The Health Ministry has granted permission to the laboratory to perform procedures to place stem cells in the spines of patients who have suffered serious spinal injuries. The project is to take place under the supervision of Dr. Ayhan Attar, a faculty member in the neurosurgery department, and hematology faculty member Dr. Meral Beksaç.
According to Attar, the 10 patients to participate in the project all underwent serious spinal trauma and are amongst the group of such patients with the slimmest chances of recovery. They will be part of the first three-month phase of the project and suffered their injuries through falls, traffic accidents and other events. Patients under the age of 17 will not be allowed to participate in the project. While there will be 10 initial patients, it's possible that more will be added as the research progresses.
The first operation as part of the project is slated to take place this December. The patients will have stem cells extracted from their own bone marrow, cultured in the laboratory and then placed in their spinal cords. The project is expected to take one year's time, and following this period the patients' results will be evaluated and it will be determined whether the method is viable for expansion as a standard treatment. The patients involved in the study will not be charged for any of the treatment they receive as part of the program.
Experimental stem cell research is already in progress on animals at the Stem Cell Research Laboratory, with animals there seeing 25 percent success rates in experimental stem cell therapies.
