Study on effects of adult stem cell treatments in patients with Hereditary Ataxia

Sep 7 2011

The Journal of Translational Medicine reports on a new study in which 30 patients with Hereditary Ataxia showed statistically significant improvements in functionality and quality of life after being treated with a combination of cord blood-derived stem cell treatments and physical therapy.  

The study was conducted at the Nanshan Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College in China, and included the participation of Beike Biotechnology Company (http://www.beikebiotech.com/), China's leading stem cell research and regenerative medicine company, and the San Diego biotech company Medistem, Inc. (MEDS.PK).   The peer-reviewed article is available at: http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/9/1/65 .

Dr. Shengqin Ye, CEO of Beike Biotechnology commented, "This is the first published study of the effects of adult stem cell treatments on patients with Hereditary Ataxia. The results should be enormously encouraging for those who suffer from this difficult condition.  With the combination of stem cells and physical therapy, study participants showed significant and sustained improvement. We are cautiously optimistic that further study will validate the efficacy and safety conclusions we have drawn from the study data."

Hereditary Ataxia is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by atrophy of the cerebellum, brain stem, or spinal cord.  Manifestations of the condition include a variety of functional impairments relating to speech, walking, swallowing, and other physical activities.  Currently there is no cure for this condition.

Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem (MEDS.PK) stated, "The results of this important new study add to the growing body of published clinical research that suggests the efficacy of adult stem cell therapies, and points to their even greater potential in the future.  This study represents a significant step forward for both the scientific and patient communities, alike."

Over the course of the study, participants received 4-6 stem cell treatments via intravenous injection or by cervical or lumbar puncture, and underwent twice-daily 30-minute physical therapy sessions.  The study concluded, "In addition to the early effect seen in some subjects, the measured symptomatic improvements persisted throughout the period of the study, as noted with the follow-up data from a subset of subjects."  Study authors recommend further double blind placebo controlled studies to validate the efficacy, safety and long-term effects of the treatments.