Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the world. There are already more than 47 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia — a figure that is expected to increase in the coming years.
There are many potential treatments for Alzheimer’s that are currently being explored, many of which use umbilical cord stem cells. This article will provide you with some information on Alzheimer’s disease the research that uses umbilical cord stem cells to treat this condition.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behaviour. It is a degenerative condition that worsens over time. Alzheimer’s mostly affects older people with the risk of having Alzheimer’s doubling every five years after reaching 65 years of age.
The early symptoms of Alzheimer’s include short term memory loss and problems remembering names. As the disease progresses, symptoms become more serious, including problems speaking, disorientation, loss of motivation, mood swings, and behavioural problems. Eventually, bodily functions are lost which leads to death.
Scientists haven’t determine the precise cause of Alzheimer’s disease yet, but believe that genetics may be involved. They also know that Alzheimer’s disease causes abnormal structures in their brains called plaques and tangles.
Plaques are deposits of a protein called beta-amyloid. These deposits build up in the spaces between nerve cells. Tangles are deposits of a protein called tau that builds up inside nerve cell bodies. These deposits prevent the brain from functioning normally and kill nerve cells.
Alzheimer’s disease sufferers can take medications to slow the progress of the condition, but there is currently no cure.
Using umbilical cord stem cells to treat Alzheimer’s disease
Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease using stem cells relies on the capacity of stem cells for neurogenesis — the creation of new nerve cells. Many researchers believe that stem cell neurogenesis will allow them to replace neurones in the brain that are damaged or destroyed by Alzheimer’s disease.
Only certain types of stem cells are capable of neurogenesis. One type, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), is found in umbilical cord blood. MSCs can create several other types of cells including myocytes (muscle cells), osteoblasts (bone cells), chondrocytes (cartilage cells) and adipocytes (fat cells).
Before researchers can develop a stem cell treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, they must overcome several challenges, including:
- Getting the stem cells to travel to the areas of the brain that are affected by Alzheimer’s disease
- Keeping the stem cells alive when they reach the brain
- Prompting the stem cells change into neural cells when they arrive at the site of the brain injury
- Finally, getting those new neural cells to successfully integrate into the brain and make the necessary connections
Despite these challenges, researchers believe that a stem cell treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is possible.
One of the most promising Alzheimer’s disease research breakthroughs occurred in 2017, when researchers discovered that transfusions of umbilical cord blood stem cells could improve the brain performance of older mice. They discovered that a protein called tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2) was responsible for the improvement. Researchers will soon be testing this protein on patients with Alzheimer’s disease in the near future.
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Read More:
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5-Year-Old Girl Receives Sister’s Umbilical Cord Blood to Treat Brain Damage
Japanese Researchers Transplant Stem Cells into Brain to Treat Parkinson’s
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Another promising research project is currently being conducted in the United States by a biotechnology company named Nature Cell. They have had phase I and phase II clinical trials approved by the United States FDA in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
These trials are testing a stem cell drug treatment that the company has developed, called Astrostem. It uses 10 separate intravenous transfusions of stem cells to the patient with Alzheimer’s disease in an effort to create new neural cells in the brain. The results of these trials should be published later this year.
Researchers are also looking at ways to eliminate the proteins that are responsible for plaques and tangles. A recent study published in the last couple of months indicates that stem cells could improve the trafficking of brain-cell proteins to reduce damage to the brain. This could slow or even stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
With many research projects underway and some promising results already being published, we could potentially see a cure for Alzheimer’s disease in the next few years.
Sources
https://www.alz.org/abam/
https://www.pharmpro.com/news/2017/03/clinical-trials-start-stem-cell-alzheimers-drug-us
https://www.alz.org/research/science/alzheimers_disease_causes.asp
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180301144157.htm
http://www.newser.com/story/241562/umbilical-cord-blood-may-give-boost-to-aging-brain.html
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