Posts Tagged ‘CELLS’
ADULT, AMAZON, bear in beer cooler, BOOK, CELL, CELLS, CURE, DISEASE, doris, heal, hero, ILLUSTRATED, STEM, STEMMY, SUPER, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on October 29, 2009 at 5:50 pm
. . .IS HERE!!!
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SUPER STEMMYS
Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells is the first ever children’s story on stem cells. A stem cell named Doris and her stem cell friends must all join forces and work together to repair an ailing heart and defeat Morbidus the Vile.
100% of the proceeds from sales of
Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells
go to the Repair Stem Cell Institute (RSCI) to help patients.
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ADULT, batman, CELLS, drunk, EMBRYONIC, fly, gilligan, island, janus, kitty, ointment, rabbit, stem cell, two face
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on October 28, 2009 at 2:31 pm
In the latest episode of Gilligan’s Island, we have the stunning headline:
“Embryonic stem cell breakthrough –
treatment for age-related macular degeneration”
gillians-island-mobile-car coconut bamboo ginger professor
Why Gilligan’s Island? Because on the show from the 70’s the brilliant Professor was able to make a car or a radio or a submarine out of coconuts, shells and bamboo. Pretty nifty skill to have but the only problem was; there was no gas for the car, no batteries for the radio, etc. All of these devices had to rely on Gilligan to power them and because he was… Gilligan … he always ended up “driving the same way that Woodstock flies” and the car invariably ended up sinking in the lagoon.
This latest triumphant headline of the “Embryonic stem cell breakthrough” is a Gilligan’s Island project. The “breakthrough” looks and sounds good, the science that went into it’s making seems strong and over all, it seems ready to take the world by storm…until you look more closely. Upon more rigorous inspection it becomes apparent that this breakthrough is really, like the Gilligan’s Island car, made of coconut husks, bamboo and shells.
Take for example that scientists haven’t figured out a way around the tumor causing qualities of embryonic stem cells (ESC). Consider also that ESC transplants require immunosuppressive drugs to counter rejection issues (autologous ASC do not). Also, and this is no minor point when you consider a “breakthrough” announcement; the article states that these results and treatments are not available today, but MAY possibly be available 7 years down the road.
“Breakthrough” indeed. I think Gilligan needs to get his hands on a compass…
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We interrupt this episode of Gilligan’s Island with a word from our sponsor, “Two Face.” “Two Face” is the evil nemesis in “Batman Forever” who is always of two minds on any given subject. He chooses to bring about good or evil based upon the outcome of a coin flip (a philosophy called creatively enough, Flipism) and he apparently rules the media in regard to stem cells with a “fixed” variation of the Flipism decision theory.
2-face-batman-forever tommy lee jones
I know, I’m on a bit of a tangent here. Bare with me, I promise it will all get tied together. So, before I lose you completely, let me spell it out in plain English.
For 6 years the media has used a coin toss to determine their coverage of and response to stem cell victories. But the coin they used was fixed.
- On one side was “adult stem cells” and when a story came out on ASC there was either no coverage or highly negative coverage.
- On the other side was “embryonic stem cells” and when a story came out on ESC the coverage was either positive or in the often times scenario when there was very little positive to say, incredibly optimistic and forward looking.
ESC = good, ASC = bad…
regardless of what the actual story or science or results had to say.
Do you want proof? OK. You really don’t have to work hard to see the obvious duplicitous and blatant denial, deception or ignorance that is at work here. If you want bragging rights we encourage you to be the first kid on your block to question this “historic embryonic breakthrough”. How, you ask? It’s easy and works every time on virtually every disease! Just Google the name of the disease (any disease) and the words “stem cell”.
Do you know what you get when you Google “macular degeneration” and “stem cell?”
Mixed in with this “amazing embryonic breakthrough” (I still don’t understand how it can be a breakthrough if it is only going to “maybe become a reality in 7 years.”) you will find articles dating back to 2002…that speak to the therapeutic benefits of treating AMD with adult stem cells (ASC).
Now here’s the clever part. How do they know it will take 7 years? It’s easy. WHEN did ASC treatments of macular degeneration first took place? You got it! 7 years ago! And today they are virtually common place. So 7 years seems like a good guess for how long it will take ESC to develop treatments. There aretwo big differences which are really quite large flies in their ointment though. ASC never had to cure cancer or rejection issues before their treatments could be considered a success; ESC do.
Regardless, 7 years from now embryonic stem cells MAY BE able to treat macular degeneration. Of course, the third fly in their ointment is that by then, ASC will have a 14 year history of treating AMD.
the not so proverbial fly-in-the-ointment
So we must ask the question:
Why is it that ASC treat thousands successfully with 130+ diseases and all you see are words like, “unproven”, “snake oil”, “more research needed”? Why is it that when there are monumental ASC treatment successes you see the credit going to “timing”, “physical therapy,” “dietary changes” or “a side effect of the treatment itself” (I still don’t understand that one!)? Or when they really get their back against the wall, they pull out their trump card and accuse people who are pro- ASC of being either religious zealouts or Ludites (anti-progress).
Well, I’m no zealot and I’m no Ludite; I just focus on the results.
When ESC show the remotest possibility of treating something, the horns are sounded, the confetti comes out and the balloons and the doves are released. But is it REALLY a reality? Maybe, in 7 years. But only IF they cure the rejection and tumor issues. Well then check back with me in 7 years. ASC will have cured every disease under the sun by then. But the ESC practitioners can go ahead and launch new products or a new company based on a 7 year old treatment derived from ESC.
This all just goes to illustrate the blatant two faced double standard between the media treatment of proven safe and effective ASC and the mere possibility of ESC treatments that MIGHT happen 7 years out and only if they overcome some huge obstacles.
double standard...get it?
If the media is going to be so incredibly duplicitous to the point of fraudulent claims and outright deception, they should do us all a favor and at least get better at it. These heavy handed and obvious attempts at obfuscation and misdirection are worse than watching a magician try to pull a drunk rabbit out of a hat while wearing a thick pair of wool mittens.
The sick and suffering people around the world deserve better and the truth is…
We can all “see” right through this 2 faced farce.
artery, cardiac, CELL, CELLS, CURE, heal, heart, RESEARCH, STEM, therapy, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on May 29, 2009 at 10:51 am
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, STEM, therapy, tumor
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on May 26, 2009 at 9:38 am
Monday, May 25, 2009 – Anni Shaer Levitt
Tags: Tumorstem-cellgeneembryonic-stem-cellscancer
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Israel have created a method that can eliminate the tumor risk of using stem cells as the cure for various diseases. According to the scientists, this development may revolutionize the field of stem cell therapy and save many lives worldwide.
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| Survivin (Credit: Protein Data Bank) |
Survivin expression appears to be especially high in undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells and in their derived tumors. The research team was able to suppress the survivin activity in the embryonic stem cells as well as in the tumors, thus initiating programmed cell death (apoptosis) in those cells.
Although inhibiting survivin expression close to stem cell transplantation should minimize the risk of tumor formation, the researchers remain apprehensive. There are still major safety concerns about the use of (EMBRYONIC) stem cells and a combination of strategies may be needed to make the process safe and easy to use.
via Preventing Tumor Growth in Embryonic Stem Cells.
ADULT, bank, BLOOD, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, heal, menstrual, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on May 26, 2009 at 9:29 am
First Menstrual blood bank promises easy source of stem cells
New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) For the first time, the country will have a menstrual blood bank which would be used for developing stem cells for treating various disorders.
Scientists say menstrual blood discarded from the female body once a month, considered impure and unhygienic for a long time, is a rich source of stem cells.
Chennai-based LifeCell International which brought cord blood banking to India plans to launch its new project “menstrual stem cell banking” in the month of July.
“We are planning to launch the project in the month of July. It is a richer source of stem cell in comparison to bone marrow as it regenerates every month,” Mayur Abhaya, Executive Director, LifeCell International said.” Women can store their blood by paying a fee and this can be used when they need it for any treatment.
Menstrual blood can be used to develop nine different types of cells including heart, nerve, lung, muscle, liver, pancreatic, fat, bone and nerve cells that form the lining inside the blood vessels.
“It is a painless non-invasive manner as compared to some other stem cell sources such as bone marrow,” Dr Ajit Kumar, chief scientific officer, LifeCell International said. PTI
via First Menstrual blood bank promises easy source of stem cells.
ADULT, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, funding, government, regulation, RESEARCH, stem cell
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on May 26, 2009 at 9:29 am
Published: May 25, 2009 at 12:10 PM
WASHINGTON, May 25 (UPI) — Research on stem cells in the United States is facing an uncertain future as a result of new regulations put into place by the government, an expert says.
via Stem cell research threatened by rules – UPI.com.
BONE, cancer, CELL, CELLS, CURE, disease. protein, heal, MARROW, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on May 21, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Wow! Is there anything that adult stem cells can’t do?!?! -dg
Genetically Engineered Stem Cells Target Cancer Cells
May 20th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Anti-cancer protein has the ability to cause the death only of cancer cells.
Genetically engineered stem cells from bone marrow showed promise as a potential new way to deliver a cancer-killing protein to tumors, British researchers said.
via Genetically Engineered Stem Cells Target Cancer Cells.
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SUPER STEMMYS
are coming!!
Doris is a repair stem cell with some very special qualities. Her will and persistence is vigorously challenged in her quests to overcome adversity and improve the health of a damaged heart.
Come join the adventure and discover the natural healing capabilities of the repair stem cells residing in all of us. Don’t wait! Dive right in to the exploits of SUPER STEMMYS!
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, DISEASE, EMBRYONIC, funding, heal, OBAMA, STEM, therapy, TREAT, TREATMENT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on May 21, 2009 at 10:57 am
WDBJ7.com - 17 hours ago
Stem cell research is a hot topic right now, since President Obama recently lifted the ban on federal funding for embryonic research. …
Bizjournals.com - 17 minutes ago
Researchers at the University of Louisville have discovered that stem cells extracted from bone marrow can restore damaged retinal tissue by generating new …
Seattle University Spectator - 17 hours ago
If a senator or president-elect takes a definite stance on anything, it costs them votes. Politicians who make best friends with ambiguity project the …
Bloomberg - 15 hours ago
By Vivek Shankar May 21 (Bloomberg) — Dnavec Corp. has developed a method to create human stem cells with a significantly lower risk of cancer, …
Trading Markets (press release) - 22 minutes ago
Stem Cell Innovations proprietary, human pluripotent stem cells, known as PluriCells, have the potential to aid in drug discovery, toxicology, and cell …
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
I am honored to have been granted an interview with As The World Turns soap star and stem cell transplant recipient, Anthony Herrera. …
Times of India - 16 hours ago
CHENNAI: In a few months, two centres in India will join the multi-centric global stem cell research where heart attack victims undergoing a by-pass surgery …
BloodHorse - 16 hours ago
Stem cell injection therapy for injured horses can dramatically cut recovery times and eliminate surgical scar tissue as a complicating factor, …
EurekAlert (press release) - 19 hours ago
The membership of the society, which includes a substantial number of scientists working with stem cells as potential treatments for central nervous system …
13WHAM-TV - 16 hours ago
Patterson learned that doctors in Peru are using stem cells from umbilical cords of newborn infants to treat brain injuries, so she researched it. …
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SUPER STEMMYS
are coming!!
Doris is a repair stem cell with some very special qualities. Her will and persistence is vigorously challenged in her quests to overcome adversity and improve the health of a damaged heart.
Come join the adventure and discover the natural healing capabilities of the repair stem cells residing in all of us. Don’t wait! Dive right in to the exploits of SUPER STEMMYS!
bald, CELL, CELLS, CURE, follicle, hair, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on May 20, 2009 at 11:45 pm
I’m not sure if I find it more ironic or more serendipitous that I wrote this today at 2:15pm -
“I’m surprised that we haven’t heard more about this recently. There are articles going back to 2004 (like this one) showing the successful use of stem cells to generate hair. Five years later, it is still not available?”
Ask and ye shall receive. -dg
Unlocking the Mechanism of Hair Stem Cell Regeneration and Regrowth
May 20, 2009 by Julian Phillips
Filed under Dermal Papilla (DP) Cells, Hair Follicle Stem Cells, Hair Regrowth, Hair Rejuvenation, Hair Tissue Engineering, HairStemcell Transplantation, Stem Cell Treatments
Elaine Fuchs, head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at Rockefeller University, is researching how stem cells in hair follicles are able to regenerate — research that may one day lead to the promised land of stem cell cloning techniques for hair loss. “Throughout our lifetime, each hair follicle undergoes cyclical bouts of growth, destruction and rest through an intrinsic stem cell population,” Dr. Fuchs told Science Daily recently. “It provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the molecular process of tissue regeneration and stem cell self-renewal.”
For a new round of hair growth to begin, stem cells in the hair follicle must receive a signal to divide. In response to this signal, the hair follicle regenerates first by growing downward through the skin’s middle layer, the dermis, and then producing the specialized cells that form the hair. After a period during which the hair grows longer, stem cells stop dividing, and the hair follicle gradually retracts again. There is then a period of rest and the cycle repeats.
Fuchs and her team have for several years been exploring the infrequently dividing stem cells located near the base of the hair follicle in a compartment known as the bulge. This time they focused on a much smaller cluster of often-ignored cells called the hair germ, located at the very bottom of this structure. Although little is known about the hair germ, scientists postulate that it emerges from the bulge at the end of the destructive phase of the hair cycle.
In their work, to be highlighted in the February 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, Fuchs and her team scrutinized the hair cycle through the resting phase and discovered that during most of this time, both the bulge and the hair germ remain dormant. By isolating cells from both the hair germ and the bulge, they also confirmed that the two are molecularly very similar, suggesting that the germ does indeed originate from the bulge. The researchers believe, however, that toward the end of the resting phase, the hair germ gets activated to proliferate before the bulge. Moreover, the team showed that the activating signal comes from a structure known as the dermal papilla.
via Unlocking the Mechanism of Hair Stem Cell Regeneration and Regrowth |.
SUPER STEMMYS!
Doris is a repair stem cell with some very special qualities. Her will and persistence is vigorously challenged in her quests to overcome adversity and improve the health of a damaged heart.
Come join the adventure and discover the natural healing capabilities of the repair stem cells residing in all of us. Don’t wait! Dive right in to the exploits of SUPER STEMMYS!
artery, cardiac, CELL, CELLS, CURE, DISEASE, forbes, heart, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on May 20, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Once again, US research and especially the US media (Forbes) is years behind the rest of the world on stem cell progress!
The headline in Forbes reads, “Stem Cells May Offer New Way to Treat Blocked Arteries.” Here is where the rest of the world stands on cardiac and arterial treatment with stem cells.
1998 – Dr Doris Taylor takes stem cells from the thigh of a rabbit, injects them into scar tissue in the animal’s heart and repairs the damaged muscle. The research was published in Nature Medicine.
1998-1999 – French researchers transplanted muscle cells into a human heart.
2000 – Human studies and trials using adult stem cells to regrow muscle tissue, including cardiac muscle tissue, are performed in many countries around the world.
2002 – Dr Taylor herself witnessed in Rotterdam the first patient in the world to get stem cells injected through a catheter into the wall of the heart. Encouraging results began to come in—improved ejection fractions, reduced diameters, thicker muscle tissue.
2004 – The first-ever commercial stem cell treatment center in the world was regrowing human cardiac muscle tissue in hundreds of patients in Thailand! Stem cells are recognized as “smart,” going to where they were needed most, creating micro-vessel bypasses around blockages that were existing, those that were removed previously and in areas where stents were implanted.
2005 – Dr Taylor rinsed rat hearts with detergent until the cells washed away and all that remained was a skeleton of tissue translucent as wax paper. She then injected the scaffold with fresh heart (stem) cells from newborn rats. Four days later, “We could see these little areas that were beginning to beat. By eight days, we could see the whole heart beating.” The experiment, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, marked the first time scientists had created a functioning heart in the lab from biological tissue.
2009 – Present day. There are currently dozens of stem cell treatment centers around the world who are using adult stem cells to treat cardiac disease in human patients and regrow both cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue and more.
CATCH UP!!
Stem Cells May Offer New Way to Treat Blocked Arteries – 05.19.09, 04:00 PM EDT
Injections into heart restore blood flow in small study
TUESDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) — Injecting bone marrow cells into the heart’s muscular wall restored blood flow to hearts with blocked arteries for which conventional treatments had proven ineffective, Dutch physicians have reported.
“I think this is very good news for patients who are at the end of the line and have no options left,” said Dr. Douwe E. Atsma, an interventional cardiologist at Leiden University Medical Center and an author of the study, which appears in the May 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The 50 people in the study, 43 of them men, were experiencing angina, or severe chest pain, because of blockages in their heart arteries. All had undergone several artery-opening procedures, such as angioplasty or bypass surgery, to restore blood flow, but such measures would no longer help them, Atsma said.
Half of the participants received injections of cells taken from their own bone marrow, and the others received inactive cell injections. After three months, the responses were varied, with some participants reporting complete relief and others with partial benefits.
“The most important thing is that the amount of ischemia [artery blockage] was halved” in those given the marrow cells, Atsma said. “The amount of tissue with ischemia was reduced, heart function improved significantly in a small way and their grades of quality of life were higher.”
Two earlier and smaller trials of bone marrow cell therapy for heart disease had produced conflicting results, Atsma said. “We are the largest trial to date and the first to demonstrate a decrease in ischemia,” he said.
The results were so good, Atsma said, that the participants who had gotten the dummy injections have since been given bone marrow cell therapy, and “we now consider it an option for patients in the same condition,” he said.
The study excluded people with heart failure, which occurs when the heart muscle has become too weak to pump blood properly. But Atsma said that a trial of bone marrow cell therapy for people who have blocked arteries as well as heart failure is planned.
The bone marrow cell injections help restore blood flow by promoting the creation of new blood vessels, Atsma said, but it’s not clear how this happens. “It could be that the cells that are injected become part of the vasculature, the blood vessels,” he said. “Even better, the injected cells may secrete proteins that stimulate angiogenesis, formation of blood vessels. Or it might be a combination of those two things.”
Whatever the reason for the benefit of bone marrow cell therapy, “we are fairly enthusiastic, considering that these patients had no alternative,” Atsma said. “They had all the surgery and angioplasty they could have.”
Dr. Amit Patel, director of cardiovascular regenerative medicine at the University of Utah, described the finding as “definitely a step forward in the treatment of chronic angina.” But he had some cautionary comments.
It was a small study, with just 50 participants, he said, adding that “to make it a more reproducible therapy, you would have to do at least a couple of hundred patients.”
Also, the follow-up period was relatively short, at three months, he noted. “Something positive happened, but you would have to follow these patients further to see how long it would last,” Patel said. Future studies to determine whether there would be an overall improvement in heart function would also be welcome, he said.
Doris Taylor, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair, also had qualified praise for the results.
“The good news is that it is more mechanistic in that it gives some insights into perfusion,” she said. “It reinforces the evidence that bone marrow cells are safe and effective. It also reinforces the prevailing wisdom that it is not a home run. The results are positive, but it is not the panacea we hoped it would be.”
To further the baseball analogy, Taylor said that “for the people who feel better, I would consider it a double.”
More studies are needed to learn about the value of cell therapy “across the complete spectrum of cardiovascular disease,” she said. “We need to understand what we need to do differently. I hope these data provoke that conversation.”
via Stem Cells May Offer New Way to Treat Blocked Arteries – Forbes.com.
CELLS, CURE, dog, heal, horse, lion, rover, stem cell, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on May 20, 2009 at 4:21 pm
There are many many articles about the use of stem cells for animals. (see the list at the bottom of this article)
Beneficial results have been shown in dogs, horses…even mountain lions.
The joke is definitely on us that Rover, Mr. Ed and…(what’s a name for a mountain lion??)…will get treated for their diseases while we humans can not…
except for outside of the US of course. -dg
Stem Cell Research on Horses Holds Promise for Human Athletes
DAVIS, Calif. (KCBS) — The repair of horses’ tendons, bones and ligaments with stem cell injections now being carried out at the Regenerative Medicine Lab at UC Davis holds promise for treating human athletes.
The limbs of human beings and horses have many biological similarities, meaning the breakthrough in veterinary medicine could someday help athletes heal from similar injuries much more quickly, said a leading stem cell researcher, Dr. Jan Nolta.
Listen KCBS’ Dave Padilla reports
“The results that we get from treating the horses can be almost directly applied to human athletes,” she told KCBS reporter Dave Padilla. Once the horse study is completed, the team would then petition the FDA to test a similar treatment in humans.
Cupertino show horse owner Dick Randall had a horse with a serious ligament injury that had threatened the animal’s career. But within just 30 days of receiving the treatment, he said the horse showed drastic improvement.
“He was ready to go back to the show within 90 days,” said Randall.
Neither the treatment nor the research involves human embryonic stem cells. The UC Davis lab is one of four university-based veterinary stem cell labs in the United States.
via KCBS – Stem Cell Research on Horses Holds Promise for Human Athletes.
All the lion, dog and horse posts to date:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/horse-stem-cell-technique-to-be-tested-in-people-reuters/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/video-using-dog-fat-cells-to-treat-arthritis-nbc13com/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/will-rover-outlive-grandma/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/equine-clinic-is-full-service-care-for-hoofed-friends-thecaliforniancom-the-salinas-californian/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/mountain-lion-receives-stem-cell-therapy/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/adult-stem-cell-therapy-for-dogs-too/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/stem-cell-treatment-heals-fremont-police-dog-20909-san-francisco-news-abc7newscom-3/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/skorean-firm-dogs-cloned-using-stem-cells/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/rovers-do-over/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/horse-racing-horse-racing-samantha-miss-has-stem-cell-treatment/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/prp-part-2-horses-and-humans/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/prp-part-3-horsing-around-with-stem-cells/
bald, CELLS, chemo, CURE, hair, heal, locks, stem cell, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on May 20, 2009 at 2:15 pm
bald mouse grows hair with stem cells
I’m surprised that we haven’t heard more about this recently. There are articles going back to 2004 (like this one) showing the successful use of stem cells to generate hair. Five years later, it is still not available?
Who cares, you ask? Forget for a moment about men going through mid-life crisis, buying red sports cars and driving fast down roads with the top down and the wind blowing through what used to be a full head of hair…(random fact – Propecia pulls in about $100 million per year and Rogaine pulls in another $50 mill.)
I want this to be available for those who have gone through the ravages of chemo. Men, women and children who have lost their hair and a perceived degree of their dignity on top of losing their health.
And for those of you that prefer to sport a bald or tightly shaved dome, good for you! http://www.brotherhoodofbaldpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=10162 -dg
Stem Cells: A hair club for mice?
It was a great day for follicularly challenged rodents: With the help of lab-grown stem cells, some totally bald mice sprouted luxuriant new tufts of fur.
Scientists had seen hints that some blank-slate stem cells normally live inside hair follicles to regenerate hair and skin. So Elaine Fuchs and her colleagues at Rockefeller University in New York took a single stem cell from a furry mouse’s hair follicle and grew it into millions of cells in a dish. After grafting the cells onto genetically hairless mice, they soon saw new skin, oil glands, and impressive patches of fuzzy fur.
The report, out last week in the journal Cell , is the best demonstration yet that a single adult stem cell can regenerate all the structures in a solid tissue, raising hopes for made-to-order replacement body parts. “That is the extraordinary advance,” says Fuchs. She now wants to compare these cells with other kinds of stem cells, like those in embryos. And yes, the work may, someday, lead to human hair growth. But don’t expect Fuchs to race for a baldness cure: “That’s not the driving force that makes me do my science.” -Nell Boyce
via In Brief – US News and World Report.
Some other articles on balding and stem cells over the past 4 years:
I have the cure for baldness (though it hasn’t worked for me,…
Independent – Apr 23, 2006
He may be about to announce what for bald men is the Holy Grail – a way of making hair grow again, using stem-cell technology. …
| Biotech turns to hair-loss research
San Francisco Chronicle – Mar 7, 2008
For those hoping for a new technology that will carpet a bald scalp like Astroturf, … Oro, who studies hair stem cells at Stanford, said work on the …
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| Two New Studies Offer Hope for Bald Men
FOXNews – Oct 13, 2008
In a related study, Swedish researchers have found a gene in stem cells which can re-grow hair follicles on mice. In a lab setting, the researchers were …
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| A Cure For Baldness?
msn.com – Jan 29, 2008
They weren’t trying to cure baldness, but they say that they may have, by combining stem cells with a secret compound. This is different from hair loss …
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| Doctors ‘close to cure for baldness’
Telegraph.co.uk – May 17, 2007
Rather than turning on stem cells, as thought, the method works by reactivating genes used during development of the embryo. If researchers can control hair …
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| Stem cell hair hope for baldies
NEWS.com.au – May 19, 2007
IT could be the answer to the prayers of millions of bald men. Scientists have coaxed stem cells into growing hair for the first time. …
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Male Call: Advice from a Guy.
Free with registration – San Jose Mercury News – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jun 19, 2007
Good news, bald men of America! All is not lost. (Except your hair, of course. Ha ha! … “From a guy living on Propecia and hoping for the day of stem cell …
Related web pages
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, DISEASE, EMBRYONIC, funding, heal, OBAMA, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT, TREATMENT
In ALL ARTICLES on May 13, 2009 at 3:37 pm
CELL, CELLS, cheerio, cheerios, drug, fda, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES on May 12, 2009 at 8:32 pm
CHEERIOS ARE A DRUG TOO!
first stem cells are a drug and now….CHEERIOS!
http://wcbstv.com/health/cheerios.general.mills.2.1007986.html
FDA Blasts General Mills Over Cheerios Claim
Cereal Makers Scolded Because Claim Of Lowering Cholesterol 10 Percent In Month Makes It A “Drug”
what’s next?
hold your breath, cause the next one is going to blow your socks off!
no…literally.
hold your breath. is air, with the medicinal qualities of the oxygen within, the next product to be regulated by the FDA?
how about Genetically Modified Air so we can better control what goes into it and distribution? pollution resistant air?
anyone know a good patent attorney? i want to get a patent on air and GM air and start raking in the royalty checks!
300, CELL, CELLS, heal, leonidas, MS, multiple sclerosis, STEM, symptom, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on May 12, 2009 at 9:12 am
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Multiple Sclerosis Patients Promised Nothing But Are Symptom Free After Stem Cell Treatment | Culture11
By Don Margolis
May 11, 2009
Multiple Sclerosis Patients Improve After Stem Cell Research and Therapy Preston Walker and Richard Humphries are shining examples of how stem cell research using Adult Stem Cells are improving lives right now. Preston and Richard were the first two Multiple Sclerosis patients to receive stem cell treatment with their own cells derived from their fat. Stem [...]…read more
via Multiple Sclerosis Patients Promised Nothing But Are Symptom Free After Stem Cell Treatment | Culture11.
ADULT, cardiac, cardio, CELL, CELLS, DISEASE, EMBRYONIC, heal, pfizer, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on May 10, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Pfizer is pumping $100 million into its international stem cell development program.
They are going to us embryonic stem cells and see if they have any potential in treating cardiac muscle.
They want to make drugs from the stem cells.
- $100 million
- into a science that is at worst, a dead end for creating treatments and at best, will not produce treatments for 20-50 years.
- to develop drugs (instead of using the stem cells themselves)
- for a disease that has been treated successfully with adult stem cells since early 2000
So what if embryonic research has been 100% fruitless (in regard to generating treatments) for well-funded and government supported scientists around the world for the last 11 years.
So what if Dr James Thomson, father of embryonic research said about embryonic research: “…embryonic stem cells are not being used in any clinical applications yet, while alternatives such as adult stem cells figure in scores of therapies.”
So what if Dr Oz said on national TV “the stem cell debate is dead,” recognizing the lack of potential in embryonic stem cells to produce cures.
So what if Ian Wilmut, who led the team that cloned Dolly the sheep, abandoned his license to attempt human cloning, saying that the researchers “may have achieved what no politician could: an end to the embryonic stem cell debate.”
So what if Dr. Bernadine Healy, director of the National Institutes of Health under the first President Bush, wrote in U.S. News & World Report that these recent developments “in the first six weeks of Obama’s term, several events reinforced the notion that embryonic stem cells, once thought to hold the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes, are obsolete….. In fact, adult stem cells, which occur in small quantities in organs throughout the body for natural growth and repair, have become stars despite great skepticism early on.”
Pfizer forges ahead with dead science.
$100 million…money well spent.
from http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/2793/
original article: http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/pfizer-pumps-100m-stem-cell-research/2009-05-08
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, DISEASE, EMBRYONIC, heal, STEM, STUDY, TREAT, trial
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on May 7, 2009 at 5:22 pm
ADULT STEM CELL TREATMENTS VS EMBRYONIC STEM CELL TREATMENTS
by Dr Centeno
We’ve all heard about embryonic stem cells (ESC’s). They have been in the news and the focus of controversy for a decade. We’ve seen far less media coverage of adult stem cells. Adult stem cells (ASC’s) are found in everyone’s body and they are capable of repairing a host of tissues. In fact, the research on adult cell lines has surpassed embryonic.
My search begins at the National Library of Medicine, looking at all embryonic stem cell published papers vs. the total on all adult stem cell lines. For every one ESC paper, there were at least two ASC papers.
In addition, the research on ASC’s is vastly more mature, focusing on animal models of tissue healing, dosing, early human cases, medication interaction with cells, possible complications, etc… The ESC research is more test tube and review articles on what might be possible someday. Looking in specific categories, I found the following:
- Cartilage Repair: 230 articles on embryonic vs. 1,113 for just one adult stem cell line (mesenchymal stem cells)
- Myocardial Infarction: 186 for embryonic stem cells vs. 341 for adult mesenchymal stem cells, 69 for endothelial progenitor cells
- Wound Healing: 114 for embryonic stem cells vs. 330 for adult mesenchymal stem cells, 565 for adult epithelial stem cells
For a more detailed analysis, take a look at the American Stem Cell Therapy Assocition (ASCTA) white paper on adult stem cells vs. embronic stem cell research. Summary? Adult stem cell research is much farther ahead. In addition, as I have posted on before, if the cells are autologous (from the same patient), they also have a much lower risk profile. While one day embryonic cells may rule the day, for now, adult stem cells are beating the pants off ESC’s in practical research.
To delve further, the first 20 references for myocardial infarction for adult stem cells are almost all devoted to actual animal models of treatment, advanced concepts such as dosing, etc…
Almost none of the 20 references in the same search for embryonic stem cells reveal any animal testing; the focus being review articles what about might be theoretically possible. The conclusion, adult stem cells are much farther along in their development with regard to real world treatments.
What have these actual animal and early human models shown that adult stem cells are capable of healing?
•Orthopedic tissues such as cartilage, bone, muscle, tendon, spinal disc, and ligament[1‐25]
• Heart [26‐40]
• Pancreas (Diabetes)[41‐50]
• Wound Healing[51‐61]
• Lungs[62‐70]
• Brain (stroke, brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS)[71‐94]
• Spinal Cord (Spinal Cord Injury)[95‐99]
• Liver[100‐110]
• Kidney[111‐125]
http://www.regenexx.com/2009/05/embryonic-vs-adult-stem-cells/
BLIND, CELL, CELLS, china, CURE, heal, HYPOPLASIA, NERVE, OPTIC, see, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on May 7, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Posted 6 May, 2009 in Optic Nerve Hypoplasia | Stem Cell Research Helps Blind Girl See
Hayley Pelletier had been legally blind since birth due to her Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. However, thanks to the wonders of stem cell research using Adult Stem Cells, these days Hayley can now see and in the words of her mother “Basically, her whole quality of life was just bumped up 110 percent.”
No Medications, No Treatments, Nowhere To Go
Before the stem cell research that changed her life occurred, Hayley was learning how to read Braille and how to get around with a cane due to the Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, a leading cause of blindness in children where the optic nerve fails to develop.
Until an amazing new stem cell treatment developed in China using cord blood stem cells, there was no drugs, no treatments that could improve Optic Nerve Hypoplasia.
Cord Blood Stem Cells- Only Treatment Available
Hayley and her mother Heather went to China for the stem cell treatment in November 2008. And the results have been amazing. Before, Hayley could barely only make out the difference between light and dark, but now-
- She can now draw pictures of people on paper
- She can identify colors easily
- She can watch television from 3 feet away.
From the stem cell article:
“It’s been incredible,” Pelletier said. “Basically, her whole quality of life was just bumped up 110 percent. She’s so much happier.”
Her self confidence has soared, too. Pelletier managed to say a few words at a Lions Club banquet, but she admits she was intimidated by the hundreds of people in the room. Hayley wasn’t.
“I brought a different child home from China. She stood on a chair and told them all about her experiences there,” said Pelletier, astonished. “Then she thanked them for honoring her with their support.”
Hayley Joins the Stem Cells for Optic Nerve Hypoplasia Club
Hayley now becomes the latest addition to our “club” of children who have been to China for stem cell therapy for their Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and the closely related Septo-Optic Dysplasia and then come back to the United States, UK and Canada with better vision and other benefits to their development.
Before that there was Jakob Bielski from Canada
Just last week, we added Dakota Clarke , her mom said “It’s been worth every single penny to see the changes in her.”
A few weeks ago we added Macie Morse who can now see well enough to drive after her stem cell therapy.
And before that Coby Fend’s mother said ““We are talking about going back — we’d almost be crazy not to, because right now it’s the best thing going in the entire world.”
And we also had Connor Corkern – He’s doing great. He is doing wonderful. It’s like we’ve got a totally new baby, Coye Corkern said
We had Cameron Petersen – Grandma Petersen said “There was nothing for Cameron before this treatment. Now, his world is limitless.”
Lydia Black- From her father – “the treatment is already having a huge effect on her life, and he is glad that she was able to receive stem cell treatment in China. ”
Lydia Olmstead and Rylea Barlett – “After her second treatment, we started to notice a change,”
Savannah Watring – “She said hello to herself in an elevator (after seeing her reflection). It blew everyone away. We weren’t expecting that.”
Xavier Carballo- Xavier’s ophthalmologist, Dr. Jack Guggino of Tampa, said he did a baseline exam on the boy before the trip to China and after his return. He said before the treatment Xavier could only detect hand motion at 1 to 2 feet, and after the treatment he could count fingers at 3 to 4 feet.
“As far as Xavier is concerned, there has been definite and measurable improvement, neurologically and ophthalmologically,” Guggino said.
If you or someone you know has a similar condition or perhaps another disease, please go to our Repair Stem Cell Institute website and we will provide stem cell treatment information.
ADULT, cardiac, CELL, CELLS, heart, medicine, mice, mouse, muscle, nature, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES on May 5, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Here we have a (COMPLETELY B.S.) Australian stem cell breakthrough…
mouse-science-muscle-stem-cells
The claim:
The article states that Australian scientists, on May 6, 2009, are the FIRST IN THE WORLD to regrow muscle tissue in mice using adult stem cells.
Stem cells regrow muscle
Wednesday, 06 May 2009, By Fiona MacDonald
For the past 40 years scientists have been telling us that stem cells will revolutionise medicine, but we’ve yet to see that potential materialise. That may soon be about to change – after decades of groundwork Australian scientists at the University of New South Wales have become
the first in the world to regrow muscle tissue in mice using adult stem cells…
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20090605-19090.html
———————————————————–
This claim is false.
Here is why…
———————————————————–
Argument #1:
This is TWENTY MONTHS behind the US stem cell scientists who regrew muscles cells in mice in Sept of 2007…and the US is behind most of the rest of the world!
Myoendothelial cells identified as new human source of stem cells with potential to repair muscle Published: Wednesday, 5-Sep-2007
…A thousand myoendothelial cells (adult stem cells) transplanted into the injured skeletal muscle of immunodeficient mice produced, on average, 89 muscle fibers, compared with 9 and 5 muscle fibers for endothelial and satellite cells, respectively. Myoendothelial cells also showed no propensity to form tumors, a concern with other stem cell therapies…
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=29538
———————————————————–
Argument #2:
1998 – Dr Doris Taylor takes stem cells from the thigh of a rabbit, injects them into scar tissue in the animal’s heart and repairs the damaged muscle. The research was published in Nature Medicine.
———————————————————–
Argument #3:
1998-1999 – French researchers transplanted muscle cells into a human heart.
———————————————————–
Argument #4:
2000 – Human studies and trials using adult stem cells to regrow muscle tissue, including cardiac muscle tissue, are performed in many countries around the world.
———————————————————–
Argument #5:
2002 – Dr Taylor herself witnessed in Rotterdam the first patient in the world to get stem cells injected through a catheter into the wall of the heart. Encouraging results began to come in—improved ejection fractions, reduced diameters, thicker muscle tissue.
———————————————————–
Argument #6:
2004 – The first-ever commercial stem cell treatment center in the world was regrowing human cardiac muscle tissue in hundreds of patients in Thailand!
———————————————————–
Argument #7:
2005 – Dr Taylor rinsed rat hearts with detergent until the cells washed away and all that remained was a skeleton of tissue translucent as wax paper. She then injected the scaffold with fresh heart (stem) cells from newborn rats. Four days later, “We could see these little areas that were beginning to beat. By eight days, we could see the whole heart beating.” The experiment, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, marked the first time scientists had created a functioning heart in the lab from biological tissue.
———————————————————–
Argument #8:
2009 – Present day. There are currently dozens of stem cell treatment centers around the world who are using adult stem cells to treat human patients and regrow both cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue and more.
———————————————————–
Conclusion:
This Australian breakthrough is not only based on the blatant ignorance or disregard of almost a decade of medical history and successful treatments around the world…it is also completely irrelevant to the current state of the technology!
This is like Ford Motors announcing today that they have invented seat belts. (Volvo had the first safety belts in 1849.)
It is time to put a stop to these erroneous, misinformed or purposely deceitful articles about stem cell facts, history and available treatments.
BLOOD, CELL, CELLS, immunity, inchworm, ISRAEL, legs, weizmann, white
In ALL ARTICLES on May 5, 2009 at 11:14 am
Published 05/05/2009 – 8:40 a.m. EST
white-blood-cells-with-legs
In research recently published in the journal Immunity, Prof. Ronen Alon and his research student Ziv Shulman of the Weizmann Institute’s Immunology Department show how white blood cells advance along the length of the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels. Current opinion maintains that immune cells advance like inchworms, but Alon’s new findings show that the rapid movement of the white blood cells is more like that of millipedes…
http://norfolk.va.mycitytalk.us/article/News/Science/White_Blood_Cells_Can_Sprout_Legs_And_Move_Like_Millipedes/22960
CELL, CELLS, cord, holland, OBAMA, potatoes, smart, STEM, umbilical, westminster
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 26, 2009 at 7:34 am
Stem Cell Row Grows As Scientist Says Embryonic Treatment Supporters’ Claims Are Fantasy
Article Date: 24 Apr 2009 – 0:00 PDT
One of the UK’s leading stem cell research scientists says a deluge of claims and speculation over future stem cell implant treatment is causing deep confusion amongst both scientists and the general population.
“Ever since President Barack Obama lifted US government spending restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, my in-box has been inundated with all sorts of claims and speculation about imminent breakthroughs in stem cell treatment,” said Dr Peter Hollands, a senior lecturer in biosciences at the University of Westminster, and a director of Smart Cells International (SCI).
“The true potential in stem cell treatment lies with cord blood stem cell collection, not embryonic. I need to put it in perspective: We have the technology to grow potatoes on the moon. We could fly everything out there at a cost of billions – and it would work. The alternative, however, is to grow them in our back garden.
“So it is for stem cells.
“Embryonic stem cell collection and treatment is untested, unproven and currently unusable – in some cases complete science fantasy – and burning cash at an enormous rate; Cord blood stem cell collection and treatment is proven and in use, and has the most imminent and massive development potential. It has momentum.
“Embryonic stem cell collection is difficult and controversial; cord blood stem cells can be collected from the umbilical cord during the 129 million births there are each year on Earth.
“Anybody would think that the restriction has been lifted on simply talking about embryonic stem cell collection and treatment, because while the talk has been free-flowing and voluminous, the potential for embryonic stem cells is as far behind as ever...
via Stem Cell Row Grows As Scientist Says Embryonic Treatment Supporters’ Claims Are Fantasy.
BLOOD, CELL, CELLS, columbia, immune, molecular, STEM, thymus, transplant
In ALL ARTICLES, SCIENCE & STEM CELLS on April 25, 2009 at 11:10 pm
ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2009) — University of British Columbia researchers have discovered a “molecular key” that could help increase the success of blood stem cell transplants, a procedure currently used to treat diseases such as leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and aplastic anemia.
During a blood stem cell transplant, donor blood stem cells – which can produce red and white blood cells and platelets – are injected into the recipient to produce new blood. The stem cells then need to travel to the thymus – an organ near the heart – and produce T-cells, a type of white blood cell that orchestrates the body’s immune system.
A common problem with blood stem cell transplants is the failure of stem cells to repopulate the thymus and generate T-cells. Without T-cells the patient is unable to fight infection and post-transplant prognosis is poor.
Now Prof. Hermann Ziltener and his research team at UBC’s Biomedical Research Centre have identified a molecule called S1P that can tell the thymus to “open the gates” and accept more stem cells.
“This discovery gives us a handle on determining whether the thymus will be receptive to migrating stem cells,” says Ziltener, a professor in the Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. “By treating patients with drugs that control S1P, scientists can now manipulate the thymic gates to either open or close.”
The same team had previously identified a number of molecules that function as the thymic gates for migrating stem cells. The new study, published in the April issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, is the first to hone in on the “key” molecule that can open the thymic gate.
Next steps in the research include finding the mechanism T-cells in blood use to control S1P formation. Researchers estimate that it would be at least five years before the discovery can be translated into a clinical test
via Molecular ‘Key’ To Successful Blood Stem Cell Transplants Discovered.
See also:
Health & Medicine
* Stem Cells
* Prostate Cancer
* Lymphoma
* Brain Tumor
* Immune System
* Anemia
Reference
* T cell
* Embryonic stem cell
* Somatic cell
* Bone marrow transplant
21, ADULT, CELL, CELLS, dehann, kadi, michigan, RUSSIA, SCI, spinal cord, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 23, 2009 at 11:24 pm
I, for one, fully applaud her strength and determination. No doubt, without them this amazing accomplishment wouldn’t have been possible.
And yet, out of respect to the thousands of other SCI patients who have illustrated the same amount of strength and determination, I feel it is my duty to add: maybe, just maybe…the adult stem cell therapy that she received 7 times in 3 years might have had something to do with her recovery?!?! -dg
GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)- The strength and determination of a West Michigan woman have helped her overcome paralysis. Kadi DeHaan was injured from the chest down in a bad car accident four years ago. But Wednesday night she got out of her wheel chair and walked into her 21st birthday party.
“I always knew that I was going to walk again. That was my attitude from the get go,” said DeHaan.
Doctors told Kadi she would never walk after a car accident four years ago.
“It was a rainy night and I was driving and I hydro-planed into oncoming traffic and then a car hit me and then I flew out of the windshield,” she said.
Kadi’s parents found a therapy for her in Russia. They’ve been there seven times in three years. Doctors take her adult stem cells and put them in her spine to regrow neuro pathways in her spine.
“We also knew of a couple other people who have been to Russia and were getting results back, but Kadi is getting remarkable results,” said Bonnie DeHaan.
The idea to walk into a bar at 21 started as a fun motivator one year ago, but Kadi took it as a serious challenge.
“She works at night time, she works on the weekends and then she’ll come and work with us. She’s definitely a hard worker,” said Kadi’s physical therapist Sandy Burns.
“Maybe I could have done it with just therapy but I wouldn’t have gotten this far but the stem cells definitely pushed me further and I probably wouldn’t have been where I am today without them,” said DeHaan.
Where she is today is far beyond the odds that were stacked against her.
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to us. This is it today,” said Bonnie DeHaan.
Since she already made this year’s wish come true, Kadi’s on to next year when she hopes to ditch that wheelchair for good.
via http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=108384&catid=48
ADULT, amd, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, EYE, eyes, macular degeneration, pfizer, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 23, 2009 at 10:32 am
From a recent press release on macular degeneration treatments:
“Researchers…used embryonic eye stem cells to replace the layer of damaged eye cells. While Pfizer is backing the British push to bring the therapy to patients… Adult Stem Cell treatments will be available both much sooner and much cheaper…
Actually, they already are available…but it is nice to see something in print that (almost) recognizes the disparity between available, successful and safe adult stem cell treatments and the feet dragging pharma run 7-50 years out embryonic stem cell treatments. -dg
breast, breast cancer awareness, BRITAIN, cancer, CELLS, fat, liposuction, lumpectomy, reconstruction, stem cell
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 22, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Posted 21 April, 2009 in Breast Enlargement or Reconstruction
Stem Cell Research Provides Help for Breast Reconstruction
Irene MacKenzie had a lumpectomy for her early stage breast cancer leaving her with a hollow in her breast. The lumpectomy took care of the cancer, but what about her breast? Well, Irene was the first person in Britain to reap the benefits of Stem Cell research using Adult Stem Cells for breast reconstruction.
Feeling Self-Conscious After the Lumpectomy
After the lumpectomy, Irene didn’t feel good about the way her breast looked. She looked for options. A friend referred her to Eva Weiler-Mithoff who is a consultant plastic surgeon at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Dr. Weiler-Mithoff who had been approached with a new Adult Stem Cell process asked if Irene would be interested in becoming the first woman in Britain to receive this new stem cell treatment for breasts. Irene didn’t hesitate and said “YES!”
Process of Stem Cells for the Breast
- Approximately one pint of fat extracted via liposuction from her stomach.
- Half the fat was put aside. Adult Stem Cells were extracted from the other half of fat.
- The Adult Stem Cells were then mixed with the first half of fat.
- The Stem Cell mix was injected into the hollow in her breast.
- 3 months later- the stem cell therapy treated breast looked and felt like a normal breast
Up until now, the only option has been to fill the hollow with the liposuctioned fat (without adding the Adult Stem Cells). The Adult Stem Cells create new blood vessels thus giving the newly added fat some blood supply so it does not die.
11 Breast Patients Treated With Stem Cell Therapy So Far
Dr. Weiler-Mithoff says that they have treated 11 patients so far in this stem cell clinical trial, but that she is very pleased with the results so far.
From the stem cell article:
This stem-cell enriched fat also seems to restore the softness of the breast tissues. It almost uncrumples the skin, undoing some of the radiotherapy damage, and women are reporting that their pain has eased, too – possibly because it makes the skin more supple.
I feel this technique will have a significant impact on breast reconstruction. Patients don’t need a big operation and there are no scars.
I recently covered a similar story approximately a month ago about this breast reconstruction in Britain although that story focused more on how this exact same procedure could be used for breast enlargement.
Also, doctors have been doing this in Japan for over 6 years now at the Seishin Cosmetic Clinic with an 80% satisfaction rate.
Similar Stem Cell Research for Face Lifts
Also, last week, I covered a company in China that is using this same technique of getting Adult Stem Cells from the fat and then injecting them into the face as an alternative to a facelift.
ADULT, autologous, CELL, CELLS, CURE, heal, india, paralysis, STEM, stroke, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 20, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Stem Cell Research Shows Adult Stem Cells Help Stroke Victims
Posted 20 April, 2009 in Stroke |
Stem Cell Research Study Reveals Stroke Patients Helped by Own Stem Cells
A new stem cell research study/trial recently completed shows that implanting a person’s own Adult Stem Cells helps stroke patients overcome partial paralysis. Dr. Kameshwar Prasad of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will present his stem cell study at the European Stroke Research Conference in May, 2009.
Stroke Victims Own Adult Stem Cells Used
In the stem cell study that took place in New Delhi, India, 12 stroke victims had their own stem cells implanted within 1 month after a stroke. Also, 3 stroke patients were used as a control group and were not given any stem cells.
Process of Stem Cells for Stroke
- Adult Stem Cells extracted from patient’s bone marrow
- Stem Cells are then purified
- Patient’s own stem cells are then reintroduced intravenously into the antecubital vein (in the forearms, near the elbow)
- Stem Cells migrate to area of injury (in this case- the brain)
- Adult Stem Cells enhance repair process and reduce brain damage
The Stem Cell Treatment Results
At the beginning of the stem cell study, none of the 12 stroke patients were able to carry out daily activities, use the toilet, take a bath, dress and eat independently.
However, within 1 year, 70% (I assume 7 or 8 of the patients) were able to overcome their handicaps and successfully return to previous activities like playing golf, working in the office and cooking.
Only 1 out of the 3 stroke patients in the control group were able to go back to their normal routine.
No Side Effects From Your Own Stem Cells
From the stem cell article:
“The stem cells had excellent safety profile. After carrying out Pet scans and MRIs thrice in a year on patients who received stem cells, we found no side-effects. This study shows that stem cells are a safe and feasible therapy in acute stroke. This holds promise and needs to be confirmed in a bigger study,” Dr Prasad said.
Of course there were no side effects, the trial used the patient’s own cells. Rejection isn’t an issue. As I say time and time again, the patient has everything to gain and nothing to lose. There is no downside to this treatment. It is a shame this isn’t being put to use in the United States and made available to everyone who may need it.
These same doctors will follow up this stem cell clinical trial for stroke with a 120 patient trial in the next 3 years. Hopefully, this will speed things up for Adult Stem Cells to be accepted sooner rather than later.
Related Stem Cells for Stroke Success Stories
The results of this study comes just after I covered this stem cell trial for stroke in Texas. Also, earlier this year, I covered the stem cell tea bag which helped a German stroke victim as well.
see also:
Brain Reconstruction: Stem-Cell Scaffolding Can Repair Stroke Damage
Stem Cells Revive Woman in Coma From Stroke
STEM CELLS & STROKE
via Stem Cell Research Shows Adult Stem Cells Help Stroke Victims | Adult Stem Cell Research.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, fda, iPS, NIH, PHARMA, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, BUSINESS OF STEM CELLS on April 20, 2009 at 9:23 pm
“The report predicts mergers and acquisitions will grow in the next few quarters in the stem-cell arena, following President Obama’s executive order allowing use of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.
Let’s not forget that Obama gave the responsibility of establishing the US position on stem cell funding to the NIH…and they came back with limited funding for embryonic and full funding for adult stem cell and ips cell research.
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/nih-stem-cell-guidelines-part-3-brief/
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/nih-draft-guidelines-for-stem-cell-research-041609/
Could this be because the know that adult stem cells have worked for over 6 years and iPS cells may have a lot of potential…whereas embryonic has huge limitations and obstacles and a decade long timeline prior to generating treatments? – dg
Venture capitalists and large drug makers seeking to boost their stem-cell research capabilities are likely to invest in the field, according to the report.”
Report: Pharma Deals In 1Q Exceed Whole Of 2008
By Linda A. Johnson, AP Business Writer
Manufacturing.Net – April 20, 2009
Printer Friendly E-mail to a Colleague
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The burst of drugmaker mergers announced in the first quarter is worth nearly 50 percent more than all the industry deals announced in 2008, according to a new report.
Deals in the quarter had a combined value of $166 billion, more than 10 times the value of deals announced in last year’s first quarter and well over the $114 billion in deals announced in all of 2008.
That’s according to a report released Monday by The Mergermarket Group of New York and London.
First-quarter deals include three involving the 10 largest drugmakers.
The Roche Group bought the 44 percent of Genentech Inc. it didn’t already own for $47 billion. Pfizer Inc. is buying Wyeth for $64 billion and Merck & Co. is buying Schering-Plough Corp. for $43 billion. Those deals are set to close in the fourth quarter.
According to the report, some insiders don’t see any more megadeals on the horizon and instead expect more “mid-market transactions” and deals valued below $5 billion.
One was announced Monday morning, in fact, with British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC saying it will pay $2.9 billion to buy American dermatology business Stiefel Laboratories Inc.
Glaxo and some other major drugmakers, including Sanofi-Aventis SA and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., have been telling investors and analysts that they prefer to make smaller, targeted acquisitions that fit with their particular growth strategies.
The report predicts mergers and acquisitions will grow in the next few quarters in the stem-cell arena, following President Obama’s executive order allowing use of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.
Venture capitalists and large drugmakers seeking to boost their stem-cell research capabilities are likely to invest in the field, according to the report. One potential target for big drugmakers is International Stem Cells Corp., which is doing early-stage testing of treatments using stem cells.
via Report: Pharma Deals In 1Q Exceed Whole Of 2008.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, controversy, EMBRYONIC, induced, iPS, pluripotent, STEM, THOMSON
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS - 101 on April 19, 2009 at 2:11 pm
iPS cells
iPS cells are regular old skin cells that a scientists has changed into something else. They take a skin cell, induce it (manipulate certain genes to express themselves) and end up with a stem cell. There is a lot of fuss abut iPS because they are pluripotent (can become any cell in the body) and they don’t require any embryos in the process.
More research is required and their use in treatments is unknown at this point but many believe iPS have:
- all the promise of adult stem cells for treatments
- all the promise of embryonic stem cells for pluripotency
- none of the embryonic controversy
A bit more info:
iPS cells were discovered in mice in 2006 and humans in 2007. Here are 3 articles about iPS cells if anyone is interested.
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/?s=ipsc+2006
Bear in mind that the more educated pro embryonic people will tell you that iPS cells ALSO do carry SOME risk of tumor formation. Fear not.
Dr James Thomson is the father of embryonics who gave up embryonic research because of it’s limitations to become one of the world’s most brilliant iPS scientist. On March 27th, 2009 he was able to turn skin cells…foreskin cells to be exact, into induced plutipotent (iPS) cells with no viruses or tumor potential.
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/news-stem-cell-pioneer-thomsons-lab-achieves-fairly-big-milestone/
Btw, whereas iPS have what looks to be a bright future, adult stem cells are still the gold standard for treatment Adult stem cells have treated over 130+ diseases successfully over the past 6 years and they also have a prior history of safe use as bone marrow transplants for Leukemia and a number of other cancers to counter the effects of chemotherapy for ~40 years.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, heal, jenkins, notre dame, OBAMA, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 17, 2009 at 9:58 pm
You said it
10:03 AM Fri, Apr 17, 2009
A sampling of comments from our readers:
“I hope I speak for a majority of alumni (Class of ‘77) when I proclaim pride in my Notre Dame for extending the invitation to President Obama. The university president, the Rev. John Jenkins, has emphasized that the invitation to Obama neither condones nor endorses his positions … regarding abortion and embryonic stem cell research. The invitation, instead, reinforces commitment to the mission of this distinguished Catholic university, to nurture intellectual pursuit and uninhibited debate. Are we to simply ban speakers with whom we disagree?
– Steve”
“Did you ever hear the scripture that says that light and dark can’t and don’t mix? I believe that any music that does not glorify our lord is not blessed by him.”
– “A Soldier,” on a favorable Associated Baptist Press review the new U2 album
via RELIGION Blog | The Dallas Morning News.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, dna, EMBRYONIC, epigenetics, heal, nucleotide, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 17, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Sixth Nucleotide in DNA Discovered
April 17, 2009
Chemical structure of cytosine, one of the four nucleotide bases that make up DNA. New research shows that two additional nucleotides — 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine — can sometimes replace cytosine in the DNA double helix to regulate which genes are expressed.
The rise of epigenetics in the past decade has drawn attention to a fifth nucleotide, 5-methylcytosine (5-mC), that sometimes replaces cytosine in the famous DNA double helix to regulate which genes are expressed.
And now there’s a sixth: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine.
In experiments published online by Science, researchers reveal an additional character in the mammalian DNA code, opening an entirely new front in epigenetic research.
The work, conducted in the Nathaniel Heintz Laboratory of Molecular Biology at The Rockefeller University, suggests that a new layer of complexity exists between our basic genetic blueprints and the creatures that grow out of them.
“This is another mechanism for regulation of gene expression and nuclear structure that no one has had any insight into,” says Heintz, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “The results are discrete and crystalline and clear; there is no uncertainty. I think this finding will electrify the field of epigenetics.”
via Laboratory Equipment – Sixth Nucleotide in DNA Discovered.
ada, ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, diabetesm denial, EMBRYONIC, heal, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on April 17, 2009 at 5:58 pm
April 17, 2009
Diabetes Orgs are in Denial
Filed under: adult stem cell awareness, embryonic stem cells — benotafraid @ 9:25 am
Well, in one way or another.
…And still another way the diabetes orgs are in denial is their fervent support for embryonic stem cell research. They are hopelessly left behind in the hype of the 90’s as science marches forward. For example, results from one trial using patients’ own stem cells and chemotherapy, allowed some participants with diabetes Type 1 to go 4 years without the use of insulin, while the average was almost 3 years. Interestingly, it appears that most of the American Diabetes Association research grants have been awarded to research using non-embryonic stem cells (at current viewing).
Given that embryonic stem cell research has not been banned in the US, one wonders why the ADA has not thrown their money at embryonic stem cell research? Perhaps they actually don’t have that much faith in it, afterall? Perhaps they’d prefer that you and I pocket the iffy research and they can keep their donors happy by funding the studies with the solid outcomes . . . maybe?
ADULT, budget, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, heal, house, RESEARCH, STEM, texas, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 17, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Supporters of embryonic stem cell research seek to keep bans out of House budget
By Corrie MacLaggan | Friday, April 17, 2009, 10:24 AM
Supporters of embryonic stem cell research this morning called on the Texas House not to adopt budget language that would ban use of state money for the research. Such language is in the Senate version of the budget.
At a Capitol press conference, Emma Garrett, a volunteer with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, said she hopes embryonic stem cell research could help find a cure for diabetes. Her 2-year-old daughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before her first birthday.
“For me, it’s incredibly urgent that a cure for diabetes is found,” Garrett said.
State Reps. Ellen Cohen, D-Houston; Mark Homer, D-Paris; and Rick Hardcastle, R-Vernon, said that budget amendments aren’t the right place to make policy on stem cell research.
“There’s been no testimony, no input from institutions and no opportunity to hear from the public,” Cohen said.
The House is debating the budget today. For Hardcastle, who has multiple sclerosis, the fight to keep stem cell language out of the budget will be personal, he said.
“My goal today is to make sure that none of these harmful amendments get on,” he said.
via Supporters of embryonic stem cell research seek to keep bans out of House budget | Postcards.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, michael j fox, mjf, Muhammad Ali, parkinson, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, CELEBRITIES & STEM CELLS on April 17, 2009 at 3:29 pm
The star who will never give up
ALWAYS LOOKING UP BY MICHAEL J. FOX (Ebury Press £18.99)
By Harry Ritchie, Last updated at 1:25 PM on 17th April 2009
As Michael J. Fox readily admits, he is only the second most famous Parkinson’s sufferer in the world, easily outshone by Muhammad Ali.
michael j fox always looking up
But the former Hollywood star has done more than even The Greatest to promote understanding of the condition and to help the search for a cure.
Always Looking Up is the sequel to Lucky Man, Fox’s mega-selling memoir that described his life as a star and then his battle with Parkinson’s after he was diagnosed at the age of 29 in 1991.
This update starts with Fox still a star actor, on TV rather than film, in the hit series Spin City. But the strain of hiding his symptoms from the camera is proving too much. On holiday in the Caribbean, Fox is hit by a moment of clarity – it’s time for him to retire.
After a 25-year career as one of Hollywood’s top-earning stars, and with such a terrible, exhausting and debilitating disease to cope with, Fox thoroughly deserved to take it easy for the rest of his life.
That’s exactly what he doesn’t do. Only a few months after his farewell episode of Spin City, he is hosting the launch of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Nor is this to be some self-indulgent, self-seeking effort for charity. Fox and his foundation immediately began to raise serious sums of money – millions and millions of dollars.
It soon became the second biggest funder of research into Parkinson’s disease, after the U.S. government. To date, the foundation has raised $200 million.
Not only that, the foundation has used its financial clout to take enlightened control of the way Parkinson’s research is carried out in the U.S., so there is much more openness and accountability among the university labs and pharmaceutical companies.
This is, of course, absolutely marvelous, but it’s rubbish material for a book. It could have been a 278-page boast about the author’s magnificent contribution to mankind. But Fox avoids that fate.
First, because his campaign and his foundation take up only part of a book that is also about his work and his family.
Glory days: Back To The Future (1985) Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd
Second, because he lives in the U.S., where what would be the most unimpeachable project in less fundamentalist countries is, in fact, controversial and highly politicized.
The problem is that by far the best hope of finding a cure for Parkinson’s is by using embryonic stem cells – and that is anathema to the U.S.’s powerful and vocal religious Right-wing.
As Fox explains, there’s no logic to this. The religious Right is afraid that the men in white coats will be farming eggs, creating clones in test-tubes and killing them a week later – but the embryos that researchers use are two, four, or eight-cell clusters that already exist, the leftovers of in vitro fertilisation.
Very mindful of that religious Right-wing idea, George W. Bush imposed a freeze on stem-cell research. Then, when Congress voted in favour, he used his presidential veto to maintain his ban.
Fox’s politics are strictly single issue and he is happy to support pro-research politicians of any party. But the religious Right regarded him as a baby-killing Democrat-with-a-cause, especially after he appeared in campaign adverts for a pro-research Democratic candidate.
The trouble was that the adverts were brilliant – dramatically moving footage of Fox, still recognisable as the once boyish star of Back To The Future.
He was smartly dressed, making his endorsement while suffering his usual symptoms, jerking and twitching uncontrollably – symptoms that would, a few days later, have him approached in the street by a heroin dealer asking if he needed to score.
Michael J. Fox and wife Tracy Pollen, 2007
The appalling Right-wing talk-show host Rush Limbaugh accused Fox of exaggerating and even faking his symptoms. Then Limbaugh impersonated Fox on TV.
‘I was slack-jawed,’ says Fox. ‘He flapped his arms and wiggled his fingers, while rocking his body, rolling his shoulders and bobbing his head.’ There was going to be only one winner in the Limbaugh-Fox contest: Limbaugh was vilified; Fox became even more adored.
And, as he spends much of the book explaining – entertainingly enough and not at all mawkishly by Hollywood standards – Michael J. Fox can count the blessings of his wife and children and his work.
Plus, he can end the book celebrating the advent of Barack Obama, who immediately repealed Bush’s ban on stem-cell research. Like most sequels, this second book can’t repeat the impact of the first.
But it’s well-written, unfailingly cheery and warm-hearted and, in the pages where he describes his battle with Rush Limbaugh, truly gripping.
My only complaints are that his chapter reassuring us about his (actually vague and not at all strong) faith will seem completely redundant to non-American readers.
And though it’s a fairly understandable mistake for a North American writer to make, someone at Ebury Press really should have known there’s no such place in England as Lancastershire
via The star who will never give up: ALWAYS LOOKING UP BY MICHAEL J. FOX | Mail Online.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, guideline, heal, OBAMA, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 17, 2009 at 3:13 pm
The National Institutes of Health is issuing draft guidelines on steps scientists must take to conduct embryonic stem cell research with taxpayer money.
WASHINGTON — When President Barack Obama eased limits on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, the big question became how far scientists could go. Friday, the government answered: They must use cells culled from fertility clinic embryos that otherwise would be thrown away.
Draft guidelines released by the National Institutes of Health reflect rules with broad congressional support, excluding more controversial sources such as cells derived from embryos created just for experiments.
“We think this will be a huge boost for the science,” said Acting NIH Director Raynard Kington. “This was the right policy for the agency at this point in time.”
But the limit will disappoint some researchers who had hoped to use a broader variety of cells.
Scientists are trying to harness embryonic stem cells — master cells that can morph into any cell of the body — to one day create replacement tissues and better treat, possibly even cure, ailments ranging from diabetes to Parkinson’s to spinal cord injury.
To see the guidelines: http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/nih-draft-guidelines-for-stem-cell-research-041609/
via http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/17/stem-cell-guidelines-limit-research-fertility-clinic-embryos/
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, emory, heal, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, SCIENCE & STEM CELLS on April 17, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Friday, 17 April 2009
Clue to How Stem Cells Form
Emory study yields evidence of processes that erases epigenetic signals
Friday, 17 April 2009
An Emory University study shows some of the first direct evidence of a process required for epigenetic reprogramming between generations – a finding that could shed more light on the mechanisms of fertilization, stem-cell formation and cloning. The journal Cell published the results of the study on the nematode C. elegans in its April 17 issue.
“We believe that we have demonstrated one of the processes that erases the information in a fertilized egg, so that the offspring can begin life with a clean slate,” says David Katz, lead author of the study. Katz is a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of William Kelly, associate professor of biology at Emory and a co-author of the study.
“One of the most fundamental mysteries in biology is how a sperm and egg create a new organism. By looking at the process at the molecular level, we’re gaining understanding of this basic question of life,” Katz says.
via CellNEWS: Clue to How Stem Cells Form.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, heal, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on April 17, 2009 at 2:33 pm
How do you call a proven history of safe successes over a time span of 6-10 years a “fast cure”?? http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/stem-cells-%e2%80%98can-treat-diabetes%e2%80%99-is-obscured-by-wet-blanket/
-dg
Experts caution over “fast cures” based on stem cells
AABB SmartBrief | 04/17/2009
Recent developments, including President Barack Obama’s decision to lift funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, have boosted programs focusing on stem cell treatments. However, some scientists remain cautious about how research in the field should proceed given the lack of understanding and the risks associated with such treatments. In the haste to meet certain expectations, some worry that funding may be prioritized for immediately applicable research aimed at faster cures, leaving little for more revolutionary work. SF Weekly (San Francisco) (04/14)
via Experts caution over “fast cures” based on stem cells – Related Stories – AABB SmartBrief.
CELLS, CURE, deja vu, denzel, heal, pluripotent, stem cell, TREAT, washington
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 17, 2009 at 2:33 am
Wow, weird feeling of deja vu…oh, yeah. This news is 3 years old. Catch up America!
Dr. James Thomson (U.S.) and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka (Japan), both of whom have our highest admiration, independently reached the conclusion in 2006 that it was preferable to re-direct research to development of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC).
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/a-grim-fairy-tale-americas-doomed-love-affair-with-embryonic-stem-cell-research-part-5-the-magic-of-induced-pluripotent-stem-cells/
The US just figured out how to do this… -dg
Adult stem cells revert to embryonic state
Published: April 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM
SAN FRANCISCO, April 13 (UPI) — U.S. scientists say they have, for the first time, returned adult mouse cells to their embryonic pluripotent state, meaning they can become any cell type.
The University of California-San Francisco researchers said they used tiny molecules called microRNAs to reprogram the cells.
The achievement suggests scientists will soon be able to replace retroviruses and even genes currently used in laboratory experiments to induce pluripotency in adult cells. The researchers said that would make potential stem cell-based therapies safer by eliminating risks posed to humans by these DNA-based methods, including alteration of the genome and risk of cancer.
via Adult stem cells revert to embryonic state – UPI.com.
ban, CELL, CELLS, debate, democrat, EMBRYONIC, embryos, florida, house, republican, rivera, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 17, 2009 at 2:22 am
Florida Loses Stem Cell Battle
House budget chief Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, put language in the House budget that bans the use of any state funds to support embryonic stem cell research, and it passed.
After an emotional debate, an amendment offered by House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands, D-Weston, to salvage the possibility of state funding for embryonic stem cell research in Florida just went down.
Florida is now one of the states where unused embryos found at in-vitro fertilization clinics will be destroyed rather than used to help make people’s lives better through stem cell research.
via Stem Cell Weblog: Florida Loses Stem Cell Battle.
BOLT, CELL, CELLS, houston, LIGHTNING, NIH, STEM, stroke, texas
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 17, 2009 at 12:06 am
Stroke Patient’s Own Stem Cells Used In Trial For First Time…IN THE US
ScienceDaily (Apr. 16, 2009) — For the first time in the United States, a stroke patient has been intravenously injected with his own bone marrow stem cells as part of a research trial at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Roland “Bud” Henrich, 61, was transferred to Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center on March 25 after suffering a stroke while working on his farm in Liberty. He arrived too late to receive tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the only treatment for ischemic strokes. He became the first patient in the trial.
The Phase I safety trial, funded with a pilot grant from The National Institutes of Health and support from the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation, will enroll nine more patients who have suffered a stroke and can be treated with the stem cell procedure within 24 to 72 hours of initial symptoms.
via Stroke Patient’s Own Stem Cells Used In Trial For First Time.
ADULT, CELLS, DIABETES, EMBRYONIC, insulin, jama, RESEARCH, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 15, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I am continuously amazed at the wet blanket attitude that is projected by so many in light of significant stem cell breakthroughs.
First they say: “stem cell treatment has enabled patients with type 1 diabetes to go for as long as four years without insulin injections”
…pretty awesome huh?
Then they say: “the team warned the treatment may only work in those very recently diagnosed”
…oh, really…bummer.
Let’s just overlook that “recently diagnosed” actually means “recently developed symptoms” (I am fairly sure they don’t mean a 75 yr old grandmother who was “recently diagnosed” as having lived with diabetes for 55 years.) and as my friend the actuary likes to say: “Let’s just concentrate on the numbers.”
- Diabetes Prevalence – Total: 23.6 million children and adults — 8.0% of the population — have diabetes. The total prevalence of diabetes increased 13.5% from 2005-2007.
- Diagnosed: 17.9 million people
- Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people (24%!)
- Pre-diabetes: 57 million people
- 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2007.
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics.jsp
———————–
Ok, those are the numbers….So how SHOULD this article have been written?
How about…
World celebrates as new results prove diabetes pandemic can be stopped in it’s tracks with early detection! Government to spend 10 million on improved early diabetes detection. (wait, where would they get the money…oh!) Money to be saved from not having to spend 100 million on late stage diabetes treatments.
Or….
5.7 million undiagnosed diabetes victims can now be saved from the trials of diabetes, amputation, blindness, kidney disease…etc with a single blood test.
Maybe you can come up with a different slant?
Point is; this is HUGE news! Can we now cure every diabetic in the world? No. But we can potentially cure MILLIONS and this is a time for celebration for those people…and a time for optimism for the potential cures for others who are more advanced (as the science improves)…not a time for warnings of limitations.
But no, they stick to the glass is half empty position and say:
“It would be wrong to unnecessarily raise the hopes of people living with diabetes about a new treatment for the condition on the back of the evidence provided in this study.”
But you know what I think?
I think caution is good…but we are talking about people who are living with diabetes! In my book, that makes them pretty damn tough already. They are not little kittens and they don’t have to have their hopes “managed” or “spoon fed” to them. In fact, raising their hopes may be EXACTLY what they need to survive through one more day of diabetes related pills and insulin, threats of blindness and amputation, reduction of lifespan, kidney and liver disease…etc. etc.
SO celebrate the victories, embrace the hope and ALWAYS remember:
“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
And as far as false hope, there is no such thing. There is only hope or the absence of hope-nothing else. – Patti Davis
Stem cells ‘can treat diabetes’
A young woman injects herself with insulin
One patient was able to go for four years without insulin injections
An experimental stem cell treatment has enabled patients with type 1 diabetes to go for as long as four years without insulin injections, researchers say.
A US-Brazilian project with 23 patients found most were able to produce their own insulin after a transplant of stem cells from their own bone marrow.
Even those who relapsed needed less insulin than before.
But writing in the journal JAMA, the team warned the treatment may only work in those very recently diagnosed.
via NIGERIA DEBATE, FREE TALK, SHOW, PEOPLE, GROUP, CHAT, VOICE, STEM CELLS ‘CAN TREAT DIABETES’.
bryan britt, CELL, CELLS, laney, MS, multiple sclerosis, Reuters, starnews, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, CELEBRITIES & STEM CELLS, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 15, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Britt’s fight against multiple sclerosis hits home for UNCW
Published: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 5:38 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 5:38 p.m.
Bryan Britt is foremost on the minds of us who know him. We remember his prodigious home runs, first at Laney High School and later at UNC-Wilmington, where he holds both the career and single season records.
It is also why we also are saddened as he suffers from multiple sclerosis, which erodes the immune system and is considered irreversible.
From a special that aired on Today on NBC, Britt learned of an experimental treatment for MS, using bone marrow for a stem cell transplant to reset the immune system. Treatment also involves chemotherapy.
According to a Reuters story, 81 percent of patients in the early studies exhibited improvement.
According to the Reuters story, another study of 17 patients in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, also with MS in the aggressive stage, showed signs of remission two years following transplants.
via Britt’s fight against multiple sclerosis hits home for UNCW | StarNewsOnline.com | Star-News | Wilmington, NC.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, education, heal, hearing, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 15, 2009 at 6:48 pm
If only there was a stem cell children’s book available, geared towards stem cell education and awareness with a fun theme and an impartial stance. If only…
Wait, there is! In 2 weeks, that exact book will be available on about a dozen sites including Amazon!
Be the first on your block to get one!
-dg
Hearing on Stem Cell Education Measure Coming Up
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Legislation designed to make stem cell education a part of California’s state public school curriculum will be considered on April 29 by the state Senate Education Committee.
The measure, SB 471, cites the California stem cell agency and its research efforts as the impetus for for the proposal.
via California Stem Cell Report: Hearing on Stem Cell Education Measure Coming Up.
achilles, bioscience, CELLS, CURE, heal, horse, medcell, STEM, stem cell, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 15, 2009 at 2:52 pm
LONDON (Reuters) – A stem-cell repair technique that has already been used to fix hundreds of injured race horses is to be tested for the first time in people with damaged Achilles tendons.
Privately owned British biotech firm MedCell Bioscience said on Wednesday it would start clinical tests within 12 months and planned to run a larger confirmatory study at several European hospitals in 2011.
Patients will receive injections containing millions of their own stem cells, which have been extracted and multiplied up in a laboratory, and can regenerate new tissue to repair damaged regions.
More than 1,500 race horses have been treated using the same process and follow-up data suggests a 50 percent reduction in re-injury over a three year period, compared with conventional treatment.
“The move from clinical veterinary to human medicine is inspiring and unusual — we normally see the translation happening the other way around,” said Nicola Maffulli, an orthopaedic surgeon and leading expert in sports medicine, who will help conduct the trial.
via Horse stem-cell technique to be tested in people | Reuters.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, fda, fox, oprah, oz, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS - 101 on April 13, 2009 at 9:48 am
Mr Stem Cell is sad.
No one understands him.
People think he isn’t special.
People think stem cells are all the same.
Don’t worry Mr Stem Cell, we’ll explain it to them together!
Why I am Special – by Mr Stem Cell
We are often saddened to see that many people and even journalists do not differentiate between the different types of stem cells. There is a lot of use of the generic terms of “stem cells” and “stem cell research” or “stem cell treatment” which results in an indiscriminate attack on embryonic stem cells AND adult stem cells AND induced pluripotent stem cells, etc. with no regard for their success, history, differences or presence of a moral or ethical controversy rank.
“Stem cell” is a generic term derived from research done by the scientists Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 60’s. The term “stem cell” can be applied to any of dozens of cells found all over the body, but make no mistake. There are many different kinds of stem cells, with different limits and capabilities and only one of those dozens is the “embryonic stem cell” associated with all of the controversy and debate in the US and a history of generating tumors after their use in treatments. By contrast, only “adult” or “repair” stem cells have an almost 10 year history of proven safe and successful treatments around the world.
One author recently attacked “stem cell treatments” with seemingly no understanding that he meant to refer to only embryonic stem cell treatments (of which there are no successful treatments) and not adult stem cell treatments (which have been used successfully for over 40 years and treat over 130 diseases to date around the world).
I offered to get him up to speed with a few articles…
Here is a stem cell 101 primer in the form of a discussion:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/stem-cells-101/
Here is Doctor Oz on Oprah saying the stem cell debate is dead and iPS cells are the future:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/oprah-michael-j-fox-dr-oz-stem-cell-debate-is-dead/
Here is the FDA regulation of stem cell treatments in the US:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/re-the-prior-post-about-the-patient-organization/
Here is the Dr Thomson article describing his discovery of iPS cells from foreskins that are created with no viruses or tumor potential:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/news-stem-cell-pioneer-thoms ons-lab-achieves-fairly-big-milestone/
Check them out, think about all the different issues and types of stem cells. “Stem cells” are an amazing and diverse group with many things that make each type of stem cell different and special and there are more types of stem cells being found all the time. After reading the the above articles, if you like, feel free to contact me to discuss the differences further.
Mr Stem Cell thanks you and so do I!
Regards-
David Granovsky, http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com
ADULT, astca, CELL, CELLS, centeno, CURE, drugs, EMBRYONIC, fda, heal, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, BEST OF THE BEST on April 9, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Patient Movement Forms in Opposition to FDA Position that the Patient’s Own Stem Cells are Drugs
A patient movement, called Safe Stem Cells NOW! was formed in response to the FDA’s position that the patient’s own adult stem cells are drugs and should be regulated as such. The patient group believes that this misclassification of adult stem cells will dramatically slow the availability of therapies without adding any significant patient safety.
At 71 years of age there is little interest on my part or anyone else’s to opt for lung transplants. I think this is disgraceful for our FDA to prohibit the use of autologous stem cells except in a very narrow concept so that people are forced to seek relief outside the USA 
Broomfield, Colorado (PRWEB) April 9, 2009 — The American Stem Cell Therapy Association (ASTCA) announced today the on-line publication of its patient web-site, www.safestemcells.org, which reflects the activities and opinions of patients driving the Safe Stem Cells NOW! movement. The patient movement was formed in response to the FDA’s position that the patient’s own adult stem cells are drugs and should be regulated as such. The patient group believes that this misclassification of adult stem cells will dramatically slow the availability of therapies without adding any significant patient safety.
Adult stem cells in culture
Barbara Hanson, the co-founder of www.stemcellpioneers.com, stated “Adult stem cells are cells from our own body. They are very safe. There are no moral or ethical issues. They are safer than taking aspirin and yet the FDA has classified our own stem cells as drugs that require regulation. This means that prolonged investigations, including lengthy clinical trials, will be required for each and every disease and application that adult stem cells could be used for. This could take years and years. It smells of big pharma to me and many others.”
A critical initiative for the ASCTA and the Safe Stem Cells NOW! movement is to bring public awareness to the FDA’s position so consumers, and those who stand to benefit from safe stem cell therapies, have the opportunity to be heard. “We get letters and calls every day from people suffering from a variety of conditions and diseases that have no known cure who are eager to access stem cell therapies.”, Hanson adds. “Many of them are forced to look outside the U.S. for treatment, which involves prohibitive travel and procedure costs.”
One of those patients is Beverly Lessard, a 71-year-old patient from Florida, who has been diagnosed with end stage emphysema. Her late-stage condition prohibits extensive travel and the estimated cost of $12,000 to $50,000 is unaffordable. “At 71 years of age there is little interest on my part or anyone else’s to opt for lung transplants. I think this is disgraceful for our FDA to prohibit the use of autologous stem cells except in a very narrow concept so that people are forced to seek relief outside the USA,” wrote Lessard.
Adult stem cells are ready for early clinical use now and can be processed with the same techniques commonly used in existing in-vitro fertilization labs. “Classifying them as drugs will not add to patient safety, but it will delay treatment to patients who don’t have 1-2 years to wait, let alone 5-7 years,” stated Christopher J. Centeno, M.D., a founding physician member of ASCTA. “ASCTA has established lab guidelines which will allow the safe use of the patient’s own adult stem cells under the supervision of doctors,” continued Dr. Centeno.
Adult stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells are found in the human body in various tissues. In order to obtain enough to treat a condition or disease, they often need to be cultured, similar to today’s fertility treatments. Adult stem cells have undergone much more research than embryonic stem cells and thus are closer to real world treatments. These adult stem cells are taken from the patient’s own body (autologous) and ASCTA believes that they are therefore safest for use in treating patients.
About Safe Stem Cells Now!
The Safe Stem Cells NOW! Movement was started by the American Stem Cell Therapy Association and driven by its patient members. The movement’s goal is to inform patients and physicians that their ability to access safe stem cell treatment is being heavily restricted by pharmaceutical industry agendas and by the FDA. For more information, visit www.safestemcells.org.
About ASCTA
The ASCTA is a physician group comprised of various medical and surgical specialties whose goal is to bring safe stem cell therapy to patients by establishing laboratory and clinical guidelines. Christopher Centeno, M.D. is a board certified pain management specialist in Colorado who utilizes The Regenexx Procedure, an innovative adult stem cell therapy that helps patients avoid the need for more invasive orthopedic surgery. Dr. Centeno has published numerous medical research papers on the clinical application of adult mesenchymal stem cells. For more information, visit www.stemcelldocs.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Holly Hamann
media (at) stemcelldocs (dot) org
via Patient Movement Forms in Opposition to FDA Position that the Patient’s Own Stem Cells are Drugs.
CELL, CELLS, CURE, heal, MS, MULTIPLE, myelin, RESEARCH, SCLEROSIS, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 9, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Now all they have to do is resolve the cancerous tumors issues that embryonic stem cells turn into….and address the associated transplant rejection that requires immunosuppressive drugs for life. OR…they can go to any of the 5 stem cell treatment clinics around the world that use adult stem cells to make MS sufferers symptom free for years. Are they once again missing the forest for the trees? Yes. -dg
Map of MS prevalence throughout the world
Stem Cell Breakthrough May Lead to MS Treatments
04.08.09, 08:00 PM EDT
Efforts produce human cells that might someday help repair damaged nerves
THURSDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) — U.S. scientists say they’ve coaxed human embryonic stem cells into generating cells that might someday be used to repair nerves damaged by multiple sclerosis.
The researchers pushed the stem cells to grow into critical nervous system support cells called oligodendrocytes, according to a report released Thursday.
Oligodendrocytes produce the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers like wire insulation. The findings represent an important step toward embryonic stem cell-based therapies in general, experts say, and also for cell-based therapies for myelination disorders such as MS in particular. At the very least, the findings should lead to a laboratory model of the illness’ pathology.
“They are definitely laying the groundwork for being able to apply these cells in terms of a therapeutic application,” said Timothy Coetzee, executive director of Fast Forward, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which partially funded the study.
Yet at the same time, he added, “It illustrated for me the critical importance of not assuming that because you can do something with a mouse cell, that a human cell is going to behave in the same manner.”
The research was published in t…
via Stem Cell Breakthrough May Lead to MS Treatments – Forbes.com.
13435, 13505, ADULT, BUSH, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, executive order, OBAMA, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES on April 9, 2009 at 1:33 pm
On 20 June 2007, President George W Bush enacted Executive Order 13435:
…so that the potential of pluripotent stem cells can be explored without violating human dignity or demeaning human life:
Section 1. Research on Alternative Sources of Pluripotent Stem Cells.
(1a) …shall conduct and support research…of stem cells that are…derived without creating a human embryo for research purposes or destroying, discarding, or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus.
(1b-ii) prioritizes research with the greatest potential for clinical benefit;
To read Executive Order 13435 in it’s entirety:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/executive-order-13435-expanding-approved-stem-cell-lines-in-ethically-responsible-ways/
On 9 March 2009, President Obama revoked Executive Order 13435; by Executive Order 13505:
Sec. 4. General Provisions. (b) Executive Order 13435 of June 20, 2007…IS REVOKED.
To read Executive Order 13505 in it’s entirety:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/executive-order-13505-of-march-9-2009-removing-barriers-to-responsible-scientific-research-involving-human-stem-cells/
To make it clearer, here is what this all means:
Obama effectively revoked research of stem cells that are non-embryonic and revoked the prioritization of research with the greatest potential for clinical benefit.
With this one unpublicized action, which was not covered by any significant media source, Obama assassinated any hope of Stem Cell Treatments in US for at least 10 years. Is it coincidence that this happened just when the US was waking up to the benefits of ASC and iPSC and their ability to treat illnesses?
Some may argue that the NIH has 120 days from March 9th to “issue new NIH guidance on such research” but there are at least two problems with this argument:
1. Obama effectively limits the power of the NIH by mandating the guidelines be “consistent with this order.”
2. The FDA’s position is: adult stem cells are drugs, subject to FDA regulation and requiring clinical trials.
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/fda-part-5-adult-stem-cells-are-a-drug/
You can NOT get adult stem cells in the US today even if they are from your own body. By FDA definition, you can only get drugs derived from stem cells and seeing as how the typical drug development process takes 7-12 years and ½ a billion dollars…
I wouldn’t hold your breath.
13435, BUSH, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, executive, NIH, OBAMA, order, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES on April 9, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Friday, June 22, 2007
Part III
The President
Executive Order 13435-Expanding
Approved Stem Cell Lines in Ethically Responsible Ways
Presidential Documents
34591
Federal Register
Vol. 72, No. 120
Friday, June 22, 2007
Title 3-
The President
Executive Order 13435 of June 20, 2007
Expanding Approved Stem Cell Lines in Ethically
Responsible Ways
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the
laws of the United States of America, and to provide leadership with respect
to research on pluripotent stem cells derived by ethically responsible techniques
so that the potential of pluripotent stem cells can be explored without
violating human dignity or demeaning human life, it is hereby ordered
as follows:
Section 1. Research on Alternative Sources of Pluripotent Stem Cells. (a)
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) shall conduct and
support research on the isolation, derivation, production, and testing of
stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types
of the developing body and may result in improved understanding of or
treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, but are derived
without creating a human embryo for research purposes or destroying, discarding,
or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus.
(b) Within 90 days of this order, the Secretary, after such consultation
with the Director of the National Institutes of Health (Director), shall issue
a plan, including such mechanisms as requests for proposals, requests for
applications, program announcements and other appropriate means, to implement
subsection (a) of this section, that:
(i) specifies and reflects a determination of the extent to which specific
techniques may require additional basic or animal research to ensure
that any research involving human cells using these techniques is clearly
consistent with the standards established under this order and applicable
law;
(ii) prioritizes research with the greatest potential for clinical benefit;
(iii) takes into account techniques outlined by the President’s Council
on Bioethics, and any other appropriate techniques and research, provided
they clearly meet the standard set forth in subsection (a) of this section;
(iv) renames the ”Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry” the ”Human
Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry;” and
(v) adds to the registry new human pluripotent stem cell lines that clearly
meet the standard set forth in subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Not later than December 31 of each year, the Secretary shall report
to the President on the activities carried out under this order during the
past fiscal year, including a description of the research carried out or supported
by the Department of Health and Human Services, including the
National Institutes of Health, and other developments in the science of
pluripotent stem cells not derived from human embryos.
Sec. 2. Policy. The activities undertaken and supported by and under the
direction of the Secretary shall be clearly consistent with the following
policies and principles:
(a) the purposes of this order are (i) to direct the Department of Health
and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health, to intensify
peer reviewed research that may result in improved understanding of or
treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, and (ii) to
promote the derivation of human pluripotent stem cell lines from a variety
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34592 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 120 / Friday, June 22, 2007 / Presidential Documents
of alternative sources while clearly meeting the standard set forth in section
1(a) of this order;
(b) it is critical to establish moral and ethical boundaries to allow the
Nation to move forward vigorously with medical research, while also maintaining
the highest ethical standards and respecting human life and human
dignity;
(c) the destruction of nascent life for research violates the principle that
no life should be used as a mere means for achieving the medical benefit
of another;
(d) human embryos and fetuses, as living members of the human species,
are not raw materials to be exploited or commodities to be bought and
sold; and
(e) the Federal Government has a duty to exercise responsible stewardship
of taxpayer funds, both supporting important medical research and respecting
ethical and moral boundaries.
Sec. 3. Interpretation of this Order. (a) For purposes of this order, the
term ”human embryo” shall mean any organism, not protected as a human
subject under 45 CFR 46 as of the date of this order, that is derived by
fertilization, parthenogenesis, cloning, or any other means from one or more
human gametes or human diploid cells.
(b) For purposes of this order, the term ‘’subjecting to harm a human embryo”
shall mean subjecting such an embryo to risk of injury or death greater
than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero under 45 CFR 46.204(b)
and section 498(b) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289g(b))
as of the date of this order.
(c) Nothing in this order shall be construed to affect any policy, guideline,
or regulation regarding embryonic stem cell research, human cloning by
somatic cell nuclear transfer, or any other research not specifically authorized
by this order, or to forbid the use of existing stem cell lines deemed eligible
for other federally funded research in accordance with the presidential policy
decision of August 9, 2001, for research specifically authorized by this
order.
Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) This order shall be implemented consistent
with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 120 / Friday, June 22, 2007 / Presidential Documents 34593
(b) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit,
or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity,
by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities,
its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 20, 2007.
BUSH, CELL, CELLS, connecticut, EMBRYONIC, florence, grant, OBAMA, STEM, yale
In ALL ARTICLES, BUSINESS OF STEM CELLS on April 9, 2009 at 11:03 am
Yale gets stem cell grants
Florence Dethy, Published Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The economy may be down, but for 12 Yale researchers, things are looking up.
A dozen Yale researchers have received $3.9 million in grant funding for research on human embryonic stem cells, The Connecticut Department of Health announced April 1st.
Indeed, after weathering federal cuts to research under former President George W. Bush ’68, stem cell research may be on the rise nationally, though Yale stem cell researchers say they have faring well for some time. On March 9 President Barack Obama retracted the federal stem cell ban enacted. While the repeal will open up a significant new source of federal funding, researchers interviewed said, they added that at Yale they have been benefiting for four years from a 2005 Connecticut law designed specifically to circumvent the federal ban.
via Yale Daily News – Yale gets stem cell grants.
ADULT, carpenter, CELL, CELLS, heal, STEM, stemsave, teeth, TREAT, tumor, WISDOM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 7, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Saving Stem Cells – Banking Stem Cells – From your teeth
Kristin Lowman
Megan Brown is no stranger to surgery. At 10 years old, Megan had a brain tumor
Megan says, “two surgeries to get the turmor out, now, I’m fine.”
So today’s wisdom teeth removal is nearly a walk in the park for Megan and her family.
But this procedure is special, because one day, it could save her life.
Megan says, “its been a recent discovery that your wisdom teeth contain stem cells. So I’m going to bank them.”
Dr. Robert Carpenter says, “in teeth, particularly dediuous baby teeth and wisdom teeth there is a tremendous quality of stem cells.”
There are two sources of stem cells, embryonic and adult. Obtaining embryonic stem cells is quite controversial while adult stem cells can be found in many organs and tissues in the body, including your teeth.
Living stem cells in extracted teeth are usually thrown out, but now, research shows saving those cells, could help with medical treatments down the road.
Dr. Carpenter uses a service called Stem Save, to harvest the stem cells.
Stem Save also tests the viability of those cells and cryogenically freezes them until they are needed.
Dr. Carpenter says, “you’re getting your own stem cells so there is no chance for rejection, no disease, and you can personalize them for any use you need throughout your life.”
Right now, dental stem cells are being used to treat MS, Parkinson’s, even liver and heart disease. Several hundred clinical trials are also underway around the world.
In just over a year, around 200 dentists across the country are using this service alone.
For Megan and her parents, its a safety net they are glad to have.
They start up cost for the service is around $600. Thats for testing the cells and for the first year of storage.
Right now, Dr. Carpenter says the service is not covered by insurance
via Saving Stem Cells – FOX23 News – The 10 O’Clock News.
www.Stemsave.com
CELL, CELLS, fort worth, heal, MS, multiple sclerosis, preston, STEM, TREAT, walker
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 7, 2009 at 12:22 pm
In May 2008, I went for an adult stem cell treatment for my MS. My symptoms included fatigue, depression, a cognitive “cloud” and heat intolerance. The treatment consisted of 5 intrathecal injections, 5 physical therapy sessions, a mini-liposuction where they removed my stem cells from the fat and later injected them into me intravenously.
Today, nearly a year later the only symptom left is an occasional cognitive “cloud” moment. I talked to as many media outlets as would listen. You can google “Preston Walker MS” and find some of the coverage. I am a police sergeant in Fort Worth, TX and am still employed!! I am very lucky the disease was caught early. There is a great deal of hope in the treatment. I won’t say I am cured but symptom free!!
Preston Walker
Congrats Preston! You are a tribute to the power of adult stem cells to repair and heal. Thanks for the testimony! Keep up the good work of spreading the word and let me know if there is anything I can do for you! -dg
for more on this story:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/stem-cell-research-talks-and-events-this-weekend/
http://donmargolis.com/blog/2009/01/stem-cell-treatment-keeps-helping-multiple-sclerosis-patient/
CELL, CELLS, CURE, fat, heal, MS, multiple sclerosis, preston, STEM, TREAT, walker
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 7, 2009 at 11:07 am
I started following the saga of Preston Walker and Richard Humphries in June 2008, just after they had returned from Costa Rica to receive Adult Stem Cells to treat their Multiple Sclerosis.
Both men felt improvement immediately after the stem cell treatment. And they still seem to be doing well- almost 9 months after the treatment. They are gaining a following among Multiple Sclerosis patients who are well aware of their exploits. Both Preston and Richard have become role models for others suffering from Multiple Sclerosis
And now, Preston was featured on his local Fort Worth/Dallas Television Station:
In 2001, Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, suffered from chronic fatigue, and began losing the use of his legs.
“I felt like my cognition was declining at a rapid pace,” Walker said. “I really felt at the end of last year that I wouldn’t be employed any longer because the cognition just wasn’t there.”
That feeling changed after his Adult Stem Cell therapy in Costa Rica:
For the first time ever, doctors took samples of their fat, drew stem cells from it, and reinjected it. By the second injection the results were obvious. The men had more energy than they’d had in years. By the end of the treatment Humphries no longer needed a cane to walk.
The fatigue and leg problems were a thing of the past for Walker. “I don’t suffer from any of those symptoms we talked about,” he said. “The depression, the fatigue, the cognitive cloud¦ I mean it will still raise its ugly head occasionally, but it’s nowhere near everyday and every moment of everyday like it was.”
And hearing about Preston’s story is nice enough but read this part too:
Humphries admits there were risks in being test patients for the treatment. “If we or somebody doesn’t become a guinea pig than how can that benefit others?” Humphries asked.
Since their treatment, dozens of others have followed in their footsteps to receive the benefits of stem cell transplants.
The full news story is here.
Preston and Richard’s Multiple Sclerosis blog is here.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, heal, patel, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 7, 2009 at 10:58 am
I think this Rep has been reading my blog and drinking the kool-aid! Only a few corrections to what he wrote. -dg
Adult Stem Cells Are What Work
by Rep. J. Randy Forbes, 04/07/2009
Prof. Ian Wilmut of Edinburgh University is hardly a household name. However, most people would recognize his Nobel-Prize-winning scientific development. Prof. Wilmut was the individual who led the team that created the cloned sheep Dolly and pioneered a technique many would want to use for a type of embryonic stem-cell research. His action resulted in both uproar and applause all over the world and was instrumental in bringing the discussion of cloning and stem-cell research from the laboratory to the dinner table.
For years, the moral and ethical issue of destroying human embryos for scientific experimentation has been the biggest argument against embryonic stem-cell research.
(besides causing tumors and severe rejection issues -dg)
But now there is a new argument against embryonic stem-cell research: science.
Just recently, President Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban on the use of federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research, an act based more on politics than it was on science. (Private funding for this research has never been banned.) His action reignited the contentious issue for many individuals in the U.S. — it also ignored the miracles we’ve seen in advancing science.
Adult stem-cells are derived from umbilical cords, wisdom teeth, amniotic fluid, and various tissues, and they don’t hold the same ethical concerns that stem-cells taken from human embryos do. Over the years, adult stem cells have resulted in 73 successful treatments
(it’s up to 130+ now – dg)
for various diseases like Alzheimer’s, Type 1 Diabetes, Parkinson’s, and various forms of cancer.
A U.S. doctor, Amid (Amit – dg) Patel, has used adult stem cells to successfully treat over 1,800 patients who suffered from severe heart failure, dramatically increasing their quality of life and chances of survival. Two years ago, I met a man named Stephen Sprague, who had been treated for leukemia through the use of adult stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood. There are success stories like Dr. Patel’s and Stephen Sprague’s scattered across the globe where individuals have been treated for their diseases by adult stem cells, and the hope for future breakthroughs seems limitless. On the other hand, despite millions of dollars of research, not one — not one — embryonic stem-cell trial has resulted in the successful treatment of a human patient.
Perhaps most incredibly, though, is the fact that scientists have just recently figured out how to reprogram adult stem cells
(actually adult skin cells but they are turned into iPS and some argue that they must pass through an adult stem cell state while doing so – dg)
to the point where they function exactly like an embryonic stem cell. These cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), can do everything an embryonic stem cell is capable of, only without having to destroy a human embryo. Because of this development, there is likely no medical benefit that can come from embryonic stem-cell research that cannot be obtained from adult stem cells.
(this is way to broad a generalization. how can we determine what we can learn from something unless it is studied? – dg)
IPS cells also have a greater advantage because they can be derived from a person’s own cells, so a patient’s body is less likely to reject the stem-cell treatment.
(while this is true, many IPS cells are from other peoples cells. recent iPS cells come from foreskins of other people or allogenic cells as opposed to autologous cells – dg)
Science is truly outpacing the embryonic stem-cell debate. Scientists across the world who were once advocates of this research have reversed course. They overwhelmingly say the future of stem-cell research lies in iPS cells and adult stem cells. Dr. James Thompson, known as the father of embryonic stem-cell research, has said that “it’s probably the beginning of the end for that controversy.” In fact, even the sheep-cloning Prof. Wilmut has abandoned embryonic stem-cell experimentation saying that the use of iPS cells is “extremely exciting and astonishing” and shows more promise for the future.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31364/trackback/
ADULT, austin, cardiology, CELL, CELLS, CURE, gammon, heal, heart, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 4, 2009 at 4:31 am
This is great news also…
but they have been treating MI with adult stem cells successfully in thailand, germany, china for almost 10 yrs now. Catch UP! -dg
On March 30, Dr. Roger Gammon, a cardiologist with Austin Heart cardiology group treated the first patient in the world( a 58-year-old Central Texas man) enrolled in a groundbreaking Phase II study. It is one of the nation’s first hospitals to test the new therapy.
The stem cell treatment is administered intravenously and typically takes less than an hour to complete.
The Austin Heart Hospital is one of the 40 hospitals in the nation to conduct this groundbreaking adult stem cell trial, and they are excited enough to lead the way in this important research.
The aim of the study is to test the effectiveness and safety of administering adult stem cells intravenously to repair damaged heart tissue after a heart attack.
patients are injected with donated adult stem cells from the bone marrow of others. The stems cells are purified by Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., which markets them as a product called Prochymal.
Prochymal is being evaluated for its ability to treat heart damage caused by a heart attack. The active ingredient in the new treatment is adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs). MSCs have the ability to develop into other types of cells and generate new tissue, including heart muscle.
Patients who are interested to participate in the study must receive the treatment within seven days of a heart attack.
Source: FoxBusiness
via Stem Cell Research Blog » Groundbreaking Stem cell therapy Phase II trial on damage heart tissue treatment.
ADULT, cartilage, CELL, CELLS, CURE, heal, osteoarthritis, progenitor, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 3, 2009 at 11:19 pm
ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2009) — A new study finds previously unidentified fibrocartilage-forming progenitor cells in degenerating, diseased human cartilage, but not in cartilage from healthy joints. The research, published in the April 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provides valuable insights into the reparative potential of cartilage and may lead to development of regenerative therapies for arthritis.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is an incurable degenerative disease caused by a progressive deterioration of the cartilage that cushions and protects joints. “OA is the most common musculoskeletal disease in the elderly and is likely to be the fourth-leading cause of disability by the year 2020,” explains senior study author Dr. Nicolai Miosge from Georg August University in Goettingen, Germany. “This is our motivation for the further exploration of OA treatment options, including regenerative cell biological therapy.”…
via Diseased Cartilage Harbors Unique Migratory Progenitor Cells.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, epSPC, heal, ipsc, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on April 3, 2009 at 7:22 pm
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, ipsc, michael j fox, oprah, oz, parkinson's, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, BEST OF THE BEST on April 3, 2009 at 6:41 pm
The Wisdom of Oz
Visualize the surreal image of Oprah Winfrey, Michael J Fox and Dr. Mehmet Oz, wearing purple surgical gloves, sitting on stage around a human brain. Dr. Oz explains the absence of Nigro-Striatal Neurons in the brain of Parkinson’s patients while lifting out partially dissected chunks of brain and placing them into Michael’s shaking hand.
The camera zooms in as Dr. Oz steadies Michael’s hand in his. Dr. Oz weaves an intimidating, steel needle between Michael’s gloved and trembling fingers and illustrates the procedure for injecting stem cells into the brain by plunging it both into and through the quivering cerebellum. Michael’s legs spasm and contort and my stomach clenches empathetically with what I sense is Michael’s extreme discomfort, but is really a symptom of his condition.
And yet, NOTHING could have prepared me for what happened next as Dr. Oz, unbelievably and without prelude or warning, makes the stunning statement:
“I think, Oprah, the stem cell debate is dead.”
“The problem with embryonic stem cells is that embryonic stem cells come from embryos, like all of us are made from embryos, and those cells can become any cell in the body, but it’s very hard to control them and so they can become cancer.”
While astonished by his public announcement, I soon began to wonder: “why did Dr Oz only briefly allude to the potential of iPS cells and the proven benefits of adult stem cell treatments?” And then it became clear.
Dr Oz recognizes that the average person on an American street is led to believe, “a stem cell is an embryo is a stem cell”. Due to years of misleading media saturation, as far most Americans know, there are no other stem cells besides embryonic. Walk down the street and ask someone “what is an adult stem cell…what is an iPS cell”, and your inquiries will surely be met by blank stares.
So in retrospect, what Oz DID do, was truly…amazing.
Shunning the history of the love/hate affair Americans have with Embryonic stem cell research and ignoring the majority of US media over the past 5 years, the decrees of President Obama’s funding policies, the positions of the FDA and AMA and the fruitless decade long public pursuit of embryonic cures undertaken by Michael J Fox (with the benevolent and optimistic spirit of Christopher Reeve hovering over him) and before the bewildered eyes of Michael, Oprah and ~7.2 million viewers, Dr Mehmet Oz nailed the coffin shut on ESC treatments:
“I think, Oprah, the stem cell debate is dead.”
With this one simple statement on national TV, Dr Oz has taken the first step towards educating the American public about the current insurmountable limitations of embryonic stem cells and cracked open the door to the American collective mind-set regarding the potential of iPS cells and the reality that Repair stem cells (RSC) have been treating diseases around the world successfully for a decade. Despite the fact that thousands of American doctors refer to RSC as “snake oil,” more and more American patients are realizing that the US medical system is faltering, dated and just not working while the greatest medicine the world has ever seen is available just beyond the borders of their own country.
The seeds planted by Dr Oz will take a long time to find purchase in the collective American mind-set. There is too much embryonic momentum, media and drama, and America loves drama. Embryonic stem cells will not go away and like Romeo and Juliet, this love/hate affair may have to run its course for most, despite Dr Oz stealing the “distilled liquor” and Romeo’s poison and dagger in an attempt to avoid all of the deaths at the end of this play.
To read more about this grim fairy tale: http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/a-grim-fairy-tale-americas-doomed-love-affair-with-embryonic-stem-cell-research-intro-the-romance-is-an-illusion/
One step at a time we will climb this mountain and slowly open American eyes to improve their knowledge of treatment options so all can intelligently exercise the freedom of choice in their individual medical care. One inch at a time, Oz wisely created a pathway to an amazing new world of available medical treatments for what were previously believed to be incurable diseases and are in fact treating patients successfully around the world.
Dr Oz took this first step and it was a HUGE first step!
So from where I am sitting, I would like to express my heartfelt and sincerest appreciation for Dr Oz’s bravery, statements and actions. Thank you, Dr. Oz and thank you Oprah; for allowing this sage doctor the forum to break the walls restricting millions of Americans from the knowledge of the medical treatment options they so unquestionably deserve.
To see the original video:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/oprah-michael-j-fox-dr-mehmet-oz-the-stem-cell-debate-is-over/
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, embryo, glenn heer, golf, STEM, therapy, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 3, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Golf for a cause
BY STEVE HANF
The questions finally ended for Glenn Heer last August. Now the fun really begins.
High Point Central’s senior golfer celebrated his 18th birthday last week immersed in work for his senior project. Beset by an unknown and life-threatening immune system disorder nearly his entire life, Heer has turned to the game he loves to raise money for research that just became a whole lot more meaningful.
via The High Point Enterprise : Golf for a cause.
Profile of Glenn Heer
via http://www.childrensinn.org/atf/cf/%7BFC217B38-92A0-42EF-A404-C40162F8FE8F%7D/Fall_07_News.pdf
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, dyer, EMBRYONIC, nuva, nuvasive, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, BUSINESS OF STEM CELLS on April 2, 2009 at 6:52 pm
| Nuvasive (NUVA): Growth in adult stem cells |
|
|
|
| Thursday, 02 April 2009 |
 “In all the excitement over the new future for embryonic stem cell, it seems investors have forgotten about adult stem cell products,” notes growth stock specialist Dave Dyer.
In his Dave Dyer’s Newsletter, he explains, “In fact, there are adult stem cell products either already on the market or in late clinical trials. We view this as an excellent opportunity.” Here, he looks at NuVasive (NASDAQ: NUVA).
“Stem cells can grow into any type of organ or tissue and the promise is that damaged organs may be repaired or even replaced with spare parts grown from stem cells. This amazing potential could revolutionize the life sciences.
“NuVasive is a rapidly growing company with unique technology for minimally-invasive back surgery; named Osteocel, it is a stem cell-based product used to help with bone grafts done as a part of spinal surgery.
“This is one of the first regular commercial application of a product based on human stem cells. We note that this product is based on adult stem cells from bone marrow, not embryonic stem cells.
“Osteocel, was sold to NuVasive by Osiris in exchange for a stream of payments based on specific milestones. Nuvasive expects Osteocel to provide $28 million of new revenue for NUVA in 2009, up from $10 million in 2008, so this is a serious product.
“The spinal fusion market — NUVA’s focus — is about $4.2 billion per year. They are a small player, with about 6% of the market, but that is up from 4% last year, for a 50% increase in market share. Not too bad.
“NUVA’s products support a type of minimally-invasive back surgery in which small incisions are made in the side rather than large ones in the back. It provides surgeons with a combination of technology, software, and consumables that bring in about $12,000 per operation.
“Many of their products are based on proprietary patent-protected technology. They have 52 U.S. patents issued and 189 pending.
“Overall, their approach results in less time in the operating room, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery. That is probably why they are growing so rapidly. For the last eight quarters, revenue has grown between 50% and 70% per quarter.
“While profits have not grown as rapidly, both 2007 and 2008 were profitable years. In addition, they have no debt.
“A long term chart shows that they had a super 450% gain after their IPO in 2004, but were brought down by the recent bad market. There does not seem to be any fundamental reason behind the drop. It appears that NUVA is now moving in the right direction again.” |
ADULT, bill, budget, CELL, CELLS, embryo. rider, OBAMA, senate, state, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 2, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Thursday, 02 Apr 2009
Jacksonville – Sen. Steve Ogden, a Republican from Texas, has potentially derailed not only government funding for embryonic stem cell research, but also has a attempted to derail President Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget. The rider states “No funds appropriated under this act shall be used in conjunction with or to support research which involves the destruction of a human embryo.”
The rider was passed by the Senate Finance Committee 6-5, with some members absent. The Senate is debating the budget and as of the time of this writing there is not news on whether it has passed with the addition of the stem cell rider.
President Obama had reversed George W. Bush’s executive order banning embryonic stem cell research. The controversial medical research involves using stem cells from embryos donated by parents who had In Vitro Fertilization and has extra embryos which otherwise would be destroyed. For many parents, donating these embryos to science makes them feel good. Others actually pay to have the embryos frozen forever, or allow them to be “adopted” by others for IVF.
Stem cells based medical research, including adult stem cells as well as embryonic stem cells are thought to hold the potential to treat or cure many diseases including Deafness, Paralysis, Diabetes, and Crohn’s Disease. When President Obama reversed Bush’s executive order, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) was given 120 days to come up with a set of guidelines for any Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Since these guidelines are not yet completed, no new embryonic stem cell research is specifically marked for funding in this year’s budget and this budget rider would make it impossible for any of the health agencies to make further determination of with funds allocated in this years budget.
Some of the issues the National Institute of Health will consider when writing guidelines for the use of embryonic stem cells in research are making sure the parents who donate embryos sign informed consent forms to show that they understand and approve of the research methodology. It is speculated that there may be additional language added to the guidelines restricting any embryos used to the products on fertility treatments. As well, it is expected that there be some separation set up between doctors who do fertility treatments and doctors who do stem cell research, to limit any conflict of interest.
Many in the medical and patient advocacy communities are very concerned that the budget will pass with this rider slipped in by a largely absent subcommittee. It is speculated that Sen. Ogden, who is said to be in his last term in office, is attempting to derail the Democrat’s budget vote by adding this controversial rider.
http://www.healthjackal.com/science/2009/04/02/will-controversial-stem-cell-rider-derail-senate-budget-vote/
ADULT, cancer, CELL, CELLS, chicken, condom, freezer, hot dog, Labrador, Newfoundland, pudding, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, OFF THE BEATEN PATH, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 2, 2009 at 12:46 pm
call me conservative but I think they all go under the list of things not to fool with when they may have gone bad. I’ll wait for the next batch, thanks. -dg
HOT DOG GONE BAD?
Stem cells stored in broken freezer given OK for use in N.L. cancer patients – Winnipeg Free Press
THE CANADIAN PRESS
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest health board says stem cells stored in a freezer that broke down last year can still be safely used for transplants in cancer patients.
Last September, a freezer storing the stem cells of 29 cancer patients set at -150 C had begun to rise in temperature. The cells were transferred to two other freezers – one set at -150 C, the other at -85 C.
Hematologist Dr. Kirsty Tompkins of the Eastern Health authority said today that a sample of the transferred cells was sent to the University of Alberta to determine whether the cells were damaged in the transferral process.
Tompkins says the retesting has led Eastern Health to conclude that the cells are still safe to use for transplants.
She says the patients have been notified of the results of the retests.
Six of the 29 cancer patients have since died, but their deaths are not related to the malfunctioning stem cell freezer.
via Stem cells stored in broken freezer given OK for use in N.L. cancer patients – Winnipeg Free Press.
ADULT, CELLS, ependymal, epSPC, rat, RESEARCH, spinal, spine, stem cells
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 2, 2009 at 10:50 am
Both the stem cell vocabulary and the scientific advancements seem to be growing at an almost logarithmic pace!
Stem Cell Acronym for the day: epSPCs = ependymal stem/progenitor cells
Ependyma is the thin epithelial membrane lining the ventricular system of the brain and the spinal cord. Ependyma is one of the four types of neuroglia in the central nervous system. It is involved in the production of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). wiki -dg
Injured spinal stem cells effectively differentiate into nerve cells
Publish date: Apr 1, 2009
WEDNESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) — Spinal stem cells taken from adult rats with an injured spinal cord are effective at differentiating into oligodendrocytes and motor neurons and can reverse paralysis when transplanted into rats with a spinal cord injury, according to a study published in the March issue of Stem Cells.
Victoria Moreno-Manzano, and colleagues from the Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe in Valencia, Spain, studied the characteristics of ependymal stem/progenitor cells (epSPCs) from adult rats with a spinal cord injury and from uninjured adult rats. Ependymal cells line the central canal of the spinal cord and can regenerate the injured spinal cord in lower vertebrates; mammalian turnover of epSPCs declines during the postnatal period but can proliferate in response to injury, the study authors note.
The investigators found that epSPCs taken from injured rats proliferated 10 times faster in vitro than epSPCs from uninjured rats. Neurospheres derived from epSPCs from injured rats were more effective in differentiating into oligodendrocytes and functional spinal motor neurons. Transplantation of epSPCs from injured rats into a rat model of severe spinal cord contusion led to significant recovery of motor activity one week after injury, the researchers report. The transplanted cells migrated from the rostral and caudal regions of the transplant to axons in and around the lesion.
“Our findings demonstrate that modulation of endogenous epSPCs represents a viable cell-based strategy for restoring neuronal dysfunction in patients with spinal cord damage,” Moreno-Manzano and colleagues conclude.
via http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Modern+Medicine+Now/Adult-Spinal-Stem-Cells-Reverse-Paralysis-in-Rats/ArticleNewsFeed/Article/detail/591031?contextCategoryId=40148
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
ADULT, cardiac, cardiology, CELL, CELLS, heart, pediatric, STEM, ventricle
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 1, 2009 at 6:55 pm
A potential revolution in the treatment of tiniest heart patients
Filed under: Real Hope, adult stem cell awareness — benotafraid @ 1:49 pm
Having a child with a single ventricle heart, I’m always on the look-out for exciting advances in the field. This recent report from Pediatric Cardiology proposes the use of engineered autologous (made from one’s own cells) tissue as an alternative to heart transplantation and radical reconstructive surgeries for heart kids. This has been on the horizon for a long time, but now it’s appearing in field standard journals . . . “the future” is getting closer and closer every day.
Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Implications for Pediatric Heart Surgery
Received: 4 February 2009 Accepted: 26 February 2009 Published online: 25 March 2009
Abstract: Children with severe congenital malformations, such as single-ventricle anomalies, have a daunting prognosis. Heart transplantation would be a therapeutic option but is restricted due to a lack of suitable donor organs and, even in case of successful heart transplantation, lifelong immune suppression would frequently be associated with a number of serious side effects. As an alternative to heart transplantation and classical cardiac reconstructive surgery, tissue-engineered myocardium might become available to augment hypomorphic hearts and/or provide new muscle material for complex myocardial reconstruction. These potential applications of tissue engineered myocardium will, however, impose major challenges to cardiac tissue engineers as well as heart surgeons. This review will provide an overview of available cardiac tissue-engineering technologies, discuss limitations, and speculate on a potential application of tissue-engineered heart muscle in pediatric heart surgery.
And of course, adult stem cells and autologous tissues have turned out to be impressively effective for adult hearts, too: Improved exercise tolerance for angina patients, ASC heart failure trials, plus more – use our blog search button for “heart” and “cardiac”.
http://adultstemcellawareness.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/a-potential-revolution-in-the-treatment-of-tiniest-heart-patients/
ADULT, averitt, CELL, CELLS, congress, dallas, EMBRYONIC, house, senate, STEM, texas
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 1, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Senate to kick embryonic stem cell fight to budget conferees
1:29 PM Wed, Apr 01, 2009
CAPITOL ALMANAC.JPGThe Senate decided to punt the embryonic stem cell research controversy to House-Senate budget negotiators, according to Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco.
In their lunchtime huddle behind closed doors, senators decided not to try to rewrite today the embryonic stem cell research funding ban, Averitt said. As passed by the Finance Committee, 6-5, last week, the provision bars using funds in the budget for research that involves destruction of human embryos. Averitt said had he been present last week, he would have voted against and the provision would have died on a tie vote — assuming Ogden couldn’t find another “aye” vote.
Also being sent on to conferees, and not fixed on the floor today: A provision that would expand a managed care approach in Medicaid, to rural areas. It supposedly would save the state $7 million but would cost safety net hospitals in rural Texas as much as $200 million in federal matching funds for hospitals treating a lot of poor, uninsured people.
via TRAIL BLAZERS Blog | The Dallas Morning News.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, fda, medical, RESEARCH, STEM, stroke, texas
In ALL ARTICLES on April 1, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Stem Cell Research Now Helping Stroke Patients
Posted 1 April, 2009 in Stroke |Stem Cell Research Paying Dividends to Stroke Patient
Thanks to advances in stem cell research, stroke patients can now be helped with their own Adult Stem Cells. Doctors at University of Texas Medical School in Houston treated a stroke patient for the very first time in the United States using the patient’s own stem cells.
Patient’s Own Adult Stem Cells Used for Stroke
Roland Henrich was the first American (in the United States) to be treated with his own Adult stem cells. From the stem cell article:
A University of Texas Medical School at Houston team last week injected stem cells taken from bone marrow of the trial’s first patient (Roland), who arrived at Memorial Hermann Hospital’s emergency department too late to receive tissue plasminogen activator, the clot-busting drug proven to treat stroke if given promptly.
Doctors say Roland is doing well although it is too early to tell if it is because of the stem cell treatment.
Adult Stem Cells for Stroke- Available to the Masses in 2019
Note this date April 1, 2009– if this treatment using his own stem cells is effective (and it should be) , it will take approximately 10 years before this stem cell treatment becomes available to the general population of the United States because of the FDA’s stance that says your own Adult Stem Cells are drugs.
Because- Unfortunately, this is only a part of a Phase I trial to demonstrate safety- Savitz said it should take about a year to enroll its 10 patients, who must arrive at Memorial Hermann more than three hours after suffering a stroke but within three days.
This goes to my point about the FDA classifying your own Adult Stem Cells as drugs–
About 1 year to enroll all the patients, another year to follow up on the results, then probably another year before the FDA says “OK, you can do a Phase II trial which will take even longer than the first one— and if that works out, ok, you can do a Phase III trial. And then, when that is finally completed, the FDA may then take their time before approving it as a treatment. 10 years from NOW. Although the treatment is safe and no side effects because it is your own stem cells.
As I said before here in this post about US Doctors Challenging the FDA , just because it is in the trial phase does not mean it will be able to be used in the United States anytime soon.
Now, I am familiar with stem cell clinics all around the world that are having success using Adult Stem Cells to help stroke patients now. But because of these ridiculous FDA rules- Americans will have to wait 10 years for this treatment for stroke. Think how many stroke victims will needlessly suffer during that time.
Other Stem Cell Therapy for Stroke Stories
This follows that “Stem Cell Tea Bag” that was used to treat (and help) a German stroke victim.
via Stem Cell Research Now Helping Stroke Patients | Adult Stem Cell Research.
CELL, CELLS, christopher reeves, EMBRYONIC, iPS, mehmet, michael j fox, oprah, oz, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 1, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Oz slams the door on embryonics!
3 times I have fielded understandable questions from very wise people who want to know why Dr Oz did not go into detail about adult stem cells and iPS cells. Here is my answer to them.
“you have to understand that you know more about stem cells than 99% of the people in the US. to them , stem cells = embryos = babies. as far as they know, there are no other stem cells.
walk down the street and ask someone what an adult stem cell is. ask them what an iPS cell is. you will only get blank stares.
what Oz did was truly amazing. shunning history, media, obama’ s funding, the FDA and the AMA…not to mention the fruitless decade long pursuit of embryonic cures undertaken by the always cute michael j fox with the shadow of chris reeves hovering over him…
Oz slammed the door on embryonics.
one step at a time we will educate the masses and introduce them to the fact that adult stem cells have been treating diseases around the world successfully for a decade. one step at a time…and this was a huge first step!
So from where I am sitting, I want to express a huge amount of appreciation for what he did. Thank you Dr Oz!
ADULT, attack, BLOOD, cardiac. treat, CELL, CELLS, emory, heart, MARROW, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on April 1, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Adult Stem Cells Increase Blood Flow after Heart Attack
Own bone marrow stem cells increased circulation within the heart
Monday, 30 March 2009
Patients treated with their own bone marrow stem cells after a heart attack experienced increased circulation within the heart, a study by Emory University School of Medicine physicians has found.
Principal investigator Arshed Quyyumi, MD, professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, presents the results Monday at the American College of Cardiology conference in Orlando.
“These results show that treatment with a patient’s own bone marrow stem cells has the potential to reduce long-term complications after a heart attack,” Quyyumi says.
“We are encouraged by these results and are planning to conduct a more extensive study.”
via CellNEWS: Adult Stem Cells Increase Blood Flow after Heart Attack.
CELL, CELLS, cord, EMBRYONIC, OBAMA, RESEARCH, SCI, spinal, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 1, 2009 at 12:03 pm
World’s Leading Scientists Meet to Examine Barriers for Stem Cell Therapies to Cure Spinal Cord Injury
Following President Barack Obama’s decision to lift the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, medical and scientific experts will converge at the University of Georgia to discuss how recent advances in stem cell research can be translated into cures for spinal cord injuries.
The second Spinal Cord Workshop, a program of the Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation, will be held on Saturday, April 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences.
Every year close to 11,000 people sustain spinal cord injuries in the United States, while more than 200,000 Americans live each day with a disability caused by them.
“Because spinal cord injury usually occurs in otherwise healthy, young adults, it is an especially attractive candidate for a cure for stem cell therapy,” said Ann Kiessling, director of the Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation. “The big question is whether a ‘moon shot’ approach will produce a cure, or if there is still too much basic science yet unknown.”
The workshop is hosted by UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center. Additional support is provided by the UGA Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, and Millipore, Inc.
“The University of Georgia is fortunate to team up with the Bedford Foundation to host these leading experts in spinal cord therapies to discuss and develop new paths forward for spinal cord injuries,” said Steven Stice, director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center. “In addition, Georgia’s recent legislation aimed at restricting stem cell research makes this workshop an especially timely one.”
Created in 1996, the Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation is a Massachusetts-based public charity and biomedical institute that exists to conduct stem cell and related research for diseases and conditions that currently have no cure.
The Regenerative Bioscience Center brings UGA’s expertise, resources and accomplishments in human embryonic stem cell research under one umbrella, while contributing to the University’s educational and outreach missions with student research experiences and public lectures, symposia, and workshops communicating the benefits and risks of regenerative bioscience.
The event serves as a follow-up to the inaugural Spinal Cord Workshop held at UGA in March 2008, titled “Spinal Cord Injury: What Are The Barriers To Cure?”
Workshop faculty this year include:
Hans Keirstead, Ph.D, associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology, University of California at Irvine, Reeve-Irvine Research Center; Douglas Kerr, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, molecular biology and immunology, and director, John Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center; John W. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., director, International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, Kennedy Krieger Institute; Steven L. Stice, Ph.D., professor, GRA Eminent Scholar, director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center at the University of Georgia and CSO, Aruna Biomedical Inc; Keith Tansey, M.D., Ph.D., director, Spinal Cord Injury Research, Shepherd Center; Scott Wittemore, Ph.D., professor and vice chairman for research, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville; Wise Young, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, and director, W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience.
Registration information for the 2009 workshop, as well as video from the 2008 workshop talks, is available online at: http://www.spinalcordworkshop.org
via PR-USA.net – World’s Leading Scientists Meet to Examine Barriers for Stem Cell Therapies to Cure Spinal Cord Inju.
ADULT, amniotic, business, CELL, CELLS, embryo, fluid, fox, RESEARCH, STEM, washington
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 1, 2009 at 5:26 am
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ —-For the first time, scientists have shown that amniotic fluid (the protective liquid surrounding an embryo) may be a potential new source of stem cells for therapeutic applications. The study was prepublished online on February 12, 2009, in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
“Building on observations made by other scientists, our research team wondered whether stem cells could be detected in amniotic fluid. We looked at the capacity of these cells to form new blood cells both inside and outside the body, and also compared their characteristics to other well-known sources of stem cells,” said senior study author Marina Cavazzana-Calvo, MD, Ph.D., of INSERM, the national French institute for health and biomedical research. Isabelle Andre-Schmutz, Ph.D., of INSERM, also a senior author of the study, added, “The answer was a resounding ‘yes’ – the cells we isolated from the amniotic fluid are a new source of stem cells that may potentially be used to treat a variety of human diseases.”
via Amniotic Fluid May Provide New Source of Stem Cells for Future Therapies – FOXBusiness.com.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, CURE, EMBRYONIC, heal, margolis, REPAIR, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on April 1, 2009 at 12:30 am
RSCI’s Chairman expressed his concern that since few people can afford to travel outside the country for medical treatments, America needs to put more focus on approving ultra safe adult stem cell treatments to alleviate the suffering of millions diagnosed with so-called untreatable diseases.
Bangkok, Thailand (PRWEB) March 31, 2009 — Don Margolis, founder of the world’s first stem cell treatment company and chairman of the Repair Stem Cell Institute, today issued a statement which took strong exception to Washington’s emphasis on embryonic stem cells over both Repair (Adult) Stem Cells and induced Pluripotent stem cells (iPS).
Don Margolis – the world’s leading Adult Stem Cell advocate
Margolis said, “This leads to one key question which no one in America seems to ask: Why is the FDA, which indiscriminately rushes unproven deadly drugs to AIDS patients, forbidding six million dying heart patients access to long-proven SAFE stem cell therapy?” Is it because heart patients don’t count in politics while AIDS patients do? Or is there another reason why they allow drugs such as Vioxx and forbid risk-free stem cells?
Margolis added that Repair Stems Cells are right now, every week, improving dozens and dozens of lives all over the world. He emphasized that “Patients stricken with disabling diseases such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, ataxia, autism, COPD, emphysema, Crohn’s, and optic nerve disorders, among 100+ other conditions, are receiving successful stem cell treatments today on every continent but North America!”
“When the President lifted the partial ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research stem cell research, he did not mention that Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC) have never worked on humans or animals and never will,” Margolis said. “He also didn’t mention that Embryonic Stem Cells, when injected into your body, can cause deadly tumors as they have in thousands of lab animals.”
Mr. Margolis pointed out that just five days before the ESC announcement, Dr. Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health, published an article in U.S. News & World Report which states, “To date, most of the stem cell triumphs that the public hears about involve the infusion of adult stem cells.” Healy concluded that “during the first six weeks of Obama’s term, several events reinforced the notion that embryonic stem cells . . . are obsolete.”
In support of Dr. Healy’s point, Margolis quoted three world-class embryonic research scientists. First was Dr. James Thomson, the godfather of embryonics: “It is more than ironic that the scientist who first isolated and cultured ESC once said ‘embryonic stem cells are not being used in any clinical applications yet, while alternatives such as adult stem cells figure in scores of therapies.’” Margolis went on to note that “Dr. Thomson’s observation is even truer today. The number of diseases treatable with RSC is rapidly approaching 200, while the ESC count still sits on zero, despite the efforts of a thousand ESC researchers on four continents not hindered by the Bush era regulations.”
Margolis then discussed the recent extraordinary discovery of induced Pluripotent stem cells (iPS), which can easily replace the need for ESC. “The potential of iPS is so big,” Margolis said, “that even Dr. Ian Wilmut, who led the team that cloned the famous Dolly the sheep, abandoned his license to attempt human cloning, stating that researchers ‘may have achieved what no politician could: an end to the embryonic stem cell debate.’”
“And end it we must,” Margolis added, “before billions more dollars are wasted while millions of patients are forced to sit on Death Row, waiting for 21st century alchemy to magically transform embryonic stem cells into repair stem cells.”
In closing, Margolis quoted Dr. Colin McGuckin, a noted UK embryonic research leader at Newcastle U. before departing for more useful RSC research in France: “The best estimates of the embryonic scientists here at Newcastle is that embryonic stem cells may not be able to help people this side of 50 years. That’s my lifetime. We can’t wait that long.’”
Mr. Margolis agrees: “The real cost of embryonic research is not the wasted billions, but 50 more years of unnecessary suffering by those who can be helped today.”
About The Repair Stem Cell Institute: The Repair Stem Cell Institute’s mission is to educate and inform everyone about the rapid advances being made in Repair Stem Cell research, so all can intelligently exercise freedom of choice in medical care. If you, or a loved one, are seeking treatment for your “untreatable” medical condition, visit http://www.repairstemcells.org for our list of the eight most experienced and successful stem cell treatment centers in the world, as well as the standards we apply to them.
via http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/03/prweb2276914.htm
bank, CELL, CELLS, cord, cure. marrow, heal, RESEARCH, stam, therapy, TREAT, TREATMENT, umbilical
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 31, 2009 at 11:55 pm
SCIENCE: FIRST STEM CELL BANK FOR PRIVATES OPENS IN ZAGREB (ANSAmed) – ZAGREB, MARCH 11 – The first stem cell for personal use in Croatia was opened at the Institute for Blood Transfusion at the Zagreb Hospital and Clinical Centre. The new stem cell bank, as South-Eastern Europe Times online reports, will allow parents to store stem cells from the umbilical cords of their newborns for 2,000 euro. The cells will be stored for years and, if necessary, can later be used to treat certain types of disease. (ANSAmed). 2008-03-11 17:21
http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/ME07.YAM17211.html
CELL, CELLS, embryo, EMBRYONIC, fox, ipsc, mehmet, michael, oprah, oz, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, BEST OF THE BEST, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on March 31, 2009 at 8:25 pm
The Wisdom of Oz
Visualize the surreal image of Oprah Winfrey, Michael J Fox and Dr. Mehmet Oz, wearing purple surgical gloves, sitting on stage around a human brain. Dr. Oz explains the absence of Nigro-Striatal Neurons in the brain of Parkinson’s patients while lifting out partially dissected chunks of brain and placing them into Michael’s shaking hand.
The camera zooms in as Dr. Oz steadies Michael’s hand in his. Dr. Oz weaves an intimidating, steel needle between Michael’s gloved and trembling fingers and illustrates the procedure for injecting stem cells into the brain by plunging it both into and through the quivering cerebellum. Michael’s legs spasm and contort and my stomach clenches empathetically with what I sense is Michael’s extreme discomfort, but is really a symptom of his condition.
And yet, NOTHING could have prepared me for what happened next as Dr. Oz, unbelievably and without prelude or warning, makes the stunning statement:
“I think, Oprah, the stem cell debate is dead.”
“The problem with embryonic stem cells is that embryonic stem cells come from embryos, like all of us are made from embryos, and those cells can become any cell in the body, but it’s very hard to control them and so they can become cancer.”
While astonished by his public announcement, I soon began to wonder: “why did Dr Oz only briefly allude to the potential of iPS cells and the proven benefits of adult stem cell treatments?” And then it became clear.
Dr Oz recognizes that the average person on an American street is led to believe, “a stem cell is an embryo is a stem cell”. Due to years of misleading media saturation, as far most Americans know, there are no other stem cells besides embryonic. Walk down the street and ask someone “what is an adult stem cell…what is an iPS cell”, and your inquiries will surely be met by blank stares.
So in retrospect, what Oz DID do, was truly…amazing.
Shunning the history of the love/hate affair Americans have with Embryonic stem cell research and ignoring the majority of US media over the past 5 years, the decrees of President Obama’s funding policies, the positions of the FDA and AMA and the fruitless decade long public pursuit of embryonic cures undertaken by Michael J Fox (with the benevolent and optimistic spirit of Christopher Reeve hovering over him) and before the bewildered eyes of Michael, Oprah and ~7.2 million viewers, Dr Mehmet Oz nailed the coffin shut on ESC treatments:
“I think, Oprah, the stem cell debate is dead.”
With this one simple statement on national TV, Dr Oz has taken the first step towards educating the American public about the current insurmountable limitations of embryonic stem cells and cracked open the door to the American collective mind-set regarding the potential of iPS cells and the reality that Repair stem cells (RSC) have been treating diseases around the world successfully for a decade. Despite the fact that thousands of American doctors refer to RSC as “snake oil,” more and more American patients are realizing that the US medical system is faltering, dated and just not working while the greatest medicine the world has ever seen is available just beyond the borders of their own country.
The seeds planted by Dr Oz will take a long time to find purchase in the collective American mind-set. There is too much embryonic momentum, media and drama, and America loves drama. Embryonic stem cells will not go away and like Romeo and Juliet, this love/hate affair may have to run its course for most, despite Dr Oz stealing the “distilled liquor” and Romeo’s poison and dagger in an attempt to avoid all of the deaths at the end of this play.
To read more about this grim fairy tale: http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/a-grim-fairy-tale-americas-doomed-love-affair-with-embryonic-stem-cell-research-intro-the-romance-is-an-illusion/
One step at a time we will climb this mountain and slowly open American eyes to improve their knowledge of treatment options so all can intelligently exercise the freedom of choice in their individual medical care. One inch at a time, Oz wisely created a pathway to an amazing new world of available medical treatments for what were previously believed to be incurable diseases and are in fact treating patients successfully around the world.
Dr Oz took this first step and it was a HUGE first step!
So from where I am sitting, I would like to express my heartfelt and sincerest appreciation for Dr Oz’s bravery, statements and actions. Thank you, Dr. Oz and thank you Oprah; for allowing this sage doctor the forum to break the walls restricting millions of Americans from the knowledge of the medical treatment options they so unquestionably deserve.
—————————-
Here is the actual transcript based on my ears and fingers and a lot of patient rewinding:
“I think, Oprah, the stem cell debate is dead.”
“The problem with embryonic stem cells is that embryonic stem cells come from embryos, like all of us are made from embryos, and those cells can become any cell in the body, but it’s very hard to control them and so they can become cancer.”
“I can take a little bit of your skin, take those cells, get them to go back in time so they are like they were when you were first made, and then they will start to make that dopamine & I think those cells, because they won’t be as prone to cancer & because they’re your genes will be the ones that are ultimately used to cure Parkinsons.”
“I think we are single digit years away from making a big impact in the lives of Parkinson’s disease but also diabetics, heart disease, people who have had a lot of problems.”
To see the original video: http://www.oprah.com/media/20090319-tows-dr-oz-brain
bank, CELL, CELLS, cord, cure. marrow, heal, RESEARCH, stam, therapy, TREAT, TREATMENT, umbilical
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 31, 2009 at 7:03 pm
HEALTH: GREECE’S 2ND STEM CELL BANK TO OPEN IN THESSALONIKI (ANSAmed) – ATHENS, APRIL 23 – A public research stem cell bank will be founded at Thessalonikìs Papageorgiou Hospital. The announcement was made today by Greek deputy Health Minister Athansios Yannopoulos who was speaking at the 22nd Medical Congress in Northern Greece. According to the deputy health minister, a special committee will outline the specifications that are necessary for a stem cell bank to operate, for which relative legislation will be based. The Athens Academy stem cell bank is the only such bank currently in operation in Greece. Stem cells are primal cells common to all multi-cellular organisms that retain the ability to renew themselves through cell division and can differentiate into a wide range of specialized cell types. The stem cells can be taken only in the case of in vitro fertilization and clinical tests made so far were aimed at treating people with cancer. (ANSAmed). 2007-04-23 16:44
http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/ME06.@AM16435.html
award, CANADA, CELL, CELLS, gairdner, japanese, nobel, shinya, skin, STEM, yakanama
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on March 31, 2009 at 2:06 pm
shinya-yamanaka-dr-skin-stem-cell
Gairdner award honours noted stem-cell scientist
Shinya Yamanaka among international researchers who will receive ‘baby Nobels’ in Canada this year
From Tuesday’s Globe and Mail,March 31, 2009 at 6:00 AM EDT
SCIENCE REPORTER
Shinya Yamanaka, the Japanese researcher who transformed skin cells from the wrinkled face of an 81-year-old man into stem cells, is one of this year’s winners of the prestigious Canada Gairdner Awards for medical research.
The awards, to be announced today, will be presented in Toronto in October. They are known as the “baby Nobels” because 73 winners over the past 50 years also became Nobel laureates.
Dr. Yamanaka discovered a way to reprogram adult cells so they regain the superhero-like abilities of embryonic stem cells, which give rise to every type of cell – blood, bone, brain and 250 other specialized cells that make up the human body.
via globeandmail.com: Gairdner award honours noted stem-cell scientist.
ADULT, aspergers, autism, autistic, CELL, CELLS, CURE, STEM, therapy, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 31, 2009 at 11:25 am
Please help me help this family that is getting the run around from the government. Help this family out and sign the petition and PLEASE pass it around! The more signatures the better!
Thanks all!
Delanie Ceretti has autism. So does her twin sister, Mackenzie. As of December 30, 2008, Delanie, who is just 5-years-old, will lose her funding for her IBI therapy. WHY? The Government needs to cut back on IBI funding. They are willing to write this child off at AGE 5, while her sister will continue to benefit from therapy. We have seen first hand that she has so much potential. We cannot let this happen. Please support our fight to help Delanie keep her funding.
To sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/delanie-is-worth-it
To see a video of an Autistic girl after being treated with stem cells:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/stem-cells-autism-cure/
To find the stem cell treatment centers around the world that are currently and successfully treating Autism:
http://repairstemcells.org/Treatment/Treatment-Request.aspx?d=Autism
ADULT, boston, CELL, CELLS, children's, cowan, hospital, myoblasts, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES on March 31, 2009 at 10:03 am
Muscle Stem Cells
(3 of 3)
By combining myoblasts and microcarriers in a bioreactor, researchers can greatly increase the number of stem cells. They can then easily separate them from the myoblasts.
The first three micrographs in this gallery show cells called myoblasts (a type of muscle cell) attached to spherical microcarriers. The microcarriers allow for the growth of the stem cells (shown in green), which, in this case, have been isolated from skeletal muscle. Photo: Douglas Cowan, Children’s Hospital Boston.
Photo: Douglas Cowan, Children’s Hospital Boston.
http://www.childrenshospital.org/research/cowan_gallery/photo3.html
ADULT, boston, CELL, CELLS, children's, cowan, hospital, muscle, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES on March 31, 2009 at 9:59 am
Muscle Stem Cells
(2 of 3)
The first three micrographs in this gallery show cells called myoblasts (a type of muscle cell) attached to spherical microcarriers. The microcarriers allow for the growth of the stem cells (shown in green), which, in this case, have been isolated from skeletal muscle. Photo: Douglas Cowan, Children’s Hospital Boston.
http://www.childrenshospital.org/research/cowan_gallery/photo3.html
bank, CELL, CELLS, cord, cure. marrow, heal, RESEARCH, stam, therapy, TREAT, TREATMENT, umbilical
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 31, 2009 at 7:03 am
GREECE: FIRTS STEM CELL BANK INAUGURATED IN ATHENS (ANSAmed) – ATHENS, DECEMBER 12 – A stem cell bank inaugurated at the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF) on yesterday represents the first public-private partnership in biotechnology applications in the country, the head of the NHRF Prof. Dimitrios Kyriakidis announced in a press conference. The partnership, as Kathimerini reports today, involves the private biotech firm Biohellenika SA and the NHRF, which join forces to ensure the safe storage of stem cells and ways to encourage stem cell research and its application in clinical practice…
http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/ME03.@AM12003.html
bank, breast cancer awareness, CELL, CELLS, cord, CURE, heal, MARROW, RESEARCH, stam, therapy, TREAT, TREATMENT, umbilical
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 31, 2009 at 1:02 am
HEALTH: TUMORS, STEM CELLS BIOBANK CREATED IN ITALY (ANSAmed) – PAVIA, JANUARY 21 – It is the only one to have stem cells of lung tumours, and moreover has collected stem cells of colon tumours, ovary, melanoma of breast and brain: this is the Italian biobank of stem cells which nourishes the tumours and are reason for development of metastasis, created in Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) and is one of the largest in the world…
http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/ME03.YAM17231.html
ADULT, capecchi, CELL, CELLS, genetic, muscle, MUSCULAR, nobel, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on March 31, 2009 at 12:52 am
ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2009) — In a genetic engineering breakthrough that could help everyone from bed-ridden patients to elite athletes, a team of American researchers—including 2007 Nobel Prize winner Mario R. Capecchi—have created a “switch” that allows mutations or light signals to be turned on in muscle stem cells to monitor muscle regeneration in a living mammal.
For humans, this work could lead to a genetic switch, or drug, that allows people to grow new muscle cells to replace those that are damaged, worn out, or not working for other reasons (e.g., muscular dystrophy). In addition, this same discovery also gives researchers a new tool for the study of difficult-to-treat muscle cancers.
via Stem Cell Breakthrough: Monitoring The On Switch That Turns Stem Cells Into Muscle.
See also:
Health & Medicine
* Stem Cells
* Prostate Cancer
* Skin Cancer
* Brain Tumor
* Fibromyalgia
* Muscular Dystrophy
Reference
* Stem cell treatments
* Embryonic stem cell
* Biological tissue
* Motor neuron
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, embryo, EMBRYONIC, heal, OBAMA, REPAIR, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on March 30, 2009 at 10:39 pm
romeo & juliet
A Six Part Series
by Don Margolis, Founder of the Repair Stem Cell Institute – http://repairstemcells.org
A Grim Fairy Tale – Part 6
There are six reasons why embryonic stem cells will never make it out of the lab and into the bodies of sick Americans.
Reason 6: Follow the Money, not the Science
There is just no way that anyone can make money, in the long run, from the disaster known as embryonics. Sure, in the short run there can be some old boy network exchanges of cash between funders and research facility executives, but once the word got out that embryonic stem cells can cause cancer or destroy immune systems, the money train was diverted, as seen by Geron (GERN) stock: $75 in 2000, $1.95 in 2008 until Wall Street, seeing Obama about to win, started its own profiteering, ripping off investors to the tune of $43,000,000. See “Geron Marches On” in our March 5 Special Newsletter:
http://repairstemcells.org/CMSModules/Newsletters/CMSPages/GetNewsletterIssue.aspx?issueId=8
The dead end research of embryonics protects the huge profit margins of Big Medicine’s profitable drugs, no matter how deadly (Vioxx et al); profitable medical machines, no matter how toxic (drug eluding stents); profitable tests no matter the risk (mammograms); and profitable hospitalizations, no matter how useless (too numerous to mention). Support for the real cure of RSC could ravage those profits. Small wonder that the money and their controlled media have been attacking the only stem cells that actually work, calling RSC “snake oil.”
As Sharon Begley points out in her recent Newsweek article, “Doctors have long resisted having science guide their practice.” Add to that the list of science-resisting profiteers: pharmaceutical companies, medical device makers, health insurance companies and health management organizations, and it becomes much clearer why ESCs, which will never cure anything and affect profits, have been heavily promoted, while RSCs, which can diminish the current outrageous profits, have been heavily disparaged. Just another reason why the American Medical System has been proven the worst in the developed world. See “Why Not the Best” at:
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2008/Jul/Why-Not-the-Best–Results-from-the-National-Scorecard-on-U-S–Health-System-Performance–2008.aspx
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, embryo, EMBRYONIC, heal, OBAMA, REPAIR, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on March 30, 2009 at 10:38 pm
romeo & juliet
A Six Part Series
by Don Margolis, Founder of the Repair Stem Cell Institute – http://repairstemcells.org
A Grim Fairy Tale – Part 5
There are six reasons why embryonic stem cells will never make it out of the lab and into the bodies of sick Americans.
Reason 5: induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC)
There are many ways of creating embryonic-like stem cells good for lab research by using what our Institute heartily endorses – adult cells. Dr. Bernadine Healy calls iPSC “a blockbuster discovery made in 2007.” iPSC are created by reprogramming DNA from adult skin; therefore, they bypass the need for embryos or eggs. As such, they have the advantages of significantly lower costs, ease of production, genetic identity with the patient, and no ethical dilemmas. Even the most respected pioneers of embryonic stem cell research, Dr. James Thomson (U.S.) and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka (Japan), both of whom have our highest admiration, independently reached the conclusion in 2006 that it was preferable to re-direct research to development of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC). But despite their heroic efforts, all the ESC profiteers care about is money, and the real money is in government funding, huge grants, and not one cure really expected.
Click here for:
Reason 6: Follow the Money, not the Science
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, embryo, EMBRYONIC, heal, OBAMA, REPAIR, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on March 30, 2009 at 10:38 pm
romeo & juliet
A Six Part Series
by Don Margolis, Founder of the Repair Stem Cell Institute – http://repairstemcells.org
A Grim Fairy Tale – Part 4
There are six reasons why embryonic stem cells will never make it out of the lab and into the bodies of sick Americans.
Reason 4: Real Scientists really prefer to research Adult Stem Cells.
It’s kind of the “Field of Dreams” branch of science based on the hypothesis that “if you build it, they will come.” How well does that work? Just ask ES Cell International (ESI), a company established in 2000 in Singapore, which was the most embryonic- stem-cell-friendly country in the world.
ESI built tremendous facilities and gave jobs to almost any Western ESC researcher who wanted one. But, in 2007, down hundreds of millions of dollars, they did what Wall Street did in 2000 – they chucked embryonics into the trash bin as “unworkable.”
Alan Colman, ESI’s chief executive at the time of its demise, reasoned that “the likelihood of having products in the clinic in the short term was vanishingly small” and admitted to “a tinge of disappointment.”
Or, just ask Dr. Colin McGuckin, until recently a professor of regenerative medicine at Newcastle University (U.K.) and one of Europe’s leading embryonic researchers. He left Newcastle for France where the research atmosphere is much more receptive to adult stem cell research. It was reported by Times Higher Education that when leaving, McGuckin claimed that “A vast amount of money in the UK from the Government has gone into embryonic stem-cell research with not one patient being treated [italics added], to the detriment of (research into) adult stem cells, which has been severely underfunded.”
Take the recent case in California, which had almost $300 million of stem cell funding to distribute, but no researcher worthy of receiving it. Not surprisingly, the money went to powerful and well-connected friends to build new facilities to “attract scientists.” As Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels might have said 75 years ago, “Once you have “them” believing the Big Lie, you can get away with anything.” In this case, sell “them” cures which will never come and give the money to your friends.
Click here for:
Reason 5: induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC)
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, embryo, EMBRYONIC, heal, OBAMA, REPAIR, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on March 30, 2009 at 10:37 pm
romeo & juliet
A Six Part Series
by Don Margolis, Founder of the Repair Stem Cell Institute – http://repairstemcells.org
A Grim Fairy Tale – Part 2&3
There are six reasons why embryonic stem cells will never make it out of the lab and into the bodies of sick Americans.
Reasons 2 & 3: Embryonic Stem Cells are bad medicine.
Actually, they’re very badmedicine. Nicholas Wade, the well-respected scientific reporter, editor and author who writes for the Science Times section of The New York Times, wrote in his article, “Rethink Stem Cells? Science Already Has,” the day after Obama’s announcement: Embryonic stem cells have their drawbacks. They cause tumors and the adult stem cells derived from them may be rejected by the patient’s immune system. Furthermore, whatever disease process caused the patient’s tissue cells to die is likely to kill induced cells as well.
Causes cancer (reason 2).
Starts a war with your immune system (reason 3).
That’s really about as bad as it gets! And, to date there are a lot of guesses, but no successes, as to how to combat these inevitable results. Recent studies at the Stanford University School of Medicine show that embryonic stem cells transplanted into mice were dead within ten days after inducing immune system rejection. That was actually the best news you can find about ESC. The mice didn’t die in that war, the cells did!
Dr. Bernadine Healy of US News and World Report, concluded just ten days ago that “the worst they [RSC] seem to do after infusion is die off without bringing the hoped-for benefit.” Maybe that’s not good medicine, but it certainly isn’t bad – or fatal. Gee-a medicine which can help the majority of those treated and not harm anyone? For sure, we have never heard of such a medicine before—not even aspirin—unless you include “an apple a day!”
Click here for:
Reason 4: Real Scientists really prefer to research Adult Stem Cells.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, embryo, EMBRYONIC, heal, OBAMA, REPAIR, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on March 30, 2009 at 10:33 pm
- romeo & juliet
A Six Part Series
by Don Margolis, Founder of the Repair Stem Cell Institute – http://repairstemcells.org
A Grim Fairy Tale – Part 1
There are six reasons why embryonic stem cells will never make it out of the lab and into the bodies of sick Americans.
Reason 1: Quite frankly, there is no need.
What? Is this blasphemy? For years, we have read in newspapers and magazines, or heard about on TV special reports, that embryonic stem cells will allow us to live healthy and potentially endless lives. Are you saying this is not true? That we have been lied to? You betcha! Science itself will destroy the illusion of embryonic stem cells, while adult stem cells, which we call Repair Stem Cells (RSC), are widely recognized as the most powerful medicine the world has ever seen, capable right now of treating over one hundred so-called “incurable” diseases and improving the quality of life of millions of patients.
Anthony Hollander, a professor of rheumatology and tissue engineering at the University of Bristol (U.K.) was clear about this issue: “With the [adult stem] cells we can really make a difference to patients’ lives, and we can do it now, not in ten year’s time as promised for embryonic stem cells.”
Even more to the point is Dr. Bernadine Healy, M.D., in her article in the March 4, 2009 U.S. News & World Reports: “There is a markedly diminished need for expanding these [embryonic stem] cell lines for either patient therapy or basic research. . . . Even as the future of embryonic stem cells has dimmed, adult stem cell research has scored major wins evident just in the past few months. . . . To date, most of the stem cell triumphs that the public hears about involve the infusion of adult stem cells.” [italics added] We wonder why “most” was used instead of “all.”
If you disagree, send us an ESC triumph on a human patient and we shall humbly apologize.
Click here for:
Reasons 2 & 3: Embryonic Stem Cells are bad medicine.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, embryo, EMBRYONIC, heal, REPAIR, research. obama, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES on March 30, 2009 at 10:25 pm
romeo & juliet
A Six Part Series
by Don Margolis, Founder of the Repair Stem Cell Institute – http://repairstemcells.org
A Grim Fairy Tale – Intro
On Monday, 09 March 2009, President Barack Obama spoke the words that many had longed to hear: “Today . . . we will bring the change that so many scientists and researchers, doctors and innovators, patients and loved ones have hoped for, and fought for, these past eight years: We will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research.”
Sounds good, doesn’t it? At last, those who are totally lost in the haze of Alzheimer’s Disease will be able to think for themselves again. Finally, the victims of spinal cord injuries will once more – in the words of Christopher Reeve – be able “to walk to the door to greet you.” Once and for all, diabetics will no longer have to fear incipient blindness and amputations. In the near future, cancer will be but a footnote in medical textbooks.
As President Obama said, there will come “a day when words like ‘terminal’ and ‘incurable’ are potentially retired from our vocabulary.” We can compare this new-found bliss in the relationship between government and science to a young couple, once head-over-heels in love, unfortunately split apart by forces beyond their control, then after 8 years, finding each other, getting married, and living happily and healthily ever after into their golden years.
What could be better? This is great a great story. In fact, it’s a terrific story! And, it’s all possible because American scientists will finally be able to develop the much-publicized panacea of embryonic stem cell (ESC) treatment.
Sadly, though, it’s not so terrific for you and me. It’s Big Pharma and its collaborators in the super-lucrative medical industries that caught the bride’s bouquet with its fragrant, green-colored blossoms. You and I, on the other hand, we must share the bouquet made of blank paper, shot full of holes. We are not Cinderella, and ESC is not our Prince Charming, come to awaken us to a sun-drenched world of everlasting health. ESC treatment is an illusion, a myth, a well-crafted Grim Fairy Tale.
There are six reasons why embryonic stem cells will never make it out of the lab and into the bodies of sick Americans.
Click here for:
Reason 1: Quite frankly, there is no need.
bank, CELL, CELLS, cord, cure. marrow, heal, RESEARCH, stam, therapy, TREAT, TREATMENT, umbilical
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 30, 2009 at 8:58 pm
STEM CELLS: THRIVING BUSINESS IN SPAIN ***
STEM CELLS: NOW A MILLION EURO BUSINESS IN SPAIN ***
(ANSAmed) – MADRID, JANUARY 28 – The stem cell business has become a global industry. According to a study published in El Pais today, just in Spain, 26,500 couples have sent umbilical cords abroad, paying between 1,300 and 2,000 euro to preserve them for 20 years…
http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/ME03.@AM68267.html
CELL, CELLS, CURE, embryo, EMBRYONIC, government, heal, OBAMA, RESEARCH, STEM, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 30, 2009 at 3:08 pm
When you couch the argument as one in which we are looking for treatments only; this is a difficult position to argue against.
Embryonic stem cell research is a waste of money
March 30, 2009, Gayle Atteberry
President Obama’s recent decision to fund embryonic stem cell research with millions of taxpayer dollars is … completely unnecessary.
Embryonic stem cell research has a proven 100 percent failure rate.
Ten years of extensive research with embryonic stem cells in America and worldwide has produced not one human cure. Development of tumors in test animals has negated any progress made in animal trials…
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090330/OPINION/903300312/1049/OPINION
ADULT, CELLS, CURE, DIABETES, heal, hyperbaric, MARROW, miami, pancreas, stem cell, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 29, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Diabetes Hope – Successful Pilot Study of Immature Adult Stem Cells
March 28, 2009
(ChattahBox)-A recent study published in the Journal of Cell Transplantation, offers new hope to the 24 million people in the US who suffer from type 2 diabetes and its harmful affects. The University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute, is conducting its first phase of human clinical trials, using immature adult stem cells from a patient’s own bone marrow. After treatment, symptoms significantly lessened, with increased insulin production, lower blood-sugar levels and a reduced need for those dreaded insulin injections.
University researchers conducted the successful pilot study with 25 sufferers of type 2 diabetes. Once they removed the stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow, it was purified and concentrated, and then injected into arteries near the pancreas. The pancreas is responsible for producing the insulin our bodies need.
The next phase of the novel treatment is right out of science fiction. The patients were enclosed in hyperbaric oxygen capsules for 10 hours, blasting their bodies with pure oxygen, at more than twice the amount of normal levels. The hyperbaric chambers are similar to ones used to treat divers with the “bends.”
Researchers found that the high levels of pure oxygen drew additional stem cells from the bone marrow, which joined up with the new cells injected near the pancreas, renewing the pancreas’ ability to make insulin on its own. Research director, Dr. Camillo Ricordi, believes this groundbreaking new treatment could eventually lead to wiping out type 2 diabetes. At the very least, it can ease the painful symptoms and the serious complications of type 2 diabetes.
The University of Miami is expanding its study to the countries of Argentina, Sweden and research centers in Asia. Over the next four years of further clinical trials, researchers are hopeful of obtaining FDA approval to offer the experimental treatment to more patients.
http://chattahbox.com/health/2009/03/28/diabetes-hope-successful-pilot-study-of-immature-adult-stem-cells/
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, debate, DISEASE, dream, embryo, EMBRYONIC, great, STEM, theatre
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 24, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I found this online and this is posted for information only and does not reflect my opinion about stem cells. For my opinion, go here: http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/2793/ -dg
Dream Theater
The Great Debate lyrics
What if someone said
Promise lies ahead
Hopes are high in certain scientific circles
Life won’t have to end
You could walk again
What if someone said
Problems lie ahead
They’ve uncovered something highly controversial
The right to life is strong
Can’t you see it’s wrong
Human kind has reached a turning point
Poised for conflict at ground zero
Ready for a war
Do we look to our unearthly guide
Or to white coat heroes
Searching for a cure
Turn to the light
Don’t be frightened of the shadows it creates
Turn to the light
Turning away would be a terrible mistake
Anarchistic moral vision
Industries of death
Facing violent opposition
Unmolested breaths
Ethic inquisitions breed
Antagonistic views
Right wing sound bite premonitions
A labyrinth of rules
Are you justified
Are you justified
Are you justified
Justified in taking
Life to save life
Taking life to save life
Life to save life
This embryonic clay
Wrapped in fierce debate
Would be thrown away
Or otherwise discarded
Some of us believe
It may hold the key
To treatment of disease
And secrets highly guarded
Are you justified
Are you justified
Are you justified
Life to save life
Justified in taking
Life to save life
Life to save life
Human kind has reached a turning point
Poised for conflict at ground zero
Ready for a war
Do we look to our unearthly guide
Or to white coat heroes
Searching for the cure
Turn to the light
Don’t be frightened of the shadows it creates
Turn to the light
Turning away would be a terrible mistake
We’re reaching
But have we gone too far
Harvesting existence
Only to destroy
Carelessly together
We are sliding
Someone else’s future
Four days frozen still
Someone else’s fate
We are deciding
Miracle potential
Sanctity of life
Faced against each other
We’re divided
Should we push the boundaries
Or should we condemn
Moral guilt and science
Have collided
Turn to the light
We defy our own mortality these days
Turn to the light
Pay attention to the questions we have raised
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, cord, injury, margolis, melton, spinal, STEM
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 20, 2009 at 8:37 am
Stem Cell Research Information and Events
By Don Margolis, March 19, 2009
Fundraiser for Spinal Cord Injury Patient for Stem Cell Treatment
Friends and family of Chuck Melton are holding a “Chuck Melton Benefit Raffle” on March 28th, 2009. Chuck was paralyzed in 2002 in a diving accident and went to China for Adult Stem Cells in January 2007. The stem cell research and resulting treatment gave Chuck a better quality of life- so much so that he is trying to raise money so he can return to China for more stem cell therapy (Adult Stem Cells of course) in hopes for even more improvement.
I featured Chuck Melton here last month focusing on the benefits of his first stem cell treatment which gave him the ability to sweat again, better bladder control, easier breathing and more feeling in his legs. Chuck and his doctors feel that another treatment with the cord blood stem cells (Adult Stem Cells) would help him improve even more…
Via http://culture11.com/diary/37415
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, embryo, heal, NERVE, OPTIC, rally, STEM, stem cell, TREAT
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on March 20, 2009 at 8:23 am
Punta Gorda, Florida, March 22, 2009- There will be an Adult Stem Cell rally this Sunday at Gilchrist Park on Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda from 1pm- 5pm. The goal is to raise awareness of how Adult Stem Cells are helping people in the other parts of the world and to help bring Adult Stem Cell therapy to the United States. Attendance is FREE.
This rally will also act as an “Optic Nerve Hypoplasia Family Reunion” as well. It will unite ONH patients in the United States who traveled to China for Adult stem cell research and therapy. Until the stem cell therapy in China, these children had no options for treatment and were destined to a life of blindness. However, thanks to the Adult Stem Cells, these children can now see better and have a better quality of life. You can find their individual stem cell stories here
This is from Carol Petersen’s Stem Cell Aware website, one of the organizers of this talk:
The words “Adult Stem Cell” are no longer ‘dirty’ words. Adult stem cell therapy, with roots tracing back to bone marrow transplants in the ’50s, is coming into its own. Available outside the USA for several years now, an ever-growing body of US residents travel to distant locations to receive these treatments.
We are a body of patients who have chosen to make this journey and receive these treatments. We have not been scammed by hucksters in foreign lands and we were not subjected to bizarre treatments. For many of us our only option given was to sit at home and suffer. Adult stem cell therapy has offered us the chance to see some improvement in our condition.
We recognize that this is no cure. But improvements in quality of life are valuable nonetheless.
If you are an adult stem cell patient and wish to join our organization please submit an email to us.
Everybody is welcome. The doctors from China responsible for this treatment will also be there. Some of the older children helped by the stem cell treatment will give speeches. Therefore, if you are in the Florida area and wish to learn something new and meet some great people, get down to Punta Gorda on Sunday. You can contact Carol Petersen for more information or if you want to join their group at carolptrsn@msn.com
Stem Cell Treatment and Therapy Talk in Dallas
Dallas/Ft. Worth Area, March 21, 2009- Preston Walker wanted everyone to know that Dr. Neil Riordan, Ph.D.,the CEO of Cell Medicine in Costa Rica, will be giving a talk in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas this Saturday, March 21 between 3pm and 6 pm at the Westin Hotel.
Preston Walker and Richard Humphries (who will both be in attendance at the Westin) were the two (now famous) Multiple Sclerosis patients who made the trek from the United States to Costa Rica for the Adult Stem Cell research and treatment last year.
Here is the latest update from Preston Walker himself:
“Richard Humphries and I went to Costa Rica in May 2008 with relapsing-remitting MS (Richard had secondary progressive MS) . At the time I suffered from fatigue, depression, a cognitive “cloud” and a staggered walk.
Since the treatment, I’ve had one poor day with the depression returning with a vengeance!! That was ONE time.
I recently found this site and have been reading feverishly.
The only thing still lingering is an occasional “cloud” moment. the cognitive cloud. I want to say it doesn’t exist because it is normally just a faint memory, but it’s still there. I have RRMS. Richard had SPMS. Dr. Riordan believes his MS may have been reduced to RRMS because of this (stem cell) treatment.”
Since Richard and Preston went to Costa Rica, many others, particularly MS patients from Texas have followed in their footsteps to reap the benefits of Adult Stem Cell research outside of the United States.
Both Preston and Richard will be attending the talk at the Westin Hotel. For more information on the event at the Westin, or if you are not in the area and wish to correspond with Preston and Richard you can email Preston at pwalker2644@sbcglobal.net You can also email Richard at rdhforegolf@hotmail.com
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, cord, injury, lima, SCI, spinal, spinal cord, STEM, stem cell
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on March 19, 2009 at 12:06 pm
New Stem Cell Research for Spinal Cord Injuries
Posted By: Don Margolis, Mar. 18, 2009 at 8:41 AM
A published stem cell research study shows that Adult Stem Cells implanted into Spinal Cord Injury patients is not only safe, but also improves their quality of life.
Published in the new issue of Cell Transplantation (Vol. 17 No.12), doctors in Ecuador did 8 individual case studies of Adult Stem Cell treatment for Spinal Cord Injury patients.
Different Ways to Deliver the Adult Stem Cells
The stem cells were implanted 3 different ways:
* Into the spinal column
* Into the spinal cavity
* Administered intravenously
The 8 patients (4 acute and 4 chronic) were followed for 2 years using MRI scans to assess any changes in the spinal cord. From the stem cell article abstract:
Comprehensive evaluations demonstrate improvements in ASIA, Barthel (quality of life), Frankel, and Ashworth scoring. Moreover, in order to assess bladder function, we designed a simple numerical clinical scoring system that demonstrates significant changes in bladder function following BMSCs administration.
Patient Quality of Life Improved- No Adverse Events
Dr. Silva, one of the authors of the study says “To date, we have administered BMCs into 52 patients with SCI and have had no tumor formations, no cases of infection or increased pain, and few instances of minor adverse events. We also found that patient quality of life improved.”
For patients with spinal cord injuries- these improvements, especially in bladder function makes a big difference in their quality of life.
Stem Cell Treatment in Ecuador, Not the USA
The stem cell treatment is being carried out by Dr. Luis Geffner at the Luis Vernaza hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador. We first heard about Dr. Geffner after he treated Michael Flounders who was extremely pleased with his stem cell therapy in Ecuador as he traveled all the way from the United Kingdom:
“It has broadened the horizons of my recovery; it has given me a sense of hope. Everyday things are changing; the feelings in my legs are becoming a lot more powerful.”
Effects of Adult Stem Cell Research Explained
“Autologous stem cell transplantation of BMCs (Bone Marrow Cells) can promote the growth of blood vessels and, therefore, represent an alternative therapy,” said Dr. Silva.
“BMCs are well known for their ability to grow blood vessels,” explained Dr. Silva. “This angiogenesis is necessary for wound healing and establishing a growth permissive environment. We hypothesized that improved blood flow and oxygen supply could contribute to functional improvements for SCI transplanted with autologous BMCs.”
More Stem Cell Research for Spinal Cord Injury Information
Please see our archives for more patients who have been helped with stem cells for SCI
Dr. Carlos Lima, the pioneer of stem cell research for Spinal Cord Injury, implanting Adult Stem Cells taken from the patients’ noses.
via Stem Cell Research Helps 52 Spinal Cord Injury Patients: Stem cell research, adult stem cell research, spinal cord injury.
ADULT, CELL, CELLS, hines, prp, STEM, superbowl, ward
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on February 26, 2009 at 5:05 pm
superbowl-trophy
It is 5 minutes prior to Super Bowl XLIII and the MCL sprain of Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Hines Ward (MVP of Superbowl XL) may keep him out of the game. And then, just before kickoff, the NBC sportscaster announces that Ward received cells from his own body to reduce his recovery time dramatically and will indeed be playing! Cells from his own body? Were they adult stem cells? Well…yes and no. -DG
Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Hines Ward did in fact have a platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment. This was confirmed by BloodCure.com. He was apparently treated with PRP for a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain. The specific form of PRP has yet to be declared but it is apparent that he was treated with plasma that contained an increased concentration of platelets. This by the definition proposed by Dr. Marx, is indeed platelet rich plasma.
Previously, PRP has been used to treat the same injury in major league soccer players. On the second play of the game, Mr. Ward caught a 38 yard pass and contributed significantly to the Steelers’ Super Bowl win.
http://plateletrichplasma.blogspot.com/2009/02/hines-ward-platelet-rich-plasma.html
What is Platelet Rich Plasma?
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) therapy produces growth factors and stem cell production increasing joint space and eliminating pain with movement.
Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP is blood plasma with concentrated platelets. The concentrated platelets found in PRP include growth factors among the huge reservoirs of bioactive proteins that are vital to initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. These bioactive proteins increase stem cell production to initiate connective tissue healing, bone regeneration and repair, promote development of new blood vessels and stimulate the wound healing process.
http://drjamesbaum.com/prp
So Hines Ward did not technically receive adult stem cells, but the PRP he did receive increased his stem cell production, reduced his recovery time and strengthened his medial ligament so he could make a major contribution to the Steelers 27-23 win over the Cardinals. – DG
ADULT, adult stem, CELL, CELLS, EMBRYONIC, RESEARCH, STEM, stem cell, stem cells
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on February 26, 2009 at 3:21 am
centaur
Controversial hybrid embryos ‘are no use to science’ new research suggests
Attempts to mix human and animal cells together to make hybrid embryos for medical research may be doomed to failure, new research suggests.
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 10:59PM GMT 03 Feb 2009
Researchers who tried to use mouse, cow and rabbit eggs to make human clones said the effort failed to produce workable embryos, a blow described as “very disappointing” by a leading British scientist.
Although the human-animal hybrids looked normal under the microscope, they were genetically flawed, meaning they may be of little use to medicine or science.
Sir Ian Wilmut, the British cloning pioneer who was involved in the 1996 creation of Dolly the sheep – described the findings – as ‘very disappointing’.
via Controversial hybrid embryos ‘are no use to science” new research suggests – Telegraph.
ADULT, adult stem, CELL, CELLS, esophagus, STEM, stem cell, stem cells
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on February 26, 2009 at 2:20 am
Posted on: February 26, 2009
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia, have discovered stem cells in the esophagus of mice that are able to grow into tissue-like structures and form parts of an esophagus lining when placed into immune-deficient mice.1
“The immediate implication is that we’ll have a better understanding of the role of these stem cells in normal biology, as well as in regenerative and cancer biology,” stated senior author Anil Rustgi, MD, professor of medicine and genetics and chief of gastroenterology at Penn. “Down the road we will develop a panel of markers that will define these stem cells and use them in replacement therapy for diseases like gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD] and to understand Barrett’s esophagus, a precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma, and how to reverse that before it becomes cancer.”
via Esophagus Stem Cell Discovery on ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.
ADULT, adult stem, CELL, CELLS, MARROW, STEM, stem cell, stem cells
In ALL ARTICLES, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on February 26, 2009 at 1:41 am
sorrel-mason
JAMES MORTLOCK -Last updated: 2/4/2009 6:30:00 AM
A “MIRACLE” four-year-old who owes her life to pioneering stem cell treatment is spearheading a drive which doctors hope will revolutionise bone marrow transplants.
As Sorrel Mason celebrates the second anniversary of her ground-breaking operation, the Suffolk youngster is to star in a video marking a UK medical milestone which experts believe will save many children and adults from almost certain death.
Her proud father, Robert Mason, who lives with his family at Great Wratting, near Haverhill, said he was happy with the filming to go ahead to help “give something back” to the profession he owes so much.
The video is part of the first NHS scheme in the country – at Kings Hospital, London – to harvest umbilical cord cells donated by women who have just given birth.
via Little Sorrel to spearhead donor campaign – Evening Star 24.
btw, I came across this very cool site that lets you see a streaming blog roll in the area of your interest. Check it out! http://alphainventions.com
ADULT, adult stem, CELL, CELLS, government, STEM, stem cell, stem cells, umbilical
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on February 25, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Umbilical Cord Blood & Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy: In Something Amiss? –
How government policies are sending sick folks to Forest Lawn unnecessarily. Government regulations & policies and agency interpretation of those is often contradictory and even counter-progressive. As a result many folks with incurable illnesses are dying sooner than might otherwise be the case. This article lays it all out.
ADULT, adult stem, als, amyotropic, CELL, CELLS, STEM, stem cell, stem cells
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS, VICTORIES & SUCCESS STORIES on February 25, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Lou Gehrig
Experimental regimen targeting the ependyma slows disease progression in four patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Anthony G. Payne
aWeller Health Institute and Laboratory, 3103 South El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92673, USA
In this paper the author proposes that at least some forms of sporadic ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) arise due to the effects of neurotoxic compounds synthesized by defective ependymal cells in the brain. These cells produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is laden with neurotoxic compounds that bring about motor neuron die-off. Evidence is garnered from various animal studies to demonstrate the toxicity of CSF taken from ALS patients and by virtue of the proposed mechanism (defective ependymal cells).
In addition, a regimen created by the author is introduced; a regimen that has been used by four (4) sporadic ALS patients since 2005 resulting in what appears to be a slowing of disease progression. All four patients have significantly outlived best estimates of their survival tendered by their neurologists.
via ScienceDirect – Medical Hypotheses : Experimental regimen targeting the ependyma slows disease progression in four patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
ADULT, adult stem, CELL, CELLS, phoenix, spock, star trek, STEM, stem cell, stem cells, warp
In ALL ARTICLES, STEM CELLS IN THE NEWS on February 25, 2009 at 6:17 pm
“…the biological equivalent of warp drive. That is, he has pioneered literally revolutionarily technology that truly is poised to send stem cell (regenerative/restorative) medicine into high orbit”
StemCell Medicine Jumps toWarp Speed:
The Flight of the Phoenix II
By Anthony G. Payne, Ph.D.
As a boy I was enthralled with the premier and run of the original visionary TV series “Star Trek” (1966- 1969). Naturally I welcomed the spate of movies and the various incarnations such as “ST: Deep Space Nine” and “ST: Voyager.” Like many baby boomers, Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic science-fiction onscreen world inspired some aspect of my subsequent pursuits in the sciences. If you were similarly influenced, good for you!
Whether you are a fan of Star Trek or not, I hope you saw the movie, “Star Trek: First Contact” because it bears directly on what I am about to share. For those who have only a nodding acquaintance with ST, the focus of this particular movie is on the launch and successful flight of the first warp (faster-than-light) space craft dubbed the “Phoenix” on April 5th, 2063.
In the ST world, this ship is the brainchild of a maverick (and often inebriated) genius named Zefram Cochran, who pilots the inaugural flight despite a deep-seated dislike of flying. Following its launch and achievement of warp speed, the Phoenix’s flight is detected by an alien (Vulcan — remember “Mr. Spock”?) vessel which happens to be passing through our solar system on a routine scientific survey. The Vulcans trace the Phoenix to its launch site and wind up landing near-by and disembarking.
This epochal “first contact” meeting, of course, decisively retires the notion that our species is alone in the universe and sets in motion societal and other changes that culminate in the birth of the “Federation of Planets”.
So what does this have to do with the price of corn? I’ll tell you.
In-a-nutshell: I have the good fortune to be involved with a group of stem cell researchers which is headed up by a sober version of Zephram Cochran, Chauncey B. Sayre.
What Chauncey and his bench crew have basically come up with the biological equivalent of warp drive. That is, he has pioneered literally revolutionarily technology that truly is poised to send stem cell (regenerative/restorative) medicine into high orbit. These patent pending brainchildren of this modern day Dr. Cochran are now operational in Mexico, where the regulatory atmosphere allows warp trips much more readily than here…
StemCellMedicineJumpstoWarpSpeed.pdf (application/pdf Object).
ADULT, adult stem, CELL, CELLS, darwin, EMBRYONIC, RESEARCH, STEM, stem cell, stem cells
In ALL ARTICLES on February 25, 2009 at 6:07 pm
What could I possible say about this that it doesn’t say already! – DG
EVIL SCIENTIST
By Jason Silverstein
I. THE HEADQUARTERS OF SCIENCE (EUROPE)
- Hand me the abortion elixir.
- But – but Master, it has yet to finish bubbling.
- What in the Darwin?! Here, hold another burning Bible below it. It usually takes three or four.
- But why can’t we use these perfectly suitable adult stem cells? I have an entire briefcase right here.
- Because if we cure these diseases, then we’ll be out of business for good! That’s why!
- I’m so glad you have no common sense.
- Yes, I am extremely arrogant. I refuse to accept anything not in a textbook.
- Dolly Almighty, did you see this fax? It’s from Hollywood. A rush order for three thousand more designer baby arms!
- Well, this is certainly the first time I’ve supported the right to bare arms!
- Oh, Master!
II. THE PLAYBOY MANSION
- Thanks for inviting me to this science sex party.
- You’re so funny. You are my sex slave that I cloned from stem cells.
- What?! That can’t be true.
- Look at your feet. You are still standing in the petri dish.
- I’m a – I’m a clone? How did you –
- I needed but a single human hair, just like in Superman IV. Movies are completely accurate portrayals of modern science.
- Why would you do this to me?
- Because I am a scientist and it is my job to hurt people.
- This water from the Playboy Grotto – it isn’t getting me wet.
- That’s because I made you water-resistant, so you could never be baptized!
How’s that for intelligent design!
- You scientific bastard!
III. THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
- We have a situation.
- What is it?
- Well, when we were growing the soulless babies for spare parts–
- Yes?
- …
- Out with it, damn it!
- Well, we found something – something science can’t explain.
- Destroy it. Destroy it, immediately.
- But Professor Luciferre –
- Immediately.
via The Science Creative Quarterly » STEM CELL RESEARCH (AS IMAGINED BY ITS OPPONENTS).
