ALS & Stem Cell Therapy:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare condition that causes nerve cells to get damaged. It leads to muscle weakness, twitching, and stiffness. As it progresses, patients lose their ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe properly. In the progressive stage, a person with ALS will require a feeding tube to be able to eat.The average life of ALS patients is three to five years after disease diagnosis.
Some ALS patients experience emotional lability, or uncontrolled laughing or crying even though it does not reflect what they currently feel.
Currently, there are no medications that are proven effective. This is why medical researchers are turning to revolutionary treatments such as stem cell therapy.
What is stem cell therapy and how can it help ALS Patients?
There are different types of stem cells and they are the Endogenous stem cells present in the bone marrow, skin, and specific parts of the brain and spinal cord. Pluripotent stem cells that can be created from adult skin cells treated in a lab dish, Embryonic stem cells that are sourced from the umbilical cord, and Mesenchymal stem cells that are sourced from the fat tissue or the bone marrow that can be used to protect nerve cells.
Medical researchers have high hopes for stem cell therapy because of its ability to differentiate itself into various uses. Stem cells can divide for indefinite periods in culture and give rise to multiple specialized cell types. It means they can turn into blood, neurons, bone, muscle, skin, and other cell types that can be used to repair the body.
The ALS Association in Washington, DC aims to find a cure, and part of their research portfolio includes drug development and disease modeling that includes using data research taken from pre-clinical trials using stem cell transplants. Stem cell transplant studies are crucial in improving the methods of safety and efficiency of drug medications that are being developed for ALS patients.
Stem cells are used by laboratories to create a unique source of motor neurons. The goal is to understand how motor neurons die and to screen the motor neurons to better understand how the ALS disease process occurs. Skin samples or blood of the person with ALS is studied to make cell lines. They capture the person’s exact DNA material and study them in a dish. Comparing the motor neurons to what is common and what is unique and how the disease progresses is crucial to finding the cure.
How Can Stem Cells Treat the ALS Disease?
Stem cells are believed to have the ability to deliver protective molecules to motor neurons in the spinal cord. The transplantation of healthy astrocytes also can support motor neurons in the brain and the spinal cord.
Biotechnology companies are also specializing in the research and development of personalized stem cell therapies for neurological and autoimmune diseases like ALS.
NeuroNata-R is the world’s first stem cell-based therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is an approved orphan drug released in South Korea in 2014. The NeuroNata-R makes use of mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow.
Treatment is done by extracting bone marrow from the patient, isolating, and then culturing the mesenchymal stem cells, then mixing it with cerebrospinal fluid collected from the patient, and finally administering it through intrathecal injection. The procedure using mesenchymal stem cells takes place for 4-weeks after the bone marrow extraction, followed by another injection 4 weeks later.
Mesenchymal stem cells result in preventing further motor neuron death. It slows down the progression of ALS and gives protection for the cells affected.
Stem cells could one day be used to replace dying motor neurons of ALS patients. To do this, doctors need to be able to make appropriate connections between muscles and surrounding neurons.
Stem Cell Therapy Advocates
There is a growing community of stem cell therapy experts and advocates. A-list Hollywood actor Michael York and actress-singer and award-winning author Lourdes Duque Baron.
Both continue to receive billions of stem cells, they attest to the truth and efficacy of this rejuvenating and immensely powerful treatment.
Michael York a highly respected actor who is known for his work in Cabaret, Logan’s Run, and Austin Power decided to become an advocate for stem cells after receiving treatment for his Amyloidosis and Multiple Myeloma.
While 73-year old Actress-singer, author and film producer Lourdes Duque Baron experienced the healing of her Osteoporosis by way of stem cell therapy.
Her upcoming book New Breed of Homo Sapiens will recount how stem cell therapy helped cure her Osteoporosis. The book will narrate the powerful and life-changing effects of regenerative medicine in her entire mind and body.
Watch the video to learn more:
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Kali Alaia is a digital marketer, strategist, researcher, and content provider. The articles posted on this site is based on a number of medical journals and sources found online and are intended for educational purposes only. Any recommendations in here are not intended to replace the recommendation of your doctor. Always seek your attending physician before submitting to any suggestions posted on this website. The personal stories and content are curated as a way to inform.