Paralysed Man Walks Again

 by Tina Sumerta, Year 13

Four years ago, 38-year-old Polish, Darek Fidyka, was a victim of a knife attack. Left with an 8mm gap in his spinal cord, Fidyka became paralyzed from the chest down. Thankfully, his nose remained unscathed.

Two years ago, Fidyka underwent an operation involving the transplant of olfactory ensheathing cells into his damaged spinal cord – the olfactory ensheathing cells taken from the olfactory bulb in his nose. The treatment, developed by scientists at University College of London, has enabled Fidyka to walk again, albeit with the aid of a Zimmer frame.

So how does this ground-breaking treatment work exactly?

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) surround the olfactory axons, which are nerve fibers that conduct electrical messages from the nose to the brain allowing the sense of smell. What makes them particularly useful in treatment for spinal cord injuries is that they provide an environment that promotes axon growth, thus allowing the neurons in the spinal cord to regenerate. Researchers have found that when OEC’s were added to a damaged spinal cord in rats, the spinal cord was shown to regenerate, resulting in a recovery of sensation and movement. Based on this research, scientists at University College of London were able to find ways to inject OEC’s into the spinal cord of humans.

However, before OEC’s can be injected into a patient’s spinal cord, they must be taken from the patient and grown in higher quantities. This is done by removing one of the patient’s olfactory bulb located in the nose, and taking the OEC’s from the olfactory bulb to be grown in culture. The OEC’s are then transplanted into the injured spinal cord by injecting the OEC’s above and below the injury. Scientists believe that the OEC’s provide a pathway to enable the fibres above and below the injury to reconnect, thus bridging the gap in the spinal cord.

The fact that Fidyka can walk again is a testament to the success of this treatment. Professor Geoffrey Raisman, the leader of the team of scientists at University College of London who conducted the research, described Fidyka’s first steps as “more impressive than man walking on the moon.” Professor Raisman plans to repeat this treatment on other patients in the next few years, and hopefully will achieve the same outstanding results.

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