Using human stem cells to treat pain is a success

via Laboratory Equipment

Article Highlights

Therapy shown to relieve extreme pain in mice now moving towards human trials
Human stem cells and "pain-killing neurons" have successfully relieved chronic pain in mice. The breakthrough method may be tested on human patients suffering untreatable pain within five years
Researchers at the University of Sydney have used human stem cells to make pain-killing neurons that provide lasting relief in mice, without side effects, in a single treatment. The next step is to perform extensive safety tests in rodents and pigs, and then move to human patients suffering chronic pain within the next five years
If the tests are successful in humans, it could be a major breakthrough in the development of new non-opioid, non-addictive pain management strategies for patients, the researchers said
“Nerve injury can lead to devastating neuropathic pain and for the majority of patients there are no effective therapies. This breakthrough means for some of these patients, we could make pain-killing transplants from their own cells, and the cells can then reverse the underlying cause of pain.”

Antisense Oligo Targets IRF4 Gene to Treat Multiple Myeloma
on January 21, 2021 at 7:07 am
Past studies have shown that high IRF4 levels are associated with lower overall survival rates for patients with multiple myeloma.
Designer DNA agent reduces myeloma stem cell abundance, lowers disease burden in mice
on January 20, 2021 at 11:54 am
Many patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, eventually develop resistance to one treatment after another. That's in part because cancer stem cells drive the disease -- cells that ...
Designer DNA therapeutic wipes out cancer stem cells, treats multiple myeloma in mice
on January 20, 2021 at 8:12 am
Many patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, eventually develop resistance to one treatment after another. That's in part because cancer stem cells drive the disease—cells that ...
Eye stem cell transplant to treat blindness bolsters retinal function in monkeys
on January 14, 2021 at 8:06 am
Retinal cell transplants are considered to be an attractive approach for treating blindness. Question is, where do you source the cells? An international research team is using a type of stem cell in ...
Cure for Blindness in Sight: Retinal Stem Cell Transplant Clears Experimental Hurdle
on January 14, 2021 at 8:03 am
Retinal cells derived from adult human eye stem cells survived when transplanted into the eyes of monkeys, an important early step in the validation of this approach for treating blindness, according ...

Designer DNA molecule helps hunt down cancer stem cells in blood
on January 20, 2021 at 10:03 pm
Like weeds that grow back if you don’t remove the roots, cancer can keep returning thanks to lurking stem cells. Now, researchers have developed a “designer” DNA segment that can eradicate these ...
Designer DNA agent reduces myeloma stem cell abundance, lowers disease burden in mice
on January 20, 2021 at 11:54 am
Many patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, eventually develop resistance to one treatment after another. That's in part because cancer stem cells drive the disease -- cells that ...
Designer DNA therapeutic wipes out cancer stem cells, treats multiple myeloma in mice
on January 20, 2021 at 10:13 am
A new study supports launch of Phase I clinical trial to test a designer DNA agent -- an antisense oligonucleotide that targets a gene called IRF4 -- in patients with multiple myeloma.
Scientists closer to developing 'smart' stem cells made from human fat
on January 17, 2021 at 1:58 pm
Much controversy has surrounded stem cell research, and yet therapies and treatments involving stem cells have the capacity to treat a wide range of medical conditions. Stem cell therapy could be used ...
Stem cells with regenerative abilities could be closer on the horizon, shows study
on January 14, 2021 at 8:29 pm
A new type of stem cell - that is, a cell with regenerative abilities - could be closer on the horizon, a new study led by UNSW Sydney shows.