A single “injection” of stem cells could be an effective treatment for some epilepsy patients.
The treatment is thought to help by increasing the production of a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which calms electrical activity in the area of the brain that triggers epileptic seizures.
The first two patients who received the therapy, called NRTX-1001, had a more than 95 percent reduction in their seizures a year after receiving the injection, according to preliminary findings presented at the International Society for Research on Cancer meeting. Stem Cells in Boston. last year.
Now, data presented at the American Academy of Neurology last month revealed that the treatment has been successful in two more patients.
More than 630,000 people in the UK suffer from epilepsy and, as a result of sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain, experience seizures.
A single “injection” of stem cells could be an effective treatment for some epilepsy patients (File Image)
Under general anesthesia, a needle, guided by an MRI scanner, is placed into the part of the brain that causes seizures and cells are released in people with epilepsy and could help treat patients.
Current treatments include medications to change the levels of chemicals in the brain that control electrical activity.
But for 30 percent of patients, these drugs don’t work, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Some are offered surgery to remove a section of the brain that triggers seizures, but it carries the risk of damaging the brain. memory and vision. issues.
It is hoped that the new therapy, developed by Neurona Therapeutics, a California-based company, can help those for whom medications do not work and who may not want to undergo surgery.
The new injections contain cells derived from human stem cells, which can become any type of cell.
These are grown in a special medium in a laboratory to encourage them to become interneurons, a type of cell found in the brain that secretes GABA, which calms excitable nerve networks and the electrical signals that trigger seizures.
Under general anesthesia, a needle, guided by an MRI scanner, is placed into the part of the brain causing seizures and the cells are released.
Patients return home the next day. They also receive immunosuppressive medications for a year to ensure their immune system does not reject the stem cells.
The therapy does not work immediately because the transplanted cells need five to seven months to start producing GABA in sufficient quantities.
All of the people in the recent trial, which began in 2022, had a common type of epilepsy: mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.
While four improved with treatment, one did not, but none in the study group experienced serious side effects.
A larger study with 30 patients is being planned for next year.
Matthew Walker, professor of neurology at University College London, commented on the research: ‘This new trial shows interesting preliminary results. It could provide an alternative to surgical interventions in this type of epilepsy and for those who do not respond to medication.’