Is the UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine conducting research on stem cells or other nerve repair or regeneration techniques directed at promoting recovery from spinal cord damage?
At this time the UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine is not conducting any human studies involving experimental therapies using stem cells or other nerve repair or regeneration techniques, such as macrophages, glial cells, or bone marrow stromal cells. Many of these therapies have only been studied in animals so far and will not come to human trial for some time. UW faculty and researchers are monitoring these SCI research activities worldwide and will participate in worthwhile research trials in the future that are determined to be promising, safe, appropriate and feasible. If the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine becomes involved in this kind of study, information will be posted on our Participate in Research Web page. Please see the Web sites below for information about SCI recovery research. • Proneuron Biotechnologies has been conducting clinical trial using activated macrophages to promote spinal cord repair in acutely injured patients. Patients must be injured less than
