{"id":343,"date":"2018-06-29T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T10:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=343"},"modified":"2018-06-28T14:50:48","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T14:50:48","slug":"removing-barriers-to-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/343\/removing-barriers-to-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"Removing barriers to healing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by Natalie Grover<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"dotted\"><strong>Severe inflammation caused by a patient\u2019s immune system can be deadly, but stem cells found in\u00a0human\u00a0fat could provide new\u00a0ways to protect against\u00a0this toxic reaction.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field-items\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\">\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The work is\u00a0part of a subset of regenerative medicine that aims to tackle disease and disability by removing the natural barriers that prevent the body from healing itself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The body\u2019s natural defence system is highly effective at fighting off infections and it uses inflammation to rid itself of harmful bacteria and toxins. This response, which most people will recognise by the characteristic swelling\u00a0around a wound, is an essential part of the healing process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">But\u00a0sometimes this immune response can go into overdrive and not only prevent effective healing but also harm the very thing it is trying to protect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Sepsis,\u00a0which is derived from the Greek word for putrefaction, is excessive\u00a0inflammation\u00a0that erupts\u00a0in response to an infection\u00a0or bacterial toxins,\u00a0sparking\u00a0a cascade of biological changes that often lead to\u00a0septic shock,\u00a0multiple organ dysfunction,\u00a0and death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The life-threatening condition is considered the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.global-sepsis-alliance.org\/news\/2018\/3\/6\/reminder-sepsis-a-call-to-eu-action\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">most preventable cause of death and disability in Europe<\/a>. It can result from a simple cut\u00a0that becomes infected but can also be a complication following\u00a0surgery or\u00a0other infections like meningitis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">According to the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 30 million episodes of sepsis each year,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/sepsis\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">leading to some 6 million deaths<\/a>. It is also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/news-and-events\/news\/2017\/research\/sepsis-economy-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">staggeringly expensive to treat<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u2018There are no treatments for sepsis that are efficiently targeting the cause of the disease,\u2019 said Dr Eleuterio Lombardo,\u00a0scientific director at\u00a0biopharmaceutical company TiGenix, based in\u00a0Leuven, Belgium.\u00a0\u2018So what doctors try to do is minimise the damage so that the patient can recover and get out of the ICU as soon as possible.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">TiGenix\u00a0is part of\u00a0a project called\u00a0SEPCELL,\u00a0which is developing a stem cell therapy\u00a0to combat\u00a0severe sepsis.\u00a0They are focusing on using adult stem cells, which\u00a0have been identified in many organs and tissues. Their ability to renew themselves and develop into other cell types means they play a critical role in cell repair and regeneration of tissues they reside in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">For the SEPCELL project,\u00a0TiGenix is working\u00a0in collaboration with European research institutes on adult mesenchymal stem cells, which can be found in bone marrow, adipose\u00a0or fat\u00a0tissue,\u00a0muscle tissue,\u00a0the placenta and the umbilical cord.\u00a0While most attempts to develop treatments using stem cells\u00a0tend to concentrate on their\u00a0capacity\u00a0to regenerate tissue, the SEPCELL project\u00a0is attempting to harness their potential to be useful in other ways.<\/p>\n<div class=\"quote-view quotesBlock quote_horizontal\">\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">&#8216;There are no treatments for sepsis that are efficiently targeting the cause of the disease.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Dr Eleuterio Lombardo, Tigenix, Belgium<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">In previous trials, scientists observed that mesenchymal stem cells have properties that\u00a0allow them to reduce the hyperactive\u00a0immune response that emerges as a result of sepsis, while\u00a0other such studies suggest that these cells can exude potent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5371613\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">anti-microbial\u00a0molecules<\/a>\u00a0and improve the body\u2019s capacity to kill bacteria.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\"><strong>Cell injections<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">In some animal trials,\u00a0researchers induced\u00a0sepsis by injecting\u00a0the animal with\u00a0bacterial toxins or by releasing bacteria from the intestine into the abdominal cavity.\u00a0Data from these studies suggests a reduction in infection and inflammation within hours of administering stem cells, said Dr Lombardo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u2018So the combination of these two main effects has proven to be very efficient in controlling experimental sepsis in animal models,\u2019\u00a0he said. But he cautioned that mesenchymal stem cells need further investigation since their mechanism of action is not fully understood and may vary from one disease to another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">In light of\u00a0these\u00a0encouraging results, however, the SEPCELL consortium\u00a0are now hoping to conduct\u00a0an early-stage study in human patients, using\u00a0stem cells derived from adipose tissue from healthy donors undergoing\u00a0liposuction, to develop a treatment for severe sepsis that emerges as a result of community-acquired pneumonia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u2018For some reason, fat\u00a0has\u00a0a higher ratio of stem cells than for instance, bone marrow tissue,\u2019 explained Dr Lombardo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The trial, which\u00a0is aiming to\u00a0test the stem cell therapy against a placebo, is currently recruiting\u00a0people with\u00a0sepsis\u00a0who are\u00a0in a critical condition, with a target of enrolling 180 patients across different centres in Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">While\u00a0stem cells\u00a0may be able to help thwart\u00a0harmful inflammation \u2013 which can be one barrier to healing \u2013 other scientists are using antibodies to remove certain proteins that stop people with spinal cord injuries from regaining movement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Although existing treatments such as surgery are designed to stabilise\u00a0a\u00a0broken spine,\u00a0it is currently not possible to\u00a0regenerate\u00a0the severed\u00a0nerve fibres\u00a0following\u00a0injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Now, the\u00a0NISCI project is developing antibodies\u00a0that target Nogo-A, a protein present in the central nervous system, brain and spinal cord, which is believed to inhibit the repair and regrowth of nerve fibres.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The\u00a0researchers have already shown in animal models\u00a0that using antibodies to inhibit this protein\u00a0can greatly enhance\u00a0the growth of new nerve endings, the\u00a0regeneration of\u00a0nerve fibres\u00a0and\u00a0neuroplasticity following brain and spinal cord injuries. In a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/1545968318776371\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent early-stage study in patients<\/a>, the therapy was also found to be safe and well-tolerated by patients.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\"><strong>Therapeutic impact<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The project is now preparing to begin a\u00a0three-year\u00a0trial\u00a0to evaluate the therapeutic impact of the antibody\u00a0therapy\u00a0in\u00a0improving\u00a0the movement\u00a0and quality of life of tetraplegic patients, where there is partial or complete loss of movement in all four limbs and the torso.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The researchers\u00a0expect to begin recruiting in the coming months to enroll about 140 patients in a trial, once regulators in different parts of Europe, including Germany and Switzerland, approve the study.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Dr Armin Curt, NISCI project coordinator and\u00a0chair of paraplegiology at\u00a0Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland,\u00a0believes the therapy has\u00a0\u2018tremendous potential, if it works well\u2019, and could be used to help treat other diseases\u00a0characterised by\u00a0nerve cell\u00a0damage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u2018If this concept holds true \u2013 that this antibody is really increasing neural repair\u00a0\u2013\u00a0the next place to go is probably stroke, and specific forms of multiple sclerosis,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\">Horizon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Natalie Grover Severe inflammation caused by a patient\u2019s immune system can be deadly, but stem cells found in\u00a0human\u00a0fat could provide new\u00a0ways to protect against\u00a0this toxic reaction. The work is\u00a0part of a subset of regenerative medicine that aims to tackle disease and disability by removing the natural barriers that prevent the body from healing itself. &#8230; <a title=\"Removing barriers to healing\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/343\/removing-barriers-to-healing\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Removing barriers to healing\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[95,79,24,31],"class_list":["post-343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-medicine","tag-research","tag-science","tag-stem-cell"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Removing barriers to healing - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/343\/removing-barriers-to-healing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Removing barriers to healing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Natalie Grover Severe inflammation caused by a patient\u2019s immune system can be deadly, but stem cells found in\u00a0human\u00a0fat could provide new\u00a0ways to protect against\u00a0this toxic reaction. 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