Scientists are advancing treatments for cancer patients who develop cognitive or motor problems, as well as people with degenerative brain diseases.
Researchers at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, developed universal donor stem cells.
These cells could eventually treat children with fatal brain disorders such as Canavan disease.
They could also treat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) funded this research.
The work lays the foundation for using donor stem cells to treat brain diseases.
It could also help cancer patients who develop severe cognitive or motor problems after chemotherapy.
“The off-the-shelf approach City of Hope developed could improve cancer patients’ quality of life,” said Yanhong Shi, PhD.
She chairs the Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases at City of Hope’s Beckman Research Institute.
She also serves as the Herbert Horvitz Professor in Neuroscience.
The approach could help patients who experience cognitive or motor impairments after chemotherapy or radiation.
A First-in-Kind Approach
While 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 central nervous system diseases.
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 help patients with fatal or chronic conditions.
The CIRM-supported Alpha Clinics Network specializes in delivering stem cell and gene therapy clinical trial opportunities and treatments. 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.