read more | digg story
See my FirstGiving Widget on SideBar for quick Donating or Click the Title of this Post!
Thank You & God Bless! We ALL appreciate your contribution in helping us FEEL better!!
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Monday, January 5, 2009
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association-RSD Coach™
I am raising funds for research and development of a possible cure to end the life shattering pain one goes through with this syndrome. If you were living with this extremely painful syndrome, wouldn't you want someone to raise funds to help you not hurt every second of every minute of every hour of every day?? Of course you would! So won't you please give to help someone else can feel better!
read more | digg story
See my FirstGiving Widget on SideBar for quick Donating or Click the Title of this Post!
Thank You & God Bless! We ALL appreciate your contribution in helping us FEEL better!!
read more | digg story
See my FirstGiving Widget on SideBar for quick Donating or Click the Title of this Post!
Thank You & God Bless! We ALL appreciate your contribution in helping us FEEL better!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Putting pain into perspective - breakthroughs, tips and trends
Everything you need to know about the latest research, the newest discoveries and the strangest science.
By John Naish
Times Online
THROW out those painkillers: the secret to salving physical aches may lie in using a pair of binoculars the wrong way round, claims research performed at Oxford University.
The study, published in Current Biology, reveals how powerfully pain and even swelling can be a product of our mental attitude.
Researchers asked ten people who suffered chronic pain in one arm to move the limb around while looking at it through a pair of binoculars that were either the right or wrong way round.
When they saw their arm magnified to double its size, the patients reported that their levels of pain increased, but when they exercised the arm while watching a minimized image of it through inverted binoculars, their pain levels were cut significantly.
But it was not only their perceived pain levels that changed, says the lead researcher, G. Lorimer Moseley. Their levels of physical swelling in the affected areas were also reduced through using the backwards-binocular trick.
Moseley says he is not sure how this phenomenon works in terms of specific neurons firing, but he believes that the brain changes its protective responses according to its perception of danger levels. "If it looks bigger, it looks sorer, therefore the brain acts to protect it," he explains.
Moseley hopes that the optical-trick discovery will lead to a practical method for lowering pain and trauma levels in hospitals.
In effect, the binocular trick offers a much simpler and cheaper version of a pain-lowering brain-scan method pioneered by American researchers. Scientists at Omneuron, a California-based company, are using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine to treat chronic pain. Patients are placed in the scanner and asked to watch a computer-generated flame projected on the screen of virtual-reality goggles. The flame's intensity reflects the neural activity of regions of the brain involved in the perception of pain.
By concentrating on a variety of mental techniques - such as imagining that a painful area is being flooded with soothing chemicals or marching soldiers - most people can make the flame wane. As the image of the flame wanes, the patient starts to feel less pain.
A 2005 study of eight patients with recalcitrant pain felt their discomfort reduced by as much as 64 per cent by using Omneuron's technology. Christopher deCharms, the chief executive of Omneuron, says, "We believe that people will use real-time fMRI feedback to hone cognitive strategies that will increase activation of brain regions."
He adds that, with practice and repetition, this could lead to "long-term changes in the brain".
Alternatively, of course, pain patients could simply try playing around with an old pair of binoculars.
Wriggly gum
A SUPERGLUE secreted by sand worms may offer a rapid way to repair shattered bones in our faces and limbs, say investigators at Utah University.
They have created a synthetic version of the glue that sandcastle worms secrete in order to build sand and shell fragments into tube-shaped homes that can withstand strong tides.
The developers report, in Macromolecular Biosciences, that they hope the biological glue will be able to fix tricky bone breaks, such as those at the end of joints or in faces. that can't be wired or screwed together
The glue may also carry drugs such as antibiotics, growth enhancers and even stem cells to sites where bone fragments are glued.
Pip, pip, hooray
POMEGRANATE would be a far better superfood if it weren't for the pesky, offputting pith and pips. Now Spanish scientists have invented a high-tech computerised scanner system to separate all the seeds, pips and pulp.
