MSCs

Stem Cell Therapy NG-01 Shows Neuroprotective Effects in Trial

Administering the stem cell therapy NG-01 ā€” designed to have neuroprotective and neuro-regenerative properties ā€” directly into the spinal canal can significantly reduce the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a neuronal damage biomarker, in people with active, progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These are the new…

NurOwn May Curb Damaging Neuroinflammation in MS, Study Finds

NurOwn, believed to haveĀ neuroprotective and repairing effects,Ā may also be able to curb the damaging immune responses that contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) progression, a recent study found. This newly identified potential may extend the benefits of this cell-based therapy, its researchers believe. The findings were to be presented…

Myelin-producing Brain Cells Regenerated Using Stem Cells in Early Study

Researchers, using two different kinds of stem cells in rats, were able to regenerate oligodendrocytes ā€” myelin-producing brain cells that are defective in multiple sclerosis (MS). They were also able to grow adult neural stem cells in laboratory cultures and prod them to develop into oligodendrocytes. The exact cause of MS is unknown ā€” including what triggers attacks on myelin ā€” but the loss of oligodendrocytes seen in the disease is known to play a role in its progression. Nerve cells in the brain send their signals through their axons, long arm-like structures that extend out from the centers of the nerve cells. The signals are electrical pulses transmitted along the length of an axon.Ā Oligodendrocytes provide the insulation ā€” called myelin ā€” that wraps around axons, speeding up the transmission of electrical signals through the nerve cells. Loss or malfunction of oligodendrocytes means that signaling in the brain is impaired. It is this slowing of signaling that is thought to cause MS symptoms. Researchers from the Heinrich-Heine-University, Germany, with support from British and Chilean colleagues, designed a novel approach to regenerate oligodendrocytes, according to a press release. Stem cells are immature cells that give rise to differentiated cells ā€” cells with a specific function, such as oligodendrocytes. Adult neural stem cellsĀ can divide and produce nerve cells and other brain cells, including oligodendrocytes. However, in normal circumstances, the regeneration of cells that take place in the human brain is not enough to repair the damage seen in MS. The researchers set out to find conditions that would promote the differentiation of adult human NSCs into oligodendrocytes. They discovered that another type of stem cell, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), could provide the signals required. First they tested their system in rats, and found that by using factors produced by human MSCs, they could induce the growth of new oligodendrocytes in the animals. Then they grew adult NSCs in the laboratory, and using the same factors from human MSCs were able to promote the establishment of oligodendrocytes in the cultured cells.

Pre-Existing Inflammatory Diseases Reduce Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells for MS Treatment, Study Shows

According to a study by researchers at Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, pre-existing inflammatory diseases affecting the central nervous system make mesenchymal stem cells less effective in treating multiple sclerosis. The study notes that MSCs potentially produce several signaling proteins that can regulate immune system responses as well as help tissue regenerate. Preclinical studies have shown that this can reduce brain inflammation while improving neural repair in animal models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis -- an animal version of MS that is often used in laboratory studies, since it resembles the inflammation and neuronal damage seen in MS patients. Given the need for effective new MS therapies, the results will help MSCs to advance to human clinical trials. So far, results have reported good safety data, though such therapies have failed to demonstrate therapeutic efficacy. Most such trials so far have used stem cells collected from the patient, a process known as autologous transplantation ā€” yet this may explain why MSCs have not been effective. It's possible that pre-existing neurological conditions may alter stem cells' responsiveness as well as their therapeutic activity. To see whether that is in fact the case, team members collected stem cells from the bone marrow of EAE mice. But these stem cells were unable to improve EAE symptoms, whereas stem cells collected from healthy mice retained all their therapeutic potential and improved EAE symptoms. A more detailed analysis showed that the MSCs derived from EAE animals had different features than their healthy counterparts. In addition, the team confirmed that MSCs collected from MS patients were also less effective in treating EAE animals, compared to MSCs from healthy controls. Indeed, these MSCs from patients produced pro-inflammatory signals instead of the protective anti-inflammatory ones. ā€œDiseases like EAE and MS diminish the therapeutic functionality of bone marrow MSCs, prompting re- evaluation about the ongoing use of autologous MSCs as a treatment for MS,ā€ the team wrote, adding that its study supports the advancement of MSC therapy from donors rather than autologous MSC therapy to treat MS while raising "important concerns over the efficacy of using autologous bone marrow MSCs in clinical trials."