According to a story from MedicalXpress.com, a team of Chinese researchers successfully regenerated lung tissue in a patient using stem cells transplants. Although it is still in its infancy, growing lung tissue from stem cells could be the best options for people with chronic lung problems such as bronchiectasis. It could have the potential to save the lives of people with such conditions, as many of them shorten the lifespan of the people that are affected by them.
Substantially more research will be necessary in order to further test the stem cell transplant technique. With that said, the results of the recent study should give encouragement to researchers. Prior research in 2015 was able to isolate adult stem cells in the lungs of mice, which had the potential to regenerate lung structures. Additionally, experts were able to improve the lung function in mice with the transplantation of stem cells from humans, with the human lung cells taking the place of damaged areas of the mice lungs.
The first test of the stem cell transplant on humans began with two patients that were suffering from bronchiectasis. This disease causes the airways of the lung to become permanently enlarged, resulting in a buildup of mucus. This mucus is prime habitat for bacteria, which can cause frequent infections. Other symptoms include coughing up blood or mucus, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Learn more about this disease here.
Patients were first recruited in March of 2016. In the study the researchers collected lung stem cells from the two patients and then used bronchoscopy to reintroduce the stem cells into the lungs.
A year later, both patients were free of symptoms of bronchiectasis, and the enlarged areas of the airways had returned to normal. The function of the patients’ lungs began to improve three months after the administration of the stem cell transplant. These encouraging results encouraged the development of additional trials that will test the stem cell treatment on a larger scale. New studies will also test the treatment against different types of lung disease, such as interstitial lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
