Parkinson's Treatment with Stem Cells
With stem cell therapy, the progression of Parkinson's disease can be slowed down and regressed, and even stopped completely. The success rate of the treatment is proportional to the patient's age, the duration of the disease and the patient's condition. As a result of the improvement in the muscles, the patient's quality of life increases significantly. The treatment of Parkinson's disease with stem cells is recognized as a new method that scientists are working on.
- Stem cells have the ability to turn into brain cells when they touch damaged brain cells. Stem cells are therefore used in the treatment of Parkinson's.
- The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient. The treatment is performed in 3 sessions 45 days apart or in 3 consecutive days.
- The treatment protocol is precisely adjusted according to the patient's condition and a different protocol is applied for each patient.
- The size of the administered stem cells is small enough to pass through the brain cells. Therefore, the success rate of the treatment increases significantly in early diagnosis.
Previous studies reported a very high percentage of positive results with stem cell therapy. This treatment significantly prevented progression to further phases of the disease in 74% of the patients and helped to resolve the existing serious condition.
What is Parkinson's Disease?
Parkinson's is a slowly progressive brain disease, which occurs in men after the age of 40, and which is usually described as the loss of brain cells; mostly seen in middle ages. Parkinson's is caused by the lack of synthesis and release of the dopamine substance (the substance that enables the interaction between neurons in the brain). When 60% to 80% of dopamine-producing cells are lost, an adequate amount of dopamine cannot be produced and symptoms of Parkinson's disease manifest themselves. It is neither fatal nor causes stroke.
This failure in our brain causes us to tremble at rest and slows down our normal movements. The disease still exists due to genetic transmission and incidence in men. If one has Parkinson's, the symptoms will continue to progress.
What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?
It is thought that the symptoms such as loss or reduced sense of smell, sleep disturbances, constipation, tremor and slowing of movements begin years before the motor symptoms of the disease. The earliest symptoms of Parkinson's disease occur in the enteric nervous system, lower brain stem and sense of smell tracts. Parkinson's disease spreads from these regions to the upper parts of the brain, that is, substantia nigra and the cortex.
The researchers are looking for means to prevent the progression of the disease by diagnosis as early as possible of these non-motor symptoms appearing in the early stages of the disease.
The average age at which Parkinson's occurs is 60 and it is different in every patient and manifests itself with different symptoms. Symptoms may appear at any age however it is rarely seen in people under 30 years of age. In the form appearing at a young age, genetic causes are at the forefront. Symptoms of the disease can vary from person to person and therefore the progression of symptoms also varies.
The symptoms of Parkinson's disease can be divided into two groups: movement-related and non-movement-related (motor and non-motor).
Motor Symptoms:
Tremor, slowing motion (bradykinesia) and contraction of the muscles, inability to move (akinesia), contraction of limbs, inconsistent walking and hump.
Non-Motor Symptoms:
Include sleep disorders, constipation, loss of sense of smell, depression, sexual dysfunction, and anxiety.
One of the first symptoms that usually occurs is slowing of the movements of one hand and the skidding of the arm may also decrease when walking. This may be accompanied by shoulder pain.
- Many people experience tremors which are initially mild and most noticeable during rest. Tremors generally occur in hands but arms and legs may also be affected. However, 15% of Parkinson's patients never experience tremor during the course of the disease.
- Symptoms usually begin on one side of the body. If the dominant side of the body is affected, the symptoms are most noticeable when some common procedures, such as writing, are performed. People having tremor, whose symptoms affect the dominant part of the body, are more likely to benefit from early diagnosis and treatment by consulting a doctor.
- People in the early stages of Parkinson's may also experience problems with balance; for example, they may lose balance when standing, or they may have difficulty in turning back or making sudden movements. Parkinson's patients usually use less facial expression and speak slowly. Non-motor symptoms, such as sleep disorders, depression, and anxiety, may often occur before motor symptoms.
Causes of Parkinson's
Parkinson's disease was described in 1817 by a British doctor called James Parkinson. Most of the patients are in the non-familial "sporadic group" which usually starts in older ages. The disease, if started at an early age, is more likely to be genetic.
It is known for slow progressive cell death and degeneration in a subgroup of cells called "substansiya nigra" in the brain stem region. The cause of loss and degeneration in these cells is not yet known.
The group of cells in the black nucleus produces a substance called "dopamine". Dopamine ensures that our movements are initiated, making them flowing and balanced. In Parkinson's disease, dopamine deficiency causes the symptoms of the disease occur.
