Paralyzed Man Regains Use Of Arms, Hands After Experimental Therapy At Keck-USC

LOS ANGELES – A recently paralyzed young man regained the use of his arms and hands after undergoing an experimental treatment made from stem cells at Keck Medical Center of USC, it was announced Wednesday.

The Keck doctors were the first in California to inject the experimental treatment called AST-OPC1 into the damaged cervical spine of the 21-year-old patient as part of a multi-center clinical trial, according to Keck spokeswoman Meg Aldrich.

Kristopher "Kris" Boesen of Bakersfield suffered a traumatic injury to his cervical spine on March 6, just shy of his 21st birthday, when his car fishtailed on a wet road, hit a tree and slammed into a telephone pole.

Boesen was warned there was a good chance he would be permanently paralyzed from the neck down, but also learned that he could possibly qualify for a clinical study that might help him gain some mobility.

Leading the surgical team and working in collaboration with Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and Keck Medicine of USC, Dr. Charles Liu, director of the USC Neurorestoration Center, injected an experimental dose of 10 million AST-OPC1 cells directly into the patient's cervical spinal cord in early April.

"Typically, spinal cord injury patients undergo surgery that stabilizes the spine but generally does very little to restore motor or sensory function," Liu said.

"With this study, we are testing a procedure that may improve neurological function, which could mean the difference between being permanently paralyzed and being able to use one's arms and hands," he said. "Restoring that level of function could significantly improve the daily lives of patients with severe spinal injuries."

Two weeks after surgery, Boesen began to show signs of improvement, according to Liu. Three months later, he's able to feed himself, use his cell phone, write his name, operate a motorized wheelchair and hug his friends and family, according to his doctors.

Improved sensation and movement in both arms and hands also makes it easier for him to care for himself, and to envision a life lived more independently, Liu said.

"As of 90 days post-treatment, Kris has gained significant improvement in his motor function, up to two spinal cord levels," Liu said. "In Kris' case, two spinal cord levels means the difference between using your hands to brush your teeth, operate a computer or do other things you wouldn't otherwise be able to do, so having this level of functional independence cannot be overstated."

While doctors are careful not to predict Boesen's future progress, he is grateful for qualifying for the study no matter the outcome.

"All I've wanted from the beginning was a fighting chance," he said. "But if there's a chance for me to walk again, then heck yeah! I want to do anything possible to do that."

Nearly six weeks after receiving the injection, Boesen returned to Bakersfield to continue his rehabilitation. Doctors reviewed his progress at seven, 30, 60 and 90 days post-injection, and he will undergo detailed assessments after 180 days, 270 days and one year.

To qualify for the clinical trial, enrollees must be between the age of 18 and 69, and their condition must be stable enough to receive an injection of AST-OPC1 between the 14th and 30th days following injury.

Keck is one of six sites in the country authorized to enroll subjects and administer the clinical trial dosage.

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City News Service/Photo courtesy of Keck Medicine of USC on Facebook