Chronic back pain could become a thing of the past thanks to a patients own stem cells. Treatment will be available in three years said a team of researchers from the University of Manchester.

The soft shock-absorbing discs which separate the vertebrae in the spine are being rebuilt using stem cells. The researchers are in route to perfecting the technique.

Affecting around 12 million in the UK, lower back pain is commonly caused by damage to these intervertebral discs (IVD’s).

The UK economy can potentially save as much as £5 billion a year if a treatment can effectively cure the problem.

Using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from adult bone marrow to regenerate spinal discs, the new therapy was developed by Dr. Stephen.

Bone, fat, muscle, and cartilage are among the many different types of tissues that can be grown from the multipotent MSC class of stem cells.

Dr. Stephen has succeeded in turning MSCs into the cells which make up the gel-like nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue separating the vertebrae.

Full patient trials will immediately follow the pre-clinical trials which are planned for next year.

Dr. Stephen said: “Once we have extracted the bone marrow from the patient and have purified the MSCs, they will be grown in culture and our patented method of differentiation will be applied.

“They will then be embedded within a gel which can be implanted back into the patient.”

There is no possibility of the stem cells being rejected by the immune system since they are taken from the patient’s own body.

Similar to one already used for the treatment of cartilage defects, the gel is based on a natural collagen.

It is implanted using an arthroscope, a thin tube device slipped through a small incision in the back.

“There is no reason why a patient should not return home on the same day as the procedure, or the day after,” said Dr. Stephen.

“Once implanted, the differentiated MSCs would produce a new NP tissue with the same properties as the original and would both treat the underlying cause of the disease and remove the painful symptoms.”

A combination of painkillers, physiotherapy, or surgery, is the current medical treatment for low back pain.

Vertebrae are fused together or tissue is removed to relieve the pain in sever cases.

Since the current techniques do not solve the root cause of the problem, success is limited.

Dries, research and information manager at the charity BackCare said that, “this is a really exciting area of research and although it is still early days, the initial results look very promising.”

Degeneration and aging will be unraveled along with the other mysteries of life thanks to modern medicine. In Manila, a medical breakthrough has arrived with one of the latest developments in stem cell therapy.

Your body is in a constant state of renewal. The changes are occurring in your system even as you read this article. Inside the human body, cells renew, regenerate, and are born every single second.

Scientists have believed for quite some time now that when you die, the cells are not the same as when you were born.

So, why do we age if the natural process of the body is to remake itself? A team of stem cell biologists in Sweden are attempting to answer this question

It is suspected that stem cells age and their supply is exhausted. What happens if the supply is replenished? Enter stem cell therapy.

Our bodies are created from stem cells which are the fundamental building blocks of life. They develop into the different tissues of our body: bone, blood, nerve, muscle, organ, etc, and are formed at conception.

Injured tissue can be repaired by tapping the body’s stem cell reserves. However, the reserve becomes depleted since it is finite. Thus, we succumb to disease and aging as the regenerative power of the body decreases.

Bone marrow, peripheral blood, and fat are all sources of stem cells. The Russians were the first to collect stem cells from non-bone marrow sources. But the process raised ethical issues since the source was aborted fetuses.

Today, since it takes about five days to go through the process of harvesting bone marrow stem cells, a new approach has been tapped that is easier, just as effective, and non-controversial—Autologous Stem Cell Transplant.

This process was introduced in Manila by Dr. Florencio, who is a respected member of the medical community and a reputable senior plastic surgeon, along with an expert in regenerative medicine, Dr. Bill.

100cc’s of peripheral blood and fat are extracted from the body through mini-liposuction. The newly harvested inactive adult stem cells are incubated in stimulating growth factors derived from colostrums, which are the first liquid secretion of milk-producing organic cows in New Zealand.

Once 50 million stem cells are stimulated; the patient is infused with the isolated cells intravenously. Under local anesthesia, the procedure takes place in the operating room of a local hospital and lasts four hours. Three hours to incubate, stimulate, and infuse them back into the patient, with the other hour being occupied by the harvesting process.

The stem cells come from the individual and are returned to him/her, so there are no moral or religious issues involved.
Individuals with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and spinal cord injuries all stand to gain with this therapy.

