A procedure that involves injecting human stem cells into the spinal cord shows much promise for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. Though the procedure can be dangerous and painful for patients, experts are optimistic that the treatment can be developed into something that's less risky.
Stem Cell Treatment Could Delay ALS' Spread
According to a new study published in the journal Neurology, researchers from three different clinical centers found that stem cell treatment can be done in a controlled method. Results indicate that patients can tolerate the procedure if the stem cells are injected in increasing doses to the spinal cord.
Jonathan Glass, one of the study's authors and the head of the Emory ALS Center at Emory University, said the neural stem cells, which are derived from a human spinal cord, finds "a familiar and supportive environment" when injected into ALS patients' spinal cord, CNN reported. The treatment is capable of delaying ALS' spread in rodents and increases their chances of survival, sparking hopes that the procedure could work on humans too.
Highly Dangerous Procedure
Injecting stem cells into an ALS patient's spinal cord can be extremely dangerous if done without utmost precision. All it takes is one tiny mistake to paralyze a patient. Post-surgery complications can be fatal as well.
These complications are the reason why experts are aiming to develop a more refined method for the procedure. For the study, researchers injected between 2 million and 6 million stem cells in 10 to 40 injections to 15 people with ALS.
Immunosuppressant medications were also given to the ALS patients so their bodies wouldn't reject the stem cells. After the procedure, two patients in the study developed grave complications such as spinal cord swelling and extreme pain.
Robert Goldstein, vice president of the ALS Therapy Development Institute, said patients who volunteered for the stem cell therapy or any ALS study "should be considered medical heroes," CNN added. They are willing to experience pain so new -- and possibly effective -- treatments would be available for others.
ALS is a rapidly progressive neurological disease that kills the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles such as the arms, face and legs, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke wrote. ALS can be fatal once it affects a person's ability to breathe and swallow. Only one drug, Riluzole, can reduce ALS's progression, but it can't cure the disease.
ALS occurs more in men than women with ages between 40 and 70. ALS' rapid progression can kill patients within three to five years after their symptoms start, but about 10 percent of people can live for 10 years or longer.
