The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / The ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium: Stem Cell Therapy in Autoimmune Disease Evolution, Insights

The ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium: Stem Cell Therapy in Autoimmune Disease Evolution, Insights

July 14, 2015 • By Thomas R. Collins

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
Clues about  potential avenues in stem cell therapy come from the  multiple sclerosis field.

Clues about potential avenues in stem cell therapy come from the
multiple sclerosis field.
Image Credit: Spectral-Design/shutterstock

CHICAGO—Stem cell transplantation for systemic sclerosis patients has come a long way over the past decade, with more finely calibrated dosing and better patient selection, said George Georges, MD, associate member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and associate professor in the medical oncology division at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, a center that has been at the forefront in investigation and honing of these procedures.

You Might Also Like
  • The ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium: Patients with Scleroderma, Lung Disease May Benefit from Aggressive Therapy
  • Stem Cell Transplantation Benefits Patients with Scleroderma
  • Stem Cell Transplantation Shown to Improve Outcomes in Systemic Sclerosis
Explore This Issue
July 2015
Also By This Author
  • 9 Lessons on Patient Empowerment

With a new, multicenter trial now recruiting patients, there is hope for improved maintenance therapy after transplants with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), he said.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Promising Results

Dr. Georges traced the recent evolution of, and new insight into, stem cell therapy in autoimmune diseases at the 2015 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium in May.

It was 2007 when investigators at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle wrapped up a pilot study on high-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell therapy for severe systemic sclerosis and found promising results.1

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“There was really a dramatic improvement in the skin scores,” Dr. Georges recalled. The average Rodnan skin score fell 22 points, and every patient had an improvement “without exception.” For some patients, the result wasn’t sustained, but the majority had sustained profound improvement. Researchers also found that pulmonary disease did not progress.

They also saw which patients tended not to do as well—the few who hadn’t had lung-shielding during radiation treatment and those with lower ejection fractions, forced vital capacity and renal failure. An analysis with these patients excluded showed a three-year overall survival rate of 91% and a five-year of 78%.

It was an important moment in stem cell therapy in this disease, Dr. Georges said.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Who’s at Risk

“We learned from the first patients that came on this study—we learned a lot,” he said. “We tried to understand who the patients at greatest risk for transplant-related mortality were.”

Another pivotal moment in the evolution of stem cell therapy came last year, with the publication of results from the randomized ASTIS Trial, which examined hematopoietic stem cell transplantation compared with 12 months of IV pulse cyclophosphamide. The trial was conducted in 10 countries across 29 centers.2

Researchers randomized 156 systemic sclerosis patients to stem cell transplant (79) or cyclophosphamide (77). In the first year, there were eight deaths and five irreversible organ failures in the transplant group, compared with eight irreversible organ failures and no deaths in the control group.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Education & Training, Meeting Reports, Professional Topics, Scleroderma Tagged With: AC&R, Autoimmune disease, clinical symposium, research systemic sclerosis, rheumatologist, stem cell therapy, transplantationIssue: July 2015

You Might Also Like:
  • The ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium: Patients with Scleroderma, Lung Disease May Benefit from Aggressive Therapy
  • Stem Cell Transplantation Benefits Patients with Scleroderma
  • Stem Cell Transplantation Shown to Improve Outcomes in Systemic Sclerosis
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy May Help Slow, Repair Degenerative Signs of Osteoarthritis, Musculoskeletal Disease

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)