Osteoarthritis Stem Cell Studies

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis. It is caused by the degradation of a joint’s cartilage. Cartilage is a firm, rubbery material that covers and cushions the ends of bones in normal joints. Its main function is to reduce friction in the joints and serve as an intermediary or cushion.

Over time, the cartilage may wear away in some areas, greatly decreasing its ability to act as a shock absorber. As the cartilage wears away, tendons and ligaments stretch, causing pain. In advanced cases, the bones could rub against each other, causing even more pain and loss of movement.

Osteoarthritis is very common in middle-aged and older people, and its symptoms can range from very mild to very severe. The disorder most often affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and shoulders, but can affect almost any joint in the body.

Joint inflammation is a distinct sign of Osteoarthritis. Symptoms include: Stiffness, Swelling, Pain, Tenderness, Fatigue, Malaise, Loss of Appetite and Muscle Aches. Loss of flexibility, Grating Sensation and Bone Spurs are also common.

Stem cells are unprogrammed cells in the human body that can be described as "shape shifters." These cells have the ability to change or “differentiate” into other types of cells. Stem cells are at the center of a new field of science called regenerative medicine. Because stem cells can become bone, muscle, cartilage and other specialized types of cells, they have the potential to treat many diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Diabetes and more.

StemGenex offers stem cell therapy using Adult stem cells only. There are four known types of stem cells:

• Adult Stem Cells - derived from the adult human body
  The use of adult stem cells in research and therapy is not as controversial as the use of embryonic stem cells, because the production of adult stem cells does not require the destruction of an embryo. Additionally, in instances where adult stem cells are obtained from the intended recipient, the risk of rejection is essentially non-existent. Consequently, more US government funding is being provided for adult stem cell research. This is why StemGenex offers stem cell studies using Adult stem cells only.
• Embryonic Stem Cells - derived from embryos
  These cells require specific signals to differentiate to the desired cell type. If they are simply injected directly, they will differentiate into many different types of cells, resulting in a tumor derived from this abnormal pluripotent cell development (a teratoma). The directed differentiation of ES cells and avoidance of transplant rejection are just two of the hurdles that ES cell researchers still face. StemGenex does not use embryonic stem cells.
• Fetal Stem Cells - derived from aborted fetuses
  Have developed further than embryonic stem cells and are a little more specialized – their options are slightly more limited. However, they can still produce most types of cell in the body. StemGenex does not use fetal stem cells.
• Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) - from some parts of the human body
  These stem cells are engineered from older, fully specialized cells – for example, skin cells, which are limited naturally to being only skin cells. Scientists encourage these limited cells to act like embryonic stem cells again, with the ability to become any type of human cell. This is a complex technique that has only recently been developed and is the subject of much ongoing research. StemGenex does not use induced pluripotent stem cells.

Stem cell therapy is an intervention strategy that introduces new adult stem cells into damaged tissue in order to treat disease or injury. Many medical researchers believe that stem cell treatments have the potential to change the face of human disease and alleviate suffering. The ability of stem cells to self-renew and give rise to subsequent generations with variable degrees of differentiation capacities, offers significant potential for generation of tissues that can potentially replace diseases and damaged areas in the body, with minimal risk of rejection and side effects.

Currently, Osteoarthritis is treated with exercise, weight control, rest and joint care, and most commonly joint replacement surgery. Some of the medications prescribed can range from Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, Acetaminophen and pain medicine.

Despite inducing temporary improvement, these medicines do not address the issue of the damage that has already been done to the joint. Additionally, complete joint replacement surgery is a very invasive therapy within itself.

StemGenex is currently studying the effect of adult mesenchymal stem cell therapy on patients diagnosed with Osteoarthritis. Because Osteoarthritis is caused by the degradation of the joint’s cartilage, StemGenex believes stem cell therapy directly injected into the joint may be able to differentiate into cartilage cells and result in regenerated joint cartilage.

StemGenex is studying potential ways to directly target the conditions and complications themselves. These studies consist of multiple ways to deliver the highest amount of activated stem cells to the areas patients need them most. When stem cells are studied through StemGenex, as potential therapy for Osteoarthritis, there are multiple ways they can be administered:

• Full body IV – directed into the vein
• Intra-articular joint injections – Ultrasound guided injections, administered directly to the patient’s joint

Yes. Scientists around the world believe there is enough evidence to suggest that stem cells hold real potential as a therapy for Osteoarthritis. This evidence comes from a multitude of early clinical studies. They believe that it is now time for a concerted effort in stem cell research and an international effort to support clinical studies of stem cells for Osteoarthritis.

No. There are currently no FDA approved stem cell therapies for Osteoarthritis. All stem cell therapies for Osteoarthritis are currently ‘unproven’, ‘experimental’ therapies. This means that the FDA does not know whether stem cells are effective for people with Osteoarthritis. The only way to determine the effectiveness of stem cell therapy is through the type of clinical studies and trials which are currently being conducted in the US.

One of the goals of StemGenex, through our stem cell studies, is to understand what a particular stem cell therapy might be able to achieve. For example, does it have the potential for slowing the disease's progression, replacing damaged cells and memories, or both? With this goal in mind, StemGenex continues to study these diseases and the full effect of stem cell therapy on each disease. Anecdotally, these results have been overwhelmingly positive but there is more that needs to be done to determine the exact effectiveness of these therapies.

After stem cells have been administered into someone’s body they have to make their way to the correct place (e.g. area of damage) and then have their desired effect. This process takes time and although it is difficult to predict exactly how long, it is likely that it will take several weeks or months on average to see the full desired effect.

Yes, a stem cell therapy may be repeated. Current studies indicate the strong possibility of a cumulative effect from multiple stem cell therapies a patient received for their condition. Long-term studies will attempt to better understand this in detail.

We don’t know yet. This will not be studied in early clinical trials, as this would make it very difficult to measure the true effects of the stem cell therapy. However, a combination therapy may be effective for Osteoarthritis and is likely to be studied in the future.