This week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved the global clinical trial to treat spinal cord injury (SCI), which is estimated to affect more than 15 million people worldwide. SCI impacts people across demographics, and most often results from traffic accidents, sporting injuries and other trauma, including serious falls and workplace incidents. There’s no real cure; treatment is more management, with surgery and rehabilitation to restore some degree of quality of life. Sufferers, however, are often left with paralysis or severe disability for life.