Clinical trial | Paraplegia and Tetraplegia
In March 2019, twelve people with chronic spinal cord injuries took part in a clinical study in China
In March 2019, twelve chronic spinal cord injuries (nine paraplegics and three quadriplegics) participated in a clinical study at the International Center for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury in Kunming, China. Six French patients and six Chinese patients received therapy to treat spinal cord injuries with an autologous cell growth matrix derived from adipose tissue called " activated fat » and a medication associated witherythropoietin, more commonly known by the abbreviation EPO.
The operations were carried out atKunming International Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centerby the Neurosurgeon's teamDr Liu Yanshengwho has expertise inmore than twenty years in spinal cord injury surgery and who filedseveral patents for the development of specific surgical instruments for the approach of spinal cord injuries.
All patients had complete paralysis ASIA-A
All patients had an ASIA-A score with acomplete motor and sensory paralysis with lesions sometimes larger than 6 cm.
The age range of the patients is between20 and 55 years old with some lesionsdatingfrom one to twenty-three years, including three patients with lesions more than 10 years old. This clinical study was fullyfunded by the association Neurogel en Marche In accordance with the regulations.
The patients followed a r14 month intensive education.
A team that has already performed more than 5,000 operations on chronic and acute lesions
Dr. Lui Yansheng's team regularly applies the protocol established by the late Dr. Antonio REIS for theimplantation of activated fat. She has already performed more than 5000 operations on chronic and acute spinal cord injuries with different therapeutic routes. Surgery is crucial forfree the spinal cord from fibrosis, cysts, adhesions in order to enable it to regain its original position and obtainnormal circulation of cerebrospinal fluid.
Physiotherapy is essential, it must last at least twelve months
The hospital has an intensive functional rehabilitation center run by Dr.Hui Zhui.
Physiotherapy is essentialand must last a minimum of 12 months.
Treatment without significant functional rehabilitationwould not allow nerve fibers to form synapses and axons to regrow.
It's necessarystimulate the sublesional pathwayand growth cones through physiotherapy.
The Kunming Functional Rehabilitation Center focuses on walking and active exercise with little technical assistance. Mobilization, verticalization and bodybuilding exercises are part of rehabilitation, butwalking remains the central theme. The goal is to put the individual back on his legs with all his weightso that the sensory feedback is closest to reality.
Dr. Hui Zhu's team has a physiotherapy protocol thatadapts to the case of each patientand according to its evolution. Physiotherapy is36 hours per week including 5 hours of acupuncture with low frequency electrostimulation.
The evaluation of patients is done according to a program developed by Dr. Hui Zhu:the Kunming scale.
The “activated fat” protocol in a nutshell
Autologous activated fat gel (from the patient)
Has not undergone any genetic or enzymatic modification, acts as a growth support
High immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory factors
Little fragile, easy to handle during surgery
Presence of certain key factors for the regeneration of the nervous system, associated with EPO
The patient's fat is removed byliposuction, it is treated assterile manner with a fully patented process. Fat undergoes a set of mechanical and orbital forces during a specific time and frequencies, which will separate water, blood and oil from adipose tissue. This activated fat gives thestem cells that it contains extremely high levels of immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory factors as well as key factors for the regeneration of the central nervous system, this withoutuse any chemical or genetic method.
The activated fat stem cells will differentiate and survive a very long time in the heart of the injured tissue. In combination with EPO, neural stem cells from the spinal cord migrate to activated fat.They will be able to organize a new neural structure and trigger a regrowth of nerve fibers.