幹細胞論壇

                慢性阻塞性肺病 (COPD)是一種慢性發炎所造成的呼吸道阻塞疾病，會出現咳嗽、易喘、有痰等症狀，大幅降低病患的工作能力及生活品質，嚴重者更須住院，造成病患家庭及整個社會的沈重負擔，對於吸菸及二手菸者，皆可能罹患。根據WHO統計，全球有2.1億人罹患COPD，死因排名第四位，是最嚴重的慢性疾病之一；在臺灣，COPD更是十大死因的第七位，40歲以上成人中，平均每6人就有1人罹病。 ^1.2.3

                巴西研究團隊發表 “以細胞療法治療COPD第一期臨床試驗”。將患者自體幹細胞回注自患者體內後，術後追蹤3年發現，此療法安全，沒有嚴重副作用，且有助於延緩患者病變的速度和增進病患的生活品質。⁴

Phase I clinical trial of cell therapy in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: follow-up of up to 3 years.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a major inflammatory disease of the airways and an enormous therapeutic challenge. Within the spectrum of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary emphysema is characterized by the destruction of the alveolar walls with an increase in the air spaces distal to the terminal bronchioles but without significant pulmonary fibrosis. Therapeutic options are limited and palliative since they are unable to promote morphological and functional regeneration of the alveolar tissue. In this context, new therapeutic approaches, such as cell therapy with adult stem cells, are being evaluated.

This article aims to describe the follow-up of up to 3 years after the beginning of a phase I clinical trial and discuss the spirometry parameters achieved by patients with advanced pulmonary emphysema treated with bone marrow mononuclear cells.

Four patients with advanced pulmonary emphysema were submitted to autologous infusion of bone marrow mononuclear cells. Follow-ups were performed by spirometry up to 3 years after the procedure.

The results showed that autologous cell therapy in patients having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a safe procedure and free of adverse effects. There was an improvement in laboratory parameters (spirometry) and a slowing down in the process of pathological degeneration. Also, patients reported improvements in the clinical condition and quality of life.

Despite being in the initial stage and in spite of the small sample, the results of the clinical protocol of cell therapy in advanced pulmonary emphysema as proposed in this study, open new therapeutic perspectives in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is worth emphasizing that this study corresponds to the first study in the literature that reports a change in the natural history of pulmonary emphysema after the use of cell therapy with a pool of bone marrow mononuclear cells.

資料來源：

1. http://web.tygh.gov.tw/chest/2012E/COPD2012..pdf

2. http://tobacco.hpa.gov.tw/Content.aspx?MenuId=371&CID=26971&year=0&month=0

3. http://appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/supplement/20171021/37820139/

4. Rev Bras Hematol Hemoter. 2013;35(5):352-7

編輯整理：幹細胞論壇部落格