Mesenchymal Stem Cells - An Anti-Inflammatory Treatment for Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive and lethal muscular-degenerative condition which is caused by the mutation of the dystrophin gene. Cell therapy for muscular dystrophy is the only intervention that can mediate improvement in patients. 

Without the essential dystrophin, muscle fibres are highly vulnerable to damage and easy succumbing, affecting the normal daily activities in patients.  This muscle damage is easily repaired with autologous mesenchymal stem cells that have the potential to address this progressive degeneration in muscular dystrophy muscles. Thus, cell transplantation is the best muscular dystrophy treatment approach to reverse the damage of degenerated muscle-cells in patients with muscular dystrophy.

Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent cells that can be easily sourced from the marrow tissue. They have the capacity to repair bone, brain cell tissue, blood vessel, and muscular-skeletal tissue. These cells have shown great promise for patients with muscular dystrophy in NeuroGen BSI hospital where the neurosurgeons confirm the safety of muscular dystrophy treatment with intrathecal injection of mesenchymal stem cells in the spinal area.

The trained surgeons and staff at the NeuroGen BSI  have stated amazing symptomatic improvement in 90% of their muscular dystrophy patients.  They have a vast experience of treating individuals with degenerative muscle diseases, spinal cord injury and those disturbed with neurological conditions. Thus, mesenchymal cell therapy for muscular dystrophy is an emerging regenerative medicine that focuses on treatment providing improved limb and muscle coordination.

People who inquire about the advantage of cell treatment with mesenchymal stem cells (in contrast to other cell-based therapies) must know the underlying benefits:  

• The ability to fuse and genetically balance dystrophic deficiency in muscle
• They possess anti-inflammatory factors
• They produce trophic factors that enhance the activity of cell repair

With the above-mentioned properties, the neurosurgeons prefer mesenchymal stem cell therapy for muscular dystrophy as they have the advantages of correcting the dystrophin deficiency in muscle cells and also in regaining the muscle tone, flexibility, strength and a balanced gait.

Muscular Dystrophy Cell Treatment For Repair Of Weak Muscles

Muscular dystrophy is an assemblage of diseases that damage and gradually weaken the body muscles rendering the person helpless. The damages sets in due to the lack of a protein called dystrophin, essential for normal muscle and motor functions. The absence of dystrophin causes problems while walking, swallowing, posture, and limb coordination. Muscular dystrophy treatment involving autologous stem cells, can maintain the balance of dystrophin and strengthen the musculoskeletal muscles to produce all the required movements of the body. 

The prognosis for muscular dystrophy is based on the severity of the symptom. Most individuals lose the ability to walk and become totally dependent on supportive devices and wheelchair to move about. Although there is no known cure for muscular dystrophy, still early diagnosis and certain therapies may help in reducing the dearth of the symptoms.

Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy is common among children.  The symptoms include:

• Irregular walking gait
• Loss of reflexes
• Difficulty standing up from sitting or sleeping position
• Poor posture
• Bone fragility
• Abnormal curvature of your spine (scoliosis)
• Intellectual impairment
• Difficulties while swallowing and breathing

If the individuals with muscular dystrophy are not provided with apt treatment, at an early stage, they may get confined to a wheelchair before they enter teenage. For muscular dystrophy cell treatment is a promising treatment option to rebuild the waning muscle and also curb further musculoskeletal deterioration.

Stem Cell-Based Therapies

Stem cells are specialized body cells found in tissues (like bone marrow) and can proliferate and replicate themselves for a long period of time. For muscular dystrophy, cell treatment is a stem cell-based therapy, responsible for the development of muscle tissues. Stem cells sourced from the patient’s own bone marrow have these properties:

• They are capable of dividing and self-renewal for a long time
• They can give rise to specialized or any cell type

Therapies with stem cells restore the skeletal muscle deficiency in individuals with muscular dystrophy by regenerating new muscle fibers. 

For muscular dystrophy treatment, the mesenchymal stem cells derived from the patient’s own bone marrow is processed in the fully equipped GLP (Good Lab Practice) & GMP (Good Medical Practice) laboratory of the Neurogen hospital. The treated stem cells are injected into the muscles using a very thin needle.

The individuals are enrolled in rehabilitation therapies, post cell therapy, for better results.

Muscular Dystrophy Treatment at Neurogen Hospital

Muscular dystrophy is a myriad of progressive diseases that result in weakness and loss of muscle mass. It is caused due to genes
mutations which interfere with the production of ‘dystrophin’, a protein needed to build healthy muscle.
There is no complete cure for muscular dystrophy, but with cell therapy for muscular dystrophy, there is a possibility of managing
the symptoms and slowing down the muscle deterioration. 

The mutation of the genes and loss of dystrophin leads to a sequence of dysfunctional developments causing severe and progressive
muscle-wasting skeletal muscles and heart muscles. These skeletal muscles are responsible for voluntary body movements. As they
weaken people with muscular dystrophy lose their ability to walk or do manual work. They experience muscle spasms (twitches or cramps)
that are painful and make fine muscle control more difficult. If the patients do not receive treatment, they may develop slack muscle
and an enlarged heart with chances of heart failure.

Signs and Symptoms 

• Loss of balance resulting in frequent falls

• Difficulty when rising from a lying or sitting position

• Unable to run or jump

• Walk with a waddling gait

• Walk on the toes

• Enlarged calf muscles

• Frequent muscle pain 

• Muscle stiffness

• Learning disabilities

Muscular dystrophy treatment with stem cells is done at NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute by renowned surgeons guided by Dr. Alok Sharma.
With years of experience and expertise, Dr. Alok Sharma is amongst the top-ranked neurosurgeon in India. Holding a supreme position in NGBSI,
his area of specialization is neurosurgery with stem cells. 

The treatment for muscular dystrophy involves the use of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. The regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties of stem cells are considered as a good treatment option for muscular dystrophy.  The doctor at the hospital confirms that cell therapy for muscular dystrophy has the potential to create muscle protein and also helps to halt the progressive muscle deterioration. For treating the patients, the doctors remove the bone marrow from the hip bone of the patient. The marrow tissue is subjected to a stem cell separation procedure at their fully equipped GPL and GMP laboratory. The separated useful stem cells are administered into the muscles points using a thin needle.

The healthy stem cells, transplanted into the muscles, generate healthy cells into the diseased muscle. They substantially improve the ability of the muscles by replenishing the weak cell pool, and also provide a continuous generation of healthy stem cells. Thus, muscular dystrophy treatment with mesenchymal stem cells repairs the muscle without fear of cell rejection and tumor formation.

Successful cell therapy for muscular dystrophy should be done before the muscle cells get completely depleted.

Autism and Adult Stem Cell Treatment with Bone Marrow

Researchers and scientists have found from tests that stem cells derived from bone marrow have shown potential in conditions of brain injury, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, Autism, etc. The Adult stem cells obtained from bone marrow seem to be more beneficial to patients with severe brain and muscular disorders. It is now possible to obtain a safe and powerful infusion of stem cells procured from the patient’s own adipose tissue and the bone marrow. These stem cells bring about improvements which are quite obvious and help in leading quality life and relief from chronic conditions. Autism stem cell treatment is now possible with adult stem cells.

Know more about adult stem cells

The stem cells obtained from the patient’s own body are called autologous cells and are totally safe. These cells do not carry the risk of rejection and also, there are no ethical issues related to it. The stem cell therapy has shown remarkable improvement in Autism patients. At the NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, Mumbai, India, there are several hundred cases where autism patients have been treated successfully with adult stem cells and these patients are in better living conditions today. The patient’s own bone marrow is the source of powerful tools known as stem cells that work on the other cells and tissues, and repair the damaged cells. These cells help in maintaining the functioning of the tissues so that the organs regain their strength and carry out normal functioning.

How stem cells are used for treatment

Apart from the treatment for autism, stroke, and spinal injury, the stem cell treatment for muscular dystrophy is also on the rise for its effective and successful results. The cells come with growth factors that are vital for regenerating and healing the damaged tissues. The autism stem cell treatment can reduce the inflammation of the tissues, promote new blood vessels and also the growth of new tissue is possible with adult stem cells. The bone marrow cells target the damaged tissue and also promote neurological functional recovery and remodel the brain functioning. The stem cells are simply injected in the affected parts, and the cells with their special ability will find their way to the damaged areas of the body. When re-infused in the body of the patient, the stem cells start healing immediately. The procedure is simple, and no discomfort is felt by the patient. Adult stem cells are gaining popularity for the results that they show and the benefits that they have for the patient.

The Ideal Stem Cells For Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

The most prevalent and common form of the muscle damaging disease, Muscular Dystrophy, is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The genetic disorder DMD results because of the loss of the muscle protein, by the name Dystrophin. It is caused by a genetic mutation. Those who are affected by DMD do not have this protein, or the protein does not function in a correct manner. The protein imparts to muscles, its shock absorbing capacity. In the absence of Dystrophin, the muscles de-generate, progressively, over a period of time, and those affected by this disease die prematurely, either in their twenties or sometimes as early as the late teens.

Ideal Stem Cells For treating Muscular Dystrophy

Stem cell therapy for Muscular Dystrophy has been found to deliver functional proteins to the muscles. 

 

Theoretically, the ideal stem cells should have the following characteristics and properties:

● They should be immune-system privileged

● They should expand in-vitro, while not losing their basic properties

● They should migrate to the host muscles, so that they can replace the damaged fibers, or can repair them

● They should be able to reconstitute the satellite cells with the functional and healthy stem cells. In case a muscle fiber undergoes necrosis, the cells should be able to repair Dystrophin, which can repair the muscle, and maintain them in healthy shape.

● To help improve the muscle strength, so that the patient can have a better quality of life.

Health Concerns

The immune response of the body towards the transplanted stem cells is a cause of concern. When a foreign substance is injected into the body, the immune system may react in an unpredictable way, and hence should be closely monitored. Leading health care institutions, including NeuroGen Brain And Spine Institute, use the autologous stem cells for the transplantation purpose. These cells are derived from the body of the patient itself, and hence the immune system does not treat them as a foreign cell.

If stem cells, derived from an external source are used, the immune response has to be controlled, lowered, or switched off, during the period of stem cell therapy. If the immune system gets oppressed, the chance of other illnesses increases.

NGBSI

NGBSI offers stem cell therapy for muscular dystrophy and is an ISO certified institution. It has world-class labs, a secure and hygienic environment, and other features, and employs well-known health care experts, including neurosurgeons, in its expert care panel. The premier institution is also well known for offering world class Autism treatment in India.

NGBSI’s Muscular Dystrophy treatment is very safe and is devoid of any kind of adverse immune response. It delivers the right protein to the cells and helps the patient lead a better life.