Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Stem Cells at Iran’s Royan Research Institute
“The allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells are taken from the bone marrow of a healthy donor volunteer. To treat the incurable disease of rheumatoid arthritis, the product enters the body systemically through intravenous injection and releases the factors needed for health in the body and produces a favorable therapeutic result,” Ensiyeh Hajizadeh Saffar, the head of the technology development center for advanced medical products at Royan Research Institute, told ANA.
She stated that the allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell product is used as an intradiscal injection, adding, “This type of injection is used to treat back pain caused by disc destruction and has achieved good results.”
Noting that the first phase of the human clinical trial of the bone marrow mesenchymal cell product was conducted in allogeneic form, and the second and third phases of the clinical trial are underway, Hajizadeh Saffar said, “The technology of mass cultivation of stem cells has been used in making this product. In other words, we reach billions of billions of cells from a number of micrometer-sized cells in the culture and reproduction medium.”
In another development in September, researchers at Isfahan University of Technology had also presented a system of nano drug carriers based on natural gums, tea extract and royal jelly to reduce the side effects of anti-rheumatic drugs.
“This project was implemented jointly with Royan Research Institute, during which studies were carried out in the field of anti-inflammatory drugs due to their side effects in patients,” said Parastou Keshti Ara, one of the researchers,
“In recent years, in order to reduce the problems of different treatment methods, new drug delivery systems have been invented, among them the use of nanoparticles containing organic and inorganic compounds as drug carriers have been given more attention,” she added.
“In this research, efforts were made to develop a drug delivery system based on natural compounds, like natural gums, green tea extract, and the 10-hydroxydecanoic acid compound found in bee royal jelly with anti-rheumatic properties,” Keshti Ara said.
She elaborated on the objectives of the project, saying that synthesis and identification of a new type of core-shell nanoparticles based on natural gums and polyphenol-gold network, evaluation of anti-inflammatory properties of nanoparticles on rheumatoid arthritis model cells, evaluation of biocompatibility of nanoparticles and determination of release mechanism of the medicine were among the goals of this plan.
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