New Gene May Lead to Cord Blood Transplants in Adults
Oxford researchers led by Dr Rajeev Gupta, a Leukemia Research-funded consultant haematologist, have identified the Nephroblastoma Overexpressed ( Nov ) gene which is linked with the regulation of blood production from stem cells. The findings could have important implications for leukemia and other blood cancer transplants which rely on donated stem cells for normal blood production. According to Dr. Gupta’s findings, the Nov gene produces a protein that is similar to hormones; when this protein was added to stem cells, the production of blood was significantly increased, while deactivating the Nov gene resulted in a decrease in blood and stem cell production. These results are especially important in the context of cord blood, which typically only contains enough stem cells to treat children and small adults. The next step in research would be to find out whether or not Nov can amplify stem cells in cord blood in order to maximize the types of patients who can be treated with this type of stem cell transplant. The study, which was based out of the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, can be found in the journal Science.
News-Medical.netApril 18, 2007
Small Study Uses Stem Cells for Insulin-Free Diabetics
A joint study from the US and Brazil followed fifteen patients between the ages of fourteen and thirty-one, who had recently been diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. The researchers chose newly-diagnosed cases in order to perform a stem cell transplant while a large proportion of pancreatic beta cells still remained. The patients underwent an autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHST) to preserve beta cell functioning which is damaged by white blood cells in diabetic patients. The patients underwent chemotherapy to destroy white blood cells along with immuno-suppressor drugs before receiving an infusion of their own stem cells, which had previously been harvested, to rejuvenate the immune system and create insulin. Fourteen of the fifteen patients had become insulin independent a for certain period of time ranging from six months to three years, with some becoming independent over a year after transplant. While some critics suggest that the research has not made sufficient comparisons, the study could hold potential for the future of stem cell treatment of diabetes. Side effects of the treatment were noted to include pneumonia in one patient and endocrine dysfunction in two others, with low treatment toxicity and no mortality.
www.healthcarerepublic.comApril 4, 2007
First Stem Cell Transplant to Treat Parkinson’s Symptoms
The first clearly documented case of a successful stem cell transplant for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease has taken place in India. The patient, who had received conventional treatment and surgery for Parkinson’s in the United States, had traveled to India where he received a stem cell transplant at the site of his brain harvested from his own bone marrow. While the treatment could not put an end to the progress of the disease, the patient’s symptoms were significantly reduced and the research could lead to an eventual cure of Parkinson’s disease altogether. The patient, who had formerly required assistance walking and suffered from severe laryngeal spasms and difficulty breathing as well as swallowing, has been off all drugs used to medicate Parkinson’s disease symptoms for the past six months. The patient no longer requires assistance walking and has attested to overall improvements in muscle strength, gait, handwriting, bowel movements, and tremors.
