Allogeneic Adipose Derived Stem Cells for Werdnig Hoffman Patients

Overview

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease of motor neurons. In the early 1980s, Werdnig from Vienna University and Hoffman from Heidelberg University described this disorder. So SMA type 1 was named Werdnig- Hoffman disease. This is the first genetic disorder that cause death after cystic fibrosis in infants with the prevalence of 1 in 6000 birth. Mutation in the SMN1 gene (Survival Motor Neuron) is the reason for the disease that cause decrease in the SMN protein production. So the alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord ventricle horn will be destroyed and it cause progressive paralysis and defenite death.No specific therapy is yet available for the treatment of Werdnig-Hoffmann disease. Treatment is not disease-modifying and just is supportive. SMA type 1 is diagnosed within the early 6 month after birth and accompanied with breath disorders and definite death in 2 years. The affected infants have a weak muscle tone and they couldn't even hold their head up. Perhaps the only open way for these patients is the application of stem cells that could deliver trophic factor to the apoptotic cells. So this study focuses on the effectivness of cell therapy via adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells on the probable phenotypic changes in these patients.

Conditions