The Safety of MSC Therapy: Addressing Common Concerns

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell therapy (MSC therapy) is a stem cell therapy used to treat a variety of neurological conditions, autoimmune diseases and organ damage in patients of all ages.

Organizations like Swiss Medica research and develop novel treatments, which are then administered at their stem cell therapy center, allowing patients to benefit rapidly from newly emerging techniques.

While some people have common concerns about the safety of stem cell therapy, these usually do not apply to MSC therapy in particular. Many myths about stem cell safety persist from the use of embryonic stem cells, which are no longer used.

In this article we will look at the types of stem cells that are commonly used to treat human patients and why they are considered reliably safe, in addition to their relatively high effectiveness to treat damage and degenerative conditions throughout the human body.

Overview of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Therapy

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell therapy uses Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, referred to as MSCs or MMSCs, which are targeted at damaged tissue in the patient’s body to improve function and stimulate repair.

Results can be significantly better than with conventional medicine, with fewer side effects. Progressive illnesses can be slowed, while physical and neurological symptoms can be eased to improve the patient’s overall quality of life.

MMSCs have the ability to differentiate and become specialized tissue. As such, they can proliferate in the recipient’s body into several types of cells:

• Adipose
• Bone
• Cartilage
• Muscle
• Nervous

In the brain, MSC treatment can help to stimulate the formation of new neuron connections, as well as improve oxygen flow to brain tissue to enhance cognitive function.

Understanding MSCs and Their Sources

It’s important to note that MSCs are not obtained from embryos. Due to concerns surrounding safety and ethics, embryonic stem cells are typically not used in treating human patients.

Instead, MSCs for stem cell treatment are usually obtained from donated umbilical cord and placental tissue – materials that are no longer needed after childbirth, and which may be collected without harming the mother or infant.

Patients and adult donors may also supply stem cells from various parts of their body, such as bone marrow and adipose fat, but these are less common sources in modern therapies.

The main sources of adult stem cells include:

• Adipose tissue
• Bone marrow
• Gingiva
• Peripheral blood
• Placenta
• Umbilical cord

Note that when the term ‘adult’ stem cell is used, this refers to any non-embryonic source (i.e. cells obtained after the donor’s birth). Umbilical/placental stem cells are still considered to be ‘adult’ sources.

Common Safety Concerns with MSC Therapy

MSC therapy is considered very safe and effective. Side effects are usually limited to a short period of elevated temperature (fever) within three hours of administering treatment, which poses no risk to the patient.

Embryonic stem cells have been linked with oncogenic effects, but MSC cells are not obtained from embryos. As such, MSC therapy has no indication of elevated cancer risk in patients with no preexisting cancer.

Regulatory and Quality Control Measures

MSC treatments are processed under strict quality control measures, using painstakingly researched techniques to maximize the effectiveness of treatment. For example, using MSC cells obtained from placental tissue can lead to a faster result, due to the higher reproductive potential of placental stem cells.

The International Society for Cellular Therapy sets out requirements for MMSC sources including placental tissue, to ensure that the terms MSC and MMSC are used correctly in research. This is just one example of how the scientific community ensures that findings relating to MSC and MMSC therapies are communicated accurately.

Clinical Evidence Supporting MSC Therapy Safety

There is a wealth of evidence to support the safety of MSC therapy. In 2021, a team from Guangdong Pharmaceutical University in China published a meta-analysis of 15 years of past studies comprising 62 randomized clinical trials and over 3,500 patients.

Across 20 different medical conditions, they found that patients treated with Mesenchymal Stem Cells exhibited side effects including transient fever (i.e. short-term elevation of temperature), fatigue, sleeplessness and constipation.

No evidence of serious adverse events (including infection and death) was detected in their meta-analysis, and MSC therapies were actually associated with a decreased risk of heart arrhythmia.

In their analysis, the researchers wrote: “Conclusively, MSC administration was safe in different populations compared with other placebo modalities.”

In conclusion

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell therapy is at the forefront of modern medicine, delivering regenerative medicine treatments to patients of all ages, with a diverse range of different symptoms, conditions and syndromes.

With ethical and safe sources of MSC cells, and safe MSC therapies that can be delivered without causing harm to the patient, the significantly improved outcomes associated with these treatments can be provided by clinics like Swiss Medica with confidence.