Olfactory ensheathing glia injections in Beijing: misleading patients with ALS.
Different forms of cell transplantation therapy are being tested in models of ALS. While the approach offers hope to patients with ALS, much still needs to be learned in the laboratory before it is ready for human trials. Nevertheless, clinics across the world offer various types of open label cell transplantation therapy for high fees. We report a woman who received an injection into each frontal lobe in Beijing, China. Her ALS progressed at a more rapid rate after the procedure and she suffered disabling side-effects. Clinics that give experimental and potentially harmful treatments outside the construct of well-designed clinical trials put patients at risk and do a disservice to the ALS community.
Chew
Sheena
S
Department of Neurology, Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Research Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Khandji
Alexander G
AG
Montes
Jacqueline
J
Mitsumoto
Hiroshi
H
Gordon
Paul H
PH
D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation*