MSC type bone marrow transplant possible in India

UNI

January 8, 2005

Ahmedabad -- The bone marrow stem cell transplant of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) type are now possible in India, opening new avenues for treatment of incurable malignant or genetic disorders.

Dr Alok Shrivastava of the CMC Vellore, who is working on the bone marrow stem cells research said, "Our ability to collect and manipulate the HSC so as to purify them has allowed a novel type of transplantation where stem cells from half HLA matched donors, like parents, can be used for transplantation."

The bone marrow stem cells therapy has enabled thousands of patients to be cured with bone marrow transplantation from HLA matched related donors since 1960. More recently, peripheral blood cells have been used with advantage for the same purpose.

He said the major limitation in this process had been the lack of suitable donors. Search of alternatives had led to large donor registries being created and use of cord blood banks.

Dr Shrivastava, who is here to attend the 92nd Science Congress, said in recent years apart from the HSC, it had become apparent that the bone marrow had other stem cells that could be used for therapy. The best evaluated of these is the MSC.

Both HSC and MSC have been used for tissue repair and regeneration in different situations, he said adding their use for treatment of myocardium had really caught attention with multiple reports from different countries.

Novel applications also included treatment of brain and spinal cord injuries but more animal data is needed before wide clinical applications.

The possibility of treating inflammatory bowel diseases with such cellular therapy in the animal model was also being explored. Apart from the ability to regenerate damaged tissues, MSC also seems to have immune modulatory effects.

He said work was also underway to explore whether this could also be used in organ transplantation such as kidney transplant. If successful it would make this modality of treatment more affordable for people as long term immuno-suppression.

He said the MSC which has the tendency to grow rapidly and extensively in culture system made it an attractive option for transduction with genes of interest that could be transferred into human beings lacking their function.

Copyright © 2005 Navhind Papers & Publications Ltd.

This article posted January 29, 2005