In the case of an 80-year-old who has fewer tremors from Parkinson’s and now goes ballroom dancing, the results have been not only encouraging but astonishing. But it does not end with just one. Health enthusiasts, politicians, and high-profile businessmen that have received the treatment can now think faster and more clearly, their libidos have increased, and they have all gained a more youthful appearance.

A new medical breakthrough is being driven by the dynamic duo of Bill and Florencio. More extensive clinical studies are being planned for the near future.

Foreign patients are now flying to Manila to receive the benefits of the treatment.

“I chose to make Manila my headquarters because of its strategic location, ideal for medical tourism,” said Dr. Bill who was in Manila before for a World Health Organization project. “Filipino doctors are (also) among the finest in the world.” Specific study of stem cell therapy to ease pain and hasten wound-healing was allowed by working with the French Foreign Legion in Angola and Congo. Faster recovery and anti-aging results were observed.

But just how far back does the clock turn for stem cell patients? Right now, the number is five to ten years. But by improving the quality of their lives by making healthy decisions, the average human life expectancy can reach 120 without question.

Many individuals aspire to age gracefully, while others regardless of any health challenge, wish to improve the quality of their lives. But others are intrigued with the challenge of defying time itself.

So in the future, with advances in stem cell therapy, when someone asks the question, “how old are you?”

Your answer just may be, “I am as young as I want to be.”

Scientists from the Institutes of Ophthalmology and Child Health (University College London) and Moorfield’s Eye Hospital in London performed retinal stem cell transplants on blind mice in an attempt to restore their vision. The procedure was successful and reversed their condition. Humans blinded by diabetes or age-related macular degeneration have renewed hope as the results of this study could ultimately lead to sight restoration for those individuals.

The journal Nature has published the complete study.

The mice suffered from a type of eye damage which is a common cause of human blindness – photoreceptor loss.

Preventing or delaying the loss of the cone and rod photoreceptors is the existing focus of treatment for individuals who are losing their eyesight. But for people who have already lost their vision, there is no present medical procedure to restore their sight. The study may help blind individuals regain the cone and rod photoreceptors in the retina – and see again.

Connections to the brain are there even when the photoreceptors are gone, so in the world of cell transplant, the retina is considered to be a good candidate. Some of the parts may be missing, but he wiring is still there. Previous trials were unable to develop photoreceptor cells because the cells were too immature.

This time, the cells were set up so that they would develop into photoreceptors. The transplant cells were still immature, but less so than before in the new study. 3-day-old mice provided the cell samples from the retina. The blind mice were then given the cells via transplant directly into the eyes.

Gradually, the mice began to recover their eyesight. Scientists were able to conclude this because when the mice were exposed to light, their pupils contracted.

The scientists aim to find a way of using adult stem cells in order to see whether this can be done with humans. Another method would be to use cells from a fetus that is 3-6 months old; however, the scientists will not pursue this avenue for ethical reasons.

The scientists say that adult retinas have areas with cells that might be usable. They also added that there will be extensive research before and reliable medical procedure is offered to patients.

With the hope of extending his stay in this world a little longer, Dick has finished a journey of a lifetime; a trip to the opposite end of the world and back.

The 70 year old Dick received treatment with a new procedure in which adult stem cells extracted from his own blood were injected directly into his ailing heart to strengthen it. A heart specialist in Bangkok, Thailand, performed the procedure on September 26th. Prior to Dick’s operation, the Bangkok Heart Institute had only done 80 of these operations.

Accompanied by his son Dusti, the two of them stayed in Bangkok for almost four weeks as Dick underwent and recovered from the process.

Gaining strength and in good spirits, Dick returned home on October 10th. He is hoping the operation will give him more energy and extend his life by rejuvenating his heart.

“Things weren’t going well,” says Dick.

He still loves to go inline skating, play golf, and is a life long athlete. But as a child, he was afflicted with rheumatic fever twice. His heart was weakened, and after getting two artificial valves and then a pacemaker during operations in recent years, he suffered a stroke this spring on a golf course in Florida. Dick’s heart was only functioning at about 11 percent of its total capacity by late summer.

“For the last year or so my dad’s been talking about having the stem cell procedure done,” Dusti said. “He had read articles and was fascinated with it. Finally we were to the point where his cardiologist in Springfield said we had done all we can. My dad had had two mechanical valves and a pacemaker put in. Things weren’t going well at all.”

Three out of the four Bangkok doctors that Dick asked to perform the procedure on him, refused, due to his age and frailty. There are two types of procedures done – a direct injection where they are injected directly into the heart, or a coronary procedure where stem cells injections are administered directly into the arteries.

Dick was accepted and approved for the direct injection procedure by a Bangkok cardiologist named Dr. Permyos. The next step was making the 30-hour flight to Bangkok on September 15th.

After blood was drawn and the stem cells harvested, the doctors began administering the injections. It was not easy due to a large quantity of scar tissue surrounding his heart from past surgeries.

“Normally they do 10 injections, but mine took 30,” Dick said. “The operation normally takes about 15 minutes, but for me it was over two hours.”

For now, the Watson family is encouraged by Dick’s continued recovery. Just before the surgery he weighed 96 pounds and now he has gained another 15. Three times a week, he goes to physical therapy sessions in Galesburg. He should have a better idea as to how his body is handling the cells injected into his heart in late December, three months after the surgery. According to his doctors, his heart should be working at a about a 21 percent rate at the three month mark – this would be considered a success.

“We were very optimistic,” Dusti said. “Before we went, he felt he was at the point where he was sitting around at his home with his head down, very tired. We felt he was down to a month or two left to live. He was not doing well at all, but we were very optimistic. They told us there was a 10 percent chance of death from the procedure and that there was no guarantee this procedure will work. But they said of the 80 procedures they’d done, it had been effective on 85 percent on them.”

Now, within a days drive all over the Midwest, Dusti is back at his job fixing pipe organs. The third-generation family company, Watson Pipe Organ Sales and Service, was started by his grandfather in 1929. Dick is retired from the company, but Dusti still works on about 95 organs regularly. The normal routine is starting to settle in. Dusti and his wife Julie, along with their two children met up with Dick and his wife Patti for pizza a week ago.

“I think (this procedure) is remarkable,” Dusti said. “There are other methods of harvesting stem cells but when they come from your own blood, the compatibility issues would be great.”
The procedure is the future of cardiac treatment said Dick’s doctors.

“Though stem cell procedures still are not commonly done, people like me will help change it,” Dick said. “I think it will cut way down on heart transplants.”

Dick’s attitude and faith have been helpful with his recovery.

“He has a very strong faith and always had a very positive attitude,” Dusti said. “He knew thousands of people were praying for him and he was so grateful. Every day I’d read the comments people would post on the Web site. I think a strong faith and a positive attitude are paramount. It definitely helped him. I know as he gets stronger he hopes to share his story with people to help them.”

Suffering from critical limb ischemia, a diabetic faced the loss of a lower limb. But a private hospital in Chennai saved the patient by using bone marrow stem cell treatment.

“The 68-year-old woman, hailing from Andhra Pradesh and suffering from critical ischemia, with a very large ulcer at the left calf and foot and advised amputation of the left lower limb, successfully underwent autologous (one’s own) bone marrow stem cell treatment at the vascular department of Chennai’s Vijaya Hospital,” the hospital’s chief vascular surgeon, Dr. Subrammaniyan, said recently.
New blood vessel formation improved circulation to the affected leg and the women’s ulcer healed in 60 days.

A team of doctors assisted Dr. Subrammaniyan as bone marrow was injected into the affected portion of the woman’s calf muscle after it was tapped under general anesthesia. Due to the patients advanced condition, bypass surgery to salvage the limb was ruled out. The 100ml dose of bone marrow was repeated a month later.

Health granulation started covering the previously ischemic portion as the healing process commenced very rapidly said the doctors. Close to 40 per cent of the foot area, 20 per cent of the calf area and 100 per cent of the lateral wound had been covered with skin. The remaining portion healed successfully and was treated with skin grafting.

“The patient is now able to use her left foot,” he said.

Dr. Subrammaniyan claimed that 20 percent of the country’s population would be diabetic by 2015. The treatment alone would cost about INR 50,000 (about $1,100 U.S. dollars) he added.