Posted: April 30, 2014 at 10:02 pm
Stem Cell Treatment In Panama Working Wonders
This is an update on Beverly after only 10 days in Panama for Stem Cell Treatment. She is feeling so much better and you can see it just by the look on her face. She has Secondary Progressive...
By: Stem Cell Patient
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Stem Cell Treatment In Panama Working Wonders - Video
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 9:58 pm
Heart cells created from human embryonic stem cells successfully restored damaged heart muscles in monkeys.
The results of the experiment appear in the April 30 advanced online edition of the journal Nature in a paper titled, "Human embryonic-stem cell derived cardiomyocytes regenerate non-human primate hearts."
The findings suggest that the approach should be feasible in humans, the researchers said.
"Before this study, it was not known if it is possible to produce sufficient numbers of these cells and successfully use them to remuscularize damaged hearts in a large animal whose heart size and physiology is similar to that of the human heart," said Dr. Charles Murry, UW professor of pathology and bioengineering, who led the research team that conducted the experiment.
A physician/scientist, Murry directs the UW Center for Cardiovascular Biology and is a UW Medicine pathologist.
Murry said he expected the approach could be ready for clinical trials in humans within four years.
In the study, Murry, along with Dr. Michael Laflamme and other colleagues at the UW Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, experimentally induced controlled myocardial infarctions, a form of heart attack, in anesthetized pigtail macaques.
The infarcts were created by blocking the coronary artery of macaque for 90 minutes, an established model for the study of myocardial infarction in primates.
In humans, myocardial infarctions are typically caused by coronary artery disease. The resulting lack of adequate blood flow can damage heart muscle and other tissues by depriving them of oxygen. Because the infarcted heart muscle does not grow back, myocardial infarction leaves the heart less able to pump blood and often leads to heart failure, a leading cause of cardiovascular death.
The goal of stem cell therapy is to replace the damaged tissue with new heart cells and restore the failing heart to normal function.
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Stem cell therapy regenerates heart muscle damaged from heart attacks in primates
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:50 am
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Apr-2014
Contact: Angela Hopp ahopp@asbmb.org 713-471-4541 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
SAN DIEGO (April 29, 2014) Imagine filling a hole in your heart by regrowing the tissue. While that possibility is still being explored in people, it is a reality in salamanders. A recent discovery that newt hearts can regenerate may pave the way to new therapies in people who need to have damaged tissue replaced with healthy tissue.
Heart disease is the leading cause of deaths in the United States. Preventative measures like healthful diets and lifestyles help ward off heart problems, but if heart damage does occur, sophisticated treatments and surgical procedures often are necessary. Unfortunately, heart damage is typically irreversible, which is why researchers are seeking regenerative therapies that restore a damaged heart to its original capacity.
We have known for hundreds of years that newts and other types of salamanders regenerate limbs. If you cut off a leg or tail, it will grow back within a few weeks. Stanley Sessions, a researcher at Hartwich College in Oneonta, N.Y., wondered if this external phenomenon also took place internally. To find out, he surgically removed a piece of heart in more than two dozen newts.
"To our surprise, if you surgically remove part of the heart, (the creature) will regenerate a new heart within just six weeks or so," Sessions said. "In fact, you can remove up to half of the heart, and it will still regenerate completely!"
Before the research team dove deeper into this finding, Sessions and his three undergraduate students, Grace Mele, Jessica Rodriquez and Kayla Murphy, had to determine how a salamander could even live with a partial heart. It turns out that a clot forms at the surgical site, acting much like the cork in a wine bottle, to prevent the amphibian from bleeding to death.
What is the cork made of? In part, stem cells. Stem cells have unlimited potential for growth and can develop into cells with a specialized fate or function. Embryonic stem cells, for example, can give rise to all of the cells in the body and, thus, have promising potential for therapeutics.
As it turns out, stem cells play an important role in regeneration in newts. "We discovered that at least some of the stem cells for heart regeneration come from the blood, including the clot," Sessions explained.
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Stem cells aid heart regeneration in salamanders
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:50 am
There have been several revolutions in biotechnology that open the door to many new products and technologies. The first, recombinant DNA technology, allowed researchers for the first time to cut-and-splice DNA in any way they wished, thereby making it possible to assemble genes in new ways to manufacture a host of proteins like insulin, growth hormone, and erythropoietin.
The second revolution was called genomics and this technology allowed researchers to rapidly sequence and manipulate gene sequence information. Both recombinant DNA technology and genomics spawned the development and growth of many of todays leading biotechnology companies.
In our opinion, regenerative medicine has the potential to be a third major revolution in biotechnology. Empowered by the discovery of human embryonic stem (ES) cells, regenerative medicine now has the potential to produce any human cell type genetically modified in any way, to be used in the treatment of a host of degenerative diseases. Stem cells may also have commercial uses in the development of experimental new drugs. Under the leadership of Dr. Michael D. West, who pioneered this industry after he founded Geron Corporation and later during his tenure at Advanced Cell Technology, BioTime intends to become a significant biotechnology company in this emerging sector, focusing on near-term commercialization opportunities.
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Regenerative Medicine, The Third Major Revolution in ...
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:46 am
Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters/Corbis
Many companies around the world offer stem-cell treatments to patients with heart disease.
An analysis of clinical studies that use adult stem cells to treat heart disease has raised questions about the value of a therapy that many consider inappropriately hyped.
Early-phase clinical trials have reported that adult stem cells are effective in treating heart attack and heart failure, and many companies are moving quickly to tap into this potentially lucrative market. But a comprehensive study that looked at discrepancies in trials investigating treatments that use patients own stem cells, published this week in the journal BMJ (ref. 1), finds that only trials containing flaws, such as design or reporting errors, showed positive outcomes. Error-free trials showed no benefit at all.
The publication comes as two major clinical trials designed to conclusively test the treatments efficacy are recruiting thousands of patients.
The BMJ paper is concerning because the therapeutic approach is already being commercialized, argues stem-cell researcher Paolo Bianco at the Sapienza University of Rome. Premature trials can create unrealistic hopes for patients, and divert resources from the necessary basic studies we need to design more appropriate treatments.
Therapies that use adult stem cells typically involve collecting mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow taken from the patients hip bone. The cells are then injected back into the patient, to help repair damaged tissue. Original claims that they differentiated into replacement cells have been rejected2, and many clinicians now believe that the cells act by releasing molecules that cause inflammation, with an attendant growth of oxygen-delivering small blood vessels, in the damaged tissue.
The approach has spawned international commercialization of various forms of the therapy, with companies offering treatments for disorders ranging from Parkinsons disease to heart failure. But the effectiveness of such therapies remains unproven.
I have a lot of hope for regenerative medicine, but our results make me fearful.
The BMJ study, led by cardiologist Darrel Francis at Imperial College London, examined 133 reports of 49 randomized clinical trials published up to April last year, involving the treatment of patients who had had a heart attack or heart failure. It included all accessible randomized studies, and looked for discrepancies in design, methodology and reporting of results.
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Doubts over heart stem-cell therapy
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:45 am
(MENAFN - Arab News) The king abdullah international medical research center (kaimrc) recently joined a conference on stem cell research and its application science and medicine the saudi press agency reported.
the conference which was organized by the health affairs at the national guard unveiled the latest discoveries and findings made by researchers at the stem cell and regenerative medicine unit at kaimrc the agency said.
the conference was attended by several experts on stem cell research representing saudi arabia the united states britain france sweden italy australia and new zealand.
ahmed al-askar ceo of kaimrc said stem cell research is a broad topic that sheds light on how to best exploit human cells to treat diseases for certain organs such as the liver kidney or nerves.
he said the current use of stem cells is centered on plantation for the treatment of certain types of leukemia cancer and genetic diseases.
since its inception three years ago the center has transplanted 200 cells following the creation of a program for transplanting stem cells in children and adults he said.
saudi arabia has the sole stem cell donation registry in arab countries compared with 60 cells donation registries globally he said.
