Stem cell treatment for muscular dystrophy in India

NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute is not just an organization, but a collective, committed concept, of paving the way to a brighter future, and a life of independence, for individuals with incurable neurological disorders, through the combination of revolutionary regenerative medicine, holistic comprehensive neurorehabilitation and medical intervention.

In the past donated organs were transplanted to replace the diseased or failed organs in the recipients. Soon the number of recipients exceeded the number of donated. To overcome this demand, cell therapy offered the possibility of replacement of the damaged cells of tissue with new cells. Stem cell infusion helps to treat a plethora of conditions including cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, intellectual disability, and other neurodegenerative syndromes as well.

Stem cells have the potential to develop into different cells of the tissues (of the body) and the ability of self-renewal. When serving as a repair system, the stem cells divide without limit as long as the person is alive. As they divide, they remain as stem cells or develop into cells with more specialized functions, like a brain cell or a muscle cell.

Stem cells, from different sources, have three common properties: They can divide and replicate themselves as long as the person is alive.

Impairments linked to neuromuscular conditions are usually irreversible due to inadequate cell regeneration or impaired cells in the central nervous system. It was observed that the cellular characteristics of autologous stem cells had the capability of treating major neurological disorders without incurring any side effects. With their neurotrophic properties, self-renewal & differentiation capacity, and immune modulation effects, the bone marrow-derived stem cells are considered as a promising candidate for treating disorders related to the nervous system.

For cell treatment, bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells are isolated from the marrow tissue (extracted from the patient’s hip bone) in an expedited, painless and safe way. By centrifugation procedure, a sufficient number of stem cells are separated from the unwanted tissue within a few hours. These injectable stem cells are infused intrathecally into the spinal area or the damaged muscle points, as per the need of the patients.

These bone marrow-derived stem cells have many useful properties that lead to great clinical improvement in post-cell-based therapy. According to various clinical trials, treatment with bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells have shown improvement in patients with traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders through axonal sprouting and remyelination, potential to replace/protect the damaged neurons/cells, and neovascularization.

How do the infused stem cells act? Once infused into the body,

– The infused stem cells journey toward the nervous system and blend into the neural circuits to mend or improve the disrupted synaptic transmission.
– Post infusion, improved neuropathological condition, upregulated Aß clearance and reduced deposition is detected within a short period.
– The infused stem cells reduce neuroinflammation and provide protective immunomodulatory effect.
– The stem cells secrete neurotrophic influence and nerve growth factors, bringing cognitive and memory improvement in patients.

Apart from encouraging effects, renewed brain plasticity is also observed in patients following intrathecal delivery of stem cells. With the new medical breakthrough in stem cell therapy, the treatment has become a highly sought-after curative. To know about the treatment efficacy, one must understand the efficiency of stem cells in terms of engraftment, migration, cytokines and growth factors. However, cell-based therapy is a promising contribution to regenerative medicine and has gained considerable clinical attention. See more info on NeuroGen BSI.

Occupational therapists evaluate a child’s needs by testing his or her fine motor skills, perception and oral motor skills. By observing how the child responds to touch and movements, the therapist can determine a treatment plan. The treatment plan typically involves positioning, reaching, grasping and releasing. These skills are important for a child to develop the ability to be independent. Occupational therapy for children usually involves a form of play to keep them motivated. Many children with cerebral palsy have sensory impairments that make movement difficult. Our senses help us recognize changes in temperature, feel pain and to be aware of the space around us. Senses, such as touch and balance, are important for motor skills like picking up objects and walking.

A few advices to help your child with autism: Stick to a schedule. Children with ASD tend to do best when they have a highly-structured schedule or routine. Again, this goes back to the consistency they both need and crave. Set up a schedule for your child, with regular times for meals, therapy, school, and bedtime. Try to keep disruptions to this routine to a minimum. If there is an unavoidable schedule change, prepare your child for it in advance. Reward good behavior. Positive reinforcement can go a long way with children with ASD, so make an effort to “catch them doing something good.” Praise them when they act appropriately or learn a new skill, being very specific about what behavior they’re being praised for. Also look for other ways to reward them for good behavior, such as giving them a sticker or letting them play with a favorite toy.

Look for the best! Don’t define your child according to his problem – they grow up going through a cascade of problems, challenges that you can tackle together, carefully and deliberately. Do not make a goal of “normality”. People with autism can have extraordinary creativity and intuition, and your goal should be to encourage your child to enjoy his or her strengths and to strengthen the vulnerable. Awareness of what you can control and what you cannot control: The set of genes we are born with is the one we will have all our lives, but it does not mean that our future is precise. The power of genes is shaped by the environment in which we live. Therefore, your goal should be to create a supportive environment – for you and your child.

Did you know that the first successful stem cell transplant took place in 1988? That year, doctors used the blood sample from the umbilical cord of a newborn to treat Fanconi’s syndrome, which his 5-year-old brother suffered from. It is estimated that more than 22,000 stem cell transplants from umbilical cord blood have been performed worldwide.

Physiotherapy can be defined as a treatment method that focuses on the science of movement and helps people to restore, maintain and maximize their physical strength, function, motion and overall well-being by addressing the underlying physical issues. Neuro Physiotherapy is a type of rehabilitation offering examination and treatment of the physical problems that are caused by an individual’s neurological condition (stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, etc) and aims at enhancing and maximizing their functional ability. Read more info Cerebral Palsy Physiotherapy.