Petri dish with tissue samples. Credit: Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology
Prof. Dvir describes: “Our technology is based on taking a small biopsy of stubborn belly fat tissue from the client. We then encapsulated the stem cells in the hydrogel and in a procedure that mimics the embryonic advancement of the back cable we turned the cells into 3D implants of neuronal networks including motor neurons.”
Visualization of a spine with treatment. Credit: Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology
The human spine implants were then implanted in lab designs, divided into 2 groups: those who had just recently been paralyzed (the intense design) and those who had been incapacitated for a long period of time– comparable to a year in human terms (the persistent model). Following the implantation, 100% of the lab designs with acute paralysis and 80% of those with persistent paralysis regained their ability to stroll.
Prof. Dvir: “The model animals went through a rapid rehabilitation process, at the end of which they could walk quite well. This is the first circumstances in the world in which implanted engineered human tissues have actually produced recovery in an animal model for long-term chronic paralysis– which is the most relevant design for paralysis treatments in people. There are countless people all over the world who are paralyzed due to back injury, and there is still no efficient treatment for their condition. People hurt at a very young age are destined to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives, bearing all the social, financial, and health-related expenses of paralysis. Our objective is to produce personalized back cable implants for every single paralyzed individual, allowing regeneration of the damaged tissue without any risk of rejection.
Neural web. Credit: Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology
Based upon the revolutionary organ engineering technology developed at Prof. Dvirs laboratory, he partnered with industry partners to establish Matricelf (matricelf.com) in 2019. The company applies Prof. Dvirs technique in the objectives of making back cord implant treatments commercially available for individuals struggling with paralysis.
( Left to right): Dr. Yona Goldshmit, Prof. Tal Dvir and Lior Wertheim. Credit: Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology
Prof. Dvir, head of Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, concludes: “We want to reach the phase of scientific trials in people within the next couple of years, and eventually get these clients back on their feet. The companys preclinical program has currently been discussed with the FDA. Because we are proposing a sophisticated technology in regenerative medicine, and given that at present there is no option for paralyzed clients, we have good factor to expect fairly fast approval of our innovation.”
Recommendation: “Regenerating the injured spine at the chronic stage by engineered iPSCsderived 3D neuronal networks” 7 February 2022, Advanced Science.DOI: 10.1002/ advs.202105694.
For the very first time in the world, scientists from Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology at Tel Aviv University have crafted 3D human spinal cable tissues and implanted them in lab design with long-term persistent paralysis. The groundbreaking research study was led Prof. Tal Dvirs research study group at the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University. We then encapsulated the stem cells in the hydrogel and in a procedure that imitates the embryonic development of the spine cable we turned the cells into 3D implants of neuronal networks containing motor nerve cells.”
Our objective is to produce customized spinal cord implants for every paralyzed person, allowing regeneration of the damaged tissue with no danger of rejection.
Prof. Dvir, head of Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, concludes: “We hope to reach the phase of medical trials in people within the next few years, and eventually get these patients back on their feet.
The scientists from Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology crafted practical human back cord tissues, from human products and cells, and implanted them in laboratory models that featured persistent paralysis, effectively bring back walking abilities in 80% of tests.
The innovation behind the breakthrough utilizes client tissue samples, transforming it into an operating spine implant through a procedure that imitates the advancement of the spinal cable in human embryos.
The scientists: “Our objective for the next few years is to engineer customized back cable implants to repair tissue harmed from injury without the risk of implant rejection.”
Visualization of the next stage of the research– human back cord implants for dealing with paralysis. Credit: Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology
For the first time worldwide, scientists from Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology at Tel Aviv University have engineered 3D human back cable tissues and implanted them in lab model with long-lasting persistent paralysis. The results were highly motivating: an approximately 80% success rate in bring back strolling capabilities. Now the scientists are getting ready for the next stage of the research study: scientific trials in human patients. They hope that within a few years the engineered tissues will be implanted in paralyzed individuals enabling them to stand and stroll again.
MRI of a hurt spine with and without treatment. Credit: Center for Regenerative Biotechnology
The groundbreaking research study was led Prof. Tal Dvirs research group at the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University. Other contributors included Prof. Irit Gat-Viks from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Prof. Yaniv Assaf from the Sagol School of Neuroscience, and Dr. Angela Ruban from the Steyer School of Health Professions, all at Tel Aviv University.
Prof. Tal Dvir. Credit: Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology
In world-first, Tel Aviv University scientists engineer human back cord implants for treating paralysis.