Our Unique Approach to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting various organs and tissues worldwide driven by a complex interplay of genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, hormonal factors, and dysregulated immune responses requiring a targeted, multi-faceted therapeutic approach.
SLE Disease Overview
SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease whose development involves a combination of genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and hormonal factors. Impaired apoptotic clearance, dysregulated immune responses, complement activation, immune complex formation, and tissue inflammation all contribute to its self-sustained autoimmune process.
Challenges in SLE Treatment
The precise mechanisms underlying SLE pathogenesis are still not fully understood, resulting in a lack of effective, low-side-effect therapies for the disease. This gap has driven growing interest in regenerative and cell-based approaches that address the root immune dysfunction rather than symptoms alone.
MSC Therapy for SLE
In recent years, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has gained increasing attention as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases, including SLE. MSC therapy has shown promise in improving the signs and symptoms of refractory SLE by modulating the activity of key immune cell populations involved in driving the disease process.
MSC Immunoregulatory Mechanisms
MSC therapy promotes the proliferation of Th2 and Treg cells immune cells involved in regulating immune responses while inhibiting the activity of Th1, Th17, and B cells. Treatment response may vary based on factors associated with both the MSCs themselves and individual patient characteristics, guiding a personalised approach to each case.
References
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
References
Masrori, P., & Van Damme, P. (2020). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a clinical review. European Journal of Neurology: The Official Journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, 27(10), 1918-1929. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.14393
Sivandzade, F., & Cucullo, L. (2021). Regenerative stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases: An overview. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(4), 2153. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22042153
Shen, Z., Huang, W., Liu, J., Tian, J., Wang, S., & Rui, K. (2021c). Effects of mesenchymal stem Cell-Derived exosomes on autoimmune diseases. Frontiers in Immunology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.749192
Rheumatoid arthritis
References
Scherer, H., Häupl, T., & Burmester, G. R. (2020). The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis. Journal of Autoimmunity, 110, 102400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2019.102400
Sarsenova, M., Issabekova, A. S., Abisheva, S. D., Rutskaya-Moroshan, K., Ogay, V., & Saparov, A. (2021). Mesenchymal stem Cell-Based therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(21), 11592. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222111592
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
References
Fava, A., & Petri, M. (2019). Systemic lupus erythematosus: Diagnosis and clinical management. Journal of Autoimmunity, 96, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2018.11.001
Li, A., Guo, F., Pan, Q., Chen, S., Chen, J., & Liu, H. (2021). Mesenchymal stem cell therapy: hope for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Frontiers in Immunology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.728190
Multiple Sclerosis
References
Dobson, R., & Giovannoni, G. (2019). Multiple sclerosis – a review. European Journal of Neurology: The Official Journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, 26(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.13819
Jafarzadeh Bejargafshe, M., Hedayati, M., Zahabiasli, S., Tahmasbpour,E.,Rahmanzadeh,S., & Nejad-Moghaddam, A. (2019). Safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy for treatment of neural damage in patients with multiple sclerosis. Stem Cell Investigation, 6, 44. https://doi.org/10.21037/sci.2019.10.06
Masrori, P., & Van Damme, P. (2020). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a clinical review. European Journal of Neurology, 27(10), 1918–1929. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.14393
Sivandzade, F., & Cucullo, L. (2021). Regenerative stem cell therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases: An Overview. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(4), 2153. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22042153
IBD Inflammatory bowel disease
References
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). (2023b, April 17). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ibd/
Ko, J. Z., Johnson, S., & Dave, M. (2021c). Efficacy and Safety of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal cell therapy for inflammatory bowel Diseases: An Up-to-Date Systematic Review. Biomolecules, 11(1), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11010082
Systemic vasculitis
References
Shen, Z., Huang, W., Liu, J., Tian, J., Wang, S., & Rui, K. (2021e). Effects of mesenchymal stem Cell-Derived exosomes on autoimmune diseases. Frontiers in Immunology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.749192
Liu, Y., Yan, L. M., Wan, L., Xiang, T. X., Le, A., Liu, J. M., … & Zhang, W. (2020). Viral dynamics in mild and severe cases of COVID-19. Cell & Bioscience, 10(1), 1-7. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41419-020-2542-9
Angina/Coronary Heart Disease
References
National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2016). Drinking Water Arsenic and Cardiovascular Disease. Environmental Health Perspectives, 124(6), A106-A107. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4958723/
Yun, C. W., & Lee, S. Y. (2019). Enhancement of functionality and therapeutic efficacy of Cell-Based therapy using mesenchymal stem cells for cardiovascular disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(4), 982. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20040982
Xiong, Y., Gong, Z., Tang, R., & Yang, Y. (2021). The pivotal roles of exosomes derived from endogenous immune cells and exogenous stem cells in myocardial repair after acute myocardial infarction. Theranostics, 11(3), 1046–1058. https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.53326
Cushing, K., & Higgins, P. D. R. (2021). Management of Crohn disease: A review: A review. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 325(1), 69-80. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.18936
Wang, R., Yao, Q., Chen, W., Gao, F., Li, P., Wu, J., Yu, J., & Cao, H. (2021). Stem cell therapy for Crohn’s disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical and clinical studies. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-021-02533-0
Ulcerative Colitis
References
Gajendran, M., Loganathan, P., Jimenez, G., Catinella, A. P., Ng, N., Umapathy, C., Ziade, N., & Hashash, J. G. (2019). A comprehensive review and update on ulcerative colitis. Disease-a-Month: DM, 65(12), 100851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.disamonth.2019.02.004
Hosseini-Asl, S.-K., Mehrabani, D., & Karimi-Busheri, F. (2020). Therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cells in ulcerative colitis: A review on achievements and challenges. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(12), 3922. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9123922
Neurological conditions
References
Guy, R., & Offen, D. (2020). Promising opportunities for treating neurodegenerative diseases with mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes. Biomolecules, 10(9), 1320. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10091320
Barthels, D., & Das, H. (2020). Current advances in ischemic stroke research and therapies. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Molecular Basis of Disease, 1866(4), 165260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2018.09.012
Campbell, B. C. V., De Silva, D. A., Macleod, M. R., Coutts, S. B., Schwamm, L. H., Davis, S. M., & Donnan, G. A. (2019). Ischaemic stroke. Nature Reviews. Disease Primers, 5(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0118-8
Kawabori, M., Shichinohe, H., Kuroda, S., & Houkin, K. (2020). Clinical trials of stem cell therapy for cerebral ischemic stroke. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(19), 7380. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21197380
Parkinson’s
References
Pradhan, A. U., Uwishema, O., Onyeaka, H., Adanur, I., & Dost, B. (2022). A review of stem cell therapy: An emerging treatment for dementia in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Brain and Behavior, 12(9). https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2740
Multiple system atrophy (MSA)
References
Goh YY, Saunders E, Pavey S, Rushton E, Quinn N, Houlden H, Chelban V. Multiple system atrophy. Pract Neurol. 2023 Jun;23(3):208-221. doi: 10.1136/pn-2020-002797. Epub 2023 Mar 16. PMID: 36927875.
Khellaf A, Khan DZ, Helmy A. Recent advances in traumatic brain injury. J Neurol. 2019 Nov;266(11):2878-2889. doi: 10.1007/s00415-019-09541-4. Epub 2019 Sep 28. PMID: 31563989; PMCID: PMC6803592.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
References
Pierre K, Molina V, Shukla S, Avila A, Fong N, Nguyen J, Lucke-Wold B. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: Diagnostic updates and advances. AIMS Neurosci. 2022 Dec 19;9(4):519-535. doi: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2022030. PMID: 36660076; PMCID: PMC9826753.
Spinal cord injury
References
Alizadeh, A., Dyck, S. M., & Karimi-Abdolrezaee, S. (2019). Traumatic spinal cord injury: An overview of pathophysiology, models and acute injury mechanisms. Frontiers in neurology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.00282
Cofano, F., Boido, M., Monticelli, M., Zenga, F., Ducati, A., Vercelli, A., & Garbossa, D. (2019). Mesenchymal stem cells for spinal cord injury: Current options, limitations, and future of cell therapy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(11), 2698. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20112698
Looi, Q. H., Eng, S. P., Liau, L. L., Tor, Y. S., Bajuri, M. Y., Ng, M. H., & Law, J. X. (2020). Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for sports injuries – from research to clinical practice. Sains malaysiana, 49(4), 825-838. https://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2020-4904-12
Arthritis & Osteoarthritis
References
Jang, S., Lee, K., & Ju, J. H. (2021). Recent updates of diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment on osteoarthritis of the knee. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22052619
