CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A new study out of Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital found that a specific kind of stem cells could be used to change the way Crohn’s disease is treated.
The treatment calls for a direct injection of so-called “neonatal mesenchymal stem cells,” which come from heart tissue that’s discarded during surgery. Researchers said the cells could reduce intestinal inflammation and promote wound healing.
Testing was done on animals with a disease similar to Crohn’s, which causes swelling in a person’s digestive tract and can cause abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
Researchers said the study’s findings offered “a promising new and alternative approach that avoids the pitfalls of current Crohn’s medications.”
Those pitfalls include severe side effects and a higher risk of weakening one’s digestive tract.
Experts said more animal studies will be needed before the treatment approach can progress to clinical trials, in part because a safer way to inject the stem cells is needed.
Currently, the stem cells were injected directly into the damaged areas of the small intestine. That process, researchers said, required surgery.
Those behind the study hope to one day inject the cells into the body through a vein — similar to performing a blood draw from the arm of a patient.
“We also might be able to apply this approach to other inflammatory diseases,” said one researcher. “The potential is enormous, and we are excited to move forward.”
Related
Related
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram