March 1, 2012 by

Panamanian-US Scientific Research Supports Using Fat Stem Cells to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) February 21, 2012

A Panamanian-led, multidisciplinary research team has published the first description of non-expanded fat stem cells in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients. “Autologous Stromal Vascular Fraction Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rationale and Clinical Safety,” which appears in the January publication of the International Archives of Medicine, followed 13 rheumatoid arthritis patients who were treated with their own fat-derived stem cells.

Treating arthritis with fat-derived stem cells has become commonplace in veterinary medicine over the past five years with over 7,000 horses and dogs treated by publication contributor Vet-Stem, a San Diego-based company. The objective of the joint Panamanian-US study was to determine feasibility of translating Vet-Stem’s successful animal results into human patients.

Observing no treatment associated adverse reactions after one year, the team concluded that its protocol should be studied further to determine efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Their publication details the rationale for the use of fat derived stem cells in treatment of autoimmune conditions and is freely available at: http://www.intarchmed.com/content/pdf/1755-7682-5-5.pdf

“Key to advancement of any medical protocol is transparent disclosure of rationale, treatment procedures and outcomes to the research community in a peer-reviewed and IRB-compliant manner,” said Dr. Jorge Paz Rodriguez, Medical Director of the Stem Cell Institute and research team leader. “While we have previously published case studies on the use of fat stem cells in multiple sclerosis patients, and one rheumatoid arthritis patient, this is the first time that comprehensive follow-up has been completed for a larger cohort of patients,” he added.

An important distinction that separates this particular approach from those which are being explored by several international investigators is that the fat stem cells were not grown in a laboratory, affording a substantially higher level of safety and protocol practicality.

“This work signifies Panama’s emergence into the burgeoning field of translational medicine,” commented Dr. Ruben Berrocal Timmons, the Panamanian Secretary of Science and publication co-author. “We are proud to have attracted and collaborated with internationally-renowned stem cell clinical researchers such as Dr. Michael Murphy and Dr. Keith March from the Indiana University School of Medicine Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine, Dr. Boris Minev from the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Dr. Chien Shing Chen from Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center and Dr. Bob Harman from Vet-Stem. By leveraging their vast, collective clinical experience with Panamanian scientific infrastructure and know-how, we are striving to develop effective, internationally recognized stem cell procedures that will be accepted the world over.”

The treatment procedure involves a mini-liposuction, collection of the fat’s cellular component, processing to obtain a population of cells that includes stem cells, freezing the cells in preparation for quality control, and subsequent re-administration of the cells into patients.

The Panamanian-US group has previously shown that there is a specific type of T cell, called the T regulatory cell, associated with fat stem cells, which is capable of suppressing pathological immunity. Their current theory, which is described in detail in the publication: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20537320, is that the T regulatory component of the fat is capable of slowing down or suppressing the “autoimmune” reaction, while the stem cell component causes formation of new tissue to replace the damaged joints.

About the Stem Cell Institute
Founded in 2006 on the principles of providing unbiased, scientifically-sound treatment options, the Stem Cell Institute has matured into the world’s leading adult stem cell therapy and research center. In close collaboration with universities and physicians world-wide, the institute’s doctors treat carefully selected patients with spinal cord injury, osteoarthritis, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. Doctors at The Stem Cell Institute have treated over 1000 patients to-date.

For more information on stem cell therapy:

Stem Cell Institute Web Site: https://www.celllmedicine.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stemcellinstitute
Blogger: http://www.adult-stem-cell-therapy.blogspot.com

Stem Cell Institute
Via Israel & Calle 66
Pacifica Plaza Office #2A
San Francisco, Panama
Republic of Panama

Phone: +1 800 980-STEM (7836) (USA Toll-free) +1 954 636-3390 (from outside USA)
Fax: +1 866 775-3951 (USA Toll-free) +1 775 887-1194 (from outside USA)

Filed Under: Adult Stem Cells, News, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , , ,
February 17, 2012 by

Autologous stromal vascular fraction therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: rationale and clinical safety.

Int Arch Med. 2012 Feb 8;5(1):5. [Epub ahead of print]

Paz Rodriguez J, Murphy MP, Hong S, Madrigal M, March KL, Minev B, Harman RJ, Chen CS, Timmons RB, Marleau AM, Riordan NH.

