Panama City, Panama
With the potential to treat muscle injuries and diseases such as muscular dystrophy and heart attack, scientists at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have discovered a unique population of adult stem cells derived from human muscle that can be used for this purpose for the first time.
Led by Johnny Huard, PhD, and Bruno P
Holly saw a bright future ahead of her about ten years ago. She had just taken a job in sales and marketing, fresh out of college, and finally moving out of her parent
Yet-to-be parents across the world are getting the message from doctors and medical practitioners: donate cord blood. Individuals who are combating malignant ailments can have new hope for survival when pregnancy gives birth to new life. Patients suffering from acute disorders from the immune system, severe anemia, leukemia, and other conditions can potentially be cured by the stem cells which are contained in a newborn baby’s umbilical cord. Researchers strongly advocate the need for cord blood donation, as they come up with newer advancements in treatment with blood forming cells.
The term waste material was once synonymous with the placenta and umbilical cord. This biological material was considered unimportant. The scenario has since been reversed due to the understanding that patients suffering from spinal cord disorders, diseases of the immune system, various types of blood disorders and many other conditions can be helped by these umbilical cord cells. Instead of discarding them, the cells are now treasured by doctors. The procedure of cord blood collection is also being more widely accepted at the same time by soon to be parents.
Prior to the delivery of the placenta, but after the baby has been born, the umbilical cord blood is collected. The process can be initiated after the placenta has been delivered as well in some cases. Neither the new born baby nor the mother is ever under any risk or subjected to any form of pain. Advanced equipment for the safe collection of cord blood cells is provided by the blood bank where the donor decides to preserve the cells. Regardless of the birth procedure the umbilical cord blood stem cell can be collected. With no changes in the procedure of delivery, stem cells can be collected with both caesarean and vaginal deliveries.
The hematopoietic features of bone marrow stem cells are mimicked by umbilical cord blood stem cells to a certain degree. But, bone marrow samples are lacking the rich number of stem cells that are found in umbilical cord blood. Any type of organ or tissue that includes three types of blood cells, platelets, white blood cells, red blood cells, can be produced by umbilical cord blood stem cells. The option of getting a cord blood transplant as opposed to a bone marrow stem cell transplant can prove to be a wise decision if your family has a history of or a family member has a medical condition such as any immunodeficiency disorders or other genetic disorders, metabolic storage disorders, aplastic anemia, leukemia, thalassemia, or Fanconi’s anemia.
If a patient is from an ethic minority group in the country where he resides, finding a matching donor can present a significant challenge. The biggest obstacle in locating a matching bone marrow cell donor falls on the shoulders of those who are of native American, Hispanic, African-American, or mixed ethnicity. You should donate cord blood stem cells if a transplant is required by one of your family members who suffer from a condition that can be treated by stem cells. There is great difficulty finding a matching donor for bone marrow, but cord blood has a 25% greater chance of matching. In the case of an emergency, your child can even be their own donor.
To ensure their family members
On Monday, top cardiologists all concurred that by using a patients own stem cell, surgeons will soon be able to literally mend a broken heart using live tissue grown from these cells.
The procedure could become routine within three-to-five years. In as little as six weeks, the entire process of harvesting cells from bone marrow, growing tissue, and surgically implanting the heart muscle or valve could be accomplished.
The Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B in Britain published these findings in a recent special issue.
A massive muscle surrounds the four valves of the heart, controlling the body’s blood flow. One of the reasons heart attacks are so debilitating, even when they are not fatal, is that this muscle does not regenerate. Once tissue is damaged, it remains that way.
The muscle begins to wear out as it ages, and this is when most problems occur.
“But the highest medical need for tissue-engineered heart valves is in the treatment of congenital heart malformation,” which affects nearly one percent of all newborns, Simon Hoeurstrup, lead author of one of the studies, told AFP.
Leading to great suffering and higher death rates than in adults, artificial heart valves currently available must be periodically replaced as children grow.
Long considered the “holy grail” of cardiovascular medicine, bio-engineered heart muscle that could be grafted onto a patient’s living tissue without fear of rejection by the immune system could soon become a reality.
Artificial replacements “do the job and save people’s lives,” said celebrated heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub, who coordinated the 20-odd studies.
“But they cannot match the elegant, sophisticated functions of living tissues.”
Abnormalities in blood flow and an increased risk of bacterial infection in the hearts inner lining come along with the durability of mechanical hardware. Boosting the chances of internal bleeding and embolisms, patients must also take medication to prevent blood clots.
According to the World Health Organization, 17.5 million people were victim to cardiovascular disease in 2005, making it the number one killer in the world. Timely surgery to implant heart muscle or replacement valves could have potentially saved many of these individuals.
Serious drawbacks accompany the two mainstream techniques for making bio-prosthetic heart valves.
A tendency to wear out and differing structure are the main short coming of animal grafts; negative factors that outweigh their high level of availability. The short supply and susceptibility to immune rejection are drawbacks that comes with human valves from donors, despite the fact that they work better than animal grafts.
The patient’s own stem cells — taken from bone marrow — are isolated and expanded in the laboratory using standard cell culture techniques in the tissue engineering approach favored by Yacoub and Hoerstrup.
A special matrix is created in the shape of a heart valve, and the cells are “seeded” onto this. The matrix is placed in a “bioreactor” that coerces the cells to grow into the proper shape.
The patient is implanted with the living-tissue heart valves once they reach maturity. In only a matter of week, a patient can have a “real” heart valve.
Several years of follow up are required before it can be deemed effective and safe, but the procedure has provided powerful results in animal models using sheep.
Other hurdles include the scenario of concurrent conditions such as diabetes, which could compromise the suitability of harvested stem cells.
With the ability to teach your skin to be young again, imagine a “chemical messenger” that can enter your skin cells and do just that.
The 500 mark for cord blood volunteer donations has been surpassed by an Indianapolis business and hospital.
Dropping dead or signing liability papers for an unusual treatment were the two choices Carron had to choose between when she had to make a decision on treating her serious heart condition.
The event planner, chose to sign the papers.
Serious ethical questions have hampered stem cell research despite the potential for many medical breakthroughs.
It may be medically exciting, but the destruction of human embryos to extract stem cells which can differentiate into any type of cell in the body has been a moral issue of maximum extent. Embryonic cells can differentiate and potentially repair those cells which have been damaged, such as cells in the spinal cord or brain.
New information about diseases such as cancer or defects at birth could be revealed if a scientists have a better understanding of stem cells.
But the regeneration of tissues and organs using stem cells, dubbed the “holy grail” of the science, has medical researchers most excited. Especially in regards to therapeutic potential. Multiple sclerosis, strokes, burns, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s could all potentially be treated more effectively and possibly cured.
However, the catch is the ethical dilemma. Despite the excitement of patients and medical researchers, many still stop to ask: Is it morally proper to initiate reproduction, only to harvest the days-old embryo for its stem cells?
The concept is looked on disapprovingly by those who oppose abortion. But a less controversial path may soon bring new hope.
The full malleability of embryonic stem cells may be matched by adult bone marrow stem cells that have been harvested according to recent research.
To investigate the potential to treat diseased immune systems using human bone marrow cells, two doctors (Freedman and Atkins) in Ottawa have been conducting trials. The MS society of Canada has been the primary benefactor for the project.
The potential to transform the bone marrow cells into any other cell in the body is being investigated by other researchers around the world and the Ottawa team’s work relates to this subject as well.
The prospects for new medical therapies to be developed would be elevated if the team is successful.
“Ultimately, we would like to be able to reverse the (damage to) patients who are very disabled today,” said Dr. Mark Freedman, who is partnering with Dr. Harry Atkins on the study at the Ottawa Health Research Institute.
The lining of the spinal cord and brain is damaged in MS patients. Using stem cells to repair the damaged cells is another goal of scientists who conduct similar research as Freedman and Atkins. The MS Society is also funding a joint study involving the Mayo Institute, the University of Calgary, and McGill University involving this work.
The prospect of new life is the potential that breakthroughs involving stem cells hold. This applies to patients with MS as well as other conditions.
And making the research even more worthwhile is the avoidance of the sticky ethical issues that involve embryonic stem cells. These breakthroughs will be the courtesy of non-controversial adult stem cells.
Dunking her toes in her backyard swimming pool and spending more time with her grandkids was a future worth looking forward to for Carol Franz. She thought as retirement approached, she’d start to ease into life.
Training her brain to spew out statistics as fast as any computer, delivering addresses to 1,000 people at a time and talking one on one with the president of the United States was something she was not expecting.
President Bush discussed the stem cell veto and executive order in June, and Franz was called to the White House to join in. Franz was mentioned in the president’s text.
“I appreciate the fact that we’re joined by a lot of folks who share the deep desire to advance science, and at the same time, uphold our moral values. I appreciate the fact that Mike Leavitt is here, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. I want to thank the members of the United States Congress and Senate who have joined us. I thank you for taking your time to be here on this important announcement today.”
“I’m joined on stage by two good docs, really smart, capable people: Dr. Bill Hurlbut, Professor of Stanford University Medical Center; Dr. Don Landry, Professor at Columbia University Department of Medicine — actually, he’s the Chairman of the Department. The reason they’re here is these are brilliant biologists who are seeking new ways to develop stem cell lines without violating human life. And these are smart folks, and I cannot thank them enough for coming to the Oval Office to share with me their wisdom and their vision.”
“I’m also up here with Carol Franz; she has whipped cancer twice by using adult stem cells. In other words, adult stem cells have saved her life.”
“She’s a determined woman who believes strongly that there are different alternatives available to use stem cells other than those which are created as the result of destruction of human life.”
Franz says that she doesn’t thin that same way as some people who wonder about their purposes in life.
She understands stem cell research and therapy and is on a mission to educate other American’s about the science and treatment alternative.
She knows what she is talking about considering the fact that such therapies have twice snatched her back from cancer’s jaws of death.
However, she is one of the very few, and this is a point of concern for her.
The stem cell field is riddled with various arguments, and she is familiar with all of them. But there is one point that has left her nearly furious, and that is that “adult” and “embryonic” are very different fields and people are confused about this point.
Any and all controversial issues are avoided by adult stem cell therapies according to Carol, who is a deeply committed Catholic.
Stem cell therapies are not only limited to cancer; they can be applied towards many more medical conditions. Carol cannot fathom how many doctors actually don’t have a clue about this.
Joining the numbers of the confused are some of the politicians she has spoken with. This presents a major dilemma. With 73 adult stem cell therapies that have saved thousands of lives, it would be an injustice to have confused politicians casting votes for or against embryonic stem cell funding.
“It’s sad when a 65-year-old grandmother in Owego has this information, and so few others do,” she says.
Carol has before and after pictures on her website www.carolfranz.com
. IN one photograph, he has a t-shirt on that reads, “Survivor Adult Stem Cell Transplant.”
Many people think that the word “adult” refers to her age, and that cells from an embryo saved her life. Carol is disappointed with the high level of misinterpretation which is a product of misinformation and insufficient stem cell education.
“They just don’t understand, they just don’t know,” says Franz.
She says she knows people right near her in Greater Binghamton, who are past adult stem cell transplant patients. They too are survivors.
However, while Carol feels the urge to tell everyone, the other individuals remain quieter and subtle.
But a few people are beginning to join Carol
Marking a significant milestone in the state of California’s bid to become the international destination of choice for the world’s leading regenerative medicine experts, a new lab will soon be opening in San Francisco headed by a Japanese pioneer in stem-cell research.
Mouse skin cells were reprogrammed last year, and changed back into an embryonic state thanks to the identification of specific genes by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University. The reprogrammed skin cells could be used to form different types of tissues.
In order to pursue what some have called the “Holy Grail” of regenerative medicine, the laboratory will be opened at the University of California-San Francisco affiliated non-profit research facility named the J. David Gladstone Institute in Mission Bay said Yamanaka at a press conference on Thursday. The goal is to create new treatments and replacement tissues for disease that could be personalized without using controversial embryonic stem cells. This would be accomplished by using a patient’s own cells that could be reprogrammed into stem cells.
“The next step is to apply the technology to humans,” said Yamanaka, who also will become a professor of anatomy at UCSF.
Meaning that they can turn into any tissue in the body, the term “pluripotent” has been used in recent months when describing the reprogrammed mouse cells that several teams of scientists recently developed. The catalyst for these further breakthroughs was Yamanaka’s work.
For changing the ethical debate over using embryos in stem-cell research as well as being called a crucial development for science, the news was met with applause worldwide.
With research based on adult human cells being reprogrammed to have the same qualities as embryonic cells, minus the controversy, experts said that Yamanaka’s arrival will put California front and center in the development of this type of research. Patient and disease-specific cell lines could be developed as a result of this research. New therapies and medicines will more than likely be developed.
Within one to two years, the goal of developing pluripotent human adult stem-cell lines could be reached said Yamanaka. The fast paced expectations arise from the competition between two Boston-area teams and his own. But considering that the time between the discovery of mouse embryonic stem cells and human embryonic stem cell was 2 decades, some experts are less optimistic of the rapid time frame.
Due to less government interference in his groundbreaking work and his previous association with the Gladstone Institutes Yamanaka decided on California as his new home. to approve research protocols, it can take up to one year in some cases for the Japanese government to approve of work.
Yamanaka’s work and that of others in the key new area of stem-cell research will help “unravel the mechanics of the disease itself,” believes Dr. Arnold Kriegstein, director of the UCSF Institute for Regeneration Medicine.
Yamanaka’s move was cited as evidence that the state’s initiatives were successful by officials from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. They created Proposition 71 in 2004 to oversee the state’s publicly financed $3 billion stem-cell research efforts.
“California is becoming a mecca” for leading researchers, said CIRM spokesman Dale Carlson.
A half-dozen, like Yamanaka, have part-time positions with medical research facilities in the state, and at least another 14 established stem-cell investigators have moved to California since 2005 stated CIRM.
The availability of public and private resources in the state should continue to draw researchers said interim CIRM director Arlene Chiu. She expects the significant research competition to add to the appeal.
“I am agnostic about what kind of cell, as long as it works,” she said.
The debate over regenerative medicine will likely not end because of his work said Yamanaka. Even though his work does not rely on embryonic stem cells he says his desire to develop a solution for infertile couples could still raise some questions.
“We would like to help infertile couples,” he said, but predicted a new ethics debate would rage.
