‘Kidney disease does not appear to affect quality of stem cells’
Stem cells from the adipose tissue of patients having to undergo a kidney transplant appear to be suitable for the manufacture of immunosuppressant drugs. In this way, kidney patients themselves are providing the ingredients for the drugs that will ensure that their donor kidney is not rejected. Other patients who have undergone an organ transplant can also make use of this treatment with stem cells from their own adipose tissue.
This is the finding of research conducted by Marieke Roemeling-Van Rhijn, who will receive her PhD on Wednesday 28 May from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Over the past years, Roemeling-Van Rhijn studied the effect of so-called mesenchymal Stem or Stromal Cells (MSC). These are immature cells that can differentiate into, among others, bone and fat cells. Previous research had already shown that these cells are capable of inhibiting an immune response, which makes it interesting to study whether these cells could serve as therapy for people requiring an organ transplant.
The cells studied by Roemeling-Van Rhijn can be found in adipose tissue and the bone marrow. They did in fact appear to inhibit the immune response. Although her research did show that if the stem cells were not derived from the patient himself/herself, an immune response could occur.
Therefore, the main discovery is that stem cells from the patient’s own adipose tissue can suppress the immune response. Adipose tissue can easily and safely be removed from the body using mini-liposuction. It then, however, takes several weeks before the laboratory has cultivated enough stem cells for the therapy. But this does not have to be a problem, as the need for a kidney transplant is often foreseen well in advance. A remarkable finding is also that it appears that the stem cells of the kidney patients themselves can be used. “People requiring a transplant are ill, but it has been shown that their disease has no effect on the quality of the stem cells,” says Marieke Roemeling-Van Rhijn.
The researcher emphasizes, however, that further research is required. Although previous research has shown that stem cells can be safely used, it is not yet sure how the immunosuppressive response actually works. A good effectiveness study is the next step, according to the PhD student. This study can also investigate how, how often, when (before or after the transplant), and in what dosage the stem cells should be administered.
