Adult Stem Cells for Multiple Sclerosis, Neurodegenerative Disorders

Adult stem cells may offer hope for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases, new research suggests.

MS is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disorder that affects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. It is widely believed to be an autoimmune disease, a condition in which the immune system attacks components of the body as if they are foreign.

A fatty substance, called myelin, surrounds and insulates nerve fibers and facilitates the conduction of nerve impulse transmissions. MS is characterized by damage to myelin (called demyelination) caused by the destruction of specialized cells (oligodendrocytes) that form the myelin. Demyelination causes scarring and hardening (sclerosis) of nerve fibers usually in the spinal cord, brain stem and optic nerves, which slows nerve impulses and results in weakness, numbness, pain and vision loss.

Because different nerves are affected at different times, MS symptoms often worsen, improve and develop in different areas of the body. Early symptoms of the disorder may include vision changes, such as blurred vision or blind spots, followed by muscle weakness.

MS affects over 250,000-500,000 people in the United States and may affect 2.5 million people worldwide. Northern Europe and the northern United States have the highest prevalence, with more than 30 cases per 100,000 people. MS affects two to three times as many women as men, and affects Caucasians more often. Most individuals experience their first signs or symptoms between 20 and 40 years of age. Children of parents with MS have a higher rate of incidence (30-50 percent).

An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ; it can renew itself and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found.

Both adult and embryonic stem cells are taken from living human tissue. Adult stem cells are readily available in many different areas of the human body and do not harm the individual from whom they are taken. Embryonic stem cells are harvested from living embryos and the developing human life must be killed in order to extract the stem cells.

Research on adult stem cells has recently generated excitement and adult blood forming stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for 30 years. Certain kinds of adult stem cells seem to have the ability to differentiate into a number of different cell types, given the right conditions.

If this differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of therapies for many serious common diseases. Some examples of potential treatments include replacing the dopamine-producing cells in the brains of Parkinson's patients, developing insulin-producing cells for type I diabetes and repairing damaged heart muscle following a heart attack with cardiac muscle cells.

Research into adult stem cells has been fueled by their abilities to divide or self-renew indefinitely and generate all the cell types of the organ from which they originate - potentially regenerating the entire organ from a few cells. Unlike embryonic stem cells, the use of adult stem cells in research and therapy is not controversial because the production of adult stem cells does not require the destruction of an embryo. Adult stem cells can be isolated from a tissue sample obtained from an adult. They have mainly been studied in humans and model organisms such as mice and rats.

Researchers from Israel explained that no specific treatment exists for patients with MS who fail to respond to conventional immunosuppressive and immunomodulating modalities.

The scientists outlined two ultimate goals of MS treatment: first, to eliminate self-reactive lymphocytes and to prevent new development of self-reactivity by induction of self-tolerance and second, to attempt regeneration and repair of existing damage.

In the case of MS, there is a need to stop the ongoing process of inflammation against the central nervous system (CNS) as well as to recover existing neurological deficits caused by the autoimmune process. The researchers believe that cell therapy stands out as the most rationale approach for neurological regeneration.

The study investigated the feasibility and efficacy of enriched autologous mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) injected intrathecally (into the spinal canal) and intravenously (into a vein) to induce immunomodulation and neuroprotection and possibly facilitate the repair of the CNS in patients with MS and other neurodegenerative disorders.

From the results, the study authors concluded that bone marrow cells may provide a source of stem cells that may migrate into the inflamed CNS and differentiate into cells expressing neuronal and glial cell markers. The researchers are currently evaluating the safety of a similar therapeutic approach in a small group of patients with MS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Adult stem cell research (ASCR) has led to successful treatments in over seventy diseases and conditions, and new uses are constantly being discovered. Adult stem cells are currently being used to treat and cure patients who suffer from diseases such as cancer, liver disease and Parkinson's disease, while embryonic stem cells have yet to successfully retreat any conditions.

For a list of diseases that have been treated with adult stem cells, please click here. For the latest in adult stem cell research, please visit SCI Research Advancement or the Stem Cell Research Institute.

For more information on multiple sclerosis, please visit Natural Standard's Conditions database.

Comments

[Stella]

I certainly think that this therapy holds the key to better treatments for different diseases. Hopefully it can become mainstream. I think most of the attention and controversy is over embryonic stem cells, right? Was this study conducted in patients with aggressive or less-aggressive treatment MS?

