A treatment for spinal cord injuries has so far eluded medical researchers. Now Australian scientists are embarking on a landmark clinical trial using unique nasal cells. They hope it'll one day help transform the lives of patients.
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00:00Joseph Purnew was a talented rugby league player with a bright future.
00:07Known as Big Joe, the teenager had been signed by the Titans,
00:12but last year his life changed in an instant.
00:16I was playing footy and collided with a goalpost.
00:21His spinal cord was severed, the catastrophic injury keeping him in hospital for 11 months.
00:27Getting the news that I may not be able to move or walk again,
00:32it's obviously the greatest news to hear.
00:35The now 18-year-old came home just in time for his school formal.
00:39He's patiently working to regain some function.
00:43It's individuals like Joe these Queensland scientists want to help.
00:49Decades of groundwork has led to a Phase 1 clinical trial.
00:53They're using a patient's own olfactory cells to grow nerve bridges,
00:58which are transplanted into their injured spinal cord.
01:02The olfactory and sheathing cells have very special properties.
01:04The olfactory nerve is the only nerve in our body that regenerates every day as part of its normal function.
01:11Alongside physical rehabilitation, it's hoped the therapy will improve sensory, motor, bowel and bladder function.
01:19It gives them more independence, less care or support,
01:22and they can get back to jobs or to education or to get out into the community more easily.
01:27It can seem small, but for us it means the world and can make a major difference in our lives.
01:3330 participants will be recruited from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
01:37Some people have even moved here from overseas in the hope they'll be accepted.
01:42While the trial is only in its infancy and will need more funding, it's a cause for optimism.
01:48Baby steps.