December 19, 2023
Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy
A research group led by Associate Professor Kenichi Nagase of the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy has clarified the therapeutic effects of sheet-like cell tissues (cell sheets) created from stem cells contained in the umbilical cord.
Regenerative medicine, which involves transplanting mesenchymal stem cells collected from bone marrow and adipose tissue to treat intractable diseases, is gaining attention. In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells collected from the umbilical cord, which is discarded at birth, have also been attracting attention as a new source of mesenchymal stem cells.
In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells collected from the umbilical cord. We prepared mesenchymal stem cell sheets and mesenchymal stem cell suspensions using mesenchymal stem cells from human umbilical cords, transplanted them into the subcutaneous tissue of mice, and measured the engraftment rate and the amount of secreted cytokines. While the mesenchymal stem cell suspensions disappeared soon after transplantation, the mesenchymal stem cell sheets were found to remain engrafted for a long period. Furthermore, they were found to secrete large amounts of therapeutically effective cytokines, such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1).
Thus, the umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell sheets examined in this study showed a high post-transplantation engraftment rate and secreted a large number of cytokines, indicating their potential as an effective stem cell therapy.
The results of this research were published in the international academic journal "Stem Cell Research & Therapy" on December 10, 2023.
For the full press release, please see below.