The end of Paralysis gets closer

0

We live in an exciting age, one where science and innovation are making things that even our recent ancestors would have thought impossible possible. In 1969 man first landed on the moon and by the end of this Century it’s looking increasingly likely that there’ll be human foot prints on the red dust of Mars.

Over the past decade the rate of innovation and disruption has increased dramatically fuelled by easier and faster access to funding, global expertise and advanced manufacturing techniques and the results have been staggering – global patent applications have increased six fold and the number of new company registrations has increased tenfold and post recession it’s increasingly looking like solving the impossible is the new normal and while there are over two hundred and forty major emerging technologies coming down the line – from new breeds of thinking computers all the way through to self driving cars none are more exiting that those that cure disease and suffering but similarly it’s often these same breakthroughs that often get the least press inches and so it was today when scientists finally announced that they have, for the first time, reversed paralysis.

 

RELATED
CIO Innovation Series: David Wilde, CIO of Essex County Council

 

While some people are hailing this as the biggest thing to happen since the manned moon mission in the sixties the story doesn’t even appear on many of the major news sites which has to lead us to ask the question what kind of a society do we want to be when other stories about fashion and sex dominate the headlines?

According to recent figures one in fifty people around the world live with some form of paralysis and up until recently it’s been irreversible – a condition that dramatically affects the mood and well being of not just the sufferer but also their families and friends but over the past few months Polish and British doctors and scientists, led by Professor Geoff Raisman, Chair of the Neural Regeneration committee at the University College of London Institute of Neurology have been working on a radical yet seemingly simple new cell therapy which has allowed Dareck Fidyka a 40 year old doctor who in 2010 was paralysed after he was stabbed in the back multiple times to walk again.

 

RELATED
Will Artificial Intelligence really destroy the world?

 

The treatment used Olfactory Ensheathing Cells – pathway cells involved in the sense of smell that help nerve fibres in the nose to be continually renewed that were transplanted into the patients spinal chord that had been severed during the knife attack and while they only had just 500,000 cells to work with they were still able to make over 100 micro injections above and below the injury which then grew towards each other to form a neurological bridge which reconnected the gap in the spinal cord restored feeling and, more importantly, motion.

The end of paralysis is getting closer and wheel chair manufacturers might want to look into getting into another line of business.

About author

Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *