Heart Failure Trial to Compare 2 Different Cell Populations

Posted 30 April, 2008 in THE LATEST ASC SCIENCE | No comments

THIS IS VERY INTERESTING! CLINICAL RESEARCHERS, SCIENTISTS, AND DOCTORS HAVE BEEN DEBATING WHICH TYPE OF STEM CELL WORKS BEST FOR A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS INCLUDING HEART FAILURE. AS FAR AS I KNOW, NOBODY CAN SAY FOR CERTAIN WHICH POPULATION OF STEM CELLS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE. ARE THE ADULT BONE MARROW DERIVED MONONUCLEAR BETTER FOR THE HEART? ARE THE ADULT MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS BETTER FOR HEART FAILURE? OR IS IT A COMBINATION OF THE TWO THAT IS BEST? I DON’T KNOW, BUT THIS TRIAL SEEMS TO BE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO FIND OUT:

BioCardia, Inc., a regenerative medicine company, and the University of Miami today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a clinical investigation of two adult stem cell populations in the setting of heart failure. This groundbreaking study will take place at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

This is the first stem cell trial comparing two cell populations. The two investigational cell populations to be studied include autologous adult bone marrow derived mononuclear cells and adult autologous mesenchymal cells. These cell populations have excellent safety profiles (NOT ONLY EXCELLENT SAFETY PROFILES, THEY BOTH HAVE EXCELLENT EFFICACY PROFILES AS WELL- DM) in clinical studies performed to date. As cells are taken from the patient’s own bone marrow, there will be no issues of rejection of the cells as foreign by the patient’s immune system.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

New Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injuries

Posted 29 April, 2008 in ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES! | No comments

MORE GOOD NEWS FOR SPINAL CORD INJURED PEOPLE OUT THERE.  IT GIVES ME REASON TO SMILE:

Harsha, a Bangalore-based paraplegic, too has reason to smile these days. He had got used to life in a wheelchair for years. But a mesenchymal stem cell transplant in his spinal chord has given him some hope. Harsha can now move his limbs a little, and that’s given him a new lease of hope.

A NEW LEASE OF HOPE?  THAT SOUNDS POSITIVE. LET’S HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS:

Every year, India gets over 20,000 cases of spinal cord injury patients. A new Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy could be the answer for these patients. The research, conducted by a team of doctorsneurosurgeon, St Philomenas Hospital, Bangalore. “This system maximises the yield of stem cells. The chances of loss in the bloodstream is minimised,” Rao explains.

So what are MSCs? Stem cells, or master cells as they are popularly known as, are cells that can divide and produce copies of themselves and other types of cells. Doctors are using them to treat complex problems like Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, end-stage liver diseases. While we are familiar with embryonic stem cells drawn from the umbilical cord, there are many other types of human stem cells. MSCs are found in the bone marrow. They can be derived into a variety of cells in the laboratory, including fat cells, cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments, muscles cells, skin cells and even nerve cells. In fact, scientists can even grow these cells in culture. Experts say, unlike most other human adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells can be obtained in quantities appropriate for clinical applications, making them good candidates for use in tissue repair. Since the techniques for isolation and amplification of these stem cells in culture have been established, the cells can be maintained and propagated in culture for long periods of time without losing their capacity to form all the above cell types. at Bangalore-based Stempeutics Research, has shown promising results. In the pilot study, MSCs were injected directly into the spinal cord of the patient for maximum efficacy. It was injected either intra-arterially or through intra-spinal (site of injury) route. This new technique of injecting of stem cells close to the site of injury showed good results. “This is the first time anyone has tried injecting stem cells directly into the injured area. And we got good results,” says Dr Sujay Rao, consultant

THIS IS GREAT NEWS AS IT MAY GIVE EVEN MORE PROMISE TO THE ALREADY PROMISING PROSPECTS OF HELPING SPINAL CORD INJURIES WITH ADULT STEM CELL THERAPY.  AS DOCTORS AND RESEARCHERS IMPROVE DELIVERY METHODS OF THE STEM CELLS, WE SHOULD BE SEEING EVEN MORE ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Adult Stem Cell Therapy Helps Repair Spinal Cord Injured Teen

Posted 28 April, 2008 in ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES! | No comments

WHAT A VICTORY THIS IS! JACKI RABON, 18, WAS LEFT PARALYZED AFTER A HORRIFIC CAR ACCIDENT. JACKI HAD GIVEN UP HOPE OF EVER WALKING AGAIN:

But about a year later, Rabon’s pastor at First Baptist Church in Waverly, Ill., called the family to tell them he had just watched a special on PBS about a cutting-edge surgery that involved harvesting stem cells from a patient’s nose and transplanting them into the site of a spinal cord break.

