What Are The Advantages Of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells
- Abundant supply containing up to 10 times more stem cells than bone marrow or adipose derived stem cells
- hUC-MSC have immunosuppressors and immunomodulatory properties that allow their use in any individual without rejection- Human Leukocyte Antigen matching is not necessary
- Greater proliferation ability than adult autologous stem cells
- They regenerate at a very rapid rate
- They are young and very adaptive
- They have not been impacted by the aging process
- They have not been affected by environmental toxins
- Umbilical cord stem cells can be administered multiple times over the course of days
- Eliminates the need to collect stem cells from the patients fat or hip bone reducing pain and recovery time
Why We Believe This
Stem cells have the potential to develop into every kind of cell found in the body.
This means that stem cells could be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including Parkinson’s, where new cells could be used to repair and replace damaged tissue.
Scientists have been able to turn stem cells into dopamine-producing nerve cells the type of brain cells affected in Parkinson’s.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
In 2007, the process for generating iPSCs was first reported, offering a new avenue for the development of a stem cell-based treatment for PD . iPSCs are generated by the reprogramming of an adult somatic cell into a stem cell, through the expression of a number of transcription factors that could induce pluripotency . The iPSCs derived in this way can be differentiated into dopaminergic neurons using protocols similar to those used with ESCs, which could serve as the basis of a useful cell-based treatment for PD . The potential advantage of iPSC-derived over ESC-derived grafts is that it would be possible to generate autologous grafts, by using a patients own fibroblasts to produce a neural grafting product, negating the requirement for immunosuppression that will be necessary with ESC-derived grafts. However, there are other biological and logistical challenges faced with the iPSC approach, which are discussed below.
iPSC-derived neural grafts have been trialed in primates with MPTP-induced nigral toxicity, with promising results . The neural progenitors grafted ultimately extended neurites into the striatum, did not form any tumors, and resulted in improved motor function at two years. As with the ESC-approach, clinical trials in humans are on the horizon and will begin in the next couple of years .
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New Hope For Treatment Of Parkinsons Disease: Designer Neurons
The new research describes the implantation of induced pluripotent stem cells to replace dopamine-producing neurons destroyed by Parkinsons disease. Such cells not only survive the grafting procedure and manufacture dopamine, but send out their branching fibers through the neural tissue to make distant connections in the brain, just like their naturally-occurring counterparts. Credit: Shireen Dooling for the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
Neurodegenerative diseases cause neuronal damage and destruction, wreaking havoc on both mental and physical health. Parkinsons disease, which affects over 10 million people worldwide, is no exception. The most noticeable symptoms of Parkinsons disease arise after the illness damages a specific class of neuron located in the midbrain. The result is that dopamine, a key neurotransmitter produced by the affected neurons, is depleted in the brain.
In new research, Jeffrey Kordower and his colleagues describe a method for converting non-neuronal cells into functioning neurons able to take up residence in the brain, send out their fibrous branches across neural tissue, form synapses, dispense dopamine and restore capacities compromised by Parkinsons destruction of dopaminergic cells.
The work is supported through a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
New perspectives on Parkinsons disease
Neural alchemy
Bubble Baby Treatment Cleared To Restart Clinical Trial
Evie Vaccaro: Photo courtesy Nancy Ramos
Three families battling a life-threatening immune disorder got some great news last week. A clinical trial that could save the life of their child has once again been given the go-ahead by the US Food and Drug Administration .
The clinical trial is the work of UCLAs Dr. Don Kohn, and was strongly supported by CIRM. It is targeting ADA-SCID, a condition where the child is born without a functioning immune system so even a simple infection could prove fatal. In the past they were called bubble babies because some had been placed inside sterile plastic bubbles to protect them from germs.
Dr. Kohns approach using the patients own blood stem cells, modified in the lab to correct the genetic mutation that causes the problem had shown itself to be amazingly effective. In a study in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers showed that of 50 patients treated all had done well and 97 percent were considered cured.
UCLA licensed the therapy to Orchard Therapeutics, who planned to complete the testing needed to apply for permission to make it more widely available. But Orchard ran into problems and shelved the therapy.
After lengthy negotiations Orchard returned the therapy to UCLA last year and now the FDA has given clearance for UCLA to resume treating patients. That is expected to start early next year using CIRM funds left over when Orchard halted its work.
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How Is Parkinsons Disease Currently Treated
Since many of the major features of PD are caused by the loss of neurons that release dopamine, treatment focuses on replacing dopamine or imitating its effects with drugs that mimic its actions that have produced great clinical benefit since the 1960s. However, over time these drugs create significant side effects of their own, including erratic motor responses and involuntary movements as well as neuropsychiatric problems. Thus, these drugs, which need to be consistently taken, create problems that ultimately may be as problematic as the disease they are being used to treat.
For later, more advanced stages of the disease, invasive deep brain surgical stimulation may also be used, but is not without risks, and, like the pharmaceutical options, may offer only temporary symptomatic relief.
Legal And Ethical Questions
Stem cell research and treatment is a matter of considerable debate and many people are opposed on ethical grounds, although others believe that the benefits of such research far outweigh ethical concerns. There is strict regulation in all European Union Member States and many other countries to ensure that research is carried out legally and ethically.
Opposition to research using cells from an embryo tends to arise due to:
- the belief that embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of the earliest developing cells and some regard this as destroying a human life
- concern about the creation of embryos with the intention of destroying them once certain cells have been extracted
- objections to any kind of genetic research, which is perceived as undermining human dignity and interfering with nature.
Fortunately new techniques are being developed which will enable researchers to extract embryonic stem cells without destroying an embryo. But this will no doubt remain an area of controversy and personal opinion for some time.
The improvements achieved in the field of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells is likely to make them the stem cell type of choice in the future, although iPS clinical trials are probably further away than trials using embyronic stem cell therapies.
Content last reviewed: May 2018
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What Are Stem Cell Lines
A stem cell line is a family of constantly dividing cells, the product of a single parent group of stem cells. They are obtained from human or animal tissues and have been manipulated in a laboratory so that they have the ability to divide almost indefinitely, creating the line.
Because stem cell lines produce so many copies of themselves , this means that scientists have a large bank of cells for their research and are less likely to need to take cells from an embryo repeatedly. Of course, it is important that researchers are also able to stop such cell lines dividing at some point so that they can generate tissue specific cells, such as for the brain in the case of Parkinsons treatment. The challenge for researchers is to discover how they can control the process which causes stem cells to differentiate.
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What Is Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cells are special because theyre undifferentiated, meaning they have the potential to become many types of specialized cells.
You might think of stem cells as natural resources for your body. When your body needs a specific type of cell from bone cells to brain cells an undifferentiated stem cell can transform to fit the need.
There are three main types of stem cells:
- Embryonic stem cells: These cells are pluripotent, meaning they can transform into the many types of cells found in your body. As the name suggests, theyre found in embryos.
- Somatic stem cells: Also called adult stem cells, these mostly perform repair functions. They can still transform, but not into as many types of specialized cells as embryonic stem cells can.
- Induced pluripotent stem cells : These stem cells are made by genetically changing cells that have already matured.
Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells usually from a donor, but sometimes from your own body to treat a disorder.
Because Parkinsons disease leads to the death of brain cells, researchers are trying to use stem cells to replace brain cells in the affected areas. This could help treat the symptoms of Parkinsons disease.
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Patients Comfort During The Procedures
Medical procedures are carried out in a calm and comfortable environment in compliance with the established norms and conditions.
In the case of collecting the patients own cells, the harvesting is performed in the operating room. At this stage, the patient may feel a slight pain, similar to the usual sensation from an injection when the doctor introduces an anaesthetic. After the procedure, there may be minor and short-term discomfort associated with the invasiveness of the procedure .
However, for older patients, the use of cultured stem cells obtained from donor sources is recommended. This minimizes the risks associated with the harvesting of biomaterial, and it also makes treatment more tolerable.
Both when using patients own or donated cells , the introduction of MSCs is no different from the introduction of other drugs.
For therapy, a standardised injection of a cell product is used, while the patient is in a relaxed state within 1-2 hours.
Thoughts On Stem Cells And Parkinsons Disease
That is a very exciting news! The revival of nervous system by planting stem cells into dead nerve cells sounds like something that can also be applied to many other diseases and injuries. Although I know, the research has just begun, but I think in the future, there is a possibility that the same technique can be used to repair injuries that damage the nervous system like paralysis. Sometimes I get astonished by the progress that humans have made from just discovering how to use stones as tools to doing researches like this. If you think that way, our possibilities for future is unlimited!
Although I dont know much about Parkinsons disease, its very exciting that new developments are being made to help end the suffering of so many people who develop this disease. Moreover, if we can determine what causes the disease, perhaps it can be prevented before it even begins. While these studies are still in their early phases, it is certain that these positive results will help researchers secure funding for further investigation. In the future, I hope that developments in stem cell research, and other areas of science, can help cure these debilitating diseases.
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We Take A Look At The Science Behind Trials That Aim To Slow And Reverse Parkinsons By Using Stem Cells Or Other Cell Therapies
Parkinsons is caused by the loss of brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine. Research over the last few decades has focused on finding ways to slow or stop this loss to slow the progression of Parkinsons. Indeed, there are ongoing trials of promising therapies that aim to protect and nurture remaining dopamine-producing cells. But with half these cells lost or damaged by the point of diagnosis, a cure for Parkinsons may also require a therapy that can reverse the damage that has already been done this is where cell-based therapies that aim to replace those cells come into their own.