A pomegranate holds 40per cent of our daily vitamin C requirement, and has three times the antioxidant power of red wine or green tea. A pilot study in the International Journal of Impotence Research even reports that pomegranate juice may have beneficial effects on erectile dysfunction.
Now a team of engineers from Valencia's Institute of Agrarian Research has made healthy living easier, using EU money to develop a special machine with computerised vision to distinguish and sort the different parts of this fruit, reports a study published online by the Journal of Food Engineering.
Pure thoughts
WASHING your hands over a problem may really make you less morally judgmental, says a Plymouth University study.
The study asked 40 students to watch a film, then to rate a series of moral dilemmas, such as eating a fellow plane-crash survivor or faking a CV. Half the students were asked to wash their hands after watching the film.
Simone Schnall, the lead researcher, says the students with clean hands made far less severe judgments. She reports in Psychological Science that being cleansed reduced their propensity to respond with disgust: "We think we're making conscious, rational decisions in moral judgments, but are influenced by how clean or pure we feel."
Herbal high
A BOUNTIFUL yet neglected source of MRSA-killing plants has been discovered in the Himalayan hills - fields of wild oregano that the locals call "useless grass".
Bristol-based researchers report that the Himalayan oregano plant is high in an essential compound called carvacol - a powerful antimicrobial that has proved more effective at killing MRSA than 18 antibiotics.
The scientists, from the University of the West of England, say the herb grows wild across Himachal Pradesh and can be harvested without damage. The locals don't eat it and nor do their cattle, but harvesting it could now be lucrative. The project, which has just won a United Nations award for sustainability, aims to use the oregano to make soaps and surface cleaners for use in British hospitals.
Radiator rage
DOES your car tell other road users if you are submissive or dominant? A Florida State University study of 40 drivers has found almost complete agreement over which cars look pushy or a pushover, based on whether their lights, radiators and bonnets are set in a smile or a frown.
Source
By John Naish
Times Online
THROW out those painkillers: the secret to salving physical aches may lie in using a pair of binoculars the wrong way round, claims research performed at Oxford University.
The study, published in Current Biology, reveals how powerfully pain and even swelling can be a product of our mental attitude.
Researchers asked ten people who suffered chronic pain in one arm to move the limb around while looking at it through a pair of binoculars that were either the right or wrong way round.
When they saw their arm magnified to double its size, the patients reported that their levels of pain increased, but when they exercised the arm while watching a minimized image of it through inverted binoculars, their pain levels were cut significantly.
But it was not only their perceived pain levels that changed, says the lead researcher, G. Lorimer Moseley. Their levels of physical swelling in the affected areas were also reduced through using the backwards-binocular trick.
Moseley says he is not sure how this phenomenon works in terms of specific neurons firing, but he believes that the brain changes its protective responses according to its perception of danger levels. "If it looks bigger, it looks sorer, therefore the brain acts to protect it," he explains.
Moseley hopes that the optical-trick discovery will lead to a practical method for lowering pain and trauma levels in hospitals.
In effect, the binocular trick offers a much simpler and cheaper version of a pain-lowering brain-scan method pioneered by American researchers. Scientists at Omneuron, a California-based company, are using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine to treat chronic pain. Patients are placed in the scanner and asked to watch a computer-generated flame projected on the screen of virtual-reality goggles. The flame's intensity reflects the neural activity of regions of the brain involved in the perception of pain.
By concentrating on a variety of mental techniques - such as imagining that a painful area is being flooded with soothing chemicals or marching soldiers - most people can make the flame wane. As the image of the flame wanes, the patient starts to feel less pain.
A 2005 study of eight patients with recalcitrant pain felt their discomfort reduced by as much as 64 per cent by using Omneuron's technology. Christopher deCharms, the chief executive of Omneuron, says, "We believe that people will use real-time fMRI feedback to hone cognitive strategies that will increase activation of brain regions."
