Embryonic stem-cell use is morally unacceptable, while adult stem-cell use is acceptable and is saving lives now. The was the messages that was crystal clear after reading 12-year-old Erik
March 19, 2007 by
Adult Stem Cells for Heart Regeneration
University of Wisconsin basketball games make Steve pop nitroglycerin tablets to relieve his chest pain. He is such a huge fan, that the games cause his angina to flare up, and each missed basket or lost possession is painful for him to watch; literally.
“A good basketball game is a three-nitro game for me,” said Steve, 68.
His doctors however, haven
March 18, 2007 by
Moving Forward with Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
Amber had to take every single available test during her first pregnancy because her husband was so worried, tests that mothers her age should never even worry about.
When their daughter Emma was born, they learned that her umbilical cord blood could be preserved and used later to treat diseases that are every parent
March 15, 2007 by
Pioneering Stem Cell Treatment Aids Patients with Rare Eye Disorder
In order to improve the sight of people born with a rare genetic eye disorder, British scientists are pioneering a new stem cell therapy.
Stem cells are transplanted on to the surface of the cornea after being grown in a laboratory until the form sheets. The cells themselves are taken from the patients themselves, living relatives, or even dead donors.
The disorder is called aniridia and is very rare. A team from Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead performed the treatments.
The genetic condition results in loss of vision and pain. Individuals are born with no iris and later develop problems on the surface of the eye.
Most patients go on to become almost completely blind, and until now, little could be done for these individuals. The condition affects up to 1,000 people in the UK.
Stem cell treatment appears to halt the progress of the condition says Dr. Daya, who is an eye specialist from Queen Victoria Hospital.
Four patients reported an improvement in vision and comfort after treatment. They were all treated in only one eye and now await treatment in the other.
The patients had few or no limbal stem cells under the eyelid, which helps keep the surface of the cornea healthy and clear. This lack of limbal stem cells resulted in little or no vision in all patients.
The production of new limbal stem cells must have been triggered somehow by the stem cell transplant said Dr. Daya.
“We think the donor cells have attracted stem cells from the bone marrow to make new limbal stem cells, which have arrived at the eye through the bloodstream,” he said.
Donor cells could also work on other organs such as the pancreas and liver if they can trigger regeneration in the eyes said Dr. Daya.
“Once we understand what has prompted their growth, then we can understand what they can do for other parts of the body,
March 14, 2007 by
Myeloma and Stem Cell Transplants
Rather than receiving two transplants from themselves, researchers are now reporting that younger patients who have been diagnosed with myeloma survived longer if they received a stem cell transplant from themselves but then followed by one from a matched sibling.
Of the total who develop myeloma, a blood cancer, only a fraction would find this protocol to be a good treatment alternative.
“It’s a good study and it gives important perspective, and it will be useful for some patients but it’s a small minority of myeloma patients,” said Dr. Marshall, executive vice president of research and medical programs at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine
March 11, 2007 by
Paralyzed Teen Traveling to Russia for Stem Cells
When Tonya graduated from McKinney North High School two years ago, her entire life was altered. But it wasn
March 5, 2007 by
Man’s Battles and Beats Cancer Thanks to Adult Stem Cells
Daymon is certain that adult stem cell treatment saved his life.
Because of the therapy he received to fight his cancer, Daymon says he is healthy today and working once again.
The same doctor that treated 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong also treated Daymon. From Dr. Lawrence Einhorn, he learned first-hand how stem cell treatments can work during a journey that took a year out of his life and sent him to Indiana University.
Daymon, who worked at Electrolux in Webster City, came home one February evening with as he described,
February 28, 2007 by
Quadriplegic Returns From Stem Cell Treatment in China
Kirk, the 23-year-old quadriplegic from Layton, has just returned home after a journey took him to the far east in search of stem cell therapy. Now after receiving a series of 5 stem cell transplant injections over a five-week period in China, he is waiting for miracles.
Kirk was paralyzed in 2004 during a snowmobile accident after breaking two vertebrae in his neck, and has no movement below his chest.
“It is going to be interesting to see what happens in the months ahead,” Kirk said.
Stretching therapy, massage, acupuncture, and of course stem cell injections all played a role in his treatment regimen and will hopefully play dividends in a few months.
Unrelated to the controversial stem cell transplants involving fluid taken from unborn human embryos, Kirk’s treatment consisted of stem cell fluid derived from the blood extracted from discarded umbilical cords. The stem cell spinal fluid was injected into Kirk’s lumbar area and spinal cord in the Shenzhen hospital.
“It’s not an aborted fetus. It is not what they are using,” Kirk said. After the media reported he was traveling to China to receive the stem cell transplant, he received some criticism by e-mail.
But for the desire to improve his quality of life, Kirk offers no apologies.
More than 6,000 stem cell transplants have been performed at the Chinese hospital with no complications whatsoever.
Kirk his family carefully reviewed the procedure before spending their money and he said that, “he’d take 6,000-to-1 odds.”
Walking remains Kirk’s goal, but he realizes that he may not be walking like he did before the snowmobile accident right away. At least not with the first full five-week treatment.
But with the improvements he has made in such short time, he is satisfied.
He can sit a little straighter behind the steering wheel of his truck and can lift his arms a little higher than before. But he still cannot drive himself anywhere.
“I’m able to do things in physical therapy I wasn’t able to do before,” he said after being home just a few days. “Even a little improvement is worth it.”
Last Thursday, Kirk resumed taking business classes at the University of Phoenix because he has been feeling so much better. He also teaches Spanish at an elementary school where he returned to work on Monday.
He seems to be “re-motivated” after his trip to China says his wife Jessi. She believes that in an effort to regain his lost mobility from the accident, Kirk is now working even hared after his treatment.
Before she recommends stem cell transplants to her other clients, Kirk’s physical therapist Jan is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“I think there are a lot of unknowns,” said Jan, who has a master’s degree in science in physical therapy.
She must remain objective says Jan. Also, when measuring any improvements, Jan must factor in Kirk’s significant increase in physical therapy since the stem cell transplant.
Kirk now attends the clinic four to five times per week. Each session lasts anywhere between five to six hours per day. Before the treatment, he would spend 90 minutes per day at the clinic only one or two times per week.
Also, it could take three to six months before any progress can be measured according to Kirk’s family.
“What we hope is, is that (Kirk) did come back motivated and we can tap into that,” she said.
A power-assisted wheel chair used to make things easier for Kirk, but perhaps an indication of his renewed motivation is that he has switched to a manual wheelchair now.
“His attitude has probably been the biggest change,” Jan said. Kirk is interested in going to his limits now to improve his condition.
“I think the motivation is to see if he can get the maximum potential from (the transplant) he received,” Jan said.
As he works to achieve all his goals, he will be under many watchful eyes says Jan. Of all her clients, Kirk is the first to receive a stem cell transplant in her sixteen years as a physical therapist.
Doctoral students from the Division of Physical Therapy at the University of Utah are monitoring his progress. Also, being treated at the clinic are 40 other patients suffering from spinal-cord related injuries. Kirk’s unique treatment has sparked intense interest among patients and family members alike.
“It’s not a common thing right now,” Jan said of stem cell transplants.
“I’m just waiting and watching,” she said. She is interested to see Kirk and his progress just like everyone else.
It is the hope of Kirk’s family that their journey over the Pacific Ocean was not in vain. They continue to wait and watch.
“I think he has done well,” Jon said of his son who returned home Feb. 17.
“(Kirk) feels good about things.”
February 25, 2007 by
Paralyzed Man Walks Again
After the first successful stem cell treatment in India for spinal cord injuries, a 23-year-old man who was paralyzed from the waist down was able to walk. After only two months of adult stem cell therapy, he has regained the ability to walk. Doctor
February 23, 2007 by
Girl with Rare Genetic Condition Travels for Stem Cell Treatment
More than 60 million stem cells will soon be injected into a little girl afflicted with an uncommon genetic condition. In less than a week, she will fly to China accompanied by her mother, aunt, and cousin.
Suffering from Glucose Transporter Deficiency, the nine-year-old Brooke is unable to function like a typical child and suffers from cerebral palsy like symptoms. She cannot stand for longer than seven minutes without holding on to something, and her brain abnormalities limit her speech as well. The condition is caused by a genetic mutation of the gene that processes glucose from food and transforms it into fuel for her body.
The illness is better known as GLUT-1, and Brooke is the 83rd person in the world to be diagnosed. She will however, be the first person in to ever be treated with stem cells in an effort to reverse her condition.
The stem cell injections are not available in the United States and they may never be. The procedure is completely safe according to the Chinese research center and hospital.
Brooke’s parents, Ed and Vicki, say that they would travel to the end of the Earth to help their child. For them, any risk, if it even exists, is negligible.
“Brooke is very blessed to have them as parents,” aunt Cindy said. “I believe God knew what he was doing when he hooked them up.
“Things happen for a reason, and Brooke came to them because she needs extra care. She landed in the lap of parents who will go halfway around the world for her.”
Brooke could perhaps manage the severity of the symptoms with a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet according to her neurologist at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Her doctor is not entirely sure if Brooke even needs the procedure, considering GLUT-1 is a nonfatal disease says Vicki.
“In my eyes, if it can help her, we’re going to do all we can,” Vicki said. “That’s what it pretty much boils down to.”
The research done in China in regards to umbilical cord blood stem cells has reassured Brooke’s family. Only three patients out of 100 that were treated for cerebral palsy at the clinic in China did not see positive results. That translates to a 97% rate of effectiveness for the particular treatment. Kirshner, who is a registered nurse working as a link between China and American patients said that no patients have experienced any kind of negative consequence due to the stem cell injections.
“There is no risk to the child. The treatment itself is extremely safe,” Kirshner said. “Umbilical cord stem cells have been used in this manner well over 20 years.
“I would never ask any mother to put their child through this process if I thought there was a possibility that it would harm this child in any way.”
GLUT-1 was first diagnosed in 1991 by Dr. Darryl. Since the injections are not approved for use in the United States at this time, he did not want to say if he was for or against the treatment.
“It’s not something that he could say, ‘This is something you might want to do,'” Vicki said. “He also didn’t say, ‘I think you’re crazy; this is a pipe dream; don’t do it.’ It wasn’t one way or another.”
The family doesn’t need any additional persuasion. They trust the stem cells will help, and the plane tickets that have already been purchased are an indication of their belief. Within three to six months following the treatment, they hope Brooke exhibits signs of progress with her motor skills. But the also remain guarded and know it won’t be a miracle cure for GLUT-1.
“I’m going to be watching Brooke and every move she makes like she’s under a microscope,” Vicki said. “We’re hoping to see some improvements and cognitive change.”
As for others who have children suffering from brain abnormalities, the family hopes that Brooke’s improvements will not go unnoticed for them.
“Just getting the word out that this might be a possibility, to share with other families a success story would be incredible to me,” Vicki said. “It could be a success story for them, and they could see their child develop in ways that they might not see otherwise.”
