Scientists in China have discovered that repeated infusions of a certain cord blood stem cell can inhibit the development of chronic graft-versus-host disease in patients who have received an allogenic stem cell transplant. Allogenic stem cell transplant involves a recipient receiving stem cells from another person.
Chronic graft-versus-host disease occurs when translated tissue begins to attack the recipient’s body. In patients who are being treated for leukaemia, it is often associated with a relapse of the disease.
Randomly selected stem cell transplant patients received a dose of mesenchymal stem cells while others received a saline placebo. Scientists were interested in discovering if the mesenchymal stem cells, found in cord blood stem cells, were capable of modulating immune system response.
The trial involved a total of 124 patients with haematologic malignancies who underwent an HLA-haploidentical allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Haematopoietic stem cells are responsible for producing healthy blood cells and are often used to treat cancer, immune system disorders and blood disorders.
Lead research Dr. Lei Gao describes the purpose of the study, saying: “Our goal was to minimize the incidence of cGVHD, reduce the severity of cGVHD, and demonstrate the safety of MSC infusions. We performed repeated infusions of MSCs once a month for a total of four rounds for each patient. Over the median 47-month posttransplantation period, the incidence of cGVHD was lower in the MSCs group than in the non-MSCs control group.”
cGVHD remains the leading cause of death in people who have received a HSCT, even when the donor and recipient have a close match.
The patients who received the MSCs had 3 x 107 cells per 100ml in four transfusions over 4 months. The results were astonishing, with only 27% of patients who received MSCs having cGVHD, compared with 49% for placebo-treated controls. Patients who received MSCs also saw an increase in memory B lymphocytes and regulatory T cells, as well as a decrease in natural killer cells.
Mesenchymal stems cells are only one of the types of stem cells found in cord blood. The research once again highlights how useful cord blood stem cells are for treating a wide range of diseases.
Source: Cord blood cell reduce incidence
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