--- title: "Paralyzed Man Standing, Learning to Walk Again After Injection of Hacked Stem Cells" description: "Researchers have developed a stem cell treatment that they say allowed a paralyzed man to stand again following a spinal cord injury." date: "2025-03-30" modified: "2025-03-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/paralyzed-man-injection-stem-cells" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "Japan" - "spinal cord injuries" - "stem cell research" - "stem cells" --- # Paralyzed Man Standing, Learning to Walk Again After Injection of Hacked Stem Cells ![Researchers have developed a stem cell treatment that they say allowed a paralyzed man to stand again following a spinal cord injury.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In the first clinical study of its kind, researchers at Tokyo's Keio University have developed a stem cell treatment that they say allowed a paralyzed man to stand on his own again following a spinal cord injury. As Japanese newspaper the [*Asahi Shimbun* reports](), the man is now learning how to walk through rehabilitation. The stem cell treatment involved the injection of roughly two million reprogrammed or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are created by hacking adult cells back into an embryonic-like state. The researchers turned these cells into neural precursor cells in a lab and then injected them into the site of patients' injuries. The goal is to have these cells then develop into neurons and glial cells, which support and protect neurons. In an announcement last week, the research team led by Keio University stem cell scientist Hideyuki Okano revealed that two out of four participants with a spinal cord injury saw improvements in their motor function. According to the researchers, no other serious adverse side effects were observed after a year of monitoring. But as experts [told *Science*](), it's too early to call the results definitive proof that the treatment works, let alone in all individuals with a spinal cord injury. For one, as Griffith University translational neuroscientist James St John told *Science*, it may be "very exciting for the field," but it'll take larger trials to establish whether the improvements were in fact the result of the treatment. There's also the possibility that the two patients recovered naturally. The results of the research also have yet to be peer-reviewed. Okano and his colleagues performed the first of the surgeries in late 2021, with the other three following in 2022 and 2023. The patients received the surgery between two to four weeks following the injury. As *Science* reports, other iPS cell treatments are being tested, [including trials to restore vision]() by reversing damage to the cornea, and [even reversing type 1 diabetes]() through the use of reprogrammed stem cells that can produce insulin. While questions remain, reversing paralysis from a spinal cord injury could be a big deal. In the US, [roughly 18,000 people]() experience a traumatic spinal cord injury each year — and in addition to loss of motor control, they're also at risk of developing debilitating and even [life-threatening secondary conditions](). **More on stem cell treatments:** *[Woman's Own Stem Cells Appear to Reverse Her Type 1 Diabetes in First-Ever Procedure]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()