Stem cell therapy is being explored as an option for treating chronic illnesses. Urotoday in June 2024 reports studies are being done to see if stem cell therapy could be used for treating Interstitial Cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. A small study was done with 3 Interstitial Cystitis (IC) patients with Hunner lesions. Hopefully, more studies will continue to be done to see if stem cells can effectively treat or cure Interstitial Cystitis.
Stem cells can self-renew, restore damaged tissue, and have paracrine effects. An example of paracrine signals is the chemical transmitted from nerve to muscle that causes the muscle to contract.
The therapeutic efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy have been demonstrated in numerous pre-clinical models, primarily chemically induced cystitis rat models.
Only one clinical trial (phase 1 study) has investigated the safety of human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells in three Hunner-type IC patients.
Under general anesthesia, participants underwent cystoscopic submucosal stem cell injection. No safety issues were reported up to 12 months of follow-up and long-term follow-up (up to 3 years).
Although there were variations in therapeutic response, all patients reported significant improvement in pain at 1 month post-operatively. One patient underwent fulguration (a procedure that uses heat from an electric current to destroy abnormal tissue, such as a tumor or other lesion.) of the Hunner lesion after the trial, but others reported an overall improvement in pain.
All 3 patients in the study reported significant improvement in pain at 1 month.
The analysis on phase 1/2a trial which had several modifications in protocol is currently ongoing. Despite several limitations that need to be overcome, stem cell therapy could be a potential therapeutic option for treating IC/BPS. Clinical outcome on phase 1/2a trial is important and might provide more insight into the clinical application of stem cell therapy for IC/BPS.
Stem Cell therapy could be a potential therapeutic option for treating Interstitial Cystitis (IC).
Department of Urology, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Seoul, Korea., Department of Urology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea., Center for Cell Therapy, Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. June 14, 2024
TREATING INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS 