By Smriti Mallapaty – Nature –
Another man also regained some movement, but two others experienced minimal improvement.
A paralysed man can stand on his own after receiving an injection of neural stem cells to treat his spinal-cord injury. The Japanese man was one of four individuals in a first-of-its-kind trial that used reprogrammed stem cells to treat people who are paralysed.
Another man can now move his arms and legs following the treatment, but the two others did not show substantial improvements. The trial was run by Hideyuki Okano, a stem-cell scientist at Keio University in Tokyo, and his colleagues.
The results, which were announced at a press conference on 21 March and have not yet been peer reviewed, suggest that the treatment is safe, say researchers.