[Amanda]

I have a similar question to Stella’s. I was wondering what type of MS these patients had. Relapse Remitting MS (RRMS) is the most common type in which a patient will have an attack and then retreat into complete or partial remission. This type may lead to Secondary Progressive MS, which is a more severe type of the disease. Primary Progressive is also an extremely aggressive type of MS and is usually characterized as having no remission period. This type is also more difficult to treat.

[QH]

Adult stem cell research will not only benefit patients who are suffering from MS but will also change the way numerous other diseases are being treated.

[Miranda]

This is exciting research. Two of my friends have been diagnosed with MS, and I think stem cell research offers hope for such a debilitating illness. Does the government fund this type of stem cell research?

[Mike]

Miranda – Here is the policy for National Institutes of Health (NIH) to receive federal funding for embryonic stem cell research according to the NIH Web site:

“Research on human embryonic stem cell lines may receive NIH funding if the cell line meets the following criteria: removal of cells from the embryo must have been initiated before August 9, 2001, when the President outlined this policy; and the embryo from which the stem cell line was derived must no longer have had the possibility of developing further as a human being. The embryo must have been created for reproductive purposes but no longer be needed for them. Informed consent must have been obtained from the parent(s) for the donation of the embryo, and no financial inducements for donation are allowed.”

For more information about this, you can visit http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp

[Liz]

Embryonic stem cells are truly pluripotent, which means that they have the ability to develop into any tissue in the body. Adult stem cells are only able to develop into the tissue they originated from. However, adult stem cell research is advancing, and researches have found adult stem cells in the brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin and liver.

[Julie]

Mike and Miranda,

A clarification. This research used ADULT stem cells, NOT embryonic stem cells. The controversy is over embryonic stem cells because using those for research = killing a human life. There is NO controversy over the research in this article as NO ONE is harmed in the use of adult stem cells.

There IS currently government funding for adult stem cell research (in FY 2003 the Administration has strongly supported promising research using adult stem cells by providing $190.7 million for human non-embryonic stem cells (adult stem cells, including those from cord blood, placenta, and bone marrow)). However, most people, in spite of the significant evidence supporting the use of adult stem cell research, still advocate for embryonic stem cell research, which is not only unnecessary now that we know we can use adult stem cells, but also it continues to be completely UNsuccessful in treating/preventing/curing any disease.

Adult stem cells have been used and continue to be used to treat over 70 diseases/conditions.

I hope that articles like this will help educate the public so that the government and researchers can focus on the potential of adult stem cell research and realize the futility (morals aside) of using embryonic stem cells.

[Hannah]

There are actually different types of adult stem cells being researched for different diseases. This study researched mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to be differentiated into neuronal cells. MSCs have been shown to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myotcytes, adipocytes and beta-pancreatic islets cells. Their ability to differentiate into neuronal cells has been seen, but is still being researched. These cells also have immunosuppressive properties, which could help improve MS symptoms as well.

[Dan]

There has been recent research going into induced pluripotent stem cells, which are skin cells reprogrammed to be pluripotent. These cells are more like embryonic cells, but without all the controversy. In 2007, researchers were able to produce the pluripotent cell from human cells. These cells have the potential to be used in numerous conditions.

[Laura]

There are two types of stem cells found in the bone marrow. One is the hematopoietic stem cells, which are able to form into any type of blood cell. The second type is bone marrow stromal cells. Stromal cells are able to generate bone, cartilage, fat and fibrous connective tissue. These are also known as the mesenchymal stem cells that have been mentioned.

[CE]

When the general public reads about stem cells, even though in this case the source is adult stem cells and not embryonic, some will still try to stir up controversy. It doesn’t matter if you call them enriched autologous mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) like the study does, the general public will hear the words stem cells and react. The scientific community can differentiate between embryonic and adult stem cells, but to the average American, stem cells will carry a negative connotation for a long time to come.

[Chan]

MS is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system believed to be autoimmune in nature. Certain cells in the body’s immune system mount an inappropriate response against proteins in the nervous system, in particular myelin, the fatty substance that covers nerve axons. MS affects an estimated 2.5 million people worldwide. Symptoms, which vary widely, include numbness and weakness, incontinence, double vision, tremor, imbalance and pain.

[Gabriel Garza]

I've met someone with multiple sclerosis who reported improvement with the use of a natural "stem cell enhancer" that supports the release of adult stem cells from the bone marrow as fast as one hour after consuming.

www.regimedhealth.com