He adds that, with practice and repetition, this could lead to "long-term changes in the brain".
Alternatively, of course, pain patients could simply try playing around with an old pair of binoculars.
Wriggly gum
A SUPERGLUE secreted by sand worms may offer a rapid way to repair shattered bones in our faces and limbs, say investigators at Utah University.
They have created a synthetic version of the glue that sandcastle worms secrete in order to build sand and shell fragments into tube-shaped homes that can withstand strong tides.
The developers report, in Macromolecular Biosciences, that they hope the biological glue will be able to fix tricky bone breaks, such as those at the end of joints or in faces. that can't be wired or screwed together
The glue may also carry drugs such as antibiotics, growth enhancers and even stem cells to sites where bone fragments are glued.
Pip, pip, hooray
POMEGRANATE would be a far better superfood if it weren't for the pesky, offputting pith and pips. Now Spanish scientists have invented a high-tech computerised scanner system to separate all the seeds, pips and pulp.
A pomegranate holds 40per cent of our daily vitamin C requirement, and has three times the antioxidant power of red wine or green tea. A pilot study in the International Journal of Impotence Research even reports that pomegranate juice may have beneficial effects on erectile dysfunction.
Now a team of engineers from Valencia's Institute of Agrarian Research has made healthy living easier, using EU money to develop a special machine with computerised vision to distinguish and sort the different parts of this fruit, reports a study published online by the Journal of Food Engineering.
Pure thoughts
WASHING your hands over a problem may really make you less morally judgmental, says a Plymouth University study.
The study asked 40 students to watch a film, then to rate a series of moral dilemmas, such as eating a fellow plane-crash survivor or faking a CV. Half the students were asked to wash their hands after watching the film.
Simone Schnall, the lead researcher, says the students with clean hands made far less severe judgments. She reports in Psychological Science that being cleansed reduced their propensity to respond with disgust: "We think we're making conscious, rational decisions in moral judgments, but are influenced by how clean or pure we feel."
Herbal high
A BOUNTIFUL yet neglected source of MRSA-killing plants has been discovered in the Himalayan hills - fields of wild oregano that the locals call "useless grass".
Bristol-based researchers report that the Himalayan oregano plant is high in an essential compound called carvacol - a powerful antimicrobial that has proved more effective at killing MRSA than 18 antibiotics.
The scientists, from the University of the West of England, say the herb grows wild across Himachal Pradesh and can be harvested without damage. The locals don't eat it and nor do their cattle, but harvesting it could now be lucrative. The project, which has just won a United Nations award for sustainability, aims to use the oregano to make soaps and surface cleaners for use in British hospitals.
Radiator rage
DOES your car tell other road users if you are submissive or dominant? A Florida State University study of 40 drivers has found almost complete agreement over which cars look pushy or a pushover, based on whether their lights, radiators and bonnets are set in a smile or a frown.
The Human Nature report says the consensus reflects how our caveman brains see the road as a human jungle - and we may drive as if it is covered in roaming beasts.
Source
Monday, December 15, 2008
Meet -- "Team RSD" - Racing For Awareness And Research!
Not long ago I came across "Team RSD" because of a comment left on one of my posts. I have to tell you, as soon as I arrived at their website: http://teamrsd.blogspot.com , I was completely impressed!! Not just because of a person being diagnosed with RSD, but because of what that person is doing "DESPITE" of being diagnosed with RSD.
Meet this incredible man; His name is Brian Mehrbrodt and is Owner of "Team RSD".
Since his diagnosis in September 2008 he put together "Team RSD" from Corbin/Dean Racing. The "TEAM RSD" Mustang will be running in the April 2009 Drag Racing Season. "Team RSD" was formed to create awareness of 'RSD' or otherwise known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
With the support of his wife, family, friends and generous sponsors, "Team RSD" will be competing in NHRA, NMRA, and in the local drag racing events in 2009.