ABSTRACT: Advancements in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment protocols and introduction of targeted biological therapies have markedly improved patient outcomes, despite this, up to 50% of patients still fail to achieve a significant clinical response. In veterinary medicine, stem cell therapy in the form of autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is an accepted therapeutic modality for degenerative conditions with 80% improvement and no serious treatment associated adverse events reported. Clinical translation of SVF therapy relies on confirmation of veterinary findings in targeted patient populations. Here we describe the rationale and preclinical data supporting the use of autologous SVF in treatment of RA, as well as provide 1, 3, 6, and 13 month safety outcomes in 13 RA patients treated with this approach.

PMID: 22313603 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

FULL TEXT: http://www.intarchmed.com/content/pdf/1755-7682-5-5.pdf

Filed Under: News, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
February 3, 2012 by

Ischemic Stroke Recovery May Be Improved Using Stem Cell Therapy

At the American Heart Association’s International Stroke Conference in New Orleans, two studies suggested that stem cell therapy improves functional recovery following subacute ischemic stroke and may aid in regenerative therapy.

One hundred and twenty subacute ischemic stroke patients were treated with mononuclear bone marrow-derived stem cells. Patients ranged in age from eighteen to seventy five years old. All were treated within seven to thirty days of suffering their strokes. Each patient was assessed using the Barthel index. The results showed that seventy three percent of patients who were treated with stem cells attained a Barthel score of greater than or equal to 60, which is the measure for assisted independence. Only sixty one percent of the patients who were not treated with stem cells achieved similar scores. All patients were tumor free at one year. This study was performed by Kameshwar Prasad, M.B.B.S., M.D., from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

In a separate study from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, Rohit Bhatia, M.D. examined autologous mononuclear mesenchymal stem cell therapy in forty stroke patients who were recruited for the study from three months to one year after their strokes. Patients who were treated with stem cells showed significant improvement based on the Barthel index. No adverse reactions were observed. Dr. Bhatia concluded that intravenous administration of mononuclear and mesenchymal stem cells is safe, feasible and likely facilitates behavioral recovery following stroke.

Filed Under: Adult Stem Cells, News, Stem Cell Research, Stroke Tagged With: , , , , ,
February 2, 2012 by

Autologous mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: an open-label phase 2a proof-of-concept study

Connick P, Kolappan M, Crawley C, Webber DJ, Patani R, Michell AW, Du MQ, Luan SL, Altmann DR, Thompson AJ, Compston A, Scott MA, Miller DH, Chandran S.

Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
More than half of patients with multiple sclerosis have progressive disease characterised by accumulating disability. The absence of treatments for progressive multiple sclerosis represents a major unmet clinical need. On the basis of evidence that mesenchymal stem cells have a beneficial effect in acute and chronic animal models of multiple sclerosis, we aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of these cells as a potential neuroprotective treatment for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

METHODS:
Patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis involving the visual pathways (expanded disability status score 5·5-6·5) were recruited from the East Anglia and north London regions of the UK. Participants received intravenous infusion of autologous bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in this open-label study. Our primary objective was to assess feasibility and safety; we compared adverse events from up to 20 months before treatment until up to 10 months after the infusion. As a secondary objective, we chose efficacy outcomes to assess the anterior visual pathway as a model of wider disease. Masked endpoint analyses was used for electrophysiological and selected imaging outcomes. We used piecewise linear mixed models to assess the change in gradients over time at the point of intervention. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00395200.

FINDINGS:
We isolated, expanded, characterised, and administered mesenchymal stem cells in ten patients. The mean dose was 1·6×10(6) cells per kg bodyweight (range 1·1-2·0). One patient developed a transient rash shortly after treatment; two patients had self-limiting bacterial infections 3-4 weeks after treatment. We did not identify any serious adverse events. We noted improvement after treatment in visual acuity (difference in monthly rates of change -0·02 logMAR units, 95% CI -0·03 to -0·01; p=0·003) and visual evoked response latency (-1·33 ms, -2·44 to -0·21; p=0·020), with an increase in optic nerve area (difference in monthly rates of change 0·13 mm(2), 0·04 to 0·22; p=0·006). We did not identify any significant effects on colour vision, visual fields, macular volume, retinal nerve fibre layer thickness, or optic nerve magnetisation transfer ratio.

INTERPRETATION:
Autologous mesenchymal stem cells were safely given to patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in our study. The evidence of structural, functional, and physiological improvement after treatment in some visual endpoints is suggestive of neuroprotection.

FUNDING:
Medical Research Council, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Evelyn Trust, NHS National Institute for Health Research, Cambridge and UCLH Biomedical Research Centres, Wellcome Trust, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation, and Sir David and Isobel Walker Trust.

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, News, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
January 31, 2012 by

Fat Stem Cells Turn to Muscle: A Treatment for Muscular Dystrophy?

New research published in the journal Biomaterials by University of California, San Diego researcher Adam Engler suggests fat-derived stem cells that are developed on a stiff surface transform into mature muscle cells. This remarkable discovery could lead to new treatments for muscular dystrophy in the future.

Fat stem cells and bone marrow stem cells were grown on surfaces with different degrees of hardness ranging from very hard bone-like surfaces to very soft brain tissue-like surfaces.

The researchers found that the fat derived stem cells were much more likely (up to fifty times) to exhibit proteins that are essential to the cells becoming muscle tissue.
Yuk Suk Choi, a post-doc team member, says that the fat-derived stem cells seem to proliferate better than bone marrow cells when introduced to the hard surfaces. “They are actively feeling their environment soon, which allows them to interpret the signals from the interaction of cell and environment that guide development,” explained Choi.

Unlike bone marrow stem cells, stem cells from fat fused together to form myotubes. Although this phenomenon has been observed in the past, it has never been observed at such a high degree by Engler in the lab. Myotubes comprise an essential step in muscle formation.

Next, Engler and his team plan to observe how fused cells from fat perform in lab mice which are afflicted with a particular form of muscular dystrophy.

However, Dr. Engler cautioned, “From the perspective of translating this into a clinically viable therapy, we want to know what components of the environment provide the most important cues for these cells.”

Filed Under: Adult Stem Cells, Muscular Dystrophy, News, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , , , ,
January 24, 2012 by

The Role of Adult Stem Cells in Angioplasty

The National Institute of Health has granted the Creighton School of Medicine $3.3 million dollars to study repairing damaged coronary arteries with adult stem cells. Such damage can occur when patients undergo coronary artery angioplasty and stenting.

A serious problem that occurs is the re-narrowing (restenosis) of coronary arteries after stent placement. Stents are used to help widen narrowed arteries. Restenosis can be reduced by using drug-eluding stents but they can also lead to deposits of blood platelets within the artery that destroy its lining. To counteract this effect, anti-platelet therapy is employed. However, upset stomach, diarhea and nausea are serious side effects that are caused by anti-platelet therapy.

Creighton researchers, Devendra Agrawal, Ph.D, Michael Del Core and William Hunter are the primary and co-investigators. Dr. Agrawal is a professor of biomedical sciences. Dr. Del Core is a cardiologist and Dr. Hunter is a pathologist.

Autologous mesenchymal stem cells will be delivered with a specialized gene into the coronary arteries of pigs. The goal of this study is to determine if adult stem cell + gene therapy is superior to drug eluting stents, which are today’s standard of care. Such a treatment could eliminate the need for stents altogether if successful.

Recent research has shown that angioplasty and stenting – commonly used to open narrowed coronary arteries – are not as effective as once thought.

The Archives of Internal Medicine published a study of 15,000 patients showing that angioplasty + stenting can cause more harm than good in certain patients. The study determined that 10% of patients had to be readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of stenting and that they were at a higher risk of death within 1 year than the other 90%.

Filed Under: Adult Stem Cells, Heart Disease, News, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , , ,
January 20, 2012 by

Stem cells secrete factors that promote muscle growth after exercise

Stem cells that aid in healing disease and injury in skeletal muscle have been found inside muscles in greater numbers after exercise, according to a new animal study at the University of Illinois.

Just one exercise session increases the number of muscle-derived mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) in mice, according to Beckman Institute researcher Marni Boppart. Dr. Bopart is an assistant professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois.

mMSCs can differentiate (change) into many different cell types and are found throughout the body. For the first time, this study also showed that they also facilitate tissue healing indirectly.

Bopart said, “What we’ve been able to show in this paper and our current work is that mMSCs are not directly contributing to muscle growth, but do in fact secrete a variety of different factors that positively impact muscle growth.”

Bopart believes that these secreted factors, which specifically respond to mechanical strain are an important step toward treatments that can prevent muscle loss that occurs with aging.

This work was reported in the journal PlosOne.

Filed Under: Adult Stem Cells, Muscular Dystrophy, News, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , , , ,
January 19, 2012 by

Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Progress Update from Sam Harrell

From Sam Harrell’s blog: Sam In Panama

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

2012 Update

Coach Sam Harrell

Well, I realize there may not be many readers of my Panama blog any longer, but just in case someone does return, I wanted to post an important update.

In March 2011 when I returned from my second trip to Panama (my last blog), I soon had a MS relapse. It was the biggest setback I had experienced since my diagnosis. I spent a week in the hospital in Dallas and had numbness from my toes to my chest. When I got home, I was better – the steroids had made the numbness go down to just my lower legs, but I was practically home bound – used a walker or cane most of the time and spent most hours sitting in a chair at home – feeling like this was going to be my lifestyle for the rest of my days!

Even after going to physical therapy and doing everything I was supposed to be doing, my progress was minimal. I was fitted with a brace for my left leg to help the foot drop that was causing me to stumble. My mobility was very limited and I needed help getting most anywhere. I could not hold my new grandson unless I was sitting down, and I couldn’t walk across the room without thinking about each move.

In September of 2011 I went back to Panama for a short visit to get what Dr. Paz called a “little booster.” My mom went with me for this third trip – we stayed in the hotel by the MultiPlaza mall and had a good time since it was mom’s first trip to Panama. But the best news was what happened once we returned.

I had begun a daily log of my condition weeks before I went to Panama – mainly measuring and logging my walking and mobility – here are the exact numbers leading up to my trip and once I got back – these numbers are coming straight from my calendar log – (on a scale of 1 – 10 – how well am I’m getting around):
5,4,5,4,5,5,5,5,5+,5,(panama), 5,5+,5+,6,6,6,
7,8,6,7,7,8,7,8,8,6,6,6,7,8,7,7,8,8,8,8,8,8,7,7,7,7,8,8,8,7(end of Oct)
8,8,8,8,8,8,8+,8,9,9,8,8,7,8,7+,8,8+,8+,8+,8,7,7,8+,8,8,7+,7,7,7,7+(Nov)
7+,8+8,7+,7+,7,7+,7+,8,8,7+,8,8,7+,7,7+,7,7,7+8,8+,7+,7+,8,7+,7+,7+,7,7+,7 (Dec)
7,8,8,7,7,7,7,8,8,8,7,8,8

I know these numbers don’t mean a great deal to you, but they are huge to me – the difference in getting around at about a 5 compared to 7 & 8 is really big – numbers don’t do it justice. My mobility is MUCH improved – I don’t need the brace any longer, I walk like a normal person until I get tired, I can stay on my feet longer, I can jump rope again, I can stand and walk with my grandson in my arms, I don’t have to think to walk from one place to another, and even Kathy sees a huge difference (she has been a little hesitant about the good of stem cells).

So I am very excited and encouraged about my improvements. I can live a fairly normal life right now. And I don’t know if it’s the stem cells that made the difference or simply God’s grace and favor, but I do know it all happened right around the 3rd trip to Panama, so the stem cells had something to do with it. As I have said numerous times before, maybe God is using the stem cells to help me just as He used the Jordan River to heal Naaman’s leprosy after he dipped in it seven times.

But I do want to say this – all of these news shows (60 Minutes, 20/20, etc) coming from the US, that keep saying there are no benefits to stem cell treatments, are only showing you what the FDA and US drug companies want them to say. They have not talked to me, or Richard Humphries, or Preston Walker or many others who have seen dramatic results – we are not healed, but our quality of life is greatly improved and many people are witnessing it. (Now that I am better and getting out, people in town constantly say, “I can’t believe how well you look and how good you are doing.”)

Don’t listen to those media shows and don’t just listen to me – come see the difference!

Thanks again to all who have helped and have been encouraging in my quest to overcome this disabling disease. I encourage all of you to take your health issues into your own hands – be pro-active. What do you have to lose? Many of you may be thinking just like I was – if I do nothing, I know where I will be in 3 years.

One last bit of information – the clinic in Panama is having good but maybe mixed results with MS treatments, but they are whipping, yes whipping, arthritis! If you have a friend or loved one who is dealing with arthritis and the doctors here have said, “your only hope of being mobile again is knee replacements and/or hip replacements”, then you owe it to your friend or yourself to call me or get in touch with the stem cell clinic. What do yo have to lose? There are no side effects or dangers to stem cell treatments. Do it today!

Stay Strong!
Sam Harrell

972 268-3894

cellmedicine.com (website)

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, News, Stem Cell Therapy Tagged With: , , , , ,
January 18, 2012 by

Umbilical cord stem cells may lead to new spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis treatments

Researchers in Florida have accomplished converting umbilical cord stem cells into other cell types. According to University of Central Florida bioengineer James Hickman, it’s the first time that non-embryonic cells have accomplished this feat. His research group published this work in the January 18th issue of ACS Chemical Neuroscience.

Two major benefits of umbilical cord-derived stem cells are that they have not been shown to cause adverse immune system reactions and they pose no ethical issues since they come from a source that would be naturally discarded anyway.

Hedvika Davis, a post-doc researcher and lead author of the paper, had to search for the right chemical to coax the stem cells into becoming oligodendrocytes, which are cells that insulate nerves residing in the brain and spinal cord.

Other researchers had already shown that oligodendrocytes bind with a hormone called norepinephrine and Davis theorized that this could be the key. So she used norepinephrine and other growth factors to induce the cells to differentiate into oligodendrocytes. The only problem was that the cells were not sufficiently developed as they would be in the body.

So Davis devised a novel approach of approximating the body’s environment in the lab. By growing the cells on top of a slide, with another slide on top, Davis was able to simulate a 3-dimensional environment and grow mature oligodendrocytes.

Because oligodendrocytes produce myelin, researcher believe that this discovery might lead to treatments for multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and diabetic neuropathy.

Filed Under: Adult Stem Cells, Cord Blood Stem Cells, Multiple Sclerosis, News, Spinal Cord Injury, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , , , , ,
January 10, 2012 by

The Key to Better Health May Lie in Adult Stem Cells

One of the oldest people in the world, Sarah Knauss (119 years old), might have had more than just “good genes.” “Adult stem cells – known for their healing and regenerative properties – might hold the key to a long and healthy life,” says Wayne Marasco, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber at the recent International Vatican Conference on Adult Stem Cells in Vatican City, Italy.

“We have learned in the past 10 years that there are all kinds of stem cells that circulate in the blood – they aren’t just found in bone marrow,” said Marasco, of Dana-Farber’s Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS. “There are dozens of studies that support the fact that this is a large and dynamic population of cells that might help us keep our bodies healthy for a longer period of time.”

Stem cells are assigned to specialized zones in the body and called into action when the body faces stress or even a minor injury. For example, when someone has a heart attack or stroke, an agent is released into the blood, recruiting stem cells and directing them to the damaged tissue.

In addition to their healing powers, stem cell levels are also an indicator of future health. Studies have shown that a person’s level of endothelial progenitor cells, stem cells that form the tissues that line blood vessels, can predict whether or not a patient who has a heart attack will die or need major hospitalization.

Since stem cell levels can be modified through diet, lifestyle changes, or drugs, monitoring stem cells could prevent certain health risks and delay disease from occurring.

“The bottom line is that stem cells may be a better indicator of health and aging than the regular annual blood test, which was developed 50 years ago,” Marasco says. “Now that we know more about adult stem cells, this should be part of a routine test.”

Stem cell therapy may not be too far off in the future. Marasco says that doctors will soon be able to check stem cell levels in a drop of blood, using a finger-prick test much like those used by diabetics. Studies are also beginning to show the benefits of an FDA-approved molecule that improves the healing powers of stem cells, and the NIH has launched a new program that may lead to discoveries of already approved drugs that can boost adult stem cells.

“We can age gracefully, but we can also keep the body revitalized,” Marasco said. “The whole purpose of monitoring is to replenish our stem cells so that we can get more healthy years out of them.”

Filed Under: Adult Stem Cells, News, Stem Cell Research Tagged With: , , ,
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