Stem cell campaigners win go-ahead for trial

Keith Vallis, who died six years ago, wanted the trial. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Ethics experts gave approval yesterday for the country's first clinical trial using adult stem cells to treat people with spinal injuries.

Six people now confined to wheelchairs will have stem cells from inside their noses injected into the site of their spinal injuries.

"We will be contacting GPs ... asking if they have any people with spinal injuries on their books who may be suitable that they may want to approach, and also getting in touch with spinal injury networks," said Otago Medical School haematologist and cell biologist Jim Faed.

About 5000 people are in wheelchairs with spinal cord injuries, but Dr Faed said only a dozen would be accepted for the trial, and only half of those would get stem cells.

Six people will have the surgery while the other six will go through the intensive rehabilitation and be the control group to help measure the effects of the stem cells.

Spinal Cord Society president Noela Vallis said the long-term aim was for a cure, but the initial trial would aim only to improve sensation or function for the participants.

Mrs Vallis and her husband Keith started the society about 25 years after he became paralysed.

Mr Vallis died six years ago but Mrs Valiss continued the project and for the past 4 years has been seeking ethics approval for the trial.

She said four years ago that well over 100 people had had the procedure around the world with few negative side-effects and varying degrees of improvement for each patient.

This had included recovering bowel and bladder function and gaining extra feeling and movement in limbs.

Yesterday she said the society had submitted data to the ethics committee at least 10 times.

"It was a very frustrating process," she said. "The trial is safe."

She was pleased that the trial was finally going ahead.

"We are really ecstatic, it couldn't be better news for people with spinal injuries in this country.

"A lot of people say we are just giving false hope - but these people are sitting in wheelchairs and already have no hope."

The aim of the trial was to prove it was safe and that patients benefited.

"We will keep going until we get a proper cure," Mrs Vallis said.

Dr Faed was at yesterday's multi-region ethics committee meeting, and said most members voted in favour of the trial.

The screening will be carried out in Dunedin, the surgery will be done in a private Christchurch hospital, and each patient's rehabilitation will be done in his or her local city.

The whole trial will take about 2 years.

- NZPA