At the moment, a diagnosis of amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gherig’s disease, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that targets motor neurons in the central nervous system, mainly the primary motor cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. There are currently only drugs that will slow the progression of ALS, but one of the most effective drugs, riluzole, only prolongs a patient’s life by about two months. Researchers are trying to develop more drugs that are more effective because the only other techniques for helping patients with ALS are physical therapy and psychological support, which are not the “treatments” that patients expect when they are diagnosed with a deadly disease.
Some researchers think that it is time for something a little bit more radical to be used as a treatment for ALS. Researchers at places such as the Mayo clinic are working on stem cell therapy as a potential treatment for this disease.
This research study is still underway at Mayo, but other groups have published the results of their initial research studies and surgical trials. A group based out of Italy performed a stem cell trial that consisted of them injecting human fetal stem cells, from natural in utero death, into the anterior horns of the spinal cord of more than 200 patients.
This study was phase one of their trials, though, so it was more focused on testing the safety of the procedures.The group mainly tested the effects of the surgeries to see if there would be any unexpected complications that resulted from the injection of highly concentrated stem cells into the spinal cord, and they found none. They monitored patients for up to 18 months after their surgeries to ensure that there were no complications resulting from the stem cells.
The group also carried out evaluations of all of the patients before and after undergoing surgery to gather preliminary results for the research. From their article, “Clinical progression was assessed using the ALS-FRS-R, Ashworth Spasticity Scale and the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale of 34 muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs and FVC. At each examination a clinical psychologist also evaluated the patients. Profile of Mood State (POMS) and SEIQoL-DW questionnaires were provided to patients to assess the mood state and the quality of life.”
From their assessments of the patients, they concluded that there was no increase of disease progression due to the treatment, and three patients showed improvement based on the scores form the ALS-FRS-R mentioned above.
There are other research trials underway, and hopefully no groups encounter too much resistance from groups opposing stem cell research. This group is carrying out research that should eliminate ethical concerns because of the nature of the stem cells collected and it was approved by an ethics committee, and other groups are following their lead. Although a treatment for ALS using stem cells is far from being developed, the potential is there and I am optimistic.
Treatment of ALS With Stem Cells
