An Israeli firm is now using adult stem cells to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and similar research might make its way to Massachusetts.
The research, which was first conducted on mice by professors at Tel Aviv University, showed positive results in differentiating a patient's own bone marrow tissue into astrocytes (cells responsible for nurturing neurons in the brain) to stop and reverse advancement of the degenerative disease and protect the brain from other disorders like Parkinson's.
"Basically, over the period of just a few years, people lose all their muscular control so that they can't move," Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council (FRC) explains about ALS. "They can't walk; eventually they're unable to talk. They can't breathe, and it kills them."
So far, doctors have only been able to treat the symptoms of Lou Gehrig's disease. But that only makes patients a little more comfortable as the disease progresses toward fatality.
"So, this is a huge step forward in being able to treat this condition, even just to stop its progression," says the FRC senior fellow for life sciences. "But again, it's using adult stem cells. [People] need to understand there are embryonic stem cells, which rely on destruction of young human life and haven't helped a single person."
He adds that adult stem-cell therapy is already being used to successfully treat over 70 diseases and medical conditions, and patients suffer no adverse reactions because the cells are drawn from their own body.
Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
