Overview

• Israel’s Ministry of Health has granted preliminary compassionate-use approval for up to eight patients, with preparations underway for the first implantation.
• Regulators have also authorized beginning patient blood collection once the initial candidate is approved.
• The engineered construct is designed to fuse with healthy spinal tissue above and below the injury to restore electrical signaling.
• Animal studies reported high recovery rates, including most treated rodents regaining the ability to walk, but human outcomes are not yet known.
• The program is led by Tel Aviv University’s Prof. Tal Dvir with Matricelf, which plans to start with relatively recent paralysis cases.