Can Stem Cells be Used to Treat Lupus?

1

2
Under normal circumstances, your bodys immune
system protects you from germs, bacteria, and
viruses. However, when a person is diagnosed with
Lupus or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, their body
cant differentiate between the good and the bad
and mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues
and organs. The symptoms of this autoimmune
disease vary from person to person, depending on
which part of your body is being attacked. It can
be in the form of dry eyes, tiredness, fever,
swelling, and pain in joints, breathing
difficulty, chest pain, headaches, memory loss,
or skin lesions. Inflammations caused by Lupus
can even affect your kidneys, blood cells, brain,
heart, and lungs.
Current medication for Lupus is costly, and the
treatment changes with any new symptoms that
develop. Thus, finding the right treatment could
even take years, with the added risk of adverse
side effects to the treatments carried out.
3
In this regard, stem cells, with their ability to
develop into different types of cells, have the
potential to provide some hope and relief to
lupus warriors. Physicians in China have
identified over 200 patients who have been
unresponsive to standard treatment1. These
patients were given mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)
treatments, and over 75 of them saw reduced
symptoms for up to 2 years. A follow-up with 81
patients was conducted in year 5 where 54 were
in either complete or partial remission of the
disease. Even after 6 years, this stem cell
therapy is still safe and effective with no
severe effects.
Another clinical trial2 in South Carolina, USA,
involved 6 patients with SLE, who were given
injections of MSCs, which were from the umbilical
cord. Their focus was on the types of T-cells and
B-cells which impact the function of the immune
system. In 2 years, the activity of B-cells was
controlled. There were fewer abnormal memory
B-cells and more non-reactive B-cells in 4
patients. In 2 patients, there were slightly more
T-cells. Phase 1 of this trial found that MSC
treatment could directly benefit Lupus, and a
Phase 2 trial has been launched to take the
investigations forward.
4

• While stem cells can be derived from bone marrow
  or the umbilical cord, researchers favour those
  from the umbilical cord for several reasons
• Supply of 10 times more stem cells when compared
  to bone marrow
• MSCs from the umbilical cord have
  immunosuppressors and immunomodulatory properties
  that allow them to use it in any individual
  without rejection (HLA matching not necessary)
• More proliferation ability than adult stem cells
• Higher regeneration rate
• They are young and adaptive
• Age hasnt changed them
• They can be administered multiple times over a
  few days
• No pain and recovery needed when compared
  to collecting stem cells from fat or hip bone
• Since stem cells found in the umbilical cord
  blood show immense promise in treating Lupus and
  several other diseases, more and more parents are
  turning to the banking of stem cells via cord
  blood banking.

5
Source https//www.cordlifeindia.com/blog/can-ste
m-cells-be-used-to-treat-lupus/