The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has been awarded taxpayer funding for the first time to study an experimental stem cell treatment on humans, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The $25 million grant went to Calif.-based biopharmaceutical company Geron, which has begun injecting immature versions of special neural cells derived from embryonic stem cells into patients paralyzed by spinal cord injuries.

Geron’s phase I clinical trial is designed to assess the safety and tolerance of GRNOPC1 in humans. The therapy already has been successfully tested in rats.

The company is recruiting participants within 14 days of suffering a spinal cord injury through seven sites around the U.S.