Parkinson's Disease Treatment
In Parkinson's disease, treatment is primarily carried out with drugs. The principle is to replace dopamine which is being produced insufficiently in the brain. Surgical treatment is not a suitable method for all patients. Surgical treatment may be considered for some symptoms that do not respond to the treatment adequately. Since some regions of the brain are working excessively due to dopamine deficiency in Parkinson's disease, surgical methods allow these regions to work less. For this purpose two methods are used which are "Ablation (destructive) surgery" and "Battery implanting surgery (Deep brain stimulation)". In addition, walking, swimming or other sports activities may be recommended to slow down the course of the disease and provide relief.
Parkinson's Treatment with Stem Cells
Stem cells have the ability to turn into brain cells when they touch damaged brain cells, and that being the case, they are used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
They also treat damaged nerves and muscles in a similar manner. In this way, they may slow the progression of the disease, completely stop it and make it regress. The success rate of the treatment is proportional to the patient's age, the duration of the disease and the patient's condition. If the disease has severely progressed, treatment may need to be applied more than once.
The size of the administered stem cells is small enough to pass through the brain cells. Therefore, the success rate of the treatment increases significantly in early diagnosis. The treatment is performed in 3 sessions 45 days apart or in 3 consecutive days.
The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient and treatment is carried out using mesenchymal stem cells (derived from the patient's own adipose tissue or bone marrow) or fetal stem cells. The decision is made according to the patient's condition. Previous studies reported a very high percentage of positive results with stem cell therapy. This treatment significantly prevented progression to further phases of the disease in 74% of the patients and helped to resolve the advanced serious condition.
This treatment can be administered at our GenCell Stem Cell Treatment Center in Kiev, Ukraine.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who is most likely to have PARKINSON'S?
It usually starts in patients above 60. Very few percent of Parkinson's patients have a disease onset between 20 and 40 years of age. Genetic causes should be investigated in younger patients. It is more common in men than in women. The prevalence of the disease, which is encountered all over the world and in all socioeconomic conditions, is different in various countries.
Is PARKINSON a Genetic (Hereditary) disease?
Parkinson's disease in people younger than 40 is called "Young Onset Parkinson's Disease" (YOPD). The role of genetics is high in this group of patients. Therefore, it will be correct to say that individuals of a family where there is YOPD are at hereditary risk.
What causes tremor in PARKINSON Disease?
The dopamine substance ensures that our movements are initiated, flowing and harmonious. In patients with Parkinson's, dopamine deficiency occurs as a result of the decrease in the cells in the black nucleus and thus the symptoms of the disease appear.
How is Parkinson's diagnosed?
The most important thing to remember when diagnosing Parkinson's Disease is that two of the four main symptoms of the disease should be present for some time.
Four main motor signs:
- Shaking or tremor
- Slowness of movements (bradykinesia)
- Rigidity in arms, legs or trunk
- Balance problems and possible falls (postural instability)
The diagnosis of Parkinson's is made when other disease possibilities with similar symptoms are eliminated or when the patient responds to Parkinson medication. There is no specific test to clearly identify this disease;
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES:
- Yasuhara, T., Kameda, M., Sasaki, T., Tajiri, N., & Date, I. (2017). Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease. Cell transplantation, 26(9), 1551-1559.
- Politis, M., & Lindvall, O. (2012). Clinical application of stem cell therapy in Parkinson's disease. BMC medicine, 10(1), 1.
- Murrell, W., Wetzig, A., Donnellan, M., Féron, F., Burne, T., Meedeniya, A., ... & Mackay‐Sim, A. (2008). Olfactory mucosa is a potential source for autologous stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease. Stem cells, 26(8), 2183-2192.
- Lindvall, O., & Kokaia, Z. (2009). Prospects of stem cell therapy for replacing dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease. Trends in Pharmacological sciences, 30(5), 260-267.
- Goodarzi, P., Aghayan, H. R., Larijani, B., Soleimani, M., Dehpour, A. R., Sahebjam, M., ... & Arjmand, B. (2015). Stem cell-based approach for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 29, 168.
- Michel, F., Lévesque, T. N., & Rezak, M. (2009). Therapeutic microinjection of autologous adult human neural stem cells and differentiated neurons for Parkinson's disease: five-year post-operative outcome. The Open Stem Cell Journal, 1, 20-29.
- Palmer, C., Coronel, R., & Liste, I. (2016). Treatment of Parkinson’s disease using human stem cells.