by admin | Nov 1, 2017 | Studies, Stem Cell Research
Recent research has found that stem cells may offer a promising new solution for treating Achilles tendon ruptures. Conventional treatment options for Achilles tendon ruptures have significant limitations. Some treatments work only to combat the symptoms related to Achilles tendon ruptures but do not work to repair the damage. These options are also time-consuming and often ineffective. Surgical interventions, on the other hand, involve high degrees of risk related to complications due to things like infection and nerve damage.
Given the opportunity for stem cells to help repair tissue damage, physicians and researchers have begun to focus on how stem cells may be specifically applied to treat Achilles tendon ruptures. The current study assessed two different types of stem cells in Achilles tendon rupture repair. These cells, called bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and tendon-derived stem cells, have advantages over other stem cell types in their potential to help with Achilles tendon rupture. For instance, both stem cell types proliferate quickly.
Because tendon-derived stem cells are specific to the tendon, the researchers hypothesized that these cells would be more effective in Achilles tendon rupture repair than bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. To test their idea, they implanted the two stem cell types into ruptured Achilles tendons and look at the impact of each stem cell type.
The researchers found that both types of stem cells were effective in improving the potential for ruptured Achilles tendons to heal. Consistent with their hypothesis, however, they found that the tendon-derived stem cells were more effective than were the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Further research will likely help the medical community understand how best to use stem cells to address issues like ruptured Achilles tendons.
To learn more about the benefits of stem cell therapy, click here.
by admin | Oct 20, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
Xiaodong Pang and colleagues have demonstrated the successful use of human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of chronic discogenic low back pain. The study, published in Pain Physician, is the first study to addressing the potential of this particular treatment option for chronic discogenic low back pain.
Chronic discogenic low back pain is the leading cause of chronic low back pain, which leads to a significant amount of disability. This type of back pain does not currently have any highly successful treatment options. Generally, the pain is managed conservatively, and if all else fails, surgical fusion is undertaken. Neither of these options addresses the underlying cause of chronic discogenic low back pain and instead simply address the symptoms, offering ways to try to reverse those symptoms.
In this initial study conducted by Pang and colleagues, the researchers aimed to establish that human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells could be both feasibly and safely used in humans to treat chronic discogenic low back pain. The study, conducted at a spine center in China, focused on two patients with chronic discogenic low back pain. Both patients underwent the transplantation of the stem cells, and their back pain symptoms and lumbar function were assessed both immediately after the transplants and again two years later.
The researchers found that both the pain and the function associated with the patients’ back conditions improved immediately after the stem cell transplants. In addition to demonstrating that this particular transplant procedure was feasible, the researchers also showed that it was safe, as neither patient suffered side effects.
There are a number of reasons for which human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells may provide the benefits that these researchers observed. For instance, unlike other stem cell types, these cells have the ability to differentiate into a number of different types of cells. The results of other studies suggest that these stem cells may help with this lower back condition by altering cell activity such that less inflammation occurs.
Going forward, researchers will need to replicate the findings of this study to show that the positive effects of human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in chronic discogenic low back pain extends to the general patient population. Further, as the mechanism by which these cells may improve the condition is not clear, research that helps to elucidate the way these cells confer their benefits will also help in the development of relevant therapeutic interventions.
To learn more about stem cell treatments click here.
Reference
Pang, X, Yang, H, & Peng, B (2014). Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for the treatment of chronic discogenic low back pain. Pain Physician. 17: E525-530.
by admin | Oct 16, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
In a study published in Cell Stem Cell, researchers helped to clarify the mechanism by which mesenchymal stem cells achieve their immunosuppressive effects. While immunosuppression is not always appealing, there are certain contexts in which suppressing the immune system is critical. These cases include patients with autoimmune disease, where their immune system begins attacking the body’s organs, as well as skin grafts, where the immune system’s reaction to new skin often leads to graft rejection.
Mesenchymal stem cells have been strategically chosen over other types of stem cells when their immunosuppressive properties are beneficial. Nonetheless, because the specific reasons that these cells lead to immunosuppression are unknown, researchers have begun to investigate potential ways that the immunosuppression occurs.
One critical factor that the researchers considered was that the immunosuppressive effects of mesenchymal stem cells may not be innate. Given that immunosuppression is not always observed when mesenchymal stem cells are employed, the researchers hypothesized that the immunosuppression may depend on the presence of other factors in combination with mesenchymal stem cells.
Nitric oxide was one factor of particular interest to the researchers because nitric oxide is known to suppress the immune system’s T cells. Nitric oxide easily diffuses across barriers and interacts with a number of important proteins, making it an attractive candidate for contributing to immunosuppression that is observed with the use of mesenchymal stem cells.
Consistent with their hypothesis, the researchers found that nitric oxide does mediate the immunosuppression achieved by mesenchymal stem cells and demonstrated a specific mechanism by which this mediation occurs. This new information improves our understanding of how mesenchymal stem cells work and will therefore also enhance our ability to strategically use these cells to achieve the therapeutic benefits for which we strive.
by admin | Oct 14, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
Research into stem cell-based therapies has increased in recent years due to observations that these types of cells can provide new avenues for treatment where other treatment options are limited. Though bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have been the gold standard of stem cell-based therapies, there is mounting evidence that umbilical cord stem cells may offer some advantages over bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, as well as other popular stem cell types, such as adipose tissue, periodontal ligament, and dental pulp. In a recent review in Tissue Engineering, Reine El Omar and colleagues describe the state of umbilical cord stem cell research and the potential benefits of using these cells in stem cell therapies.
