Therapeutic Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for ASD
In 2014, Cell-El researchers began investigating stem cell treatment (SCT) for children with ASD. The researchers working hypothesis, which is still being studied, is that SCT is a potential treatment to address the immune dysfunction previously described.
This article presents the rationale behind stem cell-based treatment for autism patients due to immune and nervous system abnormalities. This approach, which is regularly applied for the management of a range of immunological and neurological conditions, has proven to be both effective and safe.
Hyperactivity of the Immune System
“Recent studies of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) highlight hyperactivity of the immune system, irregular neuronal growth and increased size and number of microglia. Although the small sample size in many of these studies limits extrapolation to all individuals with ASD, there is mounting evidence of both immune and nervous system related pathogenesis in at least a subset of patients with ASD.
Given the disturbing rise in incidence rates for ASD, and the fact that no pharmacological therapy for ASD has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is an urgent need for new therapeutic options. Research in the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for other immunological and neurological conditions has shown promising results in preclinical and clinical studies.
MSC have demonstrated the ability to suppress the immune system and to promote neurogenesis with a promising safety profile. The working hypothesis of this paper is that the potentially synergistic ability of MSC to modulate a hyperactive immune system and its ability to promote neurogenesis make it an attractive potential therapeutic option specifically for ASD. Theoretical mechanisms of action will be suggested, but further research is necessary to support these hypothetical pathways. The choice of tissue source, type of cell, and most appropriate ages for therapeutic intervention remain open questions for further consideration.
Concern over poor regulatory control of stem cell studies or treatment, and the unique ethical challenges that each child with ASD presents, demands that future research be conducted with particular caution before widespread use of the proposed therapeutic intervention is implemented.”
Publication: Medical Hypotheses, December 2014
Authors: Benjamin Gesundheit, Paul Ashwood, Armand Keating, David Naor, Michal Melamed, Joshua P. Rosenzweig
This article presented questions which researchers are still trying to better answer. Click Here to see our additional publications in this series to follow where our current research is heading.
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.