Mesenchymal stem cell treatment sees success in new muscular dystrophy study

Scientists at the Klara Medical Center (KMC; Czestochowa, Poland) have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be used for the treatment of muscular dystrophies – a group of progressive muscle diseases caused by a genetic mutation, resulting in muscle weakness. The MSCs, derived from a substance found in the umbilical cord called Wharton’s jelly (WJ), were able to significantly improve muscle strength with no serious side effects in the latest compassionate-use study. The results were recently published in the journal STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. "Administration of WJ-MSCs in neurological indications is controversial; still, this paper shows that cell therapy...