Spinal Cord Injury and Stem Cells: Jake Javier, Clinical Trial Participant

On June 9th, 2016, Jake Javier seriously injured his spinal cord in a freak accident after diving into a swimming pool just one day before he was due to graduate from San Ramon Valley high school in the San Francisco Bay Area.

28 days later, Jake became the latest member of a very select group. He underwent an embryonic stem cell-based transplant for his spinal cord injury at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The therapy is part of the CIRM-funded clinical trial run by Asterias Biotherapeutics.

In this video, Jake describes his life since his spinal cord injury, including his experience participating in the Asterias clinical trial. He was a guest speaker at the 2018 annual meeting of CIRM Bridges Trainees, undergraduates and master’s students who carry out stem cell research internships at major research institutions throughout California. Visit our Stem Cellar blog for more details about Jake’s story: