Boxing legend Mike Tyson is set to return to the boxing ring after spending 15 years in retirement. Tyson reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and currently holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title.

Stem Cells for Boxers & MMA Fighters

Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. Tyson holds a 50-6 (win-loss) record from his 58 professional bouts. Iron Mike was known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style and his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring. Nicknamed “Iron Mike”  and “Kid Dynamite” he later became known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet.“

But after retiring, Tyson’s weight ballooned rapidly after battles with drug addiction and depression. To help rebuild his body the 53-year-old former Boxer decided to have stem cell treatment.

Also known as regenerative medicine, stem cells help to promotes the repair response of diseased organs, dysfunctional or injured tissue using MSC+ stem cells after they have been expanded in a lab. In order for cell treatment applications to be successful, large numbers of high-quality stem cells are needed especially for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, MND, Alzheimer’s & Parkinsons disease. Other use cases for professional and amateur athletes who have injuries to the hips, torn knee ligaments, shoulder/rotator cuff injuries and chronic pain due to cervical or lumbar DDD. Neural cell replacement therapy has also been used in clinical trials for professional fighters who are diagnosed with with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) & traumatic brain injuries. The necessary step of expansion requires isolating and culturing specific cell lineages with culture growth mediums to produce pure populations of tissue-specific stem-cells.

How Do Stem Cells Help Regenerate the Body?

Stem cells mediate repair via five primary mechanisms:

1. Multipotent stem cells provide instant anti-inflammatory effects
2. Using paracrine cell signaling, stem cells can home to areas of damage/disease and recruit new cells necessary for cellular regeneration
3. According to the stem cell institute MSC+ Cells support cellular regeneration before development of scar tissue formation that hinders proper healing
4. Stem cells can Inhibiting cell death ( Apoptosis) and also boost cells naturally
5. Cellular differentiation is the process in which a cell changes from one cell type to another. Usually, the cell changes to a more specialized type like bone cells, progenitor cells, cartilage, tendons, and ligament tissue

Although Iron Mike is only returning for a charity match, this doesn’t mean Tyson’s return won’t be a huge draw. During a recent Instagram Live session with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, Tyson revealed he is getting back in the groove as a boxer mainly thanks to his stem cell therapy. Tyson admitted to Shaq that after being away from training for 15 years. He felt incredible again and with consistent training he expects to be back to normal. Mike caught the attention of the boxing world last week when he posted a short video of a workout.

The sparring videos show he possesses plenty of the punching power and speed that allowed him to become the first heavyweight to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles.

While the main focus of doctors dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been with pulmonary respiratory problems and securing ventilators, many healthcare workers from the front lines are reporting mysterious heart damage resulting in heart attacks and cardiac arrest.

It is estimated that about 85% of patients that are diagnosed with pneumonia are due to the coronavirus and COVID-19 infection. As more data is released from hospitals in the US, Italy, and China, more cardiologists are finding that the novel COVID-19 virus is also infecting the muscles in the heart. The early reports show apparent cardiac tissue damage in as many as 20% of all patients, resulting in heart failure and even death, despite many of those patients not showing any signs of obstructive pulmonary disease.

These early findings could rapidly change the way healthcare workers need to think about patients, especially those in the early stages of the disease. The results could also create another battle against the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the shifting need for taking extra precautions in patients with diabetes or existing cardiac issues problems requiring additional testing equipment and, eventually, a new treatment protocol to account for patients with damaged heart tissue. Experts believe it’s crucial to understand if the heart is being affected by the coronavirus and what needs to be done about it to save lives.[1]

Preexisting or COVID-19 Virus?

Its difficult to know if the reported heart issues are caused by the COVID-19 virus or the body’s reaction to its presence has quickly become critical unknown facing doctors around the globe as they race to understand the functions of the novel illness better. Understanding how COVID-19 affects heart function is complicated mainly because severe disease and respiratory failure can influence heart health all by itself. A patient who is dying from pneumonia can ultimately die because the heart will stop functioning. If the cardiovascular system cannot get enough oxygen into the system, the primary organs all start behaving erratically. The study also showed that the total number of natural killer cells and CD8+T cells decreased significantly in patients who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Many cardiologists already believe that the COVID-19 infection does indeed cause damage to the heart in multiple ways, with some patients (who are overweight) getting hit by multiple-vectors simultaneously. Researchers have long understood that any serious and traumatic medical event requiring routine treatments such as hip, spine, or knee surgery, can generate enough stress to damage the heart permanently. An infection in one or both lungs like pneumonia can, therefore, cause widespread hyper-inflammation in the body leading to plaque formation in arteries becoming unstable, resulting in myocardial infarctions.

Rapid inflammation in the body can also result in a medical condition known as myocarditis (inflammation of myocardium), which leads to weakening of the heart tissue and eventually, total heart failure. Early reports show that the damage seen in patients with COVID-19 patients might be directly forming the virus itself attacking the heart muscle. Initial findings also show that the coronavirus attaches itself to specific receptors (ACE2) in the lungs and that these same receptors are also found in heart muscle, causing widespread endothelial dysfunction [2] that can lead to various degrees of acute injuries to multiple organs including the heart, lungs (fibrosis), and kidney failure.

Reports from a retrospective cohort study

In early March 2020, doctors from Wuhan released reports offering a first look at how common heart problems were among patients diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). The study used data from over 450 hospitalized patients and found that nearly 20% of patients showed signs of heart damage that did not exist before they were diagnosed with COVID-19. Almost 52% of those who did show damage to the heart were more likely to die compared to less than 5% of the patients who did not have heart tissue damage. The reports also found that patients with preexisting heart disease before coronavirus infections were more likely to show additional heart damage afterward.[3] The report also concluded that patients with no prior heart conditions who incurred damage to the heart during the infection were more likely to die than those patients that had previous heart disease but did not have COVID-19-induced heart tissue damage.

Due to the small sample size, it’s still unclear why some patients report having more severe cardiac effects than others. Always, it could likely be due to genetic predispositions, a more reliable immune system, or exposure to much higher viral loads. These uncertainties highlight the need for additional monitoring of cardiac markers for patients with COVID-19 patients. Hopefully, doctors in hot spots like New York and London can monitor these lesser-known symptoms to understand better how the virus is affecting the heart. The additional data will help doctors better evaluate patient risk scores and help clinicians properly manage COVID-19 patients moving forward.

Heart Injuries in COVID‐19

One of the more challenging issues, however, is gathering this type of data in times of crisis. Ideally, cardiologists would have time to take cardiac biopsies to determine the heart muscle is infected with the COVID-19 virus.

Due to the rapid attack of MERS-CoV & COVID-19, most patients are too weak and sick to undergo such an invasive procedure. Furthermore, additional testing could expose other medical staff and hospital departments to the virus. Currently, most hospitals around the world are not using ECG or EKG (electrocardiograms) on infected patients for fear of using limited resources (masks & other protective equipment) or exposing additional staff.

Since the recent findings, however, cardiologists around the globe are making a coordinated effort to order the additional heart tests needed and recording the data in medical records so they can share what’s going on with other doctors. Hospitals understand the need for compiling the data and sharing crucial information in real-time to help better us fight the pandemic. Even as hospitals get hit by new waves of crisis, researchers are testing new medications and COVID-19 treatments in clinical trials to make sure the results are replicable and validated scientifically.[4]

Additional hurdles after recovery from Coronavirus

That surge of new information has already resulted in positive changes in the way the medical stage is dealing with the heart implications of the COVID-19 virus. Many doctors have reported that the infection can emulate a heart attack resulting in an immediate rush for cardiac catheterization procedures to clear the blockage, only to find that the patient did not have a heart attack but was positive for COVID-19. Standard policy for most hospitals around the world has been to move suspected myocardial infarctions (heart attack) patients directly to bypass emergency rooms in favor of the catheterization lab. This policy is measured as “Door-to-balloon time” and an important metric used to measure how well doctors treat patients with heart attacks. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many doctors are rethinking this policy so better manage risk for both patients and caretakers. By instituting new intake protocols, doctors are now using an ultrasound scan to confirm if there is indeed a blockage or its viral.

COVID-19 Treatment Options

Currently there are several investigational approaches for treating coronavirus including stem cell therapy, corona-virus vaccines, immunotherapies, antivirals, gene therapies & exosomes. Understanding the virus by sorting out how it affects the heart will help treatment centers to determine which treatments are right for that specific patient so that they can keep them alive. Other factors to consider are that early reports also show that patients who recently recovered from COVID-19 might have other long-term effects due to damage to the heart and lungs.

Published Clinical Citations

• [1] ^ Baig, Abdul Mannan, Areeba Khaleeq, Usman Ali, and Hira Syeda. 2020. Evidence of the COVID-19 Virus Targeting the CNS: Tissue Distribution, Host-Virus Interaction, and Proposed Neurotropic Mechanisms. ACS chemical neuroscience, no. 7 (March 13). doi:10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32167747.

• [2] ^ Li, Bo, Jing Yang, Faming Zhao, Lili Zhi, Xiqian Wang, Lin Liu, Zhaohui Bi, and Yunhe Zhao. 2020. Prevalence and impact of cardiovascular metabolic diseases on COVID-19 in China. Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society, no. 5 (March 11). doi:10.1007/s00392-020-01626-9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32161990

• [3] ^ Li, Yan-Chao, Wan-Zhu Bai, and Tsutomu Hashikawa. 2020. The neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2 may play a role in the respiratory failure of COVID-19 patients. Journal of medical virology, no. 6 (March 11). doi:10.1002/jmv.25728. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32104915

• [4] ^ Shanmugaraj, Balamurugan, Konlavat Siriwattananon, Kittikhun Wangkanont, and Waranyoo Phoolcharoen. 2020. Perspectives on monoclonal antibody therapy as potential therapeutic intervention for Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Asian Pacific journal of allergy and immunology, no. 1. doi:10.12932/AP-200220-0773. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32134278

Stem cells are the fundamental building blocks of the human body. Cells can differentiate and reproduce any tissue such as heart tissue, muscle, cartilage, bone, or liver. Newborn children have a lot of circulating stem cells that are needed for development and can quickly help them recover from infectious diseases and injuries. As we age, the quantities of circulating stem cells in the body begin to reduce each year, making healing and recovery much more difficult over time. Over the past 50 years, Cord Tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells became increasingly popular in treating a variety of diseases that were not responding to traditional treatments that use pharmaceutical medications. Currently, stem cells are being used to successfully treat several conditions, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, scarring of the myocardium tissue after a heart attack, MND, ALS and COPD. Lab purified MSCs+ stem cells and growth factors (unique adhesion molecules) to help promote paracrine signaling needed to guide cells to damaged organs in the body, accumulate on them, and begin the regenerative process to restore proper function. What if you practice preventative care and wanted to learn how to increase stem cells in the body naturally?

Increase stemcell release naturally

What if you were already healthy and wanted to use stem cells as preventative medicine but did not want to get stem cell transplants? Although less effective, you can use endogenous stem cells to boost your health and circulating stem cell count. Here are six ways to increase your natural cell count.

1) Good clean diet full of stem cell nutrients

Food is medicine, and our diets play a significant factor in our body’s natural regeneration cycles. Incorporating stem cell-friendly foods into your diet is a tremendous first stem to boosting promoting natural cell growth. Intermittent fasting is a stem cell activator and has been found to trigger rapid cellular regeneration. Berries such as blackberries, goji berries, pomegranate, blueberries, and raspberries all help improve superoxide dismutase (SOD), which is a powerful antioxidant. This enzyme is full of inflammation-reducing flavonoids and is excellent for reducing oxidative related stress, which is a vital factor in support of optimal liver health and helps prevent joint pain. Learn more about the arthritis diet.

Ginger root is often used in Thai cooking to help settle upset stomachs. Ginger is also known to fight systemic inflammation by inhibiting the effects of a polyunsaturated fatty acid called arachidonic acid that can trigger an inflammatory response.

Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, Broccoli, kale, cabbage, bok choy, garden cress & Brussels sprouts aren some of the best foods for stem cell growth. These veggies are full of the sulforaphane compound which boots enzymes in the liver, that counteract harmful toxins we might digest or breathe in. These green leafy vegetables are also packed with Indole-3-carbinol molecules that help reduce inflammatory agents in the bloodstream.

Mushrooms like maitake and shiitake and also high in micronutrients known as polyphenols. These nutrients are stemcell enhancers and can be found in plant-based diets, They help protect and detoxify liver cells from dangerous toxins that can break down hormones in the body.

Seed and Nuts are excellent snacks full of protein and beneficial fats that keep you feeling full longer and helps to fight any cravings. Seeds contain anti-inflammatory plant sterols, while nuts are filled with alpha-linolenic acid, a type of inflammatory fighting omega-3 fat.

Seafood and Fatty fish are another powerful and natural adult stem cell activators as they contain several omega-3 fatty acids, including Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). EPA is most often found in cold-water fatty fish, and numerous research studies have proven that fish oil is a powerful antioxidant that helps lower the risk of developing heart disease.

2) Stop Smoking & Reduce Alcohol Intake

Alcohol and smoking cigarettes can have severe negative impacts on proper stem cell function. Research done over several decades has proven that people who smoke do not heal well as non-smokers. Frequent consumption of alcohol leads to liver disease and brain oxidative stress due to chronic neuroinflammation if you or a loved one are looking for an easy way to maximize your physical potential, drink moderately, and stop smoking!

3) Have an Active Lifestyle & Exercise often

An active lifestyle with lots of exercises increases the number of circulating stem cells in the body. Frequently playing sports or going to the gym has dozens of positive effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory system. Strenuous physical activities lead to a rapid boost in the total number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells(EPC). EPC circulates in the bloodstream and attaches themselves to endothelium tissue sites affected by ischemia or hypoxia. They also help in the formation of new blood vessels and capillaries, thus improving the blood supply to the heart. This loop helps to trigger regenerative processes in the endomyocardial heart muscle.

4) Get Good Sleep – Healthy Sleep Tips

Research at the stem cell institute has shown that lack of sleep or insomnia is very detrimental to stem cell function in the body. A reduction of night sleep to 4 hours ( instead of 8) decreases the ability of stem cells to migrate by nearly 50% while proper 7-8 hour sleep cycles do the opposite and renew the quantitative and qualitative indices of circulating stem cells.

5) Avoid Toxic Products and Environmental Chemicals

An unfortunate fact of modern life is that each day we get exposed to potentially thousands of harmful chemicals through the air, food, or personal products that we use. Although the quantities of these dangerous chemicals are pretty low, the cumulative and daily exposure build up over time. They can harm the body’s ability to maintain proper health and autoimmune responses that can lead to SLE lupus and FMS. Many of these prevalent chemicals help to disrupt the critical pathways in cellular chemistry as they relate to the regulation of the immune system, hormone production, cancer formations, and nervous system function. It isn’t always easy to control all of these external factors, but we can, however, make informed decisions about which products we buy and eat. Do the research and read the labels of any personal care products you might be considering buying, such as sunscreens, cleaning products, laundry products, teeth, and hair products.

6) Avoid Harmful & Toxic Medications

Based on over 10 years of experience, we have learned that many over the counter and prescription medications prevent circulating stem cells ability to home and multiply. Antibiotics such as quinolone (used in Cipro and Levaquin) not only hurt circulating stem cells but also cells in the cartage and tendons. These powerful bacterial antibiotics are often prescribed for urinary and respiratory tract infections. Fluoroquinolones have many side-effects and have been associated with orthopedic hip injuries and tendon ruptures in the knees. Ligaments in the body have their specific types of stem cells, so some medications that damage those cells resulting in the weakening or failure of those tendons. Over a long period, these medications can lead to ruptures, degenerative disc disease or chronic tendinopathy. Over the counter medications such as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) can also increase risks of getting autoimmune disease, kidney failure, neuropathy, gastrointestinal issues (Crohn’s disease, UC, IBD), or brain strokes. Instead of resorting to synthetic NSAIDs such as Aleve, ibuprofen, Motrin, or Celebrex, try natural anti-inflammatories such as Turmeric Curcumin or Fish Oil that don’t carry such adverse side effects.

The rapid pace of scientific discovery in stem cell science continues to accelerate. Still, it’s important to note that a stem cell procedure can only be effective over the long term if your stem cells are healthy. Try to focus on these six ways to naturally improve circulating bone-marrow stem cells to optimize your health or to achieve the best possible results from an upcoming therapy. If you are interested in learning more about the regenerative potential of stem cells, contact the Regeneration Center today.

What Are Exosomes?

Exosomes are loosely described as extracellular vesicles of fluid first used in inter-cell communication ( paracrine signaling) and these fluid-filled structures are usually released by cells after fusion of multivesicular body (MVB) and the plasma membrane. This process helps release intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) into the extracellular membrane (milieu) and the release vesicles are what we refer to as exosomes.

Exosome Therapy

These extracellular vesicles can also be used in stem cell therapies as a vehicle to take advantage of the beneficial cell signaling that occurs in the natural regeneration process to help control behavior of surrounding cells or to carry treatment doses in the bloodstream throughout the body including the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier [1] for promoting neurogenesis in treatments in neurodegenerative conditions, spinal cord injuries, strokes, brain injuries & bypass all other immune checkpoints in the body. The therapeutic potential in homing/migration of MSC cells and to hijack the neural stem cell messaging system via laboratory produced extracellular vesicles is especially powerful considering the same vesicles are also used by the body to spread disease, damaged proteins & genetic information for many conditions including Dementia, Parkinson’s disease along with metabolic disorders like obesity & diabetes.

Cancer cell-derived exosomes is another promising field with the goal of using exosomes to deliver vaccines or drugs in cancer immunotherapies, lung cancer treatments, prostate cancer treatment & treatment for pancreatic cancers. [2] These manufactured cancer exosome markers are able to send antigens to dendritic cells when then induces a T-cell-mediated response to surrounding cancer cells.

By enhancing the beneficial signals given out by stem cells scientist are able to manipulate exosomes behavior to solve medication delivery problems for many types of therapies including:

• RNA therapies
• Viral gene therapies
• Small molecules
• Proteins
• CRISPR gene-editing

Doctors are hoping these isolate and purified exosomes vesicles (for immunoregulation) could one day become a new sector in regenerative medicine and stem cell treatments where MSC-derived exosomes are already being used for its healing properties in patients with COPD and pulmonary fibrosis lung disease. [3]

Potential Sources & Exosome Isolation Methods

There are several natural sources of extracting exosome including immature dendritic cells (imDCs). Learn more about dendritic cells in our glossary or FAQ sections. The exosomes that are secreted by dendritic cells lack surface markers resulting in very low risk for an immune response (immunogenicity.)[4]  Exosomes can also be produced from CD34+ stem cells that are isolated from peripheral blood, amniotic membrane, cord tissue ( Wharton’s jelly), bone marrow, adipose fat, and dental pulp.

To learn more about Exosomes uses in functional medicine or genetic testing services please contact us.

Published Clinical Citations

• [1] ^ Chen, Claire C, Linan Liu, Fengxia Ma, Chi W Wong, Xuning E Guo, Jenu V Chacko, Henry P Farhoodi, et al. 2016. Elucidation of Exosome Migration across the Blood-Brain Barrier Model In Vitro. Cellular and molecular bioengineering, no. 4 (July 7). doi:10.1007/s12195-016-0458-3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28392840

• [2] ^ Chen, Wen, Mingcan Yang, Jian Bai, Xiang Li, Xiangrui Kong, Yu Gao, Lili Bi, Li Xiao, and Bingyi Shi. 2017. Exosome-Modified Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel for Endothelial Progenitor Cell Capture and Targeted siRNA Delivery. Macromolecular bioscience, no. 2 (December 4). doi:10.1002/mabi.201700242. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29205878

• [3] ^ Sung, Bong Hwan, and Alissa M Weaver. 2017. Exosome secretion promotes chemotaxis of cancer cells. Cell adhesion & migration, no. 2 (January 27). doi:10.1080/19336918.2016.1273307. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28129015

• [4] ^ Urbanelli, Lorena, Sandra Buratta, Krizia Sagini, Giuseppina Ferrara, Marco Lanni, and Carla Emiliani. 2015. Exosome-based strategies for Diagnosis and Therapy. Recent patents on CNS drug discovery, no. 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26133463

According to the The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, a new class of radiopharmaceuticals has been developed to non-invasively identify over 30 types of malignant cancerous tumors.The latest Radiotracer uses a modified PET/CT scan (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) to image a large variety of tumors in various stages with high image contrast, paving the way for dozens of potential applications in functional medicine, gene therapies and cancer immunotherapies. The Ga-FAPI radiotracer works by targeting fibroblasts that are associated with various types of cancers and typically contribute up a large quantity of a tumor’s mass. Cancerous fibroblast cells differ from normal (non-cancerous) fibroblasts based on the expression of the FAP proteins (fibroblast activation protein). Fibroblast activated protein inhibitors have been used in several conventional anticancer medications and are now being used with NK cells and in radiopharmaceutical technologies for diagnosis purposes.

Researchers from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) used modified PET/CT scanners to check 80 patients with 31 different kinds of cancers, to see if they could differentiate between metastatic, primary & recurring cancers. Based on the test results scientists found that the difference between metastatic lesions and primary tumors was not significantly different however.

The Ga-FAPI radiotracer was especially accurate in identifying the following types of cancers:

• Esophageal
• Cholangiocarcinoma
• Lung cancer
• Breast cancer
• Sarcoma

The Ga-FAPI radiotracer was equally as effective as traditional radiology scans while observing the following cancers:

• Head-neck cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Hepatocellular cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Ovarian cancer

The Ga-FAPI radiotracer was less effective while observing:

• Adenoid cystic cancers
• Pheochromocytoma cancer
• Gastric cancers
• Renal cell cancer
• Differentiated thyroid cancers

The potential benefits of Ga-FAPI radiotracers also include patients not having to fast or recline in specific position during the scans.

The improvements in patient comfort and work-flow for oncologists working in regenerative medicine are also noted as major benefits compared to current technologies.

Most traditional treatments today are designed using a one-size-fits-all to cover the “average” patient. But advances in biotechnology and Artificial intelligence (AI) medical researchers are now equipped with vast amounts of personalized datasets at their disposal, and can analyze unique situations based on our genetic profiles, family medical histories and other relevant medical conditions to better understand what types of therapies work best for each segments of the human population.

This laser targeted approach to healthcare is a huge deal, and billions are being invested to fund biologists, geneticists, computer scientists and experts in AI (artificial intelligence) to more accurately predict how specific genetic mutations around the world will respond to such personalized treatments. We are slowly building a map of the human genetic variations giving regenerative medical physicians better tools to craft medical therapies and achieve better response rates with less risk. The regeneration center offers functional medical programs using Genomics to customize nutrition and wellness recommendations based on each patients unique DNA profiles. Many new gene therapies currently being tested are not looking to correct the genetic defects direct but instead are looking to introduce a new copy of altered genes with the hopes of fixing the underlying issues.[1]

One such example is the recent Cure for Beta-Thalassemia in Thailand using modified globin genes.  β-hemoglobinopathies such as β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease, are some of the most prevalent monogenic disorders around the world and quite frequent in Thailand where nearly 3,500 babies are born each year with beta-thalassemia disease. This disorder requires monthly blood transfusions for the entire life of the patient. Even with previous treatment options, complications are frequent, and patient life expectancy is quite short. Through the cooperation of the Institute of Personalized Genomics and Gene Therapy at Mahidol University in Thailand and Harvard Medical School, the team recently announced a groundbreaking method for curing thalassemia by autologous gene therapy.[2] Although the treatment is currently still in clinical trials, the results of the first group of patients are published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Other Areas Experimenting with Gene Therapies:

Autoimmune Diseases – Understanding the molecular basis of autoimmune conditions have helped create new modified gene therapies to treat affected patients who previously did not have any options. The main benefits of gene therapy in the treatments of autoimmune conditions is to help restore ‘immune homeostasis’ by hindering the inflammatory effects of T cells. The modified T cell therapy helps to better regulate proinflammatory cytokines and infiltration of lymphocytes to the affected areas in the body.[3] Over 12 clinical trials are currently taking place around the world looking to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, autoimmune encephalomyelitis [4] and other rare diseases such as inclusion body myositis a condition that musician Peter Frampton was recently diagnosed with.

Anti-aging – Ageing is a disease. Gene therapy could be the cure. Current Anti-aging treatments offer only slight benefits for men and women dealing with the aging process. Research so far has shown that lifestyle modifications have minimal impact in treating diseases of age and it appears that biotechnology and gene therapies might be the best solution. In the Aging or sustained cell division process, telomeres act as natural buffers for wear and tear but eventually get too short and are unable to protect the chromosomes. When they get too short, it causes the cells to malfunction in programmed cell death which leads to what we call “aging.” Some researchers are conducting clinical trials for breakthrough telomerase gene therapy that has shown to be powerful enough to slow down age-related pathologies which help extend longevity. Shorter telomere lengths have been shown to have a direct relationship with increased risk in cardiovascular diseases and many types of cancers including prostate cancer.

Hereditary Brain Disorders – Biotechnology companies and researchers have begun offering new treatments and customized gene therapies using Crispr for many rare genetic disorders that can be adapted to treat other inherited disorders such as Huntington’s disease and leukodystrophies that affect the white matter in the brain. The novel new treatment involves naturally boosting then collecting specific stem cells from patients peripheral blood them editing the DNA in the stem cells with CRISPR-Cas 9 technology then delivering the modified cells back into the patient for a real cure.[5]

Cancer – Cancer gene therapies and T-Cell treatments were first approved for use by the US FDA as recently as 2017 for treating pediatric and adult patients acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cancer immunotherapies are a new frontier in medical innovation & biotechnology. The treatments use the patient’s own cells then reprogram them to attacks the cancer cells in the patient’s body. Recent clinical trials have been very successful with nearly 85 percent remission rates using a combination treatment with NK cells for many types of cancers including lung, prostate and pancreatic tumours. Other types of diseases that are being targeted included squamous cell cancer of the neck, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, bladder cancer, and brain cancer.[6]

Other new gene therapies currently being tested are cancer vaccines. Vaccines require the collection of tumor cells directly from the patient and editing them with a specific genetic encoding that causes them to be much more visible to the immune system defense mechanisms. The modified cells are edited then reintroduced back into the patient along with immune-stimulating growth factors. After infusion, the patient’s immune system immediately recognizes the modified cells and launches a full attack on the freshly-infused cancer cells & also any other similar cells in the body that were previously ignored by the immune system.

Vision Loss and Blindness –   Until recently, the genetic cause of blindness have been untreatable. The idea of gene therapy for vision-related diseases seeks to address them on the DNA level by using injections of modified retinal cells using a virus as the carrier. The viral transportation method allows the missing gene to correct the root cause of the disease resulting in long term beneficial effects on optic nerve cells to reverse blindness. European regulators recently approved new gene therapy to restore vision for patients with a specific genetic mutation of RPE65 that causes the retinal cells to die over time, resulting in loss of vision slowly. Currently, in the Phase III clinical trial, the Luxturna gene therapy is reported to use a single infusion therapy to improve vision in as little as one month after treatment.[7]

Lung Diseases and Hereditary Asthma –  New pulmonary gene therapies are looking to treat idiopathic lung diseases that were caused by both genetic and environmental conditions.[8] One such treatment uses modified cells to ‘turn-off’ the bodies immune system response which results in allergic reactions to asthma or even food allergies. The current challenge or treating conditions due to allergies or asthma is that T-cells quickly develop a ‘memory’ making them resistant to traditional treatments methods. By altering the Immune T-Cells, doctors will be able to clean the memory of these cells allowing the immune system to tolerate the proteins that cause the undesired immune reactions. Other Gene therapies in clinical trials for Lung Diseases include:

• Cystic Fibrosis [9]
• Lung cancer [10]
• Acute lung injuries such as COPD, Emphysema and IPF [11]

Gene therapy for lungs uses nucleic acids such as DNA or RNA as a delivery vehicle into the body to facilitate the desired expressions of proteins. Gene therapies are implemented using gene addition (gene replacement), gene repair or gene reprogramming. Currently, the most common treatments use Gene addition as the primary method of treating inherited genetic mutations.

Spinal Cord Injuries – Stitching Together Damaged Spinal Cords? Experimental new gene therapy is being tested in paralyzed mice helping them walk and grab again. When the spinal cord gets damaged, patients lose a little or all ability to control parts of the body and limbs. For most spinal cord injury patients’ and neurological conditions, the formation of scar tissue blocks the neural and nerve cells from communicating with the brain, each other and with any muscles that they control. A new spinal gene therapy looks to break down any scar tissue thus enabling neurogenesis at the site of allowing patients with control over their previously paralyzed limbs. For most patients treated for spinal cord injuries, recovering the use of hands is usually the top priority. If successful, the new gene therapy would allow such improvements in just a few weeks are enabling spinal cord injury patients to wash once again or dress independently and eat without assistance resulting in a significant improvement in the overall quality of life.[12]

Parkinson’s Disease – After a few months, Patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s are usually very disappointed with the results of L-Dopa (levodopa). Over time the medications become much

less effective or require incredibly high doses resulting in a state of nearly frozen paralysis. The reason these medications fail over time is that the human brain also starts losing the AADC enzyme (aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase) that is critical in the conversion or L-Dopa into dopamine. Unlike conventional studies, gene therapy for Parkinson’s uses a modified virus called adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) to carry the gene needed to produce AADC enzyme in the brain. The gene-modified viral particles are then the replacement cells are derived back into the brain and nervous system using guided radiograph technology. MRI scans taken after treatment show new links formations between the cortical premotor, basal ganglia and motor regions.[13]

Multiple Sclerosis – Multiple sclerosis starts as an inflammatory disease which if left untreated turns into neurodegenerative disease. Gene therapy for MS and Ataxia allows modified allogeneic cells that help induce larger populations of regulatory cells such as markers CD4, CD25, and FOXP3 that are responsible for suppressing the inflammation. The results of this new therapy for MS are promising and have already shown the ability for long-term stoppage and reversal of MS.

Tracking Changes in Cancers on a Global Level

Another advancement in epigenomics, genetics, and biotechnology is the study of cancers and how they mutate after traditional treatments. Understanding who or what turns our

genes on and off can help us understand how tumors mutate. Such knowledge is crucial for doctors so they can develop new immunotherapy protocols that are resistant to mutations allowing us to target tumor cells like ordinary and manageable chronic conditions.[14]
Every cell in the human body carries the same genetic coding however cells in the brain, heart, skin and bone function very differently based on the chemical signaling that can either activate or silence genetic expressions. This nature vs nurture response is unique and challenging to predict patient to patient. Disruptions to this signaling mechanism are known to cause most major diseases including Diabetes, lung cancers or neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and MND. Learn more in the stem cell glossary.

Understanding these unique circumstances on the molecular level gives doctors the power to find the optimal options for each condition the patient might be facing and how they might respond to particular treatment even before the procedure begins.

The Beginning of Precision Medicine

The challenge for gene and exosome therapies is finding ways to administer a very complex, life-saving treatment in an affordable manner and especially in areas of the world where healthcare is limited, to begin with. Although cord blood and marrow stem cell transplants exist throughout the world, the ability to sequence genes in an efficient way is not widely available.

There is a sound humanitarian argument in favor of funding and building more gene therapy trials around the globe. Beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease are very expensive to treat over the long term of a patient’s life and modified gene therapies offer doctors to cure with a single-dose prescription of modified cells. These genetic diseases result in life long disability and often result in early death. Science and medical researchers have once again found solutions to previously impossible conditions and will continue to do so if we make healthcare a priority.

Published Clinical Citations

• [1] ^ Cappa, Ryan, Liana Theroux, and J Nicholas Brenton. 2017. Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis: Genes, Environment, and a Comprehensive Therapeutic Approach. Pediatric neurology (July 13). doi:S0887-8994(17)30297-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28843454

• [2] ^ Cha, Charles W, and Scott D Boden. 2003. Gene therapy applications for spine fusion. Spine, no. 15 Suppl ( 1). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12897478

• [3] ^ Chen, Y, V K Kuchroo, J Inobe, D A Hafler, and H L Weiner. 1994. Regulatory T cell clones induced by oral tolerance: suppression of autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Science (New York, N.Y.), no. 5176 ( 26). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7520605

• [4] ^ Choong, Chi-Jing, Kousuke Baba, and Hideki Mochizuki. 2015. Gene therapy for neurological disorders. Expert opinion on biological therapy, no. 2 (December 5). doi:10.1517/14712598.2016.1114096. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 26642082

• [5] ^ Choong, Chi-Jing, and Hideki Mochizuki. 2016. Gene therapy targeting mitochondrial pathway in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996), no. 2 (September 16). doi:10.1007/s00702-016-1616-4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27638713

• [6] ^ Cmielewski, Patricia, Nigel Farrow, Sharnna Devereux, David Parsons, and Martin Donnelley. 2017. Gene therapy for Cystic Fibrosis: Improved delivery techniques and conditioning with lysophosphatidylcholine enhance lentiviral gene transfer in mouse lung airways. Experimental lung research, no. 9-10 (December 13). doi:10.1080/01902148.2017.1395931. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29236544.

• [7] ^ Dalkara, Deniz, Olivier Goureau, Katia Marazova, and José-Alain Sahel. 2016. Let There Be Light: Gene and Cell Therapy for Blindness. Human gene therapy, no. 2. doi:10.1089/hum.2015.147. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 26751519.

• [8] ^ Husain, S R, J Han, P Au, K Shannon, and R K Puri. 2015. Gene therapy for cancer: regulatory considerations for approval. Cancer gene therapy, no. 12 (November 20). doi:10.1038/cgt.2015.58. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26584531.

• [9] ^ Kim, Namho, Gregg A Duncan, Justin Hanes, and Jung Soo Suk. 2016. Barriers to inhaled gene therapy of obstructive lung diseases: A review. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society (May 16). doi:S0168-3659(16)30310-8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 27196742.

• [10] ^ Biasco, Luca. 2017. Integration Site Analysis in Gene Therapy Patients: Expectations and Reality. Human gene therapy, no. 12 (December 0). doi:10.1089/hum.2017.183. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29160103

• [11] ^ Lara-Guerra, Humberto, and Jack A Roth. 2016. Gene Therapy for Lung Cancer. Critical reviews in oncogenesis, no. 1-2. doi:10.1615/CritRevOncog.2016016084. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27481008.

• [12] ^ Macer, D R, S Akiyama, A T Alora, Y Asada, J Azariah, H Azariah, M V Boost, P Chatwachirawong, Y Kato, and V Kaushik. 1995. International perceptions and approval of gene therapy. Human gene therapy, no. 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7548279.

• [13] ^ Stabler, Collin T, and Edward E Morrisey. 2016. Developmental pathways in lung regeneration. Cell and tissue research, no. 3 (December 13). doi:10.1007/s00441-016-2537-0. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27957616

• [14] ^ Wirth, Thomas, Nigel Parker, and Seppo Ylä-Herttuala. 2013. History of gene therapy. Gene, no. 2 (April 23). doi:10.1016/j.gene.2013.03.137. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23618815