First human cell transplant completed for a spinal cord injury.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (3/15, Lade, 155K) reports that following "decades of research," the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis announced it "completed its first human cell transplant for a spinal cord injury." The Sun-Sentinel explains doctors grew Schwann cells "from nerve tissue taken from an unidentified man's leg, then transplanted them back into his own body. The patient now has passed the critical 30-day, post-operation period without complications, giving researchers hope that they're headed toward curing paralysis and developing treatments for neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease." This was the first of eight scheduled procedures for the "project's groundbreaking clinical trial, approved by federal officials seven months ago," and the group is in search of six additional subjects who meet strict requirements.