Mesenchymal stem cell function to prevent regulated cell death

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15729
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Immunology
• Research Institution: Kochi University
• Principal Investigator: NAJI ABDERRAHIM 高知大学, 教育研究部医療学系連携医学部門, 講師 (90650903)
• Research Collaborator: Frederic Deschaseaux University of Toulouse ; Benoit Favier University of Paris-Sud ; Nathalie Rouas-Freiss University of Paris 7
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: Mesenchymal stem cells / cell function / cell death / cell therapy

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are isolated from biological tissues including adult bone-marrow and adipose tissues and neonatal tissues such as umbilical cord and placenta. A number of clinical trials are using MSCs for therapeutic interventions in severe degenerative and/or inflammatory diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease and graft-versus-host disease. The success of MSC therapy in degenerative and/or inflammatory diseases depends on the robustness of the biological functions of MSCs. We and others have shown that MSCs interact with stressed cells, thereby improving the overall cells’ survival and function. From this aspect, an unexpected function of MSCs have been unraveled, and apprehended as MSC death modulation function. This biological function appears decisive and could carry a significant part of the therapeutic effects of MSCs.

Free Research Field

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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

MSCs is a remarkable adult stem cell for cell therapy and advantageous for responding to various medical demands. The significance of our work resides in the use of MSC death modulation function to be exploited in the clinic for degenerative and inflammatory diseases in cell therapy based on MSCs.