RSD awareness will be heightened by highly visible graphics on both the Dragsters and Race Trailers.
In addition, Informational Brochures will be distributed at each event. Magnetic Car Ribbons, and Red Bracelets will be available from any Corbin / Dean Racing Crew Member for a small donation. All donations will benefit RSD awareness and research.
At this time due to RSD, Brian will not be involved in the racing activities, but his son, Corbin Mehrbrodt, will be the driver.
Brian will be his son's #1 fan and attending as many races as possible.
As for myself, I know when "Team RSD" comes closer to my area, I will be there and would be so very honored to meet everyone.
I am so very proud of each and every member of this team, and wish them Many of God's Blessings!!
Please visit http://teamrsd.blogspot.com and show your support for all they are doing!!
Meet this incredible man; His name is Brian Mehrbrodt and is Owner of "Team RSD".
Since his diagnosis in September 2008 he put together "Team RSD" from Corbin/Dean Racing. The "TEAM RSD" Mustang will be running in the April 2009 Drag Racing Season. "Team RSD" was formed to create awareness of 'RSD' or otherwise known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
With the support of his wife, family, friends and generous sponsors, "Team RSD" will be competing in NHRA, NMRA, and in the local drag racing events in 2009.
RSD awareness will be heightened by highly visible graphics on both the Dragsters and Race Trailers.
In addition, Informational Brochures will be distributed at each event. Magnetic Car Ribbons, and Red Bracelets will be available from any Corbin / Dean Racing Crew Member for a small donation. All donations will benefit RSD awareness and research.
At this time due to RSD, Brian will not be involved in the racing activities, but his son, Corbin Mehrbrodt, will be the driver.
Brian will be his son's #1 fan and attending as many races as possible.
As for myself, I know when "Team RSD" comes closer to my area, I will be there and would be so very honored to meet everyone.
I am so very proud of each and every member of this team, and wish them Many of God's Blessings!!
Please visit http://teamrsd.blogspot.com and show your support for all they are doing!!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Status of Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis
About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Multiple Sclerosis, with an incidence of 100 in 100000 in the US and Europe, is by far the most frequent neurodegenerative disease (1). MS is a chronic, demyelinating disease of the brain and spinal cord -collectively the central nervous system (CNS). Demyelination is a process of gradual destruction of the myelin sheath, that surrounds many of the axons of nerve cells (neurons), leading to axonal injury or loss and consequently severely impaired nerve signals. The disease is named for the multiple scleroses (scars or plaques) that are created on the myelinated axons. A repair mechanism - remyelination of the axons by cells known as oligodendrocytes - takes place in the early phases of disease but the reformed myelin sheaths are thinner and less effective. Repeated attacks lead to fewer effective remyelinations until a scar is built up on the damaged axon. The central nervous system should be able to recruit oligodendrocyte stem cells but something would seem to inhibit stem cells in the affected areas.
Electronmicrograph showing branched oligodendrocytes with processes extending to several underlying axons
One oligodendrocyte wraps myelin around axons of several neurons
It is generally accepted that MS is an inflammatory autoimmune disease- whereby an individual’s own immune response attacks the nervous system. Certain viruses, bacteria, stress and genetics have been implicated in disease manifestations. MS causes a variety of symptoms depending on where in the CNS the multiple lesions occur. Also,neurological deficits are progressively accumulated. In any individual there may be several complicating factors affecting the unpredictable course of the disease - there may be times of dormancy or times when there is steady progression.
The disease is categorized by several subtypes:
Relapsing remitting MS: unpredictable relapses (attacks) followed by months to years of remission. Effects of attacks may either resolve or may be permanent.
Secondary progressive MS: characterized by neurologic decline between attacks without periods of remission. Most common type of MS and causes most disability.
Primary progressive MS: decline occurs continuously without clear attacks, no remission.
Progressive relapsing MS: steady neurologic decline from onset,patients suffer superimposed attacks. Least common.
While MS does not currently have a cure, there are several treatments available for moderating the symptoms and for managing the various consequences of attacks. The currently approved treatments are aimed at returning function after an attack and preventing disability.
MS Treatment Objectives - the way forward: A Role for Stem Cells
During multiple relapses in the course of MS, oligodendrocytes and their progenitors are lost(2) and the nervous system has only limited capacity to recover from this extensive neuronal or glial damage. This is partly due to the formation of barriers, known as "glial" scars,which are triggered by the body to protect the injured nerve tissue from further injury. This dense scar tissue throws up a blockade to foreign cells, including transplants meant to heal and regenerate(group at Harvard medical school). There is evidence, however, that the adult CNS retains populations of cells with stem cell-like properties that have extensive proliferative capacity (3).
The challenge for current medical therapies appears to be remyelinating chronically demyelinated axons. Two distinct approaches can be considered to promote myelin repair; in one the endogenous myelin repair processes are stimulated through the delivery of growth factors,and in the second the repair process are augmented through the delivery of exogenous cells with myelination potential. Also, the effective treatment of MS requires modulation of the immune system, since demyelination is associated with specific immunological activation (4).
Karussis and kassis (Sept 2007) described how different stem cells migrate to areas of white matter lesions (plaques) and have the potential to support local neurogenesis and rebuilding of the affected myelin – believed to be achieved by support of the resident CNS stem cells and by differentiation of the transplanted cells into neurons and myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. These stem cells were also shown to possess immunomodulating properties.
Several types of stem cells (discussed later in this article) having the capacity for promoting myelin repair, as well as modulating the immune response, are potential candidates for MS therapy.
Stem cell transplantation for treating MS: current developments (as at 2007)
Many inflammatory diseases are diffuse and widespread. However,intravenous injection has been demonstrated as an appropriate means of diffuse delivery of stem cells with the possibility of targeting; the problem for distribution to other tissues or organs still need sevaluation (1,5).
Neural stem cells: Many different cell types, including neural stem cells and precursors,have been suggested as candidate cells for therapy. There are however complexities in obtaining neural stem cells from the adult CNS. A group from the University of California, San Francisco published their findings in The Scientist (July 2007) cautioning against the notion that neural stem cells can generate any type of neuron. This group predict difficulties in using adult neural stem cells to treat neurological disease, although it remains possible that scientists could manipulate neural stem cells in vitro to make them more flexible.
Bone marrow stem cells: As early as the year 2000 adult bone marrow cells were shown to have the capacity to differentiate to oligodendroglial cells indicating their potential for treating demyelinating diseases (6). At the same time, a phase II trial using auto logous bone marrow stem cell transplantation to treat 85 patients for progressive MS was conducted in 20 European centers. Neurological improvement was seen in 21% of patients; confirmed progression-free survival was seen in 74% of patients at 3 years; disease progression occurred in 20%.
Additionally,it was reported that auto logous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation can regenerate a tolerant immune system and is a potentially effective rescue therapy in a subset of patients with aggressive forms of MS refractory to approved immunomodulatory and immuno suppressive agents (7). Cassiani-Ingoni and fellow investigators,suggest that bone marrow transplantation can suppress inflammatory disease in a majority of MS patients, but retards clinical progression only in patients treated in the early stages of the disease (8).
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs):[Mesenchymal cells are non-haematopoieic stem cells derived from marrow or umbilical cord, the more appropriate terminology is multipotentstromal cell yet MSC still persists in the literature] Emerging evidence suggests that mesenchymal stem cells may have the capacity to generate cells with the characteristics of neurons and glia and consequently promote repair in the injured CNS. How mesenchymal stem cells affect functional recovery in the damaged adult CNS is not well understood. Possibly the transplanted multipotent cells migrate to the injury sites, proliferate, and then differentiate into the appropriate neural cells that then effect repair. Although mesenchymal stem cell shave a high survival and migration potential, the proportion that can be directed towards a neural fate appears to be relatively small. It may be that MSCs, through the release of soluble signals in areas of injury, have a direct influence on the endogenous neural stem cells to promote repair through neuro- and oligodendrogenesis (3).
