Muscular Dystrophy: Can Stem Cell Treatment Help?

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Muscular Dystrophy

Can Stem Cell Treatment Help?
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Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is a genetic condition
that causes the muscles in your body to weaken
and degenerate over time. There are several types
of Muscular Dystrophies that can occur, like
Beckers Muscular Dystrophy, Limb-Girdle Muscular
Dystrophy, etc. Of these, Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy (DMD) is known to be the most fatal
one. However, researchers are exploring novel
techniques like stem cell treatment to alter the
genetic mutations causing the illness and improve
the patients quality of life.
What Are The Signs of DMD? The muscle weakness
caused by this condition starts manifesting
during early childhood days. Delay in achieving
developmental milestones like sitting, walking,
and even talking are signs that the child could
be suffering from DMD. The condition usually
starts with a loss of strength and function in
the pelvis and thigh region, followed by the
arms. The child has trouble standing up as a
toddler and loses mobility by the time they are
teenagers. Increased convex curvature of the
spine and change in gait are also noticeable
signs of DMD. Even the heart and lung functions
are affected due to the weakening of the muscles
in the region, causing breathing and other issues
for the child as they grow older. This leads to a
respiratory or cardiac failure by the time the
patient reaches their twenties.
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Future of DMD Treatment With Stem Cells Although
there is no cure for DMD at present, the
advancement in medicines, gene therapy, stem cell
treatments, etc., are providing greater hope for
patients to live longer and feel better.
Ongoing research indicates that mesenchymal stem
cells (MSC) can help relieve the DMD symptoms by
aiding muscle cell regeneration and repairing
damaged muscle cells. Since umbilical cord stem
cells are at an early development stage, they can
take the form of any cell. Therefore, using
Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (UCMSCs)
increases the muscle cells functionality and
replenishes the stem pool.
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In a study conducted on mice by a team of Harvard
Stem Cell Institute researchers, the outcome
looks promising. The researchers transplanted
healthy stem cells into the muscles of mice with
muscular dystrophy and observed that these new
cells improved the damaged muscles functions and
made them contract. They also noticed that the
healthy stem cells replenished the diseased stem
cell pool, which could repair any damage to the
muscles during future injuries. This study
further demonstrates the potential of stem cell
therapy in treating patients with muscular
degeneration caused by DMD or other types of
muscular dystrophy. The banking of stem cells can
prove to be a blessing for your family as well as
the field of medical science.
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Source https//www.cordlifeindia.com/blog/muscula
r-dystrophy-can-stem-cell-treatment-help/