In a groundbreaking development, as reported by Hannah Devlin, Science Correspondent for The Guardian, on June 8, 2023, two epilepsy patients have dramatically reduced seizures following an experimental stem cell therapy. This therapy, involving the injection of lab-grown inhibitory neurons into the brain, represents a significant advance in treating epilepsy. This condition affects over 600,000 people in the UK alone.

 

 

The experimental therapy, as outlined in The Guardian, utilizes a single injection of neurons developed to suppress abnormal electrical activity in the brain, the primary cause of seizures in epilepsy patients. Cory Nicholas, CEO of Neurona Therapeutics, the company behind this novel treatment, shared at the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s annual meeting that the initial results are promising and devoid of additional cognitive impairment in the patients treated.

 

 

The article reveals that both participants in the U.S. trial had a severe form of epilepsy unresponsive to traditional drug treatments. One, treated at SUNY Upstate Medical University, was experiencing 32 seizures a month before the trial, while the other, treated at Oregon Health & Science University, had around 14 seizures monthly. Remarkably, post-treatment, the first patient saw a more than 95% reduction in seizures, with no incidents after seven months, and the second patient experienced a more than 90% decrease in seizures.

 

 

According to The Guardian, this novel therapy involves injecting a high dose of inhibitory neurons, grown from human embryonic stem cells, into the brain’s area where seizures originate. This method has shown promising results in animal studies, where the injected neurons integrated with the brain’s existing circuits, effectively suppressing seizures.

 

 

Although not involved in the research, Prof. Peter Oliver from the Medical Research Council’s Nucleic Acids Therapy Accelerator laboratory highlighted the potential of this cell therapy as an alternative to surgical interventions, especially for patients who do not respond to medication. Maxine Smeaton, CEO of Epilepsy Research UK, emphasized the urgent need for innovative treatments like stem cell and gene therapy, noting the chronic underfunding of epilepsy research.