Mesenchymal cells can also exert immunomodulatory effects by inducing suppression of the autoimmune myelin-targeting lymphocytes. MSCs harvested from bone marrow can be obtained from the donor patient him/herself, thereby reducing the risk for developing malignancies. It has been mooted that these cells offer significant practical advantages over other types of stem cells(5,9).
CD34+ cells:CD34+ cells are multipotent haematopoietic stem cell found in bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. These stem cells are reportedly capable of transforming into neuro protective glia and myelin-producing oligodendrocytes (10). A proposed advantage of umbilical cord CD34+stem cell transplantation is that, when administered without additional medications and powerful immune suppressants, virtually no side effects are evident
(10). Stem Cell Therapy – cause for optimism:
Significant advances have been made in researching the therapeutic potential of stem cells for neuro degenerative diseases and there are already several facilities offering stem cell treatments! Transplanting cells into focal MS lesions may be the ultimate therapeutic approach,and clinical trials may be the way to determine whether exogenous stem cells are able to survive, differentiate and myelinate axons in plaques (2). While the current number of stem cell-based clinical trials for demyelinating diseases is limited, this is likely to increase significantly in the next few years (4).
References
1. Magnus, Rao et al. Neural stem cells in inflammatory CNS diseases:mechanisms and therapy J. Cell. Mol. Med. (2005) 9:2 303-319
2. Duncan I Replacing cells in multiple sclerosis J.Neurol.Sci. Jun 2007 (epub ahead of print)
3. Bai, Caplan, Lennon & Miller Human Mesenchymal Stem CellsSignals Regulate Neural Stem Cell Fate Neurochem Res (2007) 32:353–362
4. Miller & Bai. Cellular approaches for stimulating CNSremyelination Regenerative medicine 2007 Sept 2 (5) 817-829
5. Karussis, Kassis, Basan, Slavin. Immunomodulation andneuroprotection with mesenchymal bone marrow stem cells: a proposedtreatment for MS J.Neurol.Sci 2007 July (epub ahead of print)
6. Bonilla, Alarcon, Villaverde et al Eur J Neurosci 2002 15(3) 575-582.
7. Muraro, Bielekova Emerging therapies for MS,. Neurotherapeutics 2007 Oct 4(4) 676-692
8. Cassiani-Ingoni, Muraro, Magnus et al. Disease progression in amodel of MS J.Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2007 Jul 66(7);637-49
9. Karussis & Kassis. Use of stem cells for the treatment of MSExpert Review of eurotherapeutics 2007Sept: 7(9) 1189-1201
10. Steenblock, D - www.stemcelltherapies.org electron micrograph from http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com
www.stemcells21.com/stem_cell_therapy_for_multiple_sclerosis.asp
Multiple Sclerosis, with an incidence of 100 in 100000 in the US and Europe, is by far the most frequent neurodegenerative disease (1). MS is a chronic, demyelinating disease of the brain and spinal cord -collectively the central nervous system (CNS). Demyelination is a process of gradual destruction of the myelin sheath, that surrounds many of the axons of nerve cells (neurons), leading to axonal injury or loss and consequently severely impaired nerve signals. The disease is named for the multiple scleroses (scars or plaques) that are created on the myelinated axons. A repair mechanism - remyelination of the axons by cells known as oligodendrocytes - takes place in the early phases of disease but the reformed myelin sheaths are thinner and less effective. Repeated attacks lead to fewer effective remyelinations until a scar is built up on the damaged axon. The central nervous system should be able to recruit oligodendrocyte stem cells but something would seem to inhibit stem cells in the affected areas.
