Autologous Stem Cell Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease in India: A Detailed Overview

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory loss in patients suffering from it. The ailment also causes a decline in cognitive functionality of the patient, which further leads to changes in behaviour, ultimately affecting the overall quality of life. With the changing times and altered modern lifestyles, the disease is becoming prevalent amongst patients with ageing. The number of patients being diagnosed with alzheimer disease is increasing worldwide, emerging as a pressing challenge in the field of healthcare. Various treatments are being offered at present to help the patients get some relief from the ailment, but there’s no permanent cure for this. The existing therapies available for this ailment are mainly focused on slowing down the progression of the disease, instead of reversing the damage that has been done by the disease so far. 

The search for the most effective and suitable treatment for alzheimers continues, and in this line, autologous stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising solution. This futuristic approach is based on utilising the patient’s stem cells to treat the ailment. Since in this case, the donor is the patient him/herself, the chances of immune rejection are reduced, increasing the chances of the treatment being more effective. Autologous stem cell therapy for the treatment of alzheimers is emerging as an advanced and personalised approach to repairing the brain. The ability of stem cells to regenerate damaged tissues helps in protecting neurons and restoring the cognitive functions in the patient’s brain. This way, autologous stem cell therapy has emerged as a high-potential method to not only slow down the growth of the given treatment but also minimise and reverse its impact/damage. 

With time, India is becoming a hub for advanced stem cell therapy-based clinical trials and treatments. With its advanced medical infrastructure and affordable and accessible environment for patients, the country has become a preferred choice for both Indians and patients from all over the world. The patients seeking high-quality, advanced and innovative stem cell therapy-based treatments are choosing Indian medical facilities to get their ailments treated. This article focuses on walking you through the key elements of getting alzheimers treatment in different metropolitan cities of India. You will also get an insight into the process of getting autologous stem cell therapy, potential benefits as well as risks of the same. 

Deep Diving into the Details of Alzheimer’s Disease: 

Alzheimer’s disease can be defined as a neurodegenerative condition, which, with time, causes disastrous memory loss in the patient. This affects the thinking, behaviour and overall lifestyle of the patient suffering from this ailment. The ailment mainly destroys the brain’s hippocampus, the part of the brain, which is responsible for learning new things, retaining memory and regulating cognitive abilities of the brain. Below are the key pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease:

• Amyloid Plaques can be defined as abnormal clumps made of amyloid beta protein. This protein type accumulates between neurons, which further disrupts the neuron’s function, leading to inflammation.
• Neurofibrillary Tangles are another feature, which are the twisted tangles of tau protein, which is found inside the cells of the brain. These tangles interfere with the transportation of nutrients, leading to the death of the cells.
• Neurodegeneration is the process where, over time, neurons in the brain begin to die, causing shrinkage of the tissues of the brain, leading to progressive decline in cognitive and physical potential of the brain function. 

The most common and primary symptom of the disease is subtle memory loss and difficulty in recalling recent events, and a constant state of confusion. With time, as the ailment progresses, it starts affecting the language, decision-making abilities, motor skills, and more. As the disease progresses to its final stage, the patients find it difficult even to perform their daily life tasks, needing full-time care by an attendant. 

Understanding Autologous Stem Cell Therapy

Autologous stem cell therapy is the process of extracting stem cells from the patient’s own body. These cells are then processed and expanded in the laboratory and administered to the patient. The cells reintroduced to the patient’s body can transform into different types of cells, neurons, and tissues. Hence, these reintroduced cells promote the regeneration of damaged neurons and promote healing in the patients’ brains. The fact that these cells come from the patient’s own body means that they are less prone to the risk of immune rejection. Therefore, it is considered a safer option as compared to the allogenic stem cells, which are taken from a donor’s body. 

Autologous Stem Cell Therapy in the Context of Alzheimer’s Disease

Autologous stem cell therapy in the context of alzheimer’s disease is an effective option for treatment. It focuses on repairing the damage caused by the disease. The primary process that the therapy focuses on is stimulating neurogenesis (aka creation of new neurons), leading to protection of the existing neurons and protecting them from further degeneration. This helps in the regeneration of the cognitive function and improvement in the overall brain health of the patient. In this treatment, mainly the following types of autologous stem cells are used:

• Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs): These stem cells are multipotent and can be sourced from different types of tissues in the human body, including bone marrow, adipose tissue, also known as fat tissue, and umbilical cord. These stem cells can further differentiate into other cell types, such as neurons. These stem cells have the potential to reduce inflammation and offer neuroprotection to the patients. 

• Neural Stem Cells (NSCs): These stem cells have more specialised capabilities, and they can differentiate into neurons as well as glial cells. These cells are significant for the repair and regeneration of the brain. Its regenerative abilities make it an up-and-coming option for treating alzheimers. 
• Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs): These advanced cells are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave similarly to embryonic stem cells. This means that these cells can differentiate into any type of cell. The versatile nature of these stem cells makes them very effective. However, for the treatment of alzheimers, the use of these cells is still under trial and more research-based evidence. 
• Adipose-derived Stem Cells: These cells are drawn from the fat tissues of the human body. Since this method is minimally invasive while providing a large number of stem cells, it is becoming popular amongst the medical care experts. The idea is to offer advanced treatment to the patient with the least possible discomfort. 

Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s Treatment Using Autologous Stem Cell Therapy

The following mechanisms are used in treating Alzheimer’s with the help of autologous stem cell therapy.

• Neuroprotection: Stem cells release several bioactive factors, growth factors, and cytokines etc, which further help in protecting neurons from damage caused by amyloid plaques and tau tangles. As a result, inflammation is reduced in the patients, and oxidative stress is also minimised. This helps reduce the progression of the neurodegenerative process.
• Neurogenesis: The most promising potential of stem cell therapy is the possibility of forming new neurons. The ability of stem cells to differentiate into glial cells, neurons and other brain cells can help replace the damaged neurons and help alzheimer patients significantly.
• Restoration of Synaptic Function: Stem cells are also capable of restoring the synaptic connection between neurons, causing communication and memory processing in the brain. Repair of synapses improves cognitive functions, including memory retention, learning and decision-making.
• Reduction of Inflammation: One of the key component of alzheimer disease is chronic inflammation. This inflammation further exacerbates neuronal damage. The stem cells, specially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with their anti-inflammatory properties help in reducing the inflammation and promote healing in the brain cells of the patient.
• Angiogenesis: The process of angiogenesis is another important component of stem cells. The therapy has the potential to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. This helps in improving the blood supply to the affected by alzheimer disease. With this, the oxygen flow and nutrients are supplies to the brain, supporting in brain function of the patient.

Key Process Steps of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

For the treatment of alzheimers via stem cell therapy in India, the following steps are followed in general:

Stage 1: Consultation and Evaluation

The nuerologist will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s condition as first step. The stem cell specialists are also involved in this process. This includes cognitive assessment of the patient, reviewing their medical history and running imaging tests such as MRI, PET scan etc. This helps them understand the progression of the disease.

Stage 2: Genetic Screening and screening

The next significant step is to run genetic screening and run blood tests, which further help in assessing the suitability of the suggested stem cell therapy.

Stage 3: Stem Cell Harvesting

Bone marrow extraction is the most common source for sourcing autologous stem cells. Normally the cells are extracted from the iliac crest aka hip bone. The process is performed under local anesthesia, and processed to isolate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Next method for stem cell extraction is adipose tissue extraction, where the stem cells are extracted from fat tissues. This method is minimally invasive liposuction procedure.

Stage 4: Stem Cell Processing

After harvesting, the stem cells are processed in the laboratory. They are isonlated and expanded to be ready to be ingested into the patient’d body. The stem cell culturing in the laboratory is the procedure, where a few weeks are required for the cells to be in the lab to increase their number and their quality is monitored.

Stage 5: Stem Cell Administration

Once the stem cells are all set to be reintroduced into the patient’s body, the process of ingestion is started. There are various methods including intravenous infusion, intrathecal injection, and intra-arterial injection. Each of these methods have their own methods, challenges and benefits. The doctors and stem cell experts decide the best suitable method as per the situation and health condition of the patient. This is managed case by case basis. 

Stage 6: Post-Treatment Care and Rehabilitation

The process of cognitive rehabilitation is the next step after the stem cells are ingested in the patient’s body. The key aspects of this process include memory training, speech therapy and occupational therapy. These steps help in maximizing the benefits of the treatment for the patient. Follow up tests, reviews and assessment also take place to make sure there are no side effectives and also the results are monitored. 

Effectiveness of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy in India for Treatment of Alzheimers:

However, the treatment is still in clinical trial stage and more research is required to reach a conclusion, the existing data indicate a promising future. The following key clinical evidences exhibit the effectiveness of stem cell therapy for the treatment of alzheimers.

• Patients have experienced cognitive function improvement. The key benefits include improved memory and behaviour. The regenerative ability of the stem cell therapy could be a key contributor in these improvements. 
• Some studies showcase that stem cell therapy has also been helpful in restoring the lost functions in some patients. These mainly include ability to carry out day-to-day activities and improvement in the ability to interact socially.
• The imaging studies such as MRI and PED scans of the patients undergoing stem cell therapy for the treatment of alzheimers have witnessed signs of neurogenesis and improved brain cell function.
• The patients have also experienced reduction in neuropsychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, aggression and agitation etc. 

Institutions for Stem Cell Therapy in India for Treatment of Alzheimers:

India has several advanced institutions offering clinical trials and treatments related to stem cell therapy. Medtravellers (New Delhi ) is one such name, which is known for offering advanced stem cell therapy for various neurological disorders including Alzhiemers. The treatment facility also offers special support and guidance to the patients travelling from outside of India to get their treatments done effectively.