Cellatoz Therapeutics, Inc.

Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT) is a hereditary disease with heterogeneous phenotypes and genetic causes. CMT type 1A (CMT1A) is a type of disease affecting the peripheral nerves and is caused by the duplication of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene. Human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells (TMSCs) are useful for stem cell therapy in various diseases and can be differentiated into Schwann cell-like cells (TMSC-SCs). We investigated the potential of TMSC-SCs called neuronal regeneration-promoting cells (NRPCs) for peripheral nerve and muscle regeneration in C22 mice, a model for CMT1A. We transplanted NRPCs manufactured in a good manufacturing practice facility into the bilateral thigh muscles of C22 mice and performed behavior and nerve conduction tests and histological and ultrastructural analyses. Significantly, the motor function was much improved, the ratio of myelinated axons was increased, and the G-ratio was reduced by the transplantation of NRPCs. The sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius muscle regeneration of C22 mice following the transplantation of NRPCs downregulated PMP22 overexpression, which was observed in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that NRPCs are feasible for clinical research for the treatment of CMT1A patients. Research applying NRPCs to other peripheral nerve diseases is also needed.

A review.Natural killer (NK) cells constitute the subset of lymphocytes that does not need any prior sensitization and that is naturally selectively cytotoxic. NK cells were discovered by Kiessling et al. (1975), while these researchers studied cell-mediated cytotoxicity against tumor cells. The distribution of immune cells (i.e., the ratio of T, B and NK cells) and the number as well as activity of NK cells vary from person to person.These differences provide the basis for the diversity of responsiveness to disease that is observed in a population.Notably, the number of immune cells decreases with stress, and the number and activity of immune cells decreases as they get older. The balance of NK cell activity in the body seems to be the most important for maintaining health.NK cells belong to a group of large granular lymphocytes. They play an important role in the immune system against malignant and infected cells. UnlikeT cells, NK cells act as innate immune cells, showing rapid and selective natural killing of cellular targets with neither any need for major histocompatibility complex class I expression nor any sensitization step.Despite sufficient evidence that NK cells fight tumor cells, pharmaceutical treat ment approaches that target NK cells remain few in number Nevertheless, the possibility of NK cells to be used as therapeutic agent is increasingly supported by recently approved cancer cell-targeting therapies, which proved that it is possible to appropriately regulate NK cell activity.The immune system can be considered as a health barometer in that it is activated when a disease occurs and NK cells are at the heart of this immunomodulation.Considering that NK cells are cells that have immune regulatory functions in the body, this fundamental function resonates echoes many of the bases of Oriental medicine.Here in this review we discuss on the general background of NK cell-based immunotherapy and the activity of clin. research especially focused on Asia.