Electronmicrograph showing branched oligodendrocytes with processes extending to several underlying axons
One oligodendrocyte wraps myelin around axons of several neurons
It is generally accepted that MS is an inflammatory autoimmune disease- whereby an individual’s own immune response attacks the nervous system. Certain viruses, bacteria, stress and genetics have been implicated in disease manifestations. MS causes a variety of symptoms depending on where in the CNS the multiple lesions occur. Also,neurological deficits are progressively accumulated. In any individual there may be several complicating factors affecting the unpredictable course of the disease - there may be times of dormancy or times when there is steady progression.
The disease is categorized by several subtypes:
Relapsing remitting MS: unpredictable relapses (attacks) followed by months to years of remission. Effects of attacks may either resolve or may be permanent.
Secondary progressive MS: characterized by neurologic decline between attacks without periods of remission. Most common type of MS and causes most disability.
Primary progressive MS: decline occurs continuously without clear attacks, no remission.
Progressive relapsing MS: steady neurologic decline from onset,patients suffer superimposed attacks. Least common.
While MS does not currently have a cure, there are several treatments available for moderating the symptoms and for managing the various consequences of attacks. The currently approved treatments are aimed at returning function after an attack and preventing disability.
MS Treatment Objectives - the way forward: A Role for Stem Cells
During multiple relapses in the course of MS, oligodendrocytes and their progenitors are lost(2) and the nervous system has only limited capacity to recover from this extensive neuronal or glial damage. This is partly due to the formation of barriers, known as "glial" scars,which are triggered by the body to protect the injured nerve tissue from further injury. This dense scar tissue throws up a blockade to foreign cells, including transplants meant to heal and regenerate(group at Harvard medical school). There is evidence, however, that the adult CNS retains populations of cells with stem cell-like properties that have extensive proliferative capacity (3).
The challenge for current medical therapies appears to be remyelinating chronically demyelinated axons. Two distinct approaches can be considered to promote myelin repair; in one the endogenous myelin repair processes are stimulated through the delivery of growth factors,and in the second the repair process are augmented through the delivery of exogenous cells with myelination potential. Also, the effective treatment of MS requires modulation of the immune system, since demyelination is associated with specific immunological activation (4).
Karussis and kassis (Sept 2007) described how different stem cells migrate to areas of white matter lesions (plaques) and have the potential to support local neurogenesis and rebuilding of the affected myelin – believed to be achieved by support of the resident CNS stem cells and by differentiation of the transplanted cells into neurons and myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. These stem cells were also shown to possess immunomodulating properties.
Several types of stem cells (discussed later in this article) having the capacity for promoting myelin repair, as well as modulating the immune response, are potential candidates for MS therapy.
Stem cell transplantation for treating MS: current developments (as at 2007)
Many inflammatory diseases are diffuse and widespread. However,intravenous injection has been demonstrated as an appropriate means of diffuse delivery of stem cells with the possibility of targeting; the problem for distribution to other tissues or organs still need sevaluation (1,5).
Neural stem cells: Many different cell types, including neural stem cells and precursors,have been suggested as candidate cells for therapy. There are however complexities in obtaining neural stem cells from the adult CNS. A group from the University of California, San Francisco published their findings in The Scientist (July 2007) cautioning against the notion that neural stem cells can generate any type of neuron. This group predict difficulties in using adult neural stem cells to treat neurological disease, although it remains possible that scientists could manipulate neural stem cells in vitro to make them more flexible.
Bone marrow stem cells: As early as the year 2000 adult bone marrow cells were shown to have the capacity to differentiate to oligodendroglial cells indicating their potential for treating demyelinating diseases (6). At the same time, a phase II trial using auto logous bone marrow stem cell transplantation to treat 85 patients for progressive MS was conducted in 20 European centers. Neurological improvement was seen in 21% of patients; confirmed progression-free survival was seen in 74% of patients at 3 years; disease progression occurred in 20%.
