F1 legend Michael Schumacher ‘to have stem cell surgery within days from Dr Philippe Menasche’

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Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher will have a stem cell operation ‘within days’ to regenerate his nervous system six years after his catastrophic skiing accident

  • Michael Schumacher’s physical state has been guarded by those near him
  • It emerged that the Formula One legend will be undergoing stem cell surgery
  • Philippe Menasche, a renowned surgeon will be the one operating on him 
  • Stem cell treatment allows damaged cells in the body to be replaced anew 

By Will Griffee For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Michael Schumacher is set to have stem cell surgery by a world renowned doctor in a bid to regenerate his nervous system. 

The Formula One icon suffered his devastating skiing accident six-and-a-half years ago and his physical condition has largely been closely guarded by those around him. 

Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in 2013 and the latest operation will take place in the coming days, according to Italian media reports.    

Michael Schumacher suffered a devastating brain injury six-and-a-half years ago

Schumacher has not be seen in public since suffering the head injury while skiing in 2013

Schumacher has not be seen in public since suffering the head injury while skiing in 2013

Schumacher (top right) is now under the care of Professor Philippe Menasche (bottom right), who specialises in stem cell research. The procedure he will undergo is one of a series. One method Professor Menasche has pioneered involves grafting stem cells onto damaged heart tissue. Results have showed it is safe

Schumacher (top right) is now under the care of Professor Philippe Menasche (bottom right), who specialises in stem cell research. The procedure he will undergo is one of a series. One method Professor Menasche has pioneered involves grafting stem cells onto damaged heart tissue. Results have showed it is safe

The operation will be performed by French professor and cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche. 

He is a world renowned medical pioneer and is understood to have operated on Schumacher before, last September.

He pioneered the technique of grafting stem cells onto a damaged heart and results have showed it is a safe procedure.  

The 51-year-old former Formula One supremo is having damaged cells replaced with healthy ones that have been harvested from bone marrow or blood.

He was in a coma for six months after the head injury suffered whilst skiing off-piste in the popular resort of Meribel in the Alps. 

Schumacher pictured alongside his wife Corinna at the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio

Schumacher pictured alongside his wife Corinna at the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio

Italian publication Contro Copertina report that the seven-time world champion is suffering from being bed-ridden for so long with his muscles atrophying and osteoporosis setting in.   

The latest operation is part of an ongoing series of them and they are ‘part experimental’. 

Schumacher fell and hit his head on December 29, 2013 while skiing off-piste with his son Mick. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, was air-lifted to hospital and placed in a medically induced coma.

Although specifics have been kept secret, Jean Todt, former manager of Ferrari, said last year that the driver was making ‘good progress’ and can watch F1 races on TV.

A detailed prognosis for Schumacher has been hard to come by but former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa gave an update having visited the German recently. 

He revealed: ‘I know how he (Schumacher) is, I have information. My relationship with him has always been very close,’ he said to Fox Brazil.

SCHUMACHER’S INJURY TIMELINE 

December 29, 2013: Schumacher had a fall and hit his head on a rock while he skied off-piste with son Mick, near Meribel, in the French Alps. Despite wearing a helmet, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and was put into a medically induced coma.

April 4, 2014: Schumacher’s agent reported that he was showing ‘moments of consciousness’.

June 16, 2014: Schumacher was revealed to have come out of his coma and left a hospital in Grenoble after nearly 190 days. He was transferred to a hospital in Switzerland for more care.  

September 9, 2014: Schumacher was finally allowed home – 254 days after his freak accident. His return was said to be well ahead of schedule.

September – December 2016: Schumacher’s lawyer, Felix Damm, revealed the now 50-year-old could not walk. His manager later stated that his health was ‘not a public issue’ and no comments would be offered.

December 2018: Sportsmail reported that although he is making slow progress, if any at all, Schumacher is not bed-ridden or living day by day on tubes.

July 2019: Jean Todt, former manager of Ferrari, who Schumacher once raced for, said the driver was making ‘good progress’ and can watch F1 races on TV. 

The seven-time F1 champion is an icon of the sport and his condition has been kept quiet

The seven-time F1 champion is an icon of the sport and his condition has been kept quiet

‘It is less close with his wife Corinna because she did not go to many races. But I think the main thing about all this is that we know that his situation is not easy. He is in a difficult phase but we need to respect him and the family.

‘They do not like to divulge any information, so who am I to do that? I dream and pray every day that he gets better and that he can appear at a circuit again, especially now that his son is racing.

‘So I pray that it may happen one day.’ 

The German's condition has been kept closely guarded by his family since the accident

The German’s condition has been kept closely guarded by his family since the accident

HAVE TRIALS SHOWN THE STEM CELL TREATMENT COULD WORK? 

Professor Menasche and colleagues proved the technique was safe in 2018, after testing it on six patients who had suffered a heart attack.

The patients, none of whom were named, had a patch containing millions of human stem cells attached to their failing left heart ventricles.

It was attached through a coronary bypass, a procedure often performed on heart disease patients to divert blood around clogged arteries.

Two patients died – but neither were directly linked to the surgery, according to the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy.

The results of the trial, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also showed the treatment was safe.

None of the patients developed tumours called teratomas, which is considered an expected side effect from using undifferentiated stem cells.

This is because the stem cells the doctors used were ‘differentiated’ and had been primed to become either cardiac muscle or form blood vessels.

Professor Menasche and colleagues also reported no evidence of increased arrhythmic events, despite animal studies suggesting it was a possibility.

The BSGCT reported that some improvement in ‘cardiac motion’ was seen in areas of the patch – but the authors did not credit this to their technique.

Instead, the team of doctors admitted the benefits could have been down to the coronary bypass operation they performed.