Stem Cells From Fat Offer New Hope for MS

barbara

Pioneer Founding member
Way to go Tom!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423193940.htm

Here's another source:

NEWS RELEASE ? MEDICINE

24 April 2009,


Media Contact
Graeme Baldwin
Press Office, BioMed Central

22/04/09

Stem cells from fat tissue offer hope for MS treatment

A preliminary study on the use of stem cells obtained from a patient?s own adipose tissue in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has shown promising results. The three case studies, described in BioMed Central?s open access Journal of Translational Medicine support further clinical evaluation of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells in MS and other autoimmune conditions.

Thomas Ichim, from Medistem Inc., and Dr. Boris Minev, from the Division of Neurosurgery, University of California San Diego, worked with a team of researchers to demonstrate the possible effectiveness of SVF cells in MS treatment. Minev said, ?All three patients in our study showed dramatic improvement in their condition after the course of SVF therapy. While obviously no conclusions in terms of therapeutic efficacy can be drawn from these reports, this first clinical use of fat stem cells for treatment of MS supports further investigations into this very simple and easily-implementable treatment methodology?.

MS is an autoimmune condition, in which the body?s own defences attack nerve cells, resulting in loss of their fatty myelin sheath. The first symptoms usually occur in young adults, most commonly in women. It is believed that SVF cells, and other stem cells, may be able to treat the condition by limiting the immune reaction and promoting the growth of new myelin. According to Minev, ?None of the presently available MS treatments selectively inhibit the immune attack against the nervous system, nor do they stimulate regeneration of previously damaged tissue. We?ve shown that SVF cells may fill this therapeutic gap?.

Minev and his colleagues provided the SVF treatment to three patients with MS. The first had suffered frequent painful seizures for the previous three years; after treatment he reported that the seizures had stopped completely and that he had seen significant improvements in his cognition and a reduction of spasticity in his arms and legs. The second patient reported improvements in his sense of balance and coordination, as well as an improved energy level and mood. The final patient had been diagnosed with MS in 1993. After SVF treatment in 2008, his gait, balance and coordination improved dramatically over a period of several weeks. According to Minev, ?His condition continued to improve over the next few months and he is currently reporting a continuing improvement and ability to jog, run and even bicycle?.


1. Non-Expanded Adipose Stromal Vascular Fraction Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis
Neil H Riordan, Thomas E Ichim, Wei-Ping Min, Hao Wang, Fabio Solano, Fabian Lara, Miguel Alfaro, Jeorge P Rodriguez, Robert J Harman, Amit N Patel, Michael P Murphy and Boris Minev
Journal of Translational Medicine (in press)

During embargo, article available here
After the embargo, article available at journal website

Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central?s open access policy.

Article citation and URL available on request at press@biomedcentral.com on the day of publication



2. Journal of Translational Medicine is an open access journal publishing articles focusing on information derived from human experimentation so as to optimise the communication between basic and clinical science.

3. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/) is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector.
 
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hlichten

Super Moderator
Some day soon, we will know:
1.) The best way to collect autologous cells
2.) The best way to deliver them
3.) What illnesses they can help, and which they can not

Heck, that's only 3 questions, lets get on with it! :)
 
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