Additionally,it was reported that auto logous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation can regenerate a tolerant immune system and is a potentially effective rescue therapy in a subset of patients with aggressive forms of MS refractory to approved immunomodulatory and immuno suppressive agents (7). Cassiani-Ingoni and fellow investigators,suggest that bone marrow transplantation can suppress inflammatory disease in a majority of MS patients, but retards clinical progression only in patients treated in the early stages of the disease (8).
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs):[Mesenchymal cells are non-haematopoieic stem cells derived from marrow or umbilical cord, the more appropriate terminology is multipotentstromal cell yet MSC still persists in the literature] Emerging evidence suggests that mesenchymal stem cells may have the capacity to generate cells with the characteristics of neurons and glia and consequently promote repair in the injured CNS. How mesenchymal stem cells affect functional recovery in the damaged adult CNS is not well understood. Possibly the transplanted multipotent cells migrate to the injury sites, proliferate, and then differentiate into the appropriate neural cells that then effect repair. Although mesenchymal stem cell shave a high survival and migration potential, the proportion that can be directed towards a neural fate appears to be relatively small. It may be that MSCs, through the release of soluble signals in areas of injury, have a direct influence on the endogenous neural stem cells to promote repair through neuro- and oligodendrogenesis (3).
Mesenchymal cells can also exert immunomodulatory effects by inducing suppression of the autoimmune myelin-targeting lymphocytes. MSCs harvested from bone marrow can be obtained from the donor patient him/herself, thereby reducing the risk for developing malignancies. It has been mooted that these cells offer significant practical advantages over other types of stem cells(5,9).
CD34+ cells:CD34+ cells are multipotent haematopoietic stem cell found in bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. These stem cells are reportedly capable of transforming into neuro protective glia and myelin-producing oligodendrocytes (10). A proposed advantage of umbilical cord CD34+stem cell transplantation is that, when administered without additional medications and powerful immune suppressants, virtually no side effects are evident
(10). Stem Cell Therapy – cause for optimism:
Significant advances have been made in researching the therapeutic potential of stem cells for neuro degenerative diseases and there are already several facilities offering stem cell treatments! Transplanting cells into focal MS lesions may be the ultimate therapeutic approach,and clinical trials may be the way to determine whether exogenous stem cells are able to survive, differentiate and myelinate axons in plaques (2). While the current number of stem cell-based clinical trials for demyelinating diseases is limited, this is likely to increase significantly in the next few years (4).
References
1. Magnus, Rao et al. Neural stem cells in inflammatory CNS diseases:mechanisms and therapy J. Cell. Mol. Med. (2005) 9:2 303-319
2. Duncan I Replacing cells in multiple sclerosis J.Neurol.Sci. Jun 2007 (epub ahead of print)
3. Bai, Caplan, Lennon & Miller Human Mesenchymal Stem CellsSignals Regulate Neural Stem Cell Fate Neurochem Res (2007) 32:353–362
4. Miller & Bai. Cellular approaches for stimulating CNSremyelination Regenerative medicine 2007 Sept 2 (5) 817-829
5. Karussis, Kassis, Basan, Slavin. Immunomodulation andneuroprotection with mesenchymal bone marrow stem cells: a proposedtreatment for MS J.Neurol.Sci 2007 July (epub ahead of print)
6. Bonilla, Alarcon, Villaverde et al Eur J Neurosci 2002 15(3) 575-582.
7. Muraro, Bielekova Emerging therapies for MS,. Neurotherapeutics 2007 Oct 4(4) 676-692
8. Cassiani-Ingoni, Muraro, Magnus et al. Disease progression in amodel of MS J.Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2007 Jul 66(7);637-49
9. Karussis & Kassis. Use of stem cells for the treatment of MSExpert Review of eurotherapeutics 2007Sept: 7(9) 1189-1201
10. Steenblock, D - www.stemcelltherapies.org electron micrograph from http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com
www.stemcells21.com/stem_cell_therapy_for_multiple_sclerosis.asp
Monday, July 7, 2008
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