Experience of EmCell Clinic in ALS treatment

We have analyzed the experience of treating 62 ALS patients at EmCell clinic. Treatment course comprised of administration of 4 cell suspensions containing mesenchymal, ectodermal and endodermal fetal stem cells harvested from the legally aborted embryos of 4–8 weeks of gestation. The number of stem cells in the suspensions equaled 0.1–100x10⁵/ml, the volume of the administered suspension being 0,5–4 ml. In the tables below the patients groups and main post-transplant effects are presented.

Classification of ALS patients treated with fetal stem cells by clinical forms
Classification of ALS patients treated with fetal stem cells by duration of the disease
Syndrome of the early post-transplant improvements in ALS patients treated with fetal stem cells
Main symptoms of bulbar ALS in post-transplant period
Main symptoms of classical ALS in post-transplant period
ALS progress in patients treated with fetal stem cells

Classification of ALS patients treated with fetal stem cells by clinical forms

		The number of patients	%
1.	Classical ALS (involvement of upper and lower motor neurons)	30	49
2.	Primary lateral sclerosis (involvement of upper motor neurons only)	2	3
3.	Progressive bulbar palsy (degeneration of lower motor neurons: dysarthria, dysphonia, affected chewing and swallowing)	12	19
4.	Progressive muscular atrophy (degeneration of lower motor neurons)	4	7
Combined form (1+3) - 5; (4+3) - 2		7	11
Family ALS		7	11
Combination with other autoimmune diseases: Non-specific ulcerative colitis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis		5 1 1 1
Total		62	100

Classification of ALS patients treated with fetal stem cells by duration of the disease

Duration	The number of patients	%
Less than 1 year	10	16
Less than 2 years	19	31
Less than 3 years	29	47
More than 3 years	4	6
Total	62	100

After the stem cell therapy, 42 patients (67%) reported early post-transplant improvements lasting for 1 to 4 weeks. 27 patients (44%) reported clear end of this period, the main criterion being emotional.

Syndrome of the early post-transplant improvements in ALS patients treated with fetal stem cells

Clinical symptoms	The number of patients	%
Decreased weakness	33	54
Reduced fasciculatory activity	25	41
Decreased manifestations of depression	21	34
Improved sleep formula	20	32
Reduced spasticity	17	27
Improved appetites	16	26

Main symptoms of bulbar ALS in post-transplant period

Note: 0 – absent; 1 – slight; beginning; 2 – expressed; evident; definite; 3 – markedly expressed, no function

Duration of treatment/The number of patients (19)
	Less than 1 year (4)								Less than 2 years (6)								Less than 3 years (8)								Over 3 years (1)
	Before the transplantation				After the transplantation				Before the transplantation				After the transplantation				Before the transplantation				After the transplantation				Before the transplantation				After the transplantation
	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3
Dysarthria	1	2	1		2	2				2	4			5	1				6	2		2	4	2				1				1
Dysphonia	1	2	1		2	2				2	4			5	1				6	2		1	5	2				1				1
Dysprosody	1	2	1		2	2				2	4			3	3				6	2		1	5	2				1				1
Fasciculations on the tongue		2	2		1	3				3	3			4	2			1	6	1			7	1			1				1
Tongue atrophy		3	1		1	2	1			1	5			1	5				6	2			5	3				1				1
Chewing dysfunction	3	1			4				4	2			5	1			5	2	1		4	2	2				1				1
Dysphagia	3	1			4				3	2	1		4	2				3	4	1		4	3	1				1				1
Regurgitation of liquid food	4				4				4	2			5	1				1	7			2	6					1				1
Hypersalivation	3		1		4				2	1	3		4	2			2	4	2		2	6			1				1

Main symptoms of classical ALS in post-transplant period

Note: 0 – absent; 1 – slight; beginning; 2 – expressed; evident; definite; 3 – markedly expressed, no function

Duration of treatment/The number of patients (35)
	Less than 1 year (6)								Less than 2 years (11)								Less than 3 years (15)								Over 3 years (3)
	Before the transplantation				After the transplantation				Before the transplantation				After the transplantation				Before the transplantation				After the transplantation				Before the transplantation				After the transplantation
	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3	0	1	2	3
Fasciculations		4	2		1	5			1	3	7		1	6	4			7	8			8	7			1	2			1	2
Atrophy of UE	1	3	2		1	4	1			2	5	4		3	4	4		1	4	10		1	4	10			1	2			1	2
Wrist Atrophy		4	2		1	5			2	5	4		3	5	3		2	2	11		3	1		11			1	2			1	2
Atrophy of LE	3	3			3	3				1	6	4		2	5	4		1	6	8		1	6	8
ROM in the wrists	1	3	2		2	4				4	5	2		5	3	3		1	4	10		2	4	9			1	2		1		2
ROM in UE	3	3			5	1				4	4	3		7	1	3		2	2	11		2	2	11			1	2			1	2
ROM in LE	2	2	2		3	3				2	5	4		4	3	4		1	6	8		1	6	8			2	1		1	1	1
Quality of the gait	2	2	2		3	3				2	5	4		4	3	4		1	6	8		2	5	8			2	1			2	1
Spastic paresis of UE	5	1			6				5		4	2	6	1	3	1	10		2	2	10	1	2	1	2		1		2	1
Spastic paresis of LE		3	3		2	4			2	3	3	3	2	4	4	1	2		8	5	2	2	8	3			3			1	2
Weakness		2	4		4	2				2	5	4		4	4	1	2	4	9			3	5	6			2	1		1	1	1

ALS progress in patients treated with fetal stem cells

After the transplantation	4 months	5 months	6 months	12 months
The number of patients	27%	42%	58%	83%