Stem cells

Methods of use - adult stem cells
The use of endogenous adult stem cells is ethical and legally straightforward. Under German law, the extracted stem cells are categorized as drugs. Because they are exclusively for personal use, they are individual drugs, and under German law do not require the same governmental approval as other drugs. Despite this, the clinic still has to obtain a manufacturing license from the surveillance authority. At the XCell-Center, it is guaranteed that the processes of extraction, cleaning and transplantation are all carried out in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, thus guaranteeing maximum quality and safety for the patient.

For the last few years, attempts at therapy with adult stem cells from bone marrow have been carried out at university hospitals. This means that unlike animal testing with embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells are in-part, already being clinically tested. The well-documented success of the cardiologist Prof. Dr. Bodo Strauer from Düsseldorf can be seen as an example. He treated a patient suffering from a series of heart attacks for whom common therapies could not assure any chance of survival with the patient's own bone marrow stem cells. Nine days after the stem cells had been injected into the diseased area, the patient was able to leave the intensive care unit. Up to now, more than 300 patients have been treated in Düsseldorf using this procedure – most of them successfully.

The XCell-Center's treatment is based on the therapy experiences of more than 400 patients, treated both in the XCell-Center directly and in cooperation with other universities and research institutes (standing: October 2007). At present, the results of treating diabetes mellitus and stroke with stem cell therapy are looking particularly auspicious. Initial results have also been obtained from the treatment of patients with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or Multiple Sclerosis.

Curing leukemia
The use of adult stem cells is by no means completely new. Stem cells have been used for the therapy of blood cancer (leukemia) for more than 40 years now. Normally this is done by allogenic bone marrow transplantation, i.e. bone marrow is taken from suitable donors. In this respect, the treatment differs from that which is offered by the XCell-Center because we use the patient’s own bone marrow stem cells. The hematopoietic stem cells contained in the bone marrow settle into the recipient's body and produce fresh blood cells there. At this point the original bone marrow and thus, the patient's leukemia cells have already been previously destroyed by chemotherapy. One problem is the rejection of foreign cells. The patient has to take medicine to suppress this reaction. Of special interest is the relatively new knowledge that these defensive reactions are in part beneficial: the cancer cells are destroyed more effectively by activating the immune system. One can speak of an anti-leukemic effect that helps to destroy the sick leukemia cells. In contrast to other diseases, the use of exogenous stem cells is desirable for leukemia.

Further methods of use under investigation
The spectrum of applications for the use of adult stem cells is wide. Examples include the use of adult stem cells for rebuilding cartilage and destroyed wrist, skin or bone tissue (keyword: Tissue Engineering). No studies have yet examined the well-documented research on human beings, proving this scientifically. Two studies published in professional journals in 2007 showed for the first time that endogenous insulin production in type 1 and type 2 diabetics is activated through therapy with adult stem cells. The questions of whether new insulin-producing cells are formed or whether existing cells are regenerated have not yet been clarified. The XCell-Center is conducting its own clinical studies parallel to the treatment of patients with different diseases using autologous adult stem cells.

The field of neurology is being examined very intensively. The use of adult stem cells offers a new treatment strategy for previously incurable diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Multiple Sclerosis. Here the defined aim is either to replace the damaged neurocytes with stem cells or to regenerate them. One approach that is of special interest for stroke patients: researchers from the "Fraunhofer-Institut für Zelltherapie und Immunologie" in Leipzig were able to show curative successes in animal testing with adult stem cells.