Stem cell therapies represent a promising avenue of research for treating spinal cord injury (SCI)—particularly in the acute or subacute period after injury. In other words, they appear to have greater potential for benefit in the first days and weeks following a SCI.

The Rick Hansen Institute’s summarized position on SCI stem cell therapy research is that it approves of human clinical trials providing such research complies with federal guidelines and that there continues to be development and implementation of well-established and peer-reviewed ethical and global standards for maintaining patient safety and determining efficacy.

Human clinical trials of stem cell therapies with varying standards for safety and measuring of results, along with stem cell transplant procedures being done without application of clinical trial methodology or the support of clinical trial findings, have been taking place for several years in various locations around the globe. The Rick Hansen Institute believes that much can done in terms of improving safety and efficacy under the watchful eye of a leading research regulatory body.

The Rick Hansen Institute is funded by Health Canada and several provincial government partners to carry out translational research. In lay terms, translational research refers to the development and application of new technologies and treatments into clinical practices that promise to lead to improvements in patient care. As such, the Rick Hansen Institute does not at the moment fund any early stage pre-clinical stem cell therapy research. This does not preclude future funding for late stage pre-clinical studies imminently ready for translation to human clinical trials.

While the Rick Hansen Institute is not currently funding any stem cell therapy research, it sees the need for world-wide standards for stem cell therapy research. For example, there are no clear quality standards to ensure safety of human clinical trials, nor is there consensus on what constitutes an important, measureable clinical difference after stem cell therapy. This has contributed to delays in moving stem cell therapy research forward.

As such, the Rick Hansen Institute is collaborating with the Stem Cell Network (SCN), the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, and several key international partners to lead development of a “global blueprint for the translation of stem cell regenerative medicine approaches into the arena of SCI medical management”. This initiative is being funded by the Rick Hansen Institute and is being led by Dr. Michael Fehlings, Rick Hansen Institute's Director of International Research Development and former member of RHI's Research Management Team.

• Read a Letter to the Editor of the journal Spinal Cord that outlines the The International Campaign for Cures of Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis' position on the sale of unproven cellular therapies for spinal cord injury. The letter is co-authored by several of the world's leading SCI experts, including Dr. Fehlings and Dr. Armin Curt, former member of our Board of Directors.
• Read an excellent global summary of the current state of stem cell research related to SCI, published by the Australia New Zeland SCI Network (ANZSCIN).

For more information:

• Bill Barrable, Rick Hansen Institute Chief Executive Officer, 604.707.2102
• Michael Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC; Rick Hansen Institute Director of International Research Development, 416.603.5627