Stem Cells Heal Chronic Inflammation In The Gut - May Help Restore Immune System To Normal Function For Crohn's Disease

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology;  Crohn's;  Irritable-Bowel Syndrome
Article Date: 16 Jul 2008 - 6:00 PST

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Stem cells are being studied at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell to heal the gut in subjects suffering from Crohn's disease. Physician-scientists believe that these cells might help to restore the ability of the immune system to control inflammation by secreting anti-inflammatory proteins into the digestive tract, allowing for regeneration of tissue and prevention of scar tissue. It is believed that Crohn's disease results from a malfunctioned immune response, leading to uncontrolled inflammation in the tissues of the intestine. Diarrhea, painful cramping, blood in stool, ulcers and other wounds in the digestive tract are all possible symptoms of the disease.

Patients who have previously failed to benefit from medications for Crohn's disease are enrolled in the trial to test the safety and efficacy of the procedure. Each subject receives four infusions -- intravenous transplantation -- of mesenchymal stem cells, which are universally compatible in all people, like type-O blood.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. Weill Cornell physician-scientists have been responsible for many medical advances -- from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally-conscious brain-injured patient. NewYork-Presbyterian, which is ranked sixth on the U.S.News & World Report list of top hospitals, also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion. Weill Cornell Medical College is the first U.S. medical college to offer a medical degree oversees and maintains a strong global presence in Austria, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania, Turkey and Qatar. For more information, visit http://www.nyp.org and http://www.med.cornell.edu.

To read Science Briefs on the Web, please visit: http://med.cornell.edu/science.

Weill Cornell Medical College