Review
Autologous stromal vascular fraction therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: rationale and clinical safety
1 Medistem Panama, Panama City, Panama
2 Indiana University, Indiana, USA
3 University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
4 Vet-Stem Inc, Poway, CA, USA
5 Division of Hematology and Oncology, Loma Linda University, School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA
6 Senacyt, Panama City, Panama, USA
7 Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA, USA
International Archives of Medicine 2012, 5:5 doi:10.1186/1755-7682-5-5
Published: 8 February 2012Abstract
Advancements in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment protocols and introduction of targeted biological therapies have markedly improved patient outcomes, despite this, up to 50% of patients still fail to achieve a significant clinical response. In veterinary medicine, stem cell therapy in the form of autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is an accepted therapeutic modality for degenerative conditions with 80% improvement and no serious treatment associated adverse events reported. Clinical translation of SVF therapy relies on confirmation of veterinary findings in targeted patient populations. Here we describe the rationale and preclinical data supporting the use of autologous SVF in treatment of RA, as well as provide 1, 3, 6, and 13 month safety outcomes in 13 RA patients treated with this approach.
