Stem cell treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of senile dementia. It is typically associated with a slow but progressive loss of nerve cells and nerve cell contacts. The onset of the disease is insidious, and the first symptoms to manifest are impaired memory and orientation.
As the disease progresses, the sufferer's mental faculties deteriorate and, after a few years, patients require help to perform everyday tasks and are no longer able live on their own. One particularly disturbing aspect of this stage of the disease for family and friends is that the patient often doesn't recognize close relatives or perhaps even their partner. People with Alzheimer's disease also gradually lose their personality.
It is not known what causes Alzheimer's disease, although the brains of Alzheimer's patients do demonstrate typical microscopic changes: Extracellular protein depositions -called amyloid plaques- and fibrous intracellular protein aggregations -called neurofibrillar tangles. It seems impossible to cure Alzheimer's disease because dead nerve cells cannot be regenerated.
The Xcell-Center Alzheimer's disease treatment
The stem cells are first collected from a patient's bone marrow, extracted from the hipbone (iliac crest) then implanted back into the body days later. Prior to re-implantation of the cells, the bone marrow is processed in one of our labs, where the quantity and quality of the stem cells is also checked.
These re-injected stem cells have the potential to transform into new cells; rejuvenating or replacing damaged tissue and/or nerves.
The goal of the treatment is to slow down or stop the regression of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Cost
The price for the intrathecal treatment is 7,545.- Euros. Under a local anesthesia, your stem cells will be injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid via a lumbar puncture.