Progress is being made to treat cancer patients suffering from degenerative brain diseases.
Scientists at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, have developed universal donor stem cells that could one day provide lifesaving therapy to children with lethal brain conditions such as Canavan disease, as well as other degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
Funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) helped to advance the research which lays the foundation to apply donor stem cells not only for those with brain diseases, but also for patients undergoing chemotherapy and experiencing debilitating cognitive or motor difficulties.
“The off-the-shelf approach City of Hope is taking can easily be extended to improve the quality of life of cancer patients who are experiencing cognitive impairment or impaired motor function as a side effect of chemotherapy or radiation,” said Yanhong Shi, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Herbert Horvitz Professor in Neuroscience at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope.
A First-in-Kind Approach
While the previous research has focused on creating cell therapies from a patient’s own cells, this is the first time stem cells have been engineered to become universal donors for cell therapy targeting diseases of the central nervous system.
This technique allows engineered hypoimmunogenic cells from a healthy donor to be transplanted into a humanized disease model without activating the immune system to kill the foreign therapeutic.
This approach could potentially improve the quality of life for cancer patients facing debilitating side effects from chemotherapy and radiation therapy by providing them options for treatment earlier in their journey.
About CIRM’s Alpha Clinics Network
As one of nine CIRM-funded Alpha Clinic sites across California, City of Hope will continue to leverage its expertise in brain science to identify ways to aid patients who suffer from fatal or chronic conditions.
The CIRM-supported Alpha Clinics Network specializes in delivering stem cell and gene therapy clinical trial opportunities and treatments to patients. The network supports both CIRM-funded clinical trials and those funded by academic and industry sponsors.
Learn more about CIRM’s Alpha Clinics here. To learn more about the City of Hope research, click here.
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- Source: https://blog.cirm.ca.gov/2023/08/15/universal-donor-stem-cells-could-one-day-provide-lifesaving-therapy-for-lethal-brain-conditions/
