Guide for Cell Therapy in Human Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Based on various research, different cells are effective for improving the symptoms and paraclinical indicators of patients with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). A big gap in front of researchers and doctors is to know the source, the number of cells required for injection, the delivery method, and the required complementary treatments. We extracted the desired data (number of cells, autologous or allogeneic source of cell extraction, delivery method, and complementary treatments) from 40 clinical trials, which checked and recorded 17 scores of symptoms and paraclinical indicators in at least two studies. The most common cells for improving 11 scores were bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell. The mean effect was more in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell with plasma as the complementary treatment. Then the highest mean effect was in bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell therapy, with the complementary treatment being methylprednisolone. The cell number (10⁶/kg), the source (autologous), and the delivery method (intrathecal) were similar in both cell types. No life-threatening consequences or death were recorded. This guideline helps researchers and doctors choose the appropriate cell therapy method for chronic SCI.