Another immune-modulating treatment of interest in Autism – IVIG
Cell-El has been studying the issue of immune dysfunction in ASD. (see previous blog posts) The premise here is that immune dysfunction is directly related to the challenging behaviors seen in Autism and that treating that dysfunction can bring about an improvement in Autistic behavior. Based on this theory – many types of immune-modulating therapies have been examined in the treatment of Autism. Earlier, we elaborated on stem cell therapy (which is the main focus of our research) as well as Medical Cannabis and FMT.
Another immune-modulating therapy which has been researched for ASD is IVIG- IntraVenous ImmunoGlobulin. Immunoglobulins are antibodies and are part of your blood’s plasma. Human immunoglobulins are extracted from the blood of donors and then injected into the recipient through IV. It is often used as a treatment for those with immunodeficiency, including autoimmune disorders. In the case of ASD- many researchers have found markers in the blood of children with Autism which suggest a type of autoimmune disorder. Thus this treatment has been attempted in ASD as well.
Effectiveness of IVIG
Several studies review the possible effectiveness of IVIG in ASD, especially in cases of clear immune dysfunction blood markers in the child (a couple of examples: Intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of autoimmune encephalopathy in children with autism and Review of Clinical Studies Targeting Inflammatory Pathways for Individuals With Autism.
However, effectiveness varies and several adverse effects have also been noted, like headaches and vomiting within the first few hours after injection, which can make treatment challenging to tolerate. Treatment is costly and needs to be repeated several times to see the benefit.
Having said that – the use of IVIG as a therapy for ASD and the improvements observed serve to strengthen the claim that behavioral issues – at least in a subset of children with clear immune dysfunction – can be improved through immune-regulating treatment. One of the goals of Cell El ltd is to create tools to better diagnose ASD through objective measures. In addition the Cell-El diagnostic tool will enable better understanding of – immune dysfunction and provide a basis from which effective treatments can be developed.
Help Us Help You
Better diagnostics for ASD based on laboratory-measured objective biomarkers can possibly enable researchers and clinicians to provide more precise and personalized treatment. You too can make a difference in the lives of children with ASD and their families by joining the Cell-El study. Cell-El is recruiting for two of our study cohorts. We are recruiting mothers, and their infants aged 10-19 months who have not been diagnosed with ASD but who have a sibling diagnosed with ASD. Cell-El is also recruiting children diagnosed with ASD between the ages of 2-18 years old whose parents are planning to take them privately to a clinic offering Stem Cell treatment for ASD.
Please contact Leah at [email protected] or fill out the form to find out about eligibility to participate in our diagnostic study and please help spread the word about the Cell-El study. Sharing our study will enable our important biomarker diagnostic tool to be integrated into autism treatment as quickly as possible.