Our therapeutic program approaches neurodegenerative diseases by involving the transplantation of stem cells, the concept of treatment primarily focuses on the replacement of lost neurons and the restoration of neural tissue structure.
Infusing Highly concentrated cells induces neuroprotection that involves anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and that neurotrophic factors act through paracrine and/or autocrine interactions between transplanted Culture-expanded cells and the neural microenvironment.
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease are characterized clinically by their subtle onset but chronic progression and involve the degeneration of defined neuronal phenotypes in the central nervous system (CNS).
In recent years, numerous studies have shown that stem cell transplantation elicits neurogenesis and angiogenesis by releasing neuroprotective factors brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF). Continue reading to learn more about stem cells and neurodegenerative diseases.
Our therapeutic program approaches these medical conditions by involving the transplantation of stem cells, the concept of treatment primarily focuses on the replacement of lost neurons and the restoration of neural tissue structure.
Infusing Highly concentrated cells induces neuroprotection that involves anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and that neurotrophic factors act through paracrine and/or autocrine interactions between transplanted Culture-expanded cells and the neural microenvironment.
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease are characterized clinically by their subtle onset but chronic progression and involve the degeneration of defined neuronal phenotypes in the central nervous system (CNS).
In recent years, numerous studies have shown that stem cell transplantation elicits neurogenesis and angiogenesis by releasing neuroprotective factors brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF).
Experience our Individually-Center approach for deep regeneration and wellbeing through our leading-edge cellular therapies
When we treat neurodegenerative diseases, we are just treating the condition, not curing it. Neither fresh cells nor cultured cells can cure every disease, but they can do great things as far as reducing the severity of symptoms and stopping the advancement of the condition. Normally, in a lot of chronic degenerative conditions or neurological conditions, several treatments will be needed because the effect of cellular therapies has a time limit. Our unique approach includes a multi-dose treatment plan, in which we apply the cells once, with follow-ups at three, six, and nine month mark. If symptoms begin to occur, another round of treatment is needed.
Our comprehensive neurodegenerative disease treatments employ well-targeted combinations of Exosomes, allogeneic human Mesenchymal cells, and autologous bone marrow and Adipose derived stem cells to treat the diseases and conditions listed previously. Our treatment plans are mostly focused on a systemic or whole-body approach to ensure these patients receive the highest quality and quantity of cellular products during their time in our hospital
Of the different kinds of cellular products available for use, there are two main sources that can be used to target the conditions that have been previously discussed.
Autologous procedures are those in which the patient is their own donor for the cellular therapy treatment. In these kinds of procedures, a doctor takes a sample (usually of bone marrow or adipose tissue) and harvests the cells from it, before administering it locally to the diseased or damaged area.
Allogeneic procedures are those in which the patient receives cells that have been sourced from a donor that is not the patient. These samples are neonatal tissue and are comprised of umbilical cord blood. They are extensively screened to ensure the quality and health of the neurodegenerative stem cells.
The type of treatment used depends on a variety of factors, including medical history and age, but at the Cellular Hope Institute, we endeavor to give each patient a personalized, case-by-case treatment plan to ensure that the only possible outcome is a positive one.
After you’ve been selected a candidate for a neurodegenerative disease therapy, you will meet with our highly-trained team of medical professionals to devise a treatment plan tailored specifically to have the best results possible given your current condition. Below we will outline the different methods of administering cellular therapies that we use in our medical facilities:
intrathecal-intraarterial
This form of implantation is ideal for neurological conditions because the stem cells are injected past the blood-brain barrier and directly into the spinal fluid, which enables them to reach the spinal cord and brain.
During the procedure, an experienced anesthesiologist inject stem cells into the spinal canal through the lower vertebrae under local anesthesia. They are all performed in a positive airflow room under sterile conditions, and the procedure usually takes about thirty minutes.
Intravenous IV
The safest and simplest method for delivering the neurodegenerative stem cells throughout the body. Anesthesia is not required. We may use Lidocaine topical spray to needle prick area beforehand. IV administration usually takes about 20 – 30 minutes.
Intramuscular IM
The stem cells are injected directly into the muscle. Intramuscular implantation is very safe and does not require anesthesia.
A treatment of minimally manipulated, or autologous, stem cells is one in which the patient’s own cells are used to treat their neurodegenerative disease without being grown in a laboratory setting. These treatments, while minimally invasive, can only reach a third of the total cell count that could be obtained under more complex laboratory processes, leaving them useful for certain conditions, but not potent enough for more advanced degenerative or neurodegenerative conditions.
Highly-manipulated neurodegenerative disease therapies are those that use a laboratory to culture and expand cells through the cell’s population. Through this process, samples of cells are grown to contain larger quantities of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, which leads to better patient results. In the case of complex conditions, including chronic degenerative conditions or neurodegenerative conditions, the best results are obtained through an infusion of a larger amount of cells directly to the diseased area. This is an invasive procedure, and because of that it requires a large, highly-specialized medical team to carry it out. That is the reason why many patients are opting to find the best results in the best facilities available, which are overseas, since current regulations prevent practices in the States from treating their patients in this manner.
