9. Future prospects

In the current era of regenerative medicine, cell-based transplantation therapies have advanced our approaches to an extent that these therapies soon will be capable of treating subacute and chronic SCIs in the very near future. The ongoing improvements and assessments of associated risks with cellular transplantation, improved relevance of preclinical models, long-term enhanced recovery, in vivo tracking of transplanted cells and preventing teratoma formations are advancing the future aspects of these therapies for SCIs [5, 126, 145]. Cells that are derived from hESCs and iPSCs are showing promising results in preclinical and clinical trials, indicating their dominance in the prospective field of personalized and regenerative medicines. In particular, the iPSC-derived cell progeny that is disease and patient-specific, is evidently the best option as it carries lower immune rejection and is limited to particular cell types [149]. In addition to the ongoing comprehensive neuroregenerative and neuroprotective therapeutic strategies for SCIs [5], newer technologies are evolving including neuroscience-based computational and robotic rehabilitational therapies. In 2014, a group of Swiss scientists reported an innovative discovery for treatment of complete SCI using neuroscience modulation-based therapeutic approach to control spinal sensorimotor network, without involving cellular transplantation techniques. In this study, an electric stimulus-based procedure was used to assist a non-standing paralytic rat model with complete injured spinal cord to move the paralyzed feet again and even climbed staircases [150]. The neurorobotic techniques-based therapies for SCIs are also emerging, as recently being reported where a volunteer-driven exoskeleton was used as an innovative robotic device for rehabilitation in chronic SCIs [151]. These exoskeleton robotic devices work as a wearable outfit that regulates the external movements by detecting internal nerve signals in patients with SCIs. However, such neuroscience-based computational and robotic rehabilitation therapies are evolving for treatment of SCIs, yet they are in the initial phases of development and do not offer a complete cure to fully repair and regenerate injured spinal cord. Nevertheless, any sort of therapeutic strategy that can rehabilitate and improve functional recovery will always be considered a therapy-of-future for SCIs, as being phrased "something is better than nothing." In a nutshell, the only therapeutic approach that could be able to completely cure SCIs in near future is the use of cell-based transplantation strategies.
