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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Neural Stem Cell Transplantation in Experimental Contusive Model of Spinal Cord Injury
Published on: December 17, 2014
A First-in-Human, Phase I Study of Neural Stem Cell Transplantation for Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Erik Curtis1, Joel R Martin1, Brandon Gabel1
1Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Abstract:
We tested the feasibility and safety of human-spinal-cord-derived neural stem cell (NSI-566) transplantation for the treatment of chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). In this clinical trial, four subjects with T2-T12 SCI received treatment consisting of removal of spinal instrumentation, laminectomy, and durotomy, followed by six midline bilateral stereotactic injections of NSI-566 cells. All subjects tolerated the procedure well and there have been no serious adverse events to date (18-27 months post-grafting). In two subjects, one to two levels of neurological improvement were detected using ISNCSCI motor and sensory scores. Our results support the safety of NSI-566 transplantation into the SCI site and early signs of potential efficacy in three of the subjects warrant further exploration of NSI-566 cells in dose escalation studies. Despite these encouraging secondary data, we emphasize that this safety trial lacks statistical power or a control group needed to evaluate functional changes resulting from cell grafting.
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