Covid+Stem Cells
As this pandemic drags on, scientists are scrambling to find an effective treatment for COVID-19. With more than 500 clinical trials currently underway across the world, researchers are pouring all their efforts and expertise into the hope of finding a cure. One of the most promising therapies that has developed in recent months is that ofmesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Early trial results have shown that these stem cells, derived from the umbilical cords of newborns, may have the ability to defeat the virus. They have also been shown to calm the overreaction of the immune system and repair the damage to lung tissue caused by COVID-19. Some researchers are even saying that this treatment could be as revolutionary as Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine. This inflammation is caused by small proteins called cytokines. These cytokines are supposed to create a controlled response to the disease attacking the body, but sometimes they lose control. This is known as a “cytokine storm”.Did someone say Inflammation?
During this storm, the immune cells spread outside of infected body parts and start to attack healthy tissue. The cytokine storm can be so severe that it punches holes in the lung membranes, causing more severe complications.- Heart Attacks
- Blood Clotting
- Multiple Organ Failure
- Stroke
- and other problems
The Benefits of Storing Stem Cells
The findings, published January 5 in Stem Cell Translational Medicine, showed no evidence of adverse effects, increased survival, and decreased cytokine levels in the 12 patients receiving the cell therapy, compared with 12 patients in the placebo group. Another trial in New York used MSCs to treat 12 critically ill COVID-19 patients who were on ventilators. The patients received two infusions of MSCs, which controlled their immune responses. 83% of these patients survived. Following these results, the FDA approved a larger clinical trial on 300 patients.A second study, reported in the Lancet, treated 13 severely ill COVID-19 patients with MSCs. The results of the trial mirrored the New York study with an 85% survival rate. The MSC treatment even repaired damaged lung tissue in those patients, within 48 hours of treatment.
- None of the patients suffered adverse effects, and 3 of these patients were discharged from the hospital just 10 days after treatment with MSCs. Since the trial began, the clinical trial has continued to treat over 30 COVID-19 patients, all of whom have shown significant improvements in their condition following MSC therapy.
