The Phase I/IIb Nereid Study Is Now Registered, page-2

Just whimsically passing by and these sentences caught me eye ...

"MSC isolation and culture from both autologous and allogeneic sources is being hampered by cellular heterogeneity and replicative senescence. Generation of MSC from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) so called MCA-derived MSC may circumvent these limitations"

Blue bit - wtf does MCA stand for - mesenchymal cell A (???).


Yellow bit read as true - but really? If autologous (ie cells from the patient themselves) once isolated (so obtained in the pure-est form of the cell type sought - - its isolated its a lone cell - so you have just exactly the cell you want from the patient themselves and nothing else or at least no other cells along for the ride), then cultured (which necessarily involves growing the cell, feeding it with nutrients, keeping it happy so it grows and then divides to form two daughter cells just like their mum) you aren't altering the cell by hitting it with cytokines, its an adherent cell so it adheres to the surface of whatever it is cultured on--- all that

and then you have a set or a clone of that same original isolated just what you wanted from just the intended patient you want to use it in - and the bloody thing is STILL heterogenous (which means its varies from one cell to another - they don't look or behave just the same - they've acquired some individualites and little cell like personalities despite being from a single isolated cell - Sheesh.

Nature!.. If the mere positioning of the cell in relationship to its sisters in the clone can result in cells becoming different (that is heterogenous - different, varable, not the same is what heterogeneity actually means) then how heterogenous or how homogeneous are the cells - to what extent do they vary and to what extent are they the same - is the whole concept of using lots of the same cell as a therapy an illusion ? Because the cells are the same enough to act consistently enough to produce a predictable therapeutic effect that is reliable enough? Seems unlikely - at base there is not much more going on here than cytokines being thrown around no? Biochemistry appearing to dance?

Seems unlikely - but - the question is how heterogeneous are even cultures of single autologous cells - because if they can't be made heterogenous enough - then cell therapies are dead on arrival and the whole concept is wrong. Which I repeat seems unlikely.