ICBII Update on the Road to the Cure - March 2023

A Real-Time Science Report
Ram S. Bhatt, PhD., Chief Science Officer

RISKS OF STEM CELL TRANSPLANT THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

On February 9, 2023, Magenta Therapeutics reported that a patient died after stem cell transplant. It is understandable that patients suffering from debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD), Parkinson’s (PD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), and the like, are desperately seeking a cure for these conditions. Sadly, rushing and getting stem cell therapy is not the answer yet. Currently, the most commonly used therapy that is safe and effective stem cell treatment is hematopoietic (or blood) stem cell transplantation, for example, bone marrow transplantation, to treat certain blood and immune system disorders, such as leukemia. To the best of our knowledge, there is no stem cell transplantation treatment that has been FDA approved for the above listed CNS diseases. 

Despite the successes and advancements of recent years, there are several major challenges that must be addressed before stem cell therapies become available to treat a wide range of diseases. The first issue is safety. Transplanted stem cells, like any transplanted organ, can be recognized by the immune system as foreign and rejected. Using a patient’s own induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells may lessen this risk, but even these cells may not entirely escape the notice of the immune system. In addition, there are concerns that iPS cells could induce tumor formation due to the accidental expression of oncogenes when the cells are being reprogrammed. 

Patients, please take precaution before getting any stem cell transplant done. Please call the FDA before deciding if this therapy is for you.

ADDITIONALLY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP get ICBII’s drugs to market faster? The joy of being a part of these historical events can be had by helping ICBII find the funds to bring these trials to fruition through your investing, and by finding others with the financial ability and humanitarian mindset to accomplish the, until now, impossible. Please contact ICBII directly through their website ICBII.com or by phone 858-455-9880, or contact Jo Rosen at PRO for a personal introduction to the scientists.

IMAGINE the world without Parkinson’s, MSA, or Alzheimer’s disease.

JUST IMAGINE.