Lung Disease and Stem Cells

Lung disease refers to a range of medical conditions affecting the respiratory organs. The causes vary from smoking to diet, to premature birth and old age.

Of the many lung conditions affecting patients today, three illnesses are among the most common: ^[1]

• Lung cancer is the growth of abnormal cells in one or both of the lungs. Usually, this occurs in cells in the air passages, which then turn into tumours.^[2]
• Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths in 2022.  There were an estimated 2.5 million cases and 1.8 million deaths.^[3]
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ranks as the fourth most common cause of death globally, responsible for around 3.5 million deaths in 2021, or roughly 5% of all deaths worldwide.^[4]
• Pneumonia is responsible for around 14% of all deaths in children under the age of five, leading to approximately 740,180 deaths in 2019.^[5]

Lung disease facts

• COPD is the eighth leading cause of poor health worldwide^[4]
• Over 1.3 million lung cancer cases in men and close to 500,000 cases in women are considered preventable.^[3]
• In 2019, pneumonia accounted for 22% of all deaths in children aged 1 to 5 years^[5]
• Adults over 65 are at a much higher risk of contracting and dying from lung disease ^{[2, 7, 8]}

Lung disease and stem cells

There are 197 clinical trials testing stem cell therapies for the treatment of lung disease. ^[9] Of these, there are 51 looking at lung cancer ^[10], 15 at COPD ^[11], and 22 at pneumonia. ^[12]

Recently, doctors at Monash Children’s Hospital, Victoria, saw success using placenta stem cells to treat a lung condition called bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which affects premature babies after they have been supported by respiratory apparatus. Researchers hope that the anti-inflammatory properties of stem cells will reverse lung damage. ^[13]

In England, scientists at University College London are using mesenchymal stem cells to treat lung cancer. Stem cells have a natural ‘homing’ ability, which can be used to transport an anti-cancer gene called MSCTRAIL to the site of malignant tumours. Treatment involves chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell transplant. ^[14]

References

1. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000066.htm
2. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lung-cancer
4. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd)
5. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pneumonia
6. https://www.cdc.gov/united-states-cancer-statistics/publications/lung-cancer-stat-bite.html
7. https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/risk-factors/older-adults.html
8. https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/copd-trends-brief/copd-mortality
9. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/details?cond=Lung+Diseases&term=stem+cell&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=&Search=Search
10. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/details?cond=Lung+Cancer&term=stem+cell&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=&Search=Search
11. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/details?cond=Chronic+Obstructive+Pulmonary+Disease&term=stem+cell&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=&Search=Search
12. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/details?cond=Pneumonia&term=stem+cell&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=&Search=Search
13. https://monashchildrenshospital.org/placenta-research-help-doctors-treat-premature-babies-chronic-lung-conditions/
14. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1497528/
15. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180705084210.htm
16. Cytotherapy, 18(7), 860–869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcyt.2016.04.005
17. TACTICAL: A phase I/II trial to assess the safety and efficacy of MSCTRAIL in the treatment of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.TPS9116 Journal of Clinical Oncology 37, no. 15_supplno. 15_suppl