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Government curbs random use of stem cells for therapeutic purposes

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For adults, stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes in cases of leukemia and lymphomas, solid tumours such as germ cell and some non-cancerous diseases of the blood.
In order to curb the misuse of stem cell treatments, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) released updated national guidelines on Wednesday that restrict the use of stem cell therapy.

For adults, stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes in different cases of leukemia (cancer of the blood) and lymphomas (cancer of the lymphatic system), solid tumours such as germ cell, and non-cancerous diseases of the blood such as severe aplastic anaemia, sickle cell disease, among others.

In children, the therapy is also permitted in different types of blood cancers, solid tumours of brain, bones, etc, and non-cancerous diseases such as thalassemia major, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and osteopetrosis, among others.

At the moment, certain medical practitioners offer stem cell therapy for conditions even outside their speciality and for conditions where there has been no proven cure through this treatment.

“The 2017 guidelines reiterate that any stem cell use in patients, other than that … for approved indications, is investigational at present… every use of stem cells in patients outside an approved clinical trial is unethical and shall be considered as malpractice,” says the report.

An expert, on condition of anonymity, said, “Even clinical trials in stem cell treatments should only be done by domain experts. However, these days you would find stem cell clinics almost everywhere. It is an expensive treatment modality and you can’t fool people.”

The guidelines elaborately mention categories where stem cell use “permissible, restrictive or prohibited”.

The use of stem cells has been strictly prohibited in human germ line gene therapy, wherein changes are made to the DNA that will be passed on to the next generation, and human cloning; use of gene modified human embryos; breeding of animals in which any type of human stem cells have been introduced at any stage of development, etc.

“India has a large unmet medical need, which requires facilitation of safe and regulated translational and clinical stem cell research,” says the report.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, director general, ICMR, said, “These are the updated guidelines keeping in mind the advances that have happened in the field. It is a fast-paced area and needs constant upgradation.”

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/health/government-curbs-random-use-of-stem-cells-for-therapeutic-purposes/story-EWjiXbW5YqUxLLKG16IqJK.html

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Stem cells may help to stay strong in old age

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Researchers have found how an unexpectedly high number of mutations in the stem cells of muscles impair cell regeneration.

As we grow older, our muscular function declines. So, according to the researchers, this discovery may result in new medication to build stronger muscles even when in old age.

For the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers investigated the number of mutations that accumulate in the muscle’s stem cells (satellite cells).

“What is most surprising is the high number of mutations. We have seen how a healthy 70-year-old has accumulated more than 1,000 mutations in each stem cell in the muscle, and that these mutations are not random but there are certain regions that are better protected,” said co-author Maria Eriksson, professor at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.

The mutations occur during natural cell division, and the regions that are protected are those that are important for the function or survival of the cells. Nonetheless, the researchers were able to identify that this protection declines with age.

“We can demonstrate that this protection diminishes the older you become, indicating an impairment in the cell’s capacity to repair their DNA. And this is something we should be able to influence with new drugs,” said Eriksson.

The study was performed using single stem cells cultivated to provide sufficient DNA for whole genome sequencing.

“We achieved this in the skeletal muscle tissue, which is absolutely unique. We have also found that there is very little overlap of mutations, despite the cells being located close to each other, representing an extremely complex mutational burden,” the researcher noted.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/stem-cells-may-help-to-stay-strong-in-old-age-5077701/

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