Category Archives: Mesenchymal Stem Cells

stem cell therapy treatment for cerebral palsy sri lanka by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india improvement seen in just 3 months after stem cell therapy treatment for cerebral palsy by dr alok sharma, mumbai, india. Stem Cell Therapy done date 4/10/201... By: Neurogen Brain and Spine Institute … Continue reading →

Researchers at the Universitys Comprehensive Cancer Center, in collaboration with an international cohort, have developed means of identifying two states of breast cancer stem cells, giving them new clues as to how to treat patients with cancer. By distinguishing the different states, they hope to find more targeted and effective treatments for the disease, which kills over 40,000 people each year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. What we found is that the stem cells actually are like chameleons that is they can exist in two different states, said Max S. Wicha, M.D., professor of Oncology and director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. In breast cancer, a small fraction of cells act as seeds of the tumor, Wicha said. Cells in this state, known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, are dormant but can spread to other organs in the body. The process of these cells spreading is called metastasis, and studying this process has been a key component of the research findings. The previous dearth of research on the dormant cells within the process of metastasis has posed a challenge to researchers trying to find new treatment options. As a matter of fact, in breast cancer, … Continue reading →

The most common type of stem cell used in clinical trials today is the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) found in bone marrow and fat. The federal web site, clinicaltrials.gov lists a few hundred MSC trials. A pair of news stories on the web this morning detail why MSCs are so versatile, but also why they have limitations. Internal Medicine News posted a summary of the presentation CIRM grantee Jan Nolte of the University of California, Davis, made at the World Stem Cell Summit last month. She noted that when the problem is tissue damage, MSCs secrete factors that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, recruit the patients own organ-specific stem cells to the site of damage, and reduce the inflammation in the area to promote healing. But she also noted that MSCs do not make an organ or grow new replacement tissue themselves, that we need embryonic stem cells to do that. She provided a great quote on what MSCs do well: The second news report through the service EurekAlert gave further evidence for one method MSCs lend a helping hand, and a possible method for strengthening their grip. Earlier reports have suggested that MSCs may help cells by … Continue reading →

A team of international researchers has turned to stem cells in a quest to find an a more effective treatment for patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). The new method being investigated involves using the patients own bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to boost immune response and heal damaged tissue. Multi-drug resistant TB effects around 450,000 in Eastern Europe, Asia, and South Africa according to the World Health Organization, and conventional treatments have a low rate of success. Currently in its preliminary stages, the study is designed to investigate the possibility that MSCs can help organs to regulate themselves and repair damaged or traumatized tissues. Specifically in this case, the stem cells migrate to the lung with TB bacteria inflammation and improve the immune response to help the body get rid of the bacteria. Between September 2009 and June 2011, the study looked at 30 patients from a specialist center in Minsk, Belarus, whose age varied from 21 to 65 years old, and who were resistant to TB drugs. They chose Belarus because of the high rate of resistant tuberculosis (76 percent) among treated patients in that region. They also observed 30 patients who met the inclusion criteria and who … Continue reading →

See Inside Intranasal stem cell therapy may one day treat brain disorders Image: Jim Kopp Many diseases of the central nervous system involve the death of neuronsso, theoretically, the replacement of dead cells should improve symptoms of degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's, as well as stroke and brain tumors. Stem cell therapy may do just that even though evidence of its effectiveness is mixed. In any cell transplant procedure, the host organin this case, the brainmay reject its new additions. Further, it is unclear whether grafted cells can truly integrate into complex neural circuitry. Finally, current procedures require invasive surgical implantation, which can be expensive and risky. The surgery can cause neural inflammation, and the implanted cells may quickly die. Intranasal administration may address at least some of these issues. Most important, it eliminates the need for surgery. Further, some research suggests that stem cells delivered intranasally are smartthey do not spread through the brain indiscriminately but instead target damaged cells. Although it is difficult to predict when medical practice will adopt stem cell therapy for the brain, animal studies have produced some promising results. In a rat model of Parkinson's, for example, … Continue reading →

Summary of "Mesenchymal stem cells: weapons or dangers for cancer treatment?" Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have attracted recent attention for their cell therapy potential, based in particular on their immunosuppressive properties, which have served as the basis for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Interestingly, MSC have been used in cell therapy strategies to deliver therapeutical genes. Cell therapy approaches taking advantages of MSC have been proposed, as MSC display a potential tropsim for tumors. However, all these strategies raise a series of questions about the safety of MSC, as MSC could enhance tumor growth and metastasis. This review summarizes recent findngs about MSC in carcinogenesis. Inserm U844, site Saint loi, btiment INM, 80, rue Augustin Fliche, Montpellier, F-34091, France - Universit de Montpellier I, Montpellier, F-34090, France. This article was published in the following journal. Name: Medecine sciences : M/S ISSN: 0767-0974 Pages: 285-288 Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Transfer of MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS between individuals within the same species (TRANSPLANTATION, HOMOLOGOUS) or transfer within the same individual (TRANSPLANTATION, AUTOLOGOUS). Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cells that can develop into distinct mesenchymal tissue such as BONE; TENDONS; MUSCLES; ADIPOSE TISSUE; CARTILAGE; NERVE TISSUE; and BLOOD and BLOOD VESSELS. Weapons Of Mass Destruction See … Continue reading →

Jan. 16, 2014 A single stem cell injection following meniscus knee surgery may provide pain relief and aid in meniscus regrowth, according to a novel study appearing in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). More than one million knee arthroscopy procedures are performed each year in the U.S. primarily for the treatment of tears to the meniscus -- the wedge-shaped pieces of cartilage that act as "shock absorbers" between the thighbone and shinbone in the knee joint. In the first-of-its-kind study, "Adult Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) Delivered via Intra-Articular Injection to the Knee, Following Partial Medial Meniscectomy," most patients who received a single injection of adult stem cells following the surgical removal of all or part of a torn meniscus, reported a significant reduction in pain. Some patients?24 percent of one MSC group and 6 percent of another?experienced at least a 15 percent increase in meniscal volume at one year. There was no additional increase in meniscal volume at year two. "The results demonstrated that high doses of mesenchymal stem cells can be safely delivered in a concentrated manner to a knee joint without abnormal tissue formation," said lead study author C. Thomas … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 16-Jan-2014 Contact: Barry Whyte communications@embo.org 49-622-188-91108 European Molecular Biology Organization HEIDELBERG, 16 January 2014 A research team has identified a protein that in-creases the transfer of mitochondria from mesenchymal stem cells to lung cells. In work published in The EMBO Journal, the researchers reveal that the delivery of mitochondria to human lung cells can rejuvenate damaged cells. The migration of mitochondria from stem cells to epithelial cells also helps to repair tissue damage and inflammation linked to asthma-like symptoms in mice. "Our results show that the movement of mitochondria from stem cells to recipient cells is regulated by the protein Miro1 and is part of a well-directed process," remarked Anurag Agrawal, Professor at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in Delhi, India, and one of the lead authors of the study. "The introduction of mitochondria into damaged cells has beneficial effects on the health of cells and, in the long term, we be-lieve that mesenchymal stem cells could even be engineered to create more effective therapies for lung disease in humans." Earlier work revealed that mitochondria can be transferred between cells through tunnel-ing nanotubes, thread-like structures formed from the plasma membranes of cells that bridge between … Continue reading →

Trends Mol Med. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 June 8. Published in final edited form as: PMCID: PMC2881950 NIHMSID: NIHMS202644 Department of Medicine, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Corresponding author: Karp, J.M. (Email: jkarp/at/rics.bwh.harvard.edu) Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is poised to establish a new clinical paradigm; however, recent trials have produced mixed results. Although MSC were originally considered to treat connective tissue defects, preclinical studies revealed potent immunomodulatory properties that prompted the use of MSC to treat numerous inflammatory conditions. Unfortunately, although clinical trials have met safety endpoints, efficacy has not been demonstrated. We believe the challenge to demonstrate efficacy can be attributed in part to an incomplete understanding of the fate of MSC following infusion. Here, we highlight the clinical status of MSC therapy and discuss the importance of cell-tracking techniques, which have advanced our understanding of the fate and function of systemically infused MSC and might improve clinical application. Imagine a simple intravenous cell therapy that can restore function to damaged or diseased tissue, avoid host rejection and reduce inflammation throughout the body without the use … Continue reading →

Mayo Clin Proc. 2009 October; 84(10): 893902. From the Endocrine Research Unit (A.H.U., S.K.) and Division of Orthopedic Research (J.J.W., M.J.Y.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Individual reprints of this article are not available. Address correspondence to Sundeep Khosla, MD, Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (Email: khosla.sundeep/at/mayo.edu). Human mesenchymal stem cells offer a potential alternative to embryonic stem cells in clinical applications. The ability of these cells to self-renew and differentiate into multiple tissues, including bone, cartilage, fat, and other tissues of mesenchymal origin, makes them an attractive candidate for clinical applications. Patients who experience fracture nonunion and metabolic bone diseases, such as osteogenesis imperfecta and hypophosphatasia, have benefited from human mesenchymal stem cell therapy. Because of their ability to modulate immune responses, allogeneic transplant of these cells may be feasible without a substantial risk of immune rejection. The field of regenerative medicine is still facing considerable challenges; however, with the progress achieved thus far, the promise of stem cell therapy as a viable option for fracture nonunion and metabolic bone diseases is closer to reality. In this review, we update the biology and clinical applicability of human mesenchymal stem cells for bone repair … Continue reading →