A novel method of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for intractable autoimmune diseases.
We have previously proposed that autoimmune diseases are hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) disorders. In this review article, we provide evidence that most age-associated diseases such as osteoporosis are mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) disorders and, based on this evidence, we propose a new concept of "stem cell disorders (SCDs)", including HSC and MSC disorders. To treat SCDs, we have recently developed a new strategy (intra-bone marrow-bone marrow transplantation: IBM-BMT) for replacing the abnormal stem cells of recipients with donor-derived normal stem cells (both HSCs and MSCs). We here show that this strategy not only can be used to treat SCDs but is also applicable to organ transplantation, since IBM-BMT can induce tolerance (full chimerism) without the need for immunosuppressants even when radiation doses as the conditioning regimen of BMT are reduced to less than 5.0 Gy x 2, which is equivalent to one shot of 8 Gy (a sublethal dose). We believe that this strategy heralds a revolution in the field of transplantation (BMT and organ transplantation) and regeneration therapy.
Ikehara
Susumu
S
First Department of Pathology, Transplantation Center, Regeneration Research Center for Intractable Diseases, Center for Cancer Therapy, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi City, Osaka 570-8506, Japan. ikehara@takii.kmu.ac.jp
D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000628:therapy
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents