Japan team carries out world-first spinal cord stem cell trial

Surgeons at Tokyo's Keio University want to study whether induced pluripotent stem cells can be used to treat spinal cord injuries. - KEIO UNIVERSITY GLOBAL PAGE/FACEBOOK

TOKYO (AFP): A Japanese university said Friday (Jan 14) it has successfully transplanted stem cells into a patient with a spinal cord injury, in the first clinical trial of its kind.

There is currently no effective treatment for paralysis caused by serious spinal cord injuries, believed to affect more than 100,000 people in Japan alone.