Ki‐Wook Oh

UNLABELLED: Stem cell therapy is an emerging alternative therapeutic or disease-modifying strategy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The aim of this open-label phase I clinical trial was to evaluate the safety of two repeated intrathecal injections of autologous bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in ALS patients. Eight patients with definite or probable ALS were enrolled. After a 3-month lead-in period, autologous MSCs were isolated two times from the BM at an inter

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and efficacy of 2 repeated intrathecal injections of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: In a phase 2 randomized controlled trial (NCT01363401), 64 participants with ALS were randomly assigned treatments (1:1) of riluzole alone (control group, n = 31) or combined with 2 BM-MSC injections (MSC group, n = 33). Safety was assessed based on the occurrence of adverse events. The primary effica

: The regulation of microglial cell phenotype is a potential therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative disease. Previously, we reported that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) could be used as potential biological markers to predict the effectiveness of autologous MSC therapy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, the underlying mechanism of TGF-β in MSCs was not fully elucidated in determining the functional properties of microg

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the incidence, prevalence and survival time of Korean patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data. METHODS: Using NHIS data, the Korean nationwide health dataset, we identified patients with motor neuron diseases who were first diagnosed with a KCD-6 code (G12.20-G12.28; modified from ICD-10 codes) between 2011 and 2015. ALS (G12.21 code) epidemiological characteristics, including annual incidence,

mutations can contribute to ALS pathogenesis through toxic gain-of-function mechanisms involving abnormal protein aggregation.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can modify disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) model. However, there are currently no accurate biological markers for predicting the efficacy of autologous MSC transplants in ALS patients. This open-label, single-arm, investigator-initiated clinical study was designed to identify markers of MSCs that could be used as potential predictors of response to autologous MSC therapy in patients with ALS. We enrolled 37 patients with ALS

The linear relationship between log age and log incidence is consistent with a multistage model of disease, with slope estimated suggesting that 6 steps were required in Japanese and Australian patients with ALS while 5 steps were needed in South Korean patients. Identification of these steps could identify novel therapeutic strategies.

In a previous study, we reported that intrathecal injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) slowed disease progression in G93A mutant superoxide dismutase1 transgenic mice. In this study, we found that intrathecal MSC administration vastly increased the infiltration of peripheral immune cells into the spinal cord of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mice (G93A mutant superoxide dismutase1 transgenic). Thus, we investigated the immunomodulatory effect of MSCs on peripheral blood mononuclear ce

The objective of this study was to compare the cost of illness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the Korean population based on the staging system for ALS from the perspective of both patients and the government. Direct medical costs, care-related costs, and loss of productivity in patients with ALS were measured based on medical records and face-to-face interviews. The patients were divided into groups according to the staging system for ALS, and the cost of illness was analysed. A tota

OBJECTIVE: Distal myopathy is a heterogeneous group of muscle diseases characterized by predominant distal muscle weakness. A study was done to identify the underlying cause of autosomal recessive adolescent onset distal myopathy. METHODS: Four patients from 2 unrelated Korean families were evaluated. To isolate the genetic cause, exome sequencing was performed. In vitro and in vivo assays using myoblast cells and zebrafish models were performed to examine the ADSSL1 mutation causing myopathy pa

Objective The only identified cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are mutations in a number of genes found in familial cases but also in sporadic cases. De novo mutations occurring in a parental gonadal cell, in the zygote or postzygotic during embryonal development can result in an apparently sporadic/isolated case of ALS later in life. We searched for de novo mutations in SOD1 as a cause of ALS. Methods We analysed peripheral-blood exome, genome and Sanger sequencing to identify delet

About half of ALS patients without known genetic variation have cognitive or behavioral impairment. ALS patients with cognitive abnormalities, especially FTD, have a poorer prognosis than those without cognitive impairment. In neuropsychological profiling, executive tasks were effective in identifying cognitive impairment in the ALS patients. It would be useful for clinicians to classify ALS according to neuropsychological profiles, and screen for subtle cognitive impairment.