CADASIL eligibility in the NEST Neurologic Stem Cell Treatment Study

WESTPORT, Conn. - Oct. 28, 2019 - PRLog -- The most common inherited stroke syndrome,CADASIL,can start with mild mood disorders and migraines before developing more serious neurologic issues.  Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy is due to a gene mutation typically inherited from an affected parent.  In the brain this can lead to mini-strokes and to serious neurologic symptoms including cognitive or memory impairments.

The Neurologic Stem Cell Treatment Study or NEST is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) registered clinical study (NCT 02795052) that uses the patient's own bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) in different neurologic diseases. These include Stroke (CVA), Traumatic Brain Injury, Multiple Sclerosis,  Parkinsons, ALS, PSP, MSA, CADASIL, Peripheral Neuropathy and others.  The study is under an Institutional Review Board and compliant with FDA regulations regarding use of stem cells. Improvements have been seen across a number of neurologic diseases.  Of interest to CADASIL patients is how BMSC may help in their condition.

In an animal model of CADASIL, scientists have shown an important chemical called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is reduced.  This can cause loss of brain vessels, neurons and synapses.  However they could counter this problem by using stem cell factors which increased the amount of VEGF which in turn restored vasculature and improved brain function.  Other researchers have shown that BMSC release VEGF and help heart cells that have lack of oxygen.  Finally, it has been shown that Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC), which are found in BMSC, stick to early endothelial cells (EPC) and release VEGF which helps them grow.
It appears that BMSC release a factor called VEGF which helps the cells lining blood vessels to grow and which is reduced in CADISIL.  Therefore, BMSC in the NEST study may help regrow lost brain vessels and neuron structures, helping to improve brain function.

Patients interested in the actual articles may contact Dr. Levy and request links or further information on applying to the NEST study.  As with any clinical study, it is not possible to predict whether an individual patient will improve from treatment or continue to have progression of their disease.

Patients may receive information about the study by emailing the Study Director, Steven Levy MD,  at stevenlevy@mdstemcells.com;  the 'contact us' page on the website http://www.mdstemcells.com ; calling 954-417-5533 and leave a voice message with their telephone number; 203-423-9494 (no messaging).  This is a patient sponsored study and the patients pay for both treatment and travel.