The procedure was not available in the United States, but at the time at least six Americans had traveled abroad to have Carlos Lima, a neurologist at Hospital Egaz Moniz in Lisbon, Portugal, perform the surgery in hopes of regaining at least some movement. NOT AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES? I HOPE TO CHANGE THIS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AN AMERICAN HAS TO GO TO PORTUGAL TO RECEIVE HER OWN ADULT STEM CELLS? THIS IS STILL UNBELIEVABLE TO ME.

Olfactory tissue is removed from the patient’s nasal cavity, prepared and then implanted into the spinal cord injury site. The transplanted cells then regenerate efficiently and transform into nerve cells that help repair the spinal cord, and the cells serve as alternatives to using embryonic stem cells for the same purpose. I SUPPOSE YOU COULD USE EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS FOR THE SAME PURPOSE- IF YOU WANTED A SURE FAILURE AND PROBABLY KILL THE PATIENT!

AND WHAT DOES THE SPINAL CORD INJURY PATIENT HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?
Rabon believes there is much hope in adult stem cell research, and she is sure that once the word gets out, more and more people will want to have adult stem cell therapy. So far, she can testify that it has improved her life, and no other lives were harmed in the process. PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW AND LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF MS. RABON WALKING AGAIN.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

UK Now Getting Involved in Stem Cell Treatments

Posted 26 April, 2008 in ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES!, DON MARGOLIS | No comments

THIS IS GOOD NEWS. ALTHOUGH I OFTEN READ ABOUT NEW “DISCOVERIES” OR “BREAKTHROUGHS” COMING FROM THE UK, IT ISN’T OFTEN THAT THESE “DISCOVERIES” INVOLVE HELPING ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS USING STEM CELLS. USUALLY, WE WILL READ ABOUT HOW THE RATS IMPROVED SO “THIS DEMONSTRATES THE POTENTIAL OF STEM CELLS” AND “MORE STUDIES NEED TO BE DONE BEFORE THIS CAN BE TESTED IN HUMANS.” - SO I WAS VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT THE UK HAS BEGUN A TRIAL TREATING HEART ATTACK VICTIMS (HUMANS NOT RATS) WITH THEIR OWN ADULT STEM CELLS.

Robin Marston suffered an attack a week ago while packing his car following a trip.

He became the second of two patients to take part in a new clinical trial at The Barts and The London Heart Attack Centre, the biggest unit of its kind in the UK.

Doctors took stem cells from bone marrow in his lower back. Mr Marston then received either his own stem cells back or a placebo - the trial requires he does not know which - via a catheter in his groin. (A VERY NON INVASIVE PROCEDURE, WHY WE CAN’T BE DOING THIS FOR EVERY HEART ATTACK VICTIM IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION- DM)

The aim of the treatment for those receiving the stem cells is to “turn the clock back” for heart attack victims by repairing damaged heart tissue.

The trial is the first of its kind in the UK and will involve 100 patients over the next two years. AS I SAID, THIS IS GREAT NEWS.

Mr Marston, a 61-year-old bus driver from West Drayton in London, said: “When I got the hospital I was taken straight through and was kept awake the whole time. A surgeon inserted a catheter into my groin.

“Through this, they inserted two stents into my arteries to keep them open and at the same time I was asked if I wanted to participate in a stem cell research programme.

“I indicated that I would want to, because not only would I help myself but other people too. A GOOD CHAP

“I feel practically 100% now. I had a tiny bit of pain last night, but nothing since then and I’m feeling fine.” WONDERFUL NEWS, I HOPE HE STAYS 100%.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE 

Adult Stem Cell Transplant Gives Hope

Posted 23 April, 2008 in ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES!, DON MARGOLIS | No comments

AND THAT IS WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT ADULT STEM CELLS-  THEY ARE GIVING PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS THAT WERE ONCE THOUGHT INCURABLE OR NOT TREATABLE NEW HOPE.  AND THERE IS GOOD REASON TO HOPE TOO, THIS ISN’T “I’M GOING TO WIN THE LOTTERY” HOPE.

TODAY, WE HAVE THE STORY OF A YOUNG WOMAN FROM ILLINOIS SUFFERING FROM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS).  SHE IS NOW RECEIVING STEM CELL THERAPY AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.  I SUSPECT THE HONORABLE ADULT STEM CELL GURU, DR. RICHARD BURT IS BEHIND THIS ALTHOUGH THE ARTICLE DOES NOT MENTION HIM BY NAME.

Rodriguez is hopeful it will work with her. She went in for the treatment Feb. 12 at Northwestern University. She first received shots every day to promote the production of stem cells in her bone marrow. Those were collected and stored.

She then received five days of chemotherapy to kill off her immune system. When those cells reached zero, she got the injection of her stem cells. She was very sick throughout the procedure, but she believes there is hope.

She said she already feels better (AND THAT IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS STORY-DM), and her doctor told her she has made some progress.

THIS SOUNDS VERY PROMISING FOR THE YOUNG WOMAN.   SO TO ALL OF YOU MS SUFFERERS OUT THERE, ADULT STEM CELL TREATMENT SEEMS TO BE HELPING PATIENTS LIKE YOURSELF, I SUGGEST YOU CHECK IT OUT- DM

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE 

Stem Cell Treatment in the Cayman Islands

Posted 22 April, 2008 in DON MARGOLIS | No comments

I HAVE TO ADMIT I WAS UNAWARE OF THIS COMPANY MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE THAT HAS SEEMINGLY POPPED UP OUT OF NOWHERE.  IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE PROVIDING CORD BLOOD STEM CELL TREATMENT (NOT EMBRYONIC STEM CELL TREATMENT) IN GRAND CAYMAN.

HERE WE GO, MY COMMENTS ARE BOLD:

There are plans for a medical facility in Grand Cayman to begin treatment on a young American boy afflicted with a rare spinal disorder using controversial stem cell replacement therapy, a New York newspaper reports.  WHY IS IT CONTROVERSIAL?  WHEN WE READ FURTHER, IT DESCRIBES CORD BLOOD STEM CELL TREATMENT, NOT EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS:

According to the Oneonta Daily Star, the Utter family from New York are currently raising money to cover the medical costs to treat two- year- old Dylan Utter’s spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Dylan was diagnosed with the disease when he was 15 months old, said his mother, Erica Utter.

SMA is a disease of the motor neurons that affects the voluntary muscles used for activities such as crawling, walking and swallowing. According to the Families of SMA website, fsma.org, the experimental procedure entails extracting compatible stem cells from umbilical cords, to be used in the replacement of dead or dying motor neurons in the patient’s body.  A VERY SAD STORY.  I HOPE IT WORKS OUT FOR THE CHILD. HOWEVER, NOTE THE PART IN BOLD ABOUT UMBILICAL CORDS, IT WILL COME INTO PLAY BELOW. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the health regulatory body in the US, has not approved stem cell treatment. Consequently, the procedure is not covered by any health insurance providers. The stem cell infusion treatment, reportedly costing US$28,000, will be administered in the Cayman Islands because it is not available in the United States, Dylan’s mother said.  OH, I SEE, MAYBE THAT IS WHY IT IS CONTROVERSIAL,  IT ISN’T APPROVED IN THE US YET. LET’S READ ON TO FIND OUT:

The controversy lies in the technique used to create new embryonic stem cell lines. These are the independent cells that can develop into any different cell in the body, and can be produced almost indefinitely.

The online Gene Almanac states that the technique requires the destruction of the blastocyst, which is the fertilised egg as it exists in week one of pregnancy, before its development into an embryo.  OH, I GUESS I WAS WRONG.  I DON’T UNDERSTAND, AT FIRST, THE WRITER TALKS ABOUT UMBILICAL CORD STEM CELL TREATMENT, BUT NOW HE IS TALKING ABOUT BLASTOCYSTS IN THE FIRST WEEK OF PREGNANCY BEFORE ITS DEVELOPMENT AS AN EMBRYO.   I AM CERTAIN THE BOY IS GOING TO RECEIVE UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS WHICH ARE EXTRACTED FROM THE UMBILICAL CORD OF A NEWBORN BABY SO WHY IS THE WRITER GOING OFF ON A TANGENT ON SOMETHING ALMOST TOTALLY UNRELATED TO IT.  THIS IS WHY AMERICANS AND MOST OF THE WORLD ARE CONFUSED- BY ARTICLES SUCH AS THESE THAT TRY TO MAKE CONTROVERSY WHERE NONE EXISTS.  WHAT IS CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT A FAMILY GOING ABROAD TO TRY TO HELP THEIR SON TO RECEIVE STEM CELLS EXTRACTED FROM UMBILICAL CORDS?

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE 

We Won’t Use the Term “Adult Stem Cells”

Posted 21 April, 2008 in DON MARGOLIS | No comments

THE STEM CELL ARTICLE ITSELF ISN’T THE TYPE OF ARTICLE I LIKE- ANOTHER MOUSE STUDY:

 In a recent publication, Saul Sharkis, a professor of oncology at the Hopkins medical school, has developed a novel method for isolating mouse hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), or blood-forming stem cells.

HOWEVER, IF YOU READ THE WHOLE THING, IT IS NOTEWORTHY IN THAT THE TERM “ADULT STEM CELLS” ARE NEVER USED, EVEN THOUGH THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE SCIENTIST IS USING.

THIS ARTICLE IS UNIQUE IN ONE RESPECT AND COMMON IN ANOTHER:

The common aspect is that the word ADULT stem cell (ASC) is never used, which is the rule in America when discussing a positive result of ASC research–NEVER OPENLY DISCUSS A POSITIVE RESULT OF ASC RESEARCH unless you can cover up the fact that it is ADULT STEM CELL,  since it might hurt the politically correct (but fraudulent) science fiction of embryonic stem cell therapy.

Let me know when you discover ONE embryonic stem cell that can be implanted into ONE human being to help him fight ONE disease.  You will recognize that article (if it ever happens) because the word “embryonic” will appear between 20 and 30 times- DM

Scientists Admit Embryonic Stem Cell Research Hasn’t Been Successful

Posted 19 April, 2008 in DON MARGOLIS | No comments

THIS ARTICLE ISN’T EXACTLY A SCOOP SINCE I AND READERS OF THIS BLOG KNOW THAT EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH HASN’T BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND WON’T BE SUCCESSFUL IN MY LIFETIME (I AM AN OLD MAN-DM) OR ANY OF YOUR  LIFETIMES NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE.

HOWEVER, ONCE AGAIN, I MUST ADMIT THIS ARTICLE SAYS IT BETTER THAN I CAN IN LAYMAN’S TERMS THAT ALL OF US CAN UNDERSTAND. NO MORE RANTING, HERE IS THE ARTICLE:

London, England (LifeNews.com) — While pro-life advocates have repeated the mantra for years that embryonic stem cell research hasn’t helped a single patient while adult stem cells have already been used in humans afflicted with dozens of diseases, a leading scientist in England is beginning to admit defeat.
Lord Patel of Dunkeld, the chairman of the UK National Stem Cell Network and a chancellor at Dundee University, says embryonic stem cell research is simply not working.
He conceded in an interview with the Scotsman newspaper that the controversial science may never deliver new treatments for diseases.
“In terms of embryonic stem cell therapy, there is currently no such therapy that is available in a large number of patients,” he said.
Patel also admitted scientists may never be able to overcome the hurdles — such as the development of tumors or immune syndrome rejection issues — that plague embryonic stem cell research and make it risky in humans.
“We have to be cautious,” he told the Scotsman. “It may not deliver therapy for anything. We may find that stem therapy is quite a risky business.”
“We had a lot of hype about gene therapy, and while we still use it in some cases it did not deliver the great promise we thought it would because of the side effects,” he said.
Despite downplaying the prospects for success, Lord Patel told the newspaper he still thought embryonic stem cell research should move forward.
The newspaper also interviewed Dr. Willy Lensch, from the Children’s Hospital in Boston, who also confirmed the possibility that the prospect of embryonic stem cell research may never play out.
“I could not guarantee to anyone that this work will actually lead to improvements in disease as a definite,” he admitted.
For American bioethics watchdog Wesley Smith, the admissions aren’t surprising.
“For the last ten years, ‘the scientists,’ in order to win the political debates over embryonic stem cell research and [human cloning] often wildly hyped the potential for cures,” he said.
“In the process, they convinced Californians–now facing a $16 billion budget deficit and tens of billions in bond debt–to borrow $300 million every year to pay for human cloning and embryonic stem cell research,” he explained.
“States vied with each other in an Oklahoma land race type scramble to throw money at Big Biotech. The focus of the media became obsessed with overturning President Bush’s funding policy, to the point that it committed serial journalistic malpractice with biased reporting and a news blockade on non-embryonic stem cell successes,” Smith added.
“Well, those cures have not even appeared as distant silhouettes on the horizon yet, and finally, a few in the media are beginning to notice,” Smith concluded.
“By hyping the potential, the politicized science sector misled people to win a political debate, and in the process reduced science to just another special interest spinning and obfuscating to get a greater share of gruel in the public trough.”

