A promising treatment for epileptic seizures

A new study has found that a one-time "stem cell injection" may be an effective treatment for some patients with epilepsy.

The treatment, called NRTX-1001, is believed to increase the production of a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which calms electrical activity in the area of ​​the brain that causes epileptic seizures.

The new injections contain cells derived from human stem cells, which can transform into any type of cell, as they are grown in a special medium in the laboratory to stimulate them to transform into interneurons, that is, a type of brain cell that secretes GABA, which contributes to calming the networks. Nervous and electrical signals that cause epileptic seizures.

Under general anesthesia, the injection is done using an MRI scanner, into the part of the brain that causes seizures.

Patients go home the next day, and are given immunosuppressive drugs for a year to ensure that the immune system does not reject the stem cells.

The transplanted cells need 5 to 7 months to start producing GABA in sufficient quantities.

Preliminary results presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research meeting in Boston revealed a reduction in epileptic seizures in the first two patients who received the treatment, by approximately 95% after a year of taking the injections.

Now, data presented at the American Academy of Neurology last month has revealed that the treatment has been successful in two more patients.

The research team hopes that the new treatment, developed by Neurona Therapeutics (based in California), will help patients who do not want to undergo surgery.

It is noteworthy that current treatments include drugs to change the levels of chemicals in the brain that control electrical activity. But it does not work for 30% of patients, according to the National Institutes of Health in the United States.