"At StemGenex, we are committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells," said Alexander. "Specifically, we use adipose-derived adult stem cell therapy for patients battling conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, COPD, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis. We are also committed to the science of stem cell therapy and sponsor five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institute of Health (NIH) for these diseases."

"What I personally witnessed before the start of StemGenex were patients who had exhausted conventional medical treatments but wanted to try alternative therapies. I was one of them, suffering from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Ihad only three options; I could seek a clinical trial, travel to outside of the U.S. to try alternative therapies such as stem cell treatment or petition the FDA for access to drugs under the agency's "expanded access," or "compassionate use" program. Now, new state laws, built on model legislation from the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, will potentially allow doctors and patients to make their own informed decisions on treatments that have cleared the safety phase of FDA testing."

Last year, in a move that was seen by some as a response to "Right to Try" laws, the 21st Century Cures Act, a landmark piece of legislation focused on medical innovation and medical research, was signed into law by President Obama. This Act provides the FDA with the flexibility to accelerate how it evaluates regenerative medicine treatments, such as stem cell therapies, while maintaining its high standards of safety and efficacy.

"We're on the cusp of a major change on how patients can access stem cell therapy," saidAlexander. "Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by a wide range of autoimmune and degenerative illnesses," said Alexander. "StemGenex Medical Group is proud to offer the highest quality of care and to potentially help those with unmet clinical needs improve their quality of life."

ABOUT StemGenex Medical Group StemGenex Medical Group is committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells. StemGenex provides stem cell therapy options for individuals suffering with inflammatory and degenerative illnesses. Committed to the science and innovation of stem cell treatment,StemGenex sponsors five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institutes of Health ("NIH") for Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ("COPD") and Osteoarthritis. These have been established to formally document and evaluate the quality of life changes in individuals following adipose-derived stem cell treatment.

Contact: Jamie Schubert, Director of Media & Community Relations jschubert@StemGenex.com, (858) 242-4243

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stem-cell-therapy-is-one-step-closer-to-becoming-law-in-texas-300461859.html

SOURCE StemGenex

http://www.stemgenex.com

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Stem Cell Therapy is One Step Closer to Becoming Law in Texas - PR Newswire (press release)

BENGALURU:Full-fledged treatment for cancer and bone-related ailments using stem-cell within the state could soon be a possibility if a plan of a world renowned surgeon from the state succeeds.

Dr A A Shetty is a highly decorated orthopedic surgeon and professor based in the UK who won the Nobel equivalent of surgery called the Hunterian Medal, this year. In his aim to bring about next level cancer and orthopedic treatment, he has already set up two big stem cell research labs - one in Dharwad and another in Mangaluru, a few years back at a cost of around 20 to 25 crore. A hospital that will treat stem-related ailments has also been envisaged at a total cost of around Rs 200 to 250 crore.

Setting up the labs is part of a three-step goal. After setting up the labs, the next step will be producing the stem cells, whether it be for bone ailments, treatment for cervical cancer etc. Then the third step will be the application of these stem cells through our hospital or through tie-ups with other hospitals. I have already received the funding for setting up the hospital, says Dr Shetty in an interaction with CE in Bengaluru. He is originally from a small village called Asode in Udupi district.

The lab in Dharwad is located at SDM College and is being backed by Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara and will be primarily working on blood cancer and thalassemia treatment. The one in Mangaluru is located at K.S. Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA) and is backed by the NITTE group. It will work on cartilage and bone fracture treatments.The effort is no doubt for profit. We will charge the rich but the poor will be treated for free at our hospital, he says.

Already, Shetty has recruited a number of top stem cell researchers from the state who are presently abroad. I have recruited researchers who were doing their postdoc studies in Japan, South Korea. Presently there are four of them working at the two labs, he says. Shetty ultimately wants to settle in Karnataka and hopes to achieve his goal by 2020. The third stage of his plan also requires expertise in various cutting edge technologies such as robotics, computing and he will also be recruiting people who specialize in these fields.

Cancer Vaccination

Shetty also hopes to make cancer vaccination a possibility. Giving an example of cervical cancer, Shetty says, Few cancers can be vaccinated. Cervical cancer, one of the most rampant cancers, is one of them. We will use stems derived from iPS cell. In the UK, the vaccine cost 60 pounds. Our aim is to develop it and sell it at a very low cost, as low as Rs 100, he adds. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells or iPS Cells are derived from the blood and skiwwn cells and can be reprogrammed to provide an unlimited source of any type of human cell.

Stem cells for Arthritis In 2013, Shetty devised a minimally invasive procedure to treat arthritis using stem cells. When the cartilage between the bones begin to erode, the bones rub against each other and cause severe pain. Shetty treated a patient suffering from knee arthritis. He drilled a hole into the patients knee bone and released stem cells that could grow into the cartilage. In all, the procedure lasted just 30 minutes. Shetty has already done as many as two dozen such procedures in India.

Trauma Center Shetty also says that he wants to develop and provide integrated trauma services. If a patient survives the golden hour then he/she can be saved. Majority die in the first hour of trauma. My integrated services will have specialized suits that will help reduce blood loss and will have other know-how. I am negotiating with the International Rotary on this, he adds. This may be established either in Mangalore or Bangalore.

Dr Vishal Rao, head and neck oncology surgeon at HCG Hospitals says that stem cells research is in the mid-stage of development and has great potential to grow in India. The IT and BT ministry is already taking great steps by encouraging startups on these lines, starting various schemes, he says. Vishal also pointed out that a number of private organizations, hospitals and individuals like those like Dr Shetty are also investing in the field.

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Stem-cell therapy for cancer comes closer home - The New Indian Express

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Yet today the 59-year-old father of two is planning a dream family trip to South Africa, something that would have been unthinkable a mere nine months ago.

The reason for this remarkable transformation is that last September Gordon, who suffered from severe heart failure after a series of heart attacks, underwent revolutionary stem cell therapy to repair the diseased muscle tissue in his heart.

I couldnt walk up the stairs without having stabbing pains in my heart and burning in my lungs. Sometimes I had to crawl for the last few steps.

I felt so low and helpless, says Gordon, who is married to Joanne, 50, and lives in Thorneholme, East Yorkshire.

Within a week of the operation I could climb the stairs again. Small things like that have made a huge difference to my life.

More than a million people in the UK suffer from heart disease. The general term for heart disease is cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the walls of the heart chambers have become stretched, thickened or stiff.

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This affects the hearts ability to pump blood around the body. Some types of cardiomyopathy are inherited and it can affect children and younger people.

I couldnt walk up the stairs without having stabbing pains

Gordon Foster

In others, lifestyle factors such as smoking, an unhealthy diet or a sedentary lifestyle can be to blame. There is no cure and although it can be treated with drugs such as ACE inhibitors, they often have side effects and arent a permanent solution.

In Gordons case his condition was the result of a series of heart attacks, the first of which struck when he was 30.

I woke up one morning feeling horribly sick so I ran to the bathroom. I was banging my head on the floor to try to get rid of the pain in my chest, he recalls. Everybody thought I was a goner because it was such a massive heart attack.

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10 Step plan to eliminate your risk of heart disease

Joanne and I got married two months later because she was worried I might not live until our wedding date.

However he did survive and he and Joanne went on to have two children, James, now 26, and Rebekah, 24. Then when James was just a year old Gordon had another heart attack and three years later, aged 37, he suffered a third.

He was diagnosed as suffering from heart failure which most commonly occurs following a heart attack when the heart muscle suffers irreparable damage.

Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling. In severe cases people with heart failure are left unable to perform ordinary, day-to-day activities such as walking upstairs or are left breathless even when resting.

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By 2012 Gordons heart was functioning at just 17 per cent and he had been forced to retire on heart attack and three years later, aged 37, he suffered a third. from heart failure which most commonly occurs following a heart attack when the heart muscle suffers irreparable damage.

Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling. failure are left unable to perform ordinary, day-to-day activities such as walking upstairs or are left breathless even when resting.

Functioning at just 17 per cent and he had been forced to retire on medical grounds from his job overseeing welding and fabricating sites.

For severely affected patients a heart transplant can be the only option but the chances of failure are high. Around 10 per cent of transplant patients die within a year of the operation and 25 per cent die within five years.

The need for treatment in this field has never been greater, says Professor Anthony Mathur, consultant cardiologist at St Bartholomews Hospital, London.

Now stem cell therapy is offering new hope to desperate patients and their families. The procedure involves extracting stem cells from bone marrow in the spine and injecting them into the heart.

Researchers hope that the stem cells, which are unique because they can grow into any type of body tissue, will grow into healthy heart cells and take over the work of the diseased or damaged ones.

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The procedure takes about 20 minutes and patients can usually go home the following day. Gordon became the first man in the UK to be offered the operation under the Compassionate Treatment Programme funded by the Heart Cells Foundation charity at St Bartholomews Hospital after his doctor put him forward to take part in a trial.

The charity has so far raised more than 6.5million to fund the Stem Cell Research Programme and is campaigning to raise further cash to treat thousands more patients.

Stem cell therapy is still in the development and research stage and the Compassionate Treatment Programme is funded purely by the Heart Cells Foundation charity, says its chairman Jenifer Rosenberg.

To treat one person costs 10,000 so we need the continued support of our donors to save lives.

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Queen Elizabeth II visits a ward during a tour of Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children, 23rd July 1952

The treatment is currently in the second phase of clinical trials and phase three will start once funding is secured. If this is successful it is hoped that the treatment could eventually be offered on the NHS.

Gordon says he and his family will be forever thankful to the Heart Cells Foundation and his medical team at St Bartholemews for saving his life.

Without them, I believe I wouldnt be here today, he says. Im now able to lead a near-normal life and Im enjoying every moment I spend with my wife and children. I now live every day with hope.

Visit heartcellsfoundation.com

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How a revolutionary stem cell treatment could save your heart - Express.co.uk