Adipose Stem Cells for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

The purpose of this study is to determine if mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) derived from the fat tissue can be safely administered into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with spinal cord injury. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) have been used in previous research studies at the Mayo Clinic. All subjects enrolled in this study will receive AD-MSC treatment, which is still experimental and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for large scale use. However, the FDA has allowed the use of this agent in this research study.