SEHA Showcases Breakthrough Advances in Stem Cell Research and Treatment of Motor and Sensory Spinal Injuries

The one-hour session is based on a breakthrough study by Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Mohamad Bydon, Neurosurgeon

Abu Dhabi,01 February 2020: Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, welcomed medical experts to a Grand Rounds Event titled ‘Use of Stem Cells in the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury’ with Dr. Mohamad Bydon, M.D., Neurosurgeon and Professor of Neurologie Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Health Services Research. 

The one-hour session was hosted at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, and is based on the recently released study by Mayo Clinic, on a Phase 1 Trial of Autologous Adipose Tissue–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Paralysis Due to Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. The Grand Rounds event highlighted findings of the report following examination of the recovery process of an American male, aged 53-years, who sustained considerable trauma to his spinal cord following a surfing accident. Injuries included complete loss of motor and sensory function below the level of injury along with loss of bowel and bladder sensation. The patient underwent a C2-6 posterior cervical decompression and fusion. Despite achieving recovery, the patient could not regain a positive quality of life.

The patient – after consent - was enrolled into the multidisciplinary CELLTOP clinical trial nine months after his accident. Before enrollment, the patient’s neurologic status was found to be ASIA grade C. Imaging revealed bilateral myelomalacia at the C3 level as well as the C2-6 decompression and fusion. The CELLTOP clinical trial involved isolating Mesenchymal stem cells from an adipose tissue biopsy specimen, then expanded and cryopreserved internally in the Mayo Clinic Immune, Progenitor, and Cell Therapeutics Laboratory. 

Attendees of the event were able to see the results and success of the CELLTOP program, in addition to the diagnostic applications used in treating the patient. Stem Cell research has remarkable implications on treatment of various degenerative diseases, and this session will showcase its use in treating previously challenging medical conditions.  

Dr. Mohamad Bydon is a globally-recognized expert in minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) for a variety of spinal conditions, including back pain and neck pain, spinal stenosis, and spinal fusion.He is also a principal investigator of the Mayo Clinic Neuro-Informatics Laboratory, which focuses on data analytics, patient safety, surgical outcomes, and novel therapeutic treatments for degenerative spine disease and spinal cord injury. Dr. Bydon is also medical director of the Mayo Clinic Neurosurgical Registry, a database focused on improving outcomes and safety for patients.

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