MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL G-CSF THERAPY AS TREATMENT OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE: ANALYSIS OF THE UPDRS SCORES OF THE PARKINSON’S DISEASE PATIENTS OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA BONE MARROW/STEM CELL INSTITUTE

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Area of Concentration

Biology

Abstract

As the elderly population increases in the United States, research into common ailments of the elderly has become more and more important. Parkinson’s disease afflicts 1-2% of the world population aged over 65 years, and there is currently no cure for the disease (Ferreira and Massano, 2016). The standard therapy for Parkinson’s disease focuses on symptomatic treatment and slowing the progression of the disease (Fabbri et. al., 2016). Regenerative therapies which aim to restore dopaminergic cells destroyed by Parkinson’s disease are currently being researched and implemented, though they are not accessible to everyone due to the current cost and intrusive nature of treatment (Anisimov et al. 2016). Mesenchymal stem cell therapy is a promising regenerative therapy, though the methods and cost of the procedure are a major roadblock to the therapy’s success as a common treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) therapy releases the patient’s own bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells throughout the body allowing the stem cells to proliferate in the body and regenerate lost cells (Song et. al., 2011). The effects of G-CSF therapy on both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease over time on a set of 11 patients are examined in this thesis through statistical analysis of their Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores and detailed case studies for three of these patients. Each patient showed marked improvements in their UPDRS scores, with the patients who began treatment the early stage of Parkinson’s seeing the most improvement in their UPDRS scores.

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