Government Grants Money for Adult Stem Cell Therapy

Posted 18 April, 2008 in ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES!, DON MARGOLIS | No comments

HERE IS SOME WONDERFUL NEWS- THE GOVERNMENT IS GRANTING MONEY FOR STEM CELL THERAPY– ADULT STEM CELL THERAPY THAT IS! EVEN BETTER NEWS IS THE MONEY IS GOING TO VETERANS OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN:
Today, orthopaedic stem cell surgery earned significant backing from the federal government, which announced plans to dedicate $85 million for the creation of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) to fund this procedure for veterans injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.
WHERE DO THE STEM CELLS COME FROM?

Orthopaedic stem cell surgery has been practiced by only a handful of doctors nationwide. Proponents complain that medicine involving adult stem cells is underfunded because it is often confused with controversial embryonic stem cell research. But the stem cells Einhorn uses don’t come from embryos; they come from the patients themselves.

“His own live cells,” Einhorn said.

SO HOW DOES HE GET THE STEM CELLS?

Einhorn extracts stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow, drawn from the pelvis. Some is used for what Einhorn calls “grout.”

“By mixing the bone marrow cells with protein, it gives me a kind of a grouting material that I can use to fill in the gaps,” he said.

AND THE RESULTS?

“It was a miracle,” Biggins said. “It really was. Just like a miracle. Because you could see it in the X-ray, there’s just like a gap, there’s no bone, and then later on it’s a solid bone.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS MIRACLE

Stem Cell Treatment for Dogs!

Posted 17 April, 2008 in ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES! | No comments

THE GOOD PEOPLE AT VET-STEM HAVE STRUCK AGAIN.  WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT SOME OF THEIR SUCCESSFUL STEM CELL TREATMENTS IN HORSES, BUT THIS TIME THEY HELPED A DOG WITH THEIR ADULT STEM CELL THERAPY:

Today, Kodiak, known to friends as “Kodi,” is a happy, smiling 3-year-old husky who loves drinking cola, but things were quite different just a few months ago before stem cell therapy healed his injured leg.

WHAT KIND OF STEM CELLS DID THEY USE?

Jenkins said the kind of stem cell therapy performed on Kodi is free of the controversy surrounding stem cell research. Instead of using embryonic stem cells, Jenkins used cells harvested from a small amount of fat tissue in Kodi’s groin.  THIS MEANS THEY ARE USING ADULT STEM CELLS!

“We’re not sacrificing anything,” Jenkins said. 

BUT DID IT WORK?

Amazingly, Kodi, who had not put any weight at all on his right hind leg for three weeks, began trying to put pressure on the leg within four to five days of the injections. A few days later, Kodi was walking again, and three weeks after Jenkins administered the stem cells, Kodi was healed.

“He’s back to 100 percent,” Matt Slape said. “He was just so depressed when he couldn’t run. Now he’s back to smiling.”

“I don’t think you could ask for a better outcome,” Jenkins said.

WHAT CAN STEM CELLS DO FOR YOUR PET? 

Julie Ryan-Johnson, a veterinarian for Vet-Stem, said the company is able to treat osteoarthritis, fractures and tendon and ligament injuries in pets. The company is studying the use of stem-cell therapies for other conditions, including liver and kidney disease.

GO READ THE ARTICLE AND LOOK AT THE BIG SMILE ON KODI’S (THE DOG)  FACE.  THERE WAS A BIG SMILE ON MY OLD FACE TOO AFTER READING THIS STORY:

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE