UCI researchers said they successfully used a nanotechnology treatment derived from bone marrow stem cells to reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms in mice.
The study “paves the way for testing with human patients” on a variety of diseases, said co-author Weian Zhao, who is affiliated with the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at University of California-Irvine.
“Until now, stem cell therapies for autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases produced mixed results in clinical trials.”
By taking nanoparticles called “exosomes” from stem cells, researchers were able to bypass the blood-spinal cord barrier and rejuvenate lost motor skills and decreased nerve damage in the mice. The treatment also “normalized the subjects’ immune system.” In the past, stem cells taken from bone marrow often got trapped in filter organs before reaching its target.
The study was published in the journal ACS Nano.
More experiments are on the way. Treatments on people with Type 1 diabetes are scheduled to begin in early next year.
“If successful, it could pave the way for treating other autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis,” said co-lead author Milad Riazifar.
MS is a debilitating neurological condition that typically strikes between the ages of 20 to 50. There is no cure for MS and not all current treatments are effective at managing symptoms. An estimated 2.3 million people globally suffer from it, including 1 million people in the United States.
