplant from his nasal cavity to his spinal cord. Darek Fidyka used to be paralyzed from the chest down after suffering from a knife attack in 2010, but he can now walk with the assistance of a frame.
This was the first time that such treatment was done. It was carried out by Polish surgeons, led by one of the world's top spinal repair doctors, Dr. Pawel Tabakow from Wroclaw Medical University, in collaboration with highly skilled scientists from London.
For 19 months, Fidyka had brain cells transplanted into his spinal column. Now, paralyzed man walks again with a frame, something that researches refer to as a "historic breakthrough."
This new technique, which has been detailed recently in the latest edition of Cell Transplantation, involves olfactory en-sheathing cells, otherwise coined as OECs, which are obtained from a part of the human brain that deals with the sense of smell.
Once they are transplanted into the spinal column, the neurologists will be able to construct a "nerve bridge" between the two stumps of spinal column that have been previously damaged.
Geoffrey Raisman, the lead author of the study, told Reuters, "We believe this procedure is the breakthrough, which, as it is further developed, will result in a historic change in the currently hopeless outlook for people disabled by spinal cord injury."
Raisman is currently a professor at the University College of London's Institute of Neurology. He is hopeful that he will be able to treat at least three more patients in the near future, funding permitted, of course.
The 38-year-old paralyzed man walks again has now regained some voluntary movement and some sensation on both of his legs. Surprisingly, and fortunately for Fidyka, he continues to improve more than initially predicted. He is now even able to drive, apart from being able to live more independently.
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