Can stem cell transplantation be indicated for chronic kidney disease?

I have been on dialysis for a year and a half: can a stem cell transplant be indicated for chronic kidney disease?

He replies Arrigo SchieppatiClinical research center for rare diseases, Mario Negri Institute, Bergamo (GO TO THE FORUM)

The hypothesis of using stem cells to repair a diseased tissue or organ that has lost its function has been the subject of much research in recent years. Scientists are exploring how to use stem cells to generate a tissue which, once transplanted, will replace that damaged by disease, aging or injury. The research is also investigating the possibility that an individual patient's specific stem cells could be developed to allow for studies how it may respond to different pharmacological treatments, in a form of personalized medicine. Currently, the only stem cell-based treatment that is regularly reviewed and approved by the agencies that regulate the use of pharmacological and cellular therapies hematopoietic stem cell transplant (or blood).

Studies in progress

used to treat patients with tumors and disorders affecting the blood and immune system. Treatments for other conditions (neurological, dermatological, ophthalmological, cardiovascular) are the subject of clinical trials. We start from the assumption that stem cells – primitive, non-specialised cells with the ability to transform into different types of cells in the body through the process of cellular differentiation -, inserted in some way into an organ, can transform and become new cells specific for that organ. Stem cells can be taken from different sources, such as the umbilical cord, amniotic sac, blood, bone marrow, placenta, adipose tissue, dental pulp.

Complex undertaking

Regarding your specific question, research in the field of kidney diseases is very active, including in our Institute. However the task of regenerating the kidney with these cells proves to be extremely complex. The kidney is an organ made up of many different cells that perform different functions, albeit in concert with each other. These cells form very particular structures, which are not easy to reconstruct starting from a stem cell. In essence, to date, the so-called regenerative therapy in nephrology is still in an experimental phase in laboratory animals and not yet available as a therapeutic practice. equally difficult to say if and when these trials will overcome the current obstacles and lead to the study phase in humans.

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