Muscular Dystrophy (MD) refers to a cluster of genetic disorders that lead to gradual and Premature muscle wastage. In the advanced stage of the disease, a person with MD will have very limited mobility. Traditional treatments do not help to cure muscle damage. The recent development of stem cell therapy is quite promising and can be seen as a potential for the cure. The therapy addresses the problem at its roots – muscle degeneration.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are discrete, primal cells which refresh themselves and have the capacity to transform into diverse organs in the body including muscle, bone and nervous tissues. Because of this nature, they have substantial applications in medical procedures. Remarkably, stem cells can help to treat Muscular Dystrophy by either repairing or replacing the affected muscles due to the progressive course of the disease.
The two types of stem cells most frequently employed in treatment of muscular dystrophy programs are mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs and muscle derived stem cells or MDSCs.
Muscular Dystrophy patients, or more broadly, SMA patients, can undergo stem cell therapy where doctors introduce replenished stem cells into the body with the hope of replacing the alterable muscles which are affected with the condition. Muscular Dystrophy stem cell therapy in Malaysia plan consists of a number of steps that include the donation of stem cells from the patient or any other donor. Stem cells are most often obtained from bone marrow and adipose tissue which is fat in the body. These cells are then processed and purified in a laboratory and once prepared, they are made again to be put back into the patient’s body usually through injecting the affected muscle sections. As for stem cell therapy, the purpose is to replace damaged muscle fibers.
Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that affects the body’s ability to regenerate healthy muscle cells because the genes which govern muscle cell functions are impaired. The stem cells injected in the patient’s muscles are able to turn directly into muscle cells and actually reconstruct damaged fibers and encourage the formation of muscle tissue.
Anticipated Modalities of Operation in Stem cell Therapy
The therapeutic benefits of stem cell therapy for Muscular Dystrophy are driven by several key mechanisms:
- Muscle Regeneration: Stem cells can differentiate into muscle cells when directly injected into the affected muscular tissue. Muscle cells tend to regenerate, which enhances muscle strength, functionality and also the mobility of muscle disease (MD) affected patients.
- Reduction of Inflammation: Stem cells are anti-inflammatory in their nature. In MD, inflammation in the muscle tissue also increases the rate of fibre deterioration in the muscles. By keeping down this inflammation, stem cells can assist in postponing the deterioration of this muscle tissue so that muscle functionality is prolonged.
- Cell Signaling: Stem cells release various molecules, such as growth factors and cytokines, which promote muscles repair and regeneration. These bioactive molecules can facilitate the improvement in the survival of the implanted muscle fibers and attract more stem cell to the area where the injury takes place; they also can help in the general muscle healing process. It can also promote increased repair and regeneration of tissues that have been degraded therefore removing the requirement for further breakdown.
- Improved Vascularization: One of the complications or symptom associate with Stem Cell treatment for Muscular Dystrophy in Malaysia is the weakness of blood vessels or capillaries in the muscles. Stem cells contribute to the enhancement of vascularization through the formation of new capillary connections, or (angiogenesis) within muscle tissue. It also increases the blood supply rate by means of which the muscles get the oxygen as well as other nutrients they require to rebuild it again.
Knowledge on the aspects of stem cell therapy helps in explaining the possibility of using this therapy to treat, or at least, reverse effects of Muscular Dystrophy.