Medicosnext
In what is a major leap forward in the advancement of regenerative therapy, scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, California, have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy.
The ability to instruct a stem cell to go to a particular region of a particular organ in the body is the cornerstone of regenerative medicine, according to Director Evan Y. Snyder, M.D. Ph.D., of the Center for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine at Sanford Burnham Prebys., who is also the lead researcher of the study. He says, “Now, for the first time ever, we can direct a stem cell to a desired location and focus its therapeutic impact.” A decade and a half ago, they discovered that stem cells are drawn to inflammation, which is a signal to inform about a damage. But, an inflammatory environment can be harmful to the body, which makes it unfeasible for inflammation to be used as a ‘lure’ for therapy. With this in mind, scientists have been searching for ways to guide stem cells to specific sites in the body.
The team had previously discovered an inflammatory molecule called CXCL12 that could guide healing stem cells to needed sites. They modified this molecule to create a drug called SDV1a, which enhances stem cell binding and minimizes inflammatory signaling. It can be injected to a specific location anywhere in the body so as to lure stem cells, and because of a modification in the molecule, there is no inflammation. Snyder says, “Now we have a drug that draws stem cells to a region of pathology, but without creating or worsening unwanted inflammation.”
Besides improving current stem cell therapies of neurological disorders like stroke, spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative disorders, the treatment could also be expanded for use in heart disease and arthritis, and even brain cancer.
Reference: Science Daily, November 24, 2020, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201124101031.htm