According to Omar et al., umbilical cord-derived stem cells were once thought of as medical waste. However, they have now been shown to provide advantages over other stem cells in stem cell-based therapies in 3 major ways:
- Umbilical cord stem cells are easier to collect than are other stem cell types. Extracting bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, for instance, is technically difficult and painful for donors. Umbilical cord stem cells can be painlessly collected and banked.
- Stem cells tend to proliferate more than other stem cells types. Other stem cell types have been shown to have limited proliferation and differentiation potential. Umbilical cord stem cells, on the other hand, appear to be more proliferative and differentiate longer.
- Umbilical cord stem cells are associated with less severe immune reactions than are other stem cells types. A critical aspect of the practicality of stem cells is their ability to act as therapeutic agents without causing adverse reactions. When the immune system perceives stem cells as dangerous foreign agents, the immune system can react in dangerous ways that lead to tissue damage and even death. Compared to other types of stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells appear to be associated with less severe immune reactions.
While efficacy is important for stem cell-based therapies, safety is perhaps more critical. Thus, research into how stem cells can be used therapeutically must focus not only on what therapeutic impact these cells can have but also what risks these cells pose. Future research will help to determine the safest cells to use and how those cells can best be incorporated to achieve their therapeutic goals.
Learn more about stem cell treatments here.
Reference
Omar et al. (2014). Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells: The new gold standard for mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies?
by admin | Sep 29, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
A recent review published in BMC Neuroscience synthesizes research related to intranasal delivery and describes comprehensively how the method targets therapeutic agents to the central nervous system to treat neurodegenerative disease. Perhaps the most critical aspect of intranasal delivery is that it bypasses the blood-brain barrier, a barrier that limits the ability of other therapeutic approaches to successfully impact the brain and spinal cord.
According to the researchers, other advantages of intranasal delivery include its non-invasive nature and its rapid action. Intranasal delivery causes less pain and distress than other procedures, such as brain surgery, that are used to intervene in central nervous system activity when the blood-brain barrier cannot be penetrated with other available techniques. Further, intranasal delivery delivers drugs to the central nervous system in just minutes.
Given that intranasal administration is a relatively new approach, much research must be conducted to confirm which therapies can be effectively delivered to the central nervous system with this approach, as well as which diseases can be successfully treated with the method. Basic science research has provided promising data for the use of intranasal administration to reverse neurodegeneration and to rescue memory in Alzheimer’s disease. Specific molecules have also been shown to protect the brain against stroke, as well as to stimulate the formation of new brain cells.
Research in Alzheimer’s patients and those with mild cognitive impairment has shown that intranasal insulin can improve memory and attention. Intranasal insulin has also been shown to enhance memory and mood in normal adults who do not suffer from clinical neurodegeneration. As more studies are performed on intranasal administration, it is likely that new uses of the technique will arise. Molecules, for instance, that have not yet been tested could become promising candidates for treating neurological disorders, and interventions for diseases that have not yet been adequately explored in terms of the relevance of intranasal administration may be developed.
Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease treatment here.
Reference
Hanson, LR, & Frey, WH. (2008). Intranasal delivery bypasses the blood-brain barrier to target therapeutic agents to the central nervous system and treat neurodegenerative disease. BMC Neuroscience, 9(3), 55-59.
by admin | Apr 27, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
Stem cells have shown promise for treating a number of autoimmune diseases, where the immune system attacks the body. Lupus causes chronic inflammation as a result of immune system attack of the body’s tissues and organs and so is a reasonable candidate for stem cell therapy.
The cells of the immune system that tend to be attacked in lupus are bone marrow cells, so replacing these cells with stem cells could improve the inflammation that occurs in the disease. Recent research has shown that stem cells do in fact demonstrate an ability to help with lupus-like diseases. A recent paper published in Experimental Nephrology described the development of this research and some of the results.
The scientists who authored this recent paper had previously shown that bone marrow transplantation could be used to reconstruct the immune system in a way that could cure severe immunodeficiency, as well as other fatal diseases including forms of cancer and congenital abnormalities due to genetic disorders or problems with metabolism.
More recently, they have begun conducting stem cells transplants with a specific stem cell type called hematopoietic stem cells. These cells have been successfully used in oncology to treat cancers, and it was hypothesized that they could also be useful in autoimmune diseases like lupus.
An advantage to using these cells is that much of the work had already been done to determine how to best isolate the stem cells and how to perform transplantations with them. It is therefore not surprising that researchers successfully transplanted these cells during their research into the application of these cells in lupus-like diseases. Their results showed that hematopoietic stem cells could both prevent and cure a host of autoimmune problems that are related to lupus.
Though hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been performed on patients since 1997 and is conducted in parts of Europe, as well as in China and Brazil, clinical trials in the United States are still underway. Further research will help to define the specific role of hematopoietic stem cells in potential treatment options for lupus and related diseases and to determine how to safely deploy these strategies.
Stem cell treatment for lupus is a new alternative therapy to help manage the symptoms of this disease. Learn more about it here.
Reference
Good, RA et al. (2002). Mixed bone marrow or mixed stem cell transplantation for prevention or treatment of lupus-like diseases in mice. Experimental Nephrology, 10(5-6), 408-420.
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