Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Apr;8(4):317-24.
doi: 10.14740/jocmr2495w. Epub 2016 Feb 27.

Efficacy of Stem Cell Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mirian Conceicao Moura  1 , Maria Rita Carvalho Garbi Novaes  2 , Yuri S S P Zago  3 , Emanoel Junio Eduardo  3 , Luiz Augusto Casulari  4
Affiliations

Efficacy of Stem Cell Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mirian Conceicao Moura et al. J Clin Med Res. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Published studies seeking to improve survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have poor results in humans, although there are several studies in animal models with positive results.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that were published between March 2009 and March 2015 on stem cell therapy and survival in animal models and patients with ALS. A total of 714 articles were identified, and from these, we selected preclinical in vivo studies and retrospective clinical studies.

Results and conclusions: A meta-analysis confirmed the efficacy of stem cell therapy in improving survival in preclinical trials, where a mean difference of 9.79 days (95% confidence interval: 4.45 - 15.14) in lifespan favored stem cell therapy. In contrast, the number of clinical studies is still insufficient to assess their effectiveness, and these studies only demonstrate the absence of serious adverse events. However, even this conclusion should be interpreted with caution because clinical studies are retrospective and heterogeneous and have an unsatisfactory quality.

Keywords: ALS; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Cell therapy; Motor neuron; Survival.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Review flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Preclinical studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model with stem cell therapy, 2009 - 2015.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gordon PH. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An update for 2013 Clinical Features, Pathophysiology, Management and Therapeutic Trials. Aging Dis. 2013;4(5):295–310. doi: 10.14336/AD.2013.0400295. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chio A, Logroscino G, Traynor BJ, Collins J, Simeone JC, Goldstein LA, White LA. Global epidemiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review of the published literature. Neuroepidemiology. 2013;41(2):118–130. doi: 10.1159/000351153. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marin B, Gil J, Preux PM, Funalot B, Couratier P. Incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Limousin region of France, 1997-2007. Amyotroph Lateral Scler. 2009;10(4):216–220. doi: 10.1080/17482960902721626. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Swinnen B, Robberecht W. The phenotypic variability of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nat Rev Neurol. 2014;10(11):661–670. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2014.184. - DOI - PubMed
    1. D'Amico E, Factor-Litvak P, Santella RM, Mitsumoto H. Clinical perspective on oxidative stress in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Free Radic Biol Med. 2013;65:509–527. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.06.029. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources