Tel Aviv University researchers are preparing for the world’s first spinal cord implant in humans using engineered tissue grown from the patient’s own cells, marking a breakthrough that could restore walking ability to paralyzed patients within the coming year.

The groundbreaking procedure, developed at Tel Aviv University’s Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, uses a fully personalized approach that transforms a patient’s blood and fat cells into functional spinal cord tissue. Professor Tal Dvir, head of the research team, explained that “more than 80% of the animals regained full walking ability” in preclinical trials using the engineered implants.

The innovative process begins by reprogramming blood cells from patients through genetic engineering to behave like embryonic

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