Back in March, we reported on Asterias Biotherapeutics’ exciting press release stating that its CIRM-funded stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury had shown improvement in six out of the six clinical trial patients receiving a ten million cell dose. What’s even more exciting is hearing stories about the positive impact of that data on specific people’s lives. People like Lucas Lindner of Eden, Wisconsin.

Lucas Lindner was left paralyzed below the chin after a truck accident last May. Photo: Fox6Now, Milwaukee

Just over a year ago, Lucas headed out in his truck on a Sunday morning to pick up some doughnuts for his grandmother. Along the way, he suddenly saw a deer in the road and, in swerving to avoid hitting the animal, Lucas’ truck flipped over. He was thrown through the window and suffered a severe spinal cord injury leaving him without the use of his arms and legs.

Linder was the 2nd person to receive a 10 million dose of Asterias’ CIRM-funded stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury. Video still: Fox6Now, Milwaukee

Earlier this month, Lucas was featured in a local Milwaukee TV news report that highlights his incredible recovery since participating in the Asterias trial shortly after his accident. Surgeons at Medical College of Wisconsin – one of the clinical trial sites – injected 10 million AST-OPC1 cells into the site of the spinal cord injury a few inches below his skull. The AST-OPC1 product contains oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, which when fully matured are thought to help restore nerve signaling in the frayed spinal cord nerve cells.

Lucas was just the second person nationally to receive the 10 million cell dose, and since that time, he’s regained movement in his arms, hands and fingers. This improvement may seem moderate to an outside observer, but for Lucas, it’s life changing because it gives him the independence to pursue his dreams of working in the IT and electronics fields:

“Now that I have near 100% full range on all of my fingers, that pretty much brings everything I ever wanted to do back. It lets you contribute to society. Words can’t express how amazing it feels…The future really is limitless,” he said during the TV new segment.

While regaining movement spontaneously without a stem cell treatment is not unheard of, the fact that all six of the trial participants receiving 10 million cells had improvements suggests the stem cell-based therapy is having a positive impact. We’re hopeful for further good news later this year when Asterias expects to provide more safety and efficacy data on participants given the 10 million cell dose as well as others who received the maximum 20 million cell dose.