Spinal muscular atrophy is a group of inherited diseases that cause progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, eventually leading to death.
Diseases Treatable by Stem Cells
Causes
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a collection of different muscle diseases. Grouped together, it is the second leading cause of neuro-muscular disease. Most of the time, a person must get the defective gene from both parents to be affected. Approximately 4 out of every 100,000 people have the condition.
The disorders are caused by an abnormal or missing gene known as the survival motor neuron gene (SMN1), which is responsible for the production of a protein essential to motor neurons. The lack of this gene is responsible for the inability to achieve motor (movement) milestones in children.
The most severe form is SMA type I, also called the Werdnig-Hoffman disease. Infants with SMA type II have less severe symptoms during early infancy, but they become progressively weaker with time. SMA type III is the least severe form of the disease. Rarely, SMA may begin in adulthood. This is usually a milder form of the disease. A family history of spinal muscular atrophy is a risk factor for all types of the disorder.
Symptoms
Infants with SMA type 1 are born with very little muscle tone, weak muscles and feeding and breathing problems. With SMA type III, symptoms may not appear until the second year of life.
Often, weakness is first noted in the shoulder muscles and proximal leg muscles. Weakness gets worse over time and will eventually become severe.
Symptoms in an infant:
- Breathing difficulty
- Feeding difficulty
- Floppy infant (poor muscle tone)
- Lack of head control
- Little spontaneous movement
- Progressive weakness (older infant to toddler)
- Very weak infant
Symptoms in a child:
- Frequent, increasingly severe respiratory infections
- Nasal speech
- Worsening posture
SMA cannot be cured, but aiding technology such as powered wheelchairs, ventilators and special drug administering enables the patient to carry out daily functions.
The health care provider will take a careful history and perform a brain/nervous system (neurologic) examination to find out if there is:
- A family history of neuro-muscular disease
- Floppy (flaccid) muscles
- No deep tendon reflexes
- Twitches (muscle fasciculation) of tongue muscle
Tests:
- CPK levels
- DNA testing to confirm diagnosis
- Electromyography
- MRI of the spine
- Muscle biopsy
There is no treatment for the progressive weakness caused by the disease and supportive care is important.
Attention must be paid to the respiratory system, because affected people have difficulty clearing secretions. Respiratory complications are common. Physical therapy is important to prevent contractions of muscles and tendons and abnormal curvature of the spine (scoliosis). Bracing may be necessary.
Clinical trials in most cases involving the central nervous system have proved not only to be beneficial but at times even breathtaking.”
Numerous clinical trials are going on all over the world, including India using stem cells from various sources.
Stem cell therapy aims to rejuvenate the muscles. The results begin to show after a month of administering the treatment and progress can be noted over the period of 2- 4 years.
We, at ReeCure offer you therapy using stem cells using our proprietary technology.
These stem cells could be of various types viz. Hematopoietic (CD 34+), Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are processed and isolated using Good Manufacturing (GMP) and Good Lab Practices (GLP) and in accordance with AABB standards.
After years of extensive research and systematic compilation and collation of relevant data (through its research division), ReeLabs is now supremely confident of not only reversing the disease process of the affected patient but also improving the quality of life manifold. Stem cells produced by ReeLabs are completely safe, non-toxic, easy to administer and totally devoid of side effects with an excellent probability of homing and engraftment with parent cell, tissue or organ. The eminent panel of scientists and researchers at ReeLabs work exhaustively to design accurate treatment protocols that have yielded excellent results in most cases.
These stem cells are procured from various sources including bone marrow, cord blood fat etc. as per the requirement of the patient. Use of stem cells is the only hope medical science can offer to patients with spinal muscular atrophy.
Use of stem cells can help cause remyelination of the damaged area of spinal cord. Consequently there is possible regeneration of the redundant lower motor neurons.
According to some publications patients have shown tremendous improvements with following observations:
- Achieving motor milestones albeit after some delay.
- There is marked improvement in reflexes, power and tone of the affected muscles.
- There is possible reversal of muscle weakness especially of muscles of respiration and of lower limbs.
- Improving general quality of life.
Use of stem cells in gene therapy has also gained prominence , so a prospective complete cure of SMA by altering the defective gene structure, function and configuration is also envisaged. Numerous trials and studies are being performed to achieve this.
Causes & Symptoms
Spinal muscular atrophy is a group of inherited diseases that cause progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, eventually leading to death.
Diseases Treatable by Stem Cells
Causes
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a collection of different muscle diseases. Grouped together, it is the second leading cause of neuro-muscular disease. Most of the time, a person must get the defective gene from both parents to be affected. Approximately 4 out of every 100,000 people have the condition.
The disorders are caused by an abnormal or missing gene known as the survival motor neuron gene (SMN1), which is responsible for the production of a protein essential to motor neurons. The lack of this gene is responsible for the inability to achieve motor (movement) milestones in children.
The most severe form is SMA type I, also called the Werdnig-Hoffman disease. Infants with SMA type II have less severe symptoms during early infancy, but they become progressively weaker with time. SMA type III is the least severe form of the disease. Rarely, SMA may begin in adulthood. This is usually a milder form of the disease. A family history of spinal muscular atrophy is a risk factor for all types of the disorder.
Symptoms
Infants with SMA type 1 are born with very little muscle tone, weak muscles and feeding and breathing problems. With SMA type III, symptoms may not appear until the second year of life.
Often, weakness is first noted in the shoulder muscles and proximal leg muscles. Weakness gets worse over time and will eventually become severe.
Symptoms in an infant:
- Breathing difficulty
- Feeding difficulty
- Floppy infant (poor muscle tone)
- Lack of head control
- Little spontaneous movement
- Progressive weakness (older infant to toddler)
- Very weak infant
Symptoms in a child:
- Frequent, increasingly severe respiratory infections
- Nasal speech
- Worsening posture
Medical Tests
SMA cannot be cured, but aiding technology such as powered wheelchairs, ventilators and special drug administering enables the patient to carry out daily functions.
The health care provider will take a careful history and perform a brain/nervous system (neurologic) examination to find out if there is:
- A family history of neuro-muscular disease
- Floppy (flaccid) muscles
- No deep tendon reflexes
- Twitches (muscle fasciculation) of tongue muscle
Tests:
- CPK levels
- DNA testing to confirm diagnosis
- Electromyography
- MRI of the spine
- Muscle biopsy
Conventional Treatment
There is no treatment for the progressive weakness caused by the disease and supportive care is important.
Attention must be paid to the respiratory system, because affected people have difficulty clearing secretions. Respiratory complications are common. Physical therapy is important to prevent contractions of muscles and tendons and abnormal curvature of the spine (scoliosis). Bracing may be necessary.
Clinical trials in most cases involving the central nervous system have proved not only to be beneficial but at times even breathtaking.”
Stem Cell Therapy
Numerous clinical trials are going on all over the world, including India using stem cells from various sources.
Stem cell therapy aims to rejuvenate the muscles. The results begin to show after a month of administering the treatment and progress can be noted over the period of 2- 4 years.
We, at ReeCure offer you therapy using stem cells using our proprietary technology.
These stem cells could be of various types viz. Hematopoietic (CD 34+), Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are processed and isolated using Good Manufacturing (GMP) and Good Lab Practices (GLP) and in accordance with AABB standards.
After years of extensive research and systematic compilation and collation of relevant data (through its research division), ReeLabs is now supremely confident of not only reversing the disease process of the affected patient but also improving the quality of life manifold. Stem cells produced by ReeLabs are completely safe, non-toxic, easy to administer and totally devoid of side effects with an excellent probability of homing and engraftment with parent cell, tissue or organ. The eminent panel of scientists and researchers at ReeLabs work exhaustively to design accurate treatment protocols that have yielded excellent results in most cases.
These stem cells are procured from various sources including bone marrow, cord blood fat etc. as per the requirement of the patient. Use of stem cells is the only hope medical science can offer to patients with spinal muscular atrophy.
Use of stem cells can help cause remyelination of the damaged area of spinal cord. Consequently there is possible regeneration of the redundant lower motor neurons.
According to some publications patients have shown tremendous improvements with following observations:
- Achieving motor milestones albeit after some delay.
- There is marked improvement in reflexes, power and tone of the affected muscles.
- There is possible reversal of muscle weakness especially of muscles of respiration and of lower limbs.
- Improving general quality of life.
Use of stem cells in gene therapy has also gained prominence , so a prospective complete cure of SMA by altering the defective gene structure, function and configuration is also envisaged. Numerous trials and studies are being performed to achieve this.
