An Australian pharmaceutical company has just completed a study demonstrating the effectiveness of their latest stem cell treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The positive results of the phase II trial means that this stem cell treatment may lead to a commercially available treatment within the next few years.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects many joints in the body including those in the hands, feet, and knees. It occurs as a result of the body’s immune system attacking its own tissue. The symptoms of this condition include painful swelling, inflammation, fatigue, lumps on the skin, stiffness, and muscle weakness.

Rheumatoid arthritis is currently treated with a combination of surgery, medications, physical therapy, and self-care. Currently, there is no cure for the condition.

Researchers have been attempting to develop a stem cell treatment for rheumatoid arthritis for a number of years. They believe that stem cells can be used to modulate immune system response and reduce swelling.

The company in question, Mesoblast, developed a stem cell treatment that intravenously infuses rheumatoid arthritis suffers with a large dose of stem cells. They hope that the treatment will be effective for people who are resistant to the drugs normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers gave 48 patients the treatment and followed them for as long as nine months. They found that the majority of subjects saw an improvement in their condition.

The treatment uses mesenchymal precursor cells (MCPs). They are multipotent cells that have the ability to change into many other types of cells. MCPs also have a well-known ability to modulate the immune system and reduce swelling. They are very young cells that are accepted by the patient’s immune system.

Mesoblast explained how the cells work, saying: “They have receptors on their surface that are activated by every major cytokine that is important in progressive rheumatoid arthritis, including TNF, IL-1, IL-6, IL-17. Those cytokines drive the disease and also bind to receptors on our cells. And when they bind to our cells they activate the cells to release other factors that switch off the very cells that made those cytokines.

Source: Regenerative Stem Cell Treatment Offers Hope for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis

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