In what could be a major breakthrough for Alzheimer's treatment, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare has given the greenlight to a regenerative medicine technology based on administering fat-derived stem cells intravenously and into the spinal cord.
Developed by Korea's leading adult stem cell research institute, Biostar Stem Cell Research Institute, this new stem cell therapy involves administering 150-250 million stem cells intravenously and a further 50 million into the spinal cord cavity five times at intervals of two to four weeks.
“This is the first step in our project to overcome Alzheimer’s, which was launched with our commitment to conquer this disease,” Biostar Stem Cell Research Institute director Dr. Jeong-Chan Ra said.
“With the start of stem cell treatment, Biostar will support Alzheimer’s patients from all over the world – including Japan, Korea, China, and the US, starting in Japan – to restore their memory and ultimately their humanity.”
There are over 10 million new cases of dementia each year globally, with Alzheimer’s being the most common cause of the neurodegenerative disease.
Fundamental cure
Unlike most treatments for Alzheimer’s, which are limited to slowing the progression of disease, stem cell therapies are expected to offer a functional cure.
Testing on mice models revealed stem cell therapies offer a multi-pronged path of attack against Alzheimer's.
Mice who received the stem cell treatment improved in vital ways – cerebral vascular regeneration, and brain cell protection and regeneration were all observed following treatment, which also mediated the IL-10 cytokine.
IL-10 plays a central role in inflammation and neurological protection responses, particularly relevant given inflammation is considered to be one of the core contributors to cognitive decline.
An article by the BioSpectrum Bureau, a media platform for the healthcare and bioscience industry in the Asia Pacific region, stated: “No other compound or treatment has ever suggested so strongly the potential to prevent, as well as stop, this epidemic of incurable dementia sweeping across suffering patients and their families.”
Treatment has already begun at the Shinjuku Clinic in Tokyo, providing a sorely needed treatment pathway for those suffering from Alzheimer's.