Stem cells for autoimmune diseases

This article is recommended by Dr. Pinzheng Guo who is a senior scientist for stem cell treatment program at Titan Puhua Hospital, 12 Titan Nanli, Beijing 100050, P.R.China.

You may contact Pinzheng Guo for an enquiry by email: stemcell8@gmail.com
or phone: 86-10-67035566(ext.687)

Curr Opin Hematol. 2009 May 21. [Epub ahead of print]
Adult stem cell transplantation in autoimmune disease.
Tyndall A, Gratwohl A.

aDepartment of Rheumatology, University of Basel, Switzerland bDepartment of Hematology, Division of Medicine, University of Basel, Switzerland.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review presents the recent results of a decade's experience with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treating severe autoimmune disease, with special reference to new insights into pathophysiology. In addition, the newly evolving field of mesenchymal stem cell therapy of autoimmune disease is introduced. RECENT FINDINGS: Phase I/II studies in several major autoimmune disease have shown a satisfactory benefit risk ratio. Over one-third of patients achieve a durable remission with a treatment-related mortality of around 5%. Treatment-related mortality is less for some diseases (2% for multiple sclerosis). Phase III randomized controlled trials are advanced in systemic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease. In systemic sclerosis, data of the past 12 months suggest remodeling of collagen and normalization of microvasculature after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a new finding. Mesenchymal stem cells have shown promise in exerting an immediate anti-inflammatory immunomodulatory role in some autoimmune disease with little evidence of acute toxicity. SUMMARY: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe autoimmune disease has been shown to be feasible, and definitive phase III randomized trials are now in progress. Durable remission after immune reconstitution and tissue remodeling suggests an effect beyond profound immunosuppression. Mesenchymal stem cells show promise as immunomodulatory agents in autoimmune disease with low acute toxicity and no requirement for ablation of the recipient immune system.

PMID: 19465851 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Neural Stem Cell Graft for Parkinson's Disease

This article is recommended by Dr. Pinzheng Guo who is the chief scientist of stem cell program, Department of Neurosurgery, Titan Puhua Hospital, 12 Titan Nali, Beijing 100050, P.R.China

Contact Pinzheng Guo MD,PhD for an enquiry: stemcell8@gmail.com


Med Hypotheses. 2009 May 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Autologous neural stem cell transplantation: A new treatment option for Parkinson's disease?
Arias-Carrión O, Yuan TF.

Experimental Neurology, Philipps University, D-35033 Marburg, Germany.

The clinical motor dysfunction in Parkinson s disease (PD) is primarily linked to the depletion of dopamine in the striatum consecutive to the loss of the large dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Despite intense investigations, no effective therapy is available to prevent the onset, or to halt the progression of the neuronal cell loss. Here, we hypothesize that autologous adult neural stem cells (NSCs) are an attractive source for cell therapy to treat PD. They overcome the ethical issues inherent to the use of human fetal tissue or embryonic stem cells. NSCs derived from adult tissue also open the possibility for autologous transplantation, where NSCs are taken out from the patient, expanded and differentiated in vitro and re-implanted back as dopaminergic precursor cells.

PMID: 19467573 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]