The Cellular Hope Institute’s offices are located in the Amerimed Hospital in Cancun, which is accredited both by the Mexican General Health Council and the Canadian Accreditation Council. There, we have a highly-qualified team in many specialties, including pediatricians, radiologists, neurologists, anesthesiologists and regenerative medicine specialists, who convene with each other to produce the most reliable, efficable patient experience available.
Aside from it’s proximity to the United States and pleasant climate and sights, Our facilities in Cancun are top-notch, and include a laboratory to culture-expand cells, a process that yields better patient results, and a cryopreservation unit to keep these extracted samples stored safely until they are needed. At our clinic, you will find the best neurodegenerative disease treatment outside of the US.
Before the first day of the neurodegenerative disease treatment, we go over the patient’s medical history, including previous and current treatments including physical therapy and cognitive therapy. We interview the patients to know more about them in order to form a custom treatment plan. On your first day in Cancun, we have scheduled a time for you to meet your medical team and ask them any questions you have, as well as for them to walk you through the treatment you will be undergoing.
Services Included In Your Treatment
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Your journey will begin as you depart from your hometown for beautiful Cancún, México. In Cancún they will be greeted at the International Airport by our patient coordinator, then transferred to your accommodations. Once settled in, the patient coordinator will provide them a welcome package that will contain:
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- City vouchers.
- A list of frequently asked questions.
- Contact info during your stay.
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First Consultation
The day before your procedure takes place, you will have a one-on-one with your specialized team, at which point your attending physician will go over your procedure and expectations. At this time, you may ask your doctor any additional questions you may have. This day will include:
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- Analysis of current condition of the patient.
- New lab tests run.
- Specialist doctor evaluation according to the medical condition to be treated.
- Anesthesia evaluation.
- Establishment of final protocols to follow according to previous indicators.
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Treatment Day
You will be picked up two hours before the procedure is scheduled to begin, please ensure that you do not eat eight hours before the procedure.
Once you arrive at the hospital you will be asked to sign all the necessary patient consent forms and you will be prepped for your procedure.
The procedure will take 3-4 hours, once the cells are harvested and prepared they will be administered to the patient in accordance with their . After the procedure is complete you will either be returned to your hotel or, depending on the procedure, your hospital suite for overnight observation.
A standard procedure for highly manipulated stem cells cell would be the following:
Extraction of bone marrow or fat sample. In the case of young children, who do not have very much adipose tissue, a bone marrow extraction through the iliac crest (hip bone) is usually performed.
Procedure is performed with local anesthesia and sedation, meaning there is little pain.After the sample is extracted, it is processed and isolated to obtain fresh mesenchymal cells. Approximately 80% of the mesenchymal cells obtained go directly to the patient, either through arterial catheterization in the case of neurological illness, or intrathecally to other damaged organs. The other 20% are sent to the lab to be expanded, a process which is known as the high manipulation of stem cells. The patient stays overnight for close clinical motoring.
Post-Operative Care
The day after the patient’s procedure, you will go to your follow up appointment, where your garment and bandages will be removed, your incisions will be cleaned and inspected, and you will get your first ultrasound scan.
Booster with highly manipulated stem cells:
(Sixth day stay). The physician or patient coordinator will notify you for the procedure with the stem cells that have been expanded in the laboratory. The patient receives a final booster through systematic approach via an intravenous line with the cultured cells.
After this, the physician team will make a final evaluation and, most likely, discharge the patient.
Departure day
A driver will pick you and the patient up at your accommodation, and you will be dropped off at the airport at least two hours prior to your flight’s departure. Your patient coordinator will let you know when the next virtual consultation will take place.
After the first dose, results can already begin to make themselves apparent, but this depends largely on the type of disease/condition the patient is afflicted with, as well as its severity and current phase of progression. Once the stem cell treatment begins, the body needs a minimum of four weeks to recognize the initial regenerative effects, which become more apparent at the six-month mark. Regenerative medicine is considered a multi-dose treatment, and reinforcements are usually required every six to twelve months. However, depending on a patient’s condition, they could be needed up to twenty-four months after the initial procedure. This is why cryogenically banking and storing neurodegenerative stem cells is extremely important.
There is a virtual Assessment for Follow-Up treatment that serves as monitoring for the patient’s condition, and will be requested both before and after the treatment. In addition, there will continue to be post-treatment assessments required.
While neurodegenerative disease treatment is an extremely safe alternative to many other invasive surgeries and therapies, it is not without its risks. However, these risks can be mitigated by selecting highly-trained, certified experts to perform your procedure. At The Cellular Hope Institute, we take every possible step and procedure to ensure a safe surgery conducted as quickly as can be safely done. During your consultation, you can bring forward any other questions or expectations with our expert physicians.
Parkinson’s disease
In Parkinson’s disease, certain nerve cells (neurons) in the brain gradually break down or die. Many of the symptoms are due to a loss of neurons that produce a chemical messenger in your brain called dopamine. When dopamine levels decrease, it causes abnormal brain activity, leading to symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
The cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, but several factors appear to play a role, including:
Your genes. Researchers have identified specific genetic mutations that can cause Parkinson’s disease. But these are uncommon except in rare cases with many family members affected by Parkinson’s disease.
However, certain gene variations appear to increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease but with a relatively small risk of Parkinson’s disease for each of these genetic markers.
Environmental triggers. Exposure to certain toxins or environmental factors may increase the risk of later Parkinson’s disease, but the risk is relatively small.
Researchers have also noted that many changes occur in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, although it’s not clear why these changes occur. These changes include:
The presence of Lewy bodies. Clumps of specific substances within brain cells are microscopic markers of Parkinson’s disease. These are called Lewy bodies, and researchers believe these Lewy bodies hold an important clue to the cause of Parkinson’s disease.
Alpha-synuclein is found within Lewy bodies. Although many substances are found within Lewy bodies, scientists believe an important one is the natural and widespread protein called alpha-synuclein (a-synuclein). It’s found in all Lewy bodies in a clumped form that cells can’t break down. This is currently an important focus among Parkinson’s disease researchers, and especially when it comes to effective neurodegenerative disease treatments.
Alzheimer’s disease
Scientists believe that for most people, Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time.
Less than 1 percent of the time, Alzheimer’s is caused by specific genetic changes that virtually guarantee a person will develop the disease. These rare occurrences usually result in disease onset in middle age.
The exact causes of Alzheimer’s disease aren’t fully understood, but at its core are problems with brain proteins that fail to function normally, disrupt the work of brain cells (neurons) and unleash a series of toxic events. Neurons are damaged, lose connections to each other and eventually die.
The damage most often starts in the region of the brain that controls memory, but the process begins years before the first symptoms. The loss of neurons spreads in a somewhat predictable pattern to other regions of the brain. By the late stage of the disease, the brain has shrunk significantly.
When seeking effective neurodegenerative disease treatments, researchers are focused on the role of two proteins:
Plaques. Beta-amyloid is a leftover fragment of a larger protein. When these fragments cluster together, they appear to have a toxic effect on neurons and to disrupt cell-to-cell communication. These clusters form larger deposits called amyloid plaques, which also include other cellular debris.
Tangles. Tau proteins play a part in a neuron’s internal support and transport system to carry nutrients and other essential materials. In Alzheimer’s disease, tau proteins change shape and organize themselves into structures called neurofibrillary tangles. The tangles disrupt the transport system and are toxic to cells.
Huntington’s disease
Huntington’s disease is caused by an inherited defect in a single gene. Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant disorder, which means that a person needs only one copy of the defective gene to develop the disorder.
With the exception of genes on the sex chromosomes, a person inherits two copies of every gene — one copy from each parent. A parent with a defective gene could pass along the defective copy of the gene or the healthy copy. Each child in the family, therefore, has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the gene that causes the genetic disorder.
Despite substantial research and the development of a number of neuroprotective drugs to treat NDs and to improve patient survival, no effective neurodegenerative disease therapy is currently available.
Results in numerous patients have provided proof of principle that highly concentrated culture-expanded cell replacement can work in humans with Parkinson’s disease, even though there are still many obstacles to assure that the use of stem cells is cure for neurodegenerative disease, especially because we still don’t fully understand the true mechanisms of these diseases and clinical data is still scarce. However Cell therapy has potential to ameliorate symptoms and slow down the progression of the condition.
Patient management Initial patient evaluation
Reviews the medical information, lab work, and diagnostic imaging provided by the patient in order to determine the stage of the medical condition and any other secondary conditions. Application and scoring of the quality of life questionnaires appropriate for specific conditions.
Neurodegenerative disease treatments require a dose of 2 million cells/kg of body weight. Recommended route of administration is via arterial catheterization, stereotactic delivery or intrathecal injection. Intravenous routes have proved to be less effective in neurodegenerative conditions.
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Contact Us to discuss your treatment at Cellular Hope Institute
Contact Us to discuss your treatment at Cellular Hope Institute
FAQ
Stem cells for treating neurodegenerative diseases are usually administered via intravenous infusion or direct injection into the spinal canal to target the central nervous system effectively. This delivery method facilitates the cells’ integration into brain or spinal cord tissues, potentially regenerating damaged neurons and modulating inflammatory responses to halt disease progression.
The procedures are conducted under medical supervision.
Stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases could potentially regenerate damaged neurons, improve synaptic connections, and reduce inflammation in the brain.
These effects might slow disease progression, enhance cognitive functions, and improve mobility and quality of life in patients with conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. The therapy aims to offer a restorative approach beyond symptom management.
Using stem cells to treat neurodegenerative diseases carries risks such as immune reactions, infection, and possible tumor formation. The procedure might also lead to side effects like headaches, fever, or nausea, reflecting the body’s response to the treatment.
Stem cell therapy’s effectiveness in managing symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases shows promise but remains largely experimental. Early research indicates potential for improved cognitive and motor functions in conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
However, consistent and long-term benefits are still under study, and more extensive clinical trials are needed to confirm these outcomes.
Stem cell therapy’s effectiveness in managing symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases shows promise but remains largely experimental. Early research indicates potential for improved cognitive and motor functions in conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
However, consistent and long-term benefits are still under study, and more extensive clinical trials are needed to confirm these outcomes.