American scientists have successfully used patients’ own stem cells to treat lupus – a life-threatening autoimmune disease.
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Lupus (Photo: www.csmc.edu) |
This treatment method has improved the health conditions of about 50% of lupus patients. All of them had stopped responding to conventional therapies. However, the new method still carries some risks.
According to Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America, this research brings a ray of hope to lupus patients who do not respond to standard treatment methods.
He hopes that subsequent studies can determine whether stem cell methods are better than other treatments and compare their safety.
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder or a type of arthritis. It occurs when a patient’s immune cells begin to attack the tissues of their own body.
Symptoms vary widely, from joint pain to organ failure. Doctors have attempted to treat patients with immune-suppressing drugs. However, not all patients respond.
Richard Burt from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and his colleagues recruited 50 patients with severe lupus who did not respond to standard treatment.
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Doctors need to conduct numerous blood tests to diagnose lupus (Photo: www.csmc.edu) |
To reset the immune system, the researchers first isolated stem cells from the bone marrow of each patient. These cells developed into immune cells.
Next, they used high doses of chemotherapy to destroy the patient’s immune response. At this point, patients had to be hospitalized to avoid infections. Finally, the stem cells were injected back into the body through an intravenous line. Two patients died before reaching this stage.
Once back in the body, the stem cells restored the bone marrow and reformed a healthy immune system. Among the patients who completed the treatment, the five-year survival rate was 84%. The likelihood of living without relapse during this period was 50%.
In 2004, a similar trial was conducted in Europe. However, the mortality rate was 13%, compared to 2% in the aforementioned study.
Minh Sơn (According to NewScientist)