Transplanting Stem Cells Into The Brain
The first trial of this kind came early in 2016 when California-based company, the International Stem Cell Corporation , announced their phase I trial that aims to inject a type of neural stem cells into the brains of 12 people with Parkinsons.
The 12 month trial is taking place in Melbourne, Australia, and is currently recruiting people with moderate to severe Parkinsons. During the trial, doctors will transplant brain stem cells grown from human stem cells, into participants brains. However these cells are not the same type of cell that is lost in Parkinsons and when the trial was first announced, world-leading scientific experts, including Parkinsons UK researcher Professor Roger Barker from the University of Cambridge, raised questions about the approach being used in an article in the Journal of Parkinsons Disease.
Since this first trial was announced, other transplant trials using neural stem cells have reportedly begun, including a phase I/II trial in China that is currently recruiting 50 participants.
These early-stage clinical trials will focus on the safety of the therapy, so we may have to wait for further trials before we know if transplanting neural stem cells can help in Parkinsons.
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Trial Enrolling 8 People With Moderate Parkinsons By Invitation
Skåne University is the trials clinical sponsor, and all eight enrolled patients will undergo treatment there. The trial is expected to open once a clinical site inspection is given by authorities in Sweden.
Eight adults with moderate symptoms of Parkinsons will be recruited by invitation, with invitations first sent to potentially eligible patients in Sweden and then possibly being extended to those being seen at Cambridge University Hospitals. It is not possible to volunteer to participate in this study.
Parkinsons is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain. Many of these neurons send signals to the striatum, a brain region involved in voluntary movement control.
When this fails to happen, Parkinsons motor symptoms result, usually beginning as tremor, slowness of movement, and difficulty walking and balancing.
Current disease therapies focus mainly on restoring dopamine signaling in the brain to reduce symptom severity. But research efforts are increasingly focused on cell-based therapy to replace lost dopaminergic neurons tackling the neurodegenerative disorders underlying cause.
The STEM-PD product is derived from human stem cells of embryos that can mature into almost any type of cell in the body.
The move into clinical testing is supported by preclinical studies in animal models of Parkinsons where the dopaminergic neurons were shown to safely restore lost motor function.
Next Step: Human Trials
Dr. Kordower told MNT that the results of this study give him great confidence going forward into patients.
Dr. Kordower will be a principal investigator in a clinical trial that he expects to take place in 2023, which will study a specific population of individuals with PD who have mutations in the Parkin gene .
These individuals experience degeneration of the dopamine system. While they experience motor dysfunction typical with PD, they do not develop cognitive decline or dementia. So, that makes the perfect test to see whether cell replacement strategies can be helpful, Dr. Kordower told MNT.
If the trial is successful, larger trials may follow in a broader population of people with PD. However, it is important to note that while the findings from this study are promising, results from animal models do not always translate into human clinical trials.
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Conventional Parkinson Disease Therapies Vs Stem Cell Therapy
Parkinsons Disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder caused by selective and gradual loss of dopamine-producing neurons. These neurons are spread throughout the brain, however, the most effected region is the substantia nigra. The symptoms of Parkinsons Disease are mainly tremor and rigor. At later stages the illness is characterized by more severe symptoms like speech disorder, depression or even dementia. Currently, there is no cure for Parkinsons disease. Nevertheless, there are few hormone replacement-based therapies which tackle the symptoms only. These pharmacological treatments are effective to control the symptoms of PD to a certain degree, with side effects, but are unable to stop neural degeneration, let alone replace dead dopaminergic cells.
Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinsons DiseaseANOVA IRM Germany, © DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00080
Stem cell research has allowed ANOVA, a German Stem Cell Clinic in the heart of Europe near Frankfurt/Main airport, to offer a novel treatment with a new therapeutical approach: The ANOVA Stem Cell Secretome is a cell free and promising treatment option for AD. , whether you wish to apply for a treatment, or simply receive more information.
Stages Of Parkinsons Disease
Symptoms of Parkinsons vary person to person and can take a while to manifest, and the disease is regarded as slow moving or insidious onset. Early symptoms include Neuropathy and tremors with clumsy motions even when the limbs are at rest. Severe symptoms include muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, and gait disorders. Other non-motor symptoms include incontinent urine, depression, insomnia, and astriction. Neurologists have established the Hoehn and Yahr Scale, which consists of the five stages of PD to help classify patients in clinical trials and research studies around the world.
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