Imaging in Stem Cell Transplant and Cell-based Therapy

58

mesenchymal stem cells including those derived from synovial origin are useful in
rheumatoid arthritis [ 26 ].
Newer clinical trials in a group of 172 patients treated with combination intrave-
nous injection of umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells and disease modi-
fying anti-rheumatoid drugs (DMARDs) have shown good safety profiles, decrease
in serological inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor alpha and inter-
leukin- 6 and improvement in clinical course of disease compared to patients who
were treated with DMARDs alone (Fig. 4.3) [ 27 ].

4.3.2.3 Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)

Osteogenesis imperfecta is an inherited disorder resulting in fragile, deformed
bones and growth retardation and results from a mutation in genes encoding one of
the alpha chains of collagen type 1, which is the main scaffolding for bone forma-
tion. Stem cell therapy due to it’s regenerative potential into osteoprogenitor cells
such as osteoblasts has been studied in small group of patients with OI [ 28 ].
Patients who were pre treated with bone marrow transplantation followed by mes-
enchymal stem cells injection showed greater engraftment of cells in defective
bone, increase in growth rate and reduced number of fractures, thus validating the
role of mesenchymal stem cells in extending the benefits of bone marrow trans-
plant in OI patients.

Knee with

osteoarthritis

Knee with rheumatoid

arthritis

Suppress T

Differentiate into lymphocytes

chondrocytes

T cell

T cell

Stem

Cell

Fig. 4.3 Role of stem cells in osteoarthritis (arrow) and rheumatoid arthritis (arrowhead)

R. Ram et al.