After years of relentless lab work, rising and falling expectations, and the challenge of a sometimes hostile public, Rudolf Jaenisch says, “The scenario that looked like a fantasy … has come closer to reality. We can study complex human diseases in a Petri dish and potentially contribute to therapy.” In this lecture, Jaenisch describes the history of stem cell research and recent progress -- a story in which he has played a central role.
More information can be found at the Journal of Translational Medicine.Methods114 patients suffering from non-hematopoietic degenerative conditions were treated with non-matched, allogeneic cord blood. Doses of 1-3 × 107 cord blood mononuclear cells per treatment, with 4-5 treatments both intrathecal and intravenously were performed. Adverse events and hematological, immunological, and biochemical parameters were analyzed for safety evaluation.ResultsNo serious adverse effects were reported. Hematological, immunological, and biochemical parameters did not deviate from normal ranges as a result of therapy.ConclusionThe current hematology-based paradigm of need for matching and immune suppression needs to be revisited when cord blood is used for non-hematopoietic regenerative purposes in immune competent recipients.
More information can be found at clinicaltrials.gov.Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement and posture that result from a nonprogressive lesion or injury of the immature brain. It is a leading cause of childhood onset disability through one's life. Umbilical cord blood(UCB) is suggested as therapeutic method for cerebral palsy which resulted from animal studies. Stem cells included in UCB is expected to exert therapeutic efficacy for functional recovery.It is also suggested that erythropoietin is useful to repair neurological injury in brain. The main mechanism of erythropoietin is supposed to be neuroprotection and neurogenesis which would reinforce the effect of stem cell as well.Although autologous umbilical cord would be safe, the children who have problems at birth seldom have autologous stem cell. Allogenic umbilical cord blood might be useful for these children if its effect is approved.
Medical College of Georgia researchers are conducting a clinical trial to determine whether an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood can improve the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy. The study, which meets FDA standards for investigative treatments, will include 40 children age 2-12 whose parents have stored cord blood at the Cord Blood Registry in Tucson, Ariz.
More information can be found at the Medical College of Georgia website.
The study is designed to test the safety of a manufactured neural stem cell line (CTX cells) delivered by injection into the damaged brains of male patients 60 years of age or over who remain moderately to severely disabled 6-24 months following an ischemic stroke. In addition the trial will evaluate a range of potential efficacy measures for future trials. Treatment will involve a single injection of one of four doses of CTX cells into the patient's brain in a carefully controlled neurosurgical operation performed under general anesthetic. The trial is designed to treat 12 patients and measure outcomes over 24 months. Patients will be invited to participate in a long-term follow-up trial for a further 8 years.
More information on ReNeuron can be found at www.reneuron.com
"In the present study, we demonstrate that NSCs derived from bone marrow (BM) cells exhibit comparable morphological properties as those derived from SVZ cells and possess a similar ability to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes both in vitro and in vivo."It appears the importance of this discovery, if it translates into humans, is that neural stem cells derived from bone marrow are as effective as those harvested from the brain. Because it is easier to harvest cells from bone marrow, this has positive implications for future therapies.
Here is a link to the study.
The authors are: Jingxian Yang, Yaping Yan, Bogoljub Ciric, Shuo Yu, Yangtai Guan, Hui Xu, Abdolmohamad Rostami and Guang-Xian Zhang.The study findings conclude:
"The distribution of the labeled cells was not homogeneous. There were clusters of Y-positive cells, suggesting that single progenitor cells underwent clonal expansion and differentiation. We conclude that adult human bone marrow cells can enter the brain and generate neurons just as rodent cells do. Perhaps this phenomenon could be exploited to prevent the development or progression of neurodegenerative diseases or to repair tissue damaged by infarction or trauma."