'the saudi stem cell donation center is meant to attract potential donors from arab countries" he said. 'we have had 5000 donors so far."
he said some 400 scientists and experts are working at the center while another 40 physicians have been dispatched on scholarships to acquire training and specialization.
al-askar expressed optimism over the future of stem cell use and its contribution to the treatment of a variety of diseases such as diabetes cancer pulmonary and hepatic fibrosis and neurological and cardiovascular disorders.
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Saudi- Conference to shed light on latest stem cell applications
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:44 am
Stem cell therapy | irish stem cells
http://www.arthritistreatmentcenter.com So what #39;s going on in Ireland when it comes to arthritis... coming up next... First signs of arthritis cure seen by Irish researchers The first signs...
By: Nathan Wei
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Stem cell therapy | irish stem cells - Video
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:44 am
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Apr-2014
Contact: Jennifer Beal sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 44-124-377-0633 Wiley
Stem cell therapies work as a complement to standard treatments, potentially cutting the number of deaths after a year, suggests evidence from the latest Cochrane review: Stem cell therapy for chronic ischaemic heart disease and congestive heart failure. Taking stem cells from a patient's bone marrow and injecting them into their damaged heart may be an effective way to treat heart disease.
The new review, published today in The Cochrane Library, uses data involving 1,255 people from 23 randomised controlled trials, where all participants received standard treatments. Compared to standard treatment alone or with placebo, stem cell therapy using bone marrow cells resulted in fewer deaths due to heart disease and heart failure, reduced the likelihood of patients being readmitted to hospital, and improved heart function. However, researchers say that with much larger clinical trials underway, the findings are awaited to enable more certainty about the effects.
Dr Enca Martin-Rendon, author of the review, Cochrane Heart Review Group, and based at NHS Blood and Transplant and the University of Oxford, UK, said: "This is encouraging evidence that stem cell therapy has benefits for heart disease patients. However, it is generated from small studies and it is difficult to come to any concrete conclusions until larger clinical trials that look at longer- term effects are carried out."
Stem cell therapies are experimental treatments that are currently only available in facilities carrying out medical research. If eventually found to be effective, they might offer an alternative or complementary treatment to standard drug and surgical treatments for some patients with chronic heart disease. The procedure involves collecting stem cells from a patient's own blood or bone marrow and using them to repair damaged tissues in the patient's heart and arteries.
Although within the first year there were no clear benefits of stem cell therapy over standard treatment alone, when longer term data were analysed a year or more later about 3 per cent of people treated with their stem cells had died compared with 15 per cent of people in the control groups. Hospital readmissions were reduced to 2 in every 100 people compared to 9 in the control group, and adverse effects were rare.
Dr Martin-Rendon continued, "It isn't clear which types of stem cells work best or why stem cell therapies seem to work for some people but not for others. We need to find out what's different in the people who aren't responding well to these treatments as it might then be possible to tailor therapies to these patients, so that they work better."
Dr David Tovey, Editor-in-Chief, Cochrane, said: "This review should help to raise awareness of the potential of stem cell therapy to improve patient outcomes, but it also demonstrates the importance of recognising the uncertainty of initial findings and the need for further research. A Cochrane review aims to analyse all available data to give a clear picture of what the evidence shows. Ensuring health decision makers, health professionals and the general public has access to up-to-date, relevant evidence research will help to raise awareness of the effectiveness of treatments and medications and therefore improve health care."
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Stem cell therapies look promising for heart disease
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:44 am
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 29, 2014
The Stem Cell Institute located in Panama City, Panama, welcomes special guest speaker Roberta F. Shapiro, DO, FAAPM&R to its public seminar on umbilical cord stem cell therapy on Saturday, May 17, 2014 in New York City at the New York Hilton Midtown from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Dr. Shapiro will discuss A New York Doctors Path to Panama.
Dr. Shapiro operates a private practice for physical medicine and rehabilitation in New York City. Her primary professional activities include outpatient practice focused on comprehensive treatment of acute and chronic musculoskeletal and myofascial pain syndromes using manipulation techniques, trigger point injections, tendon injections, bursae injections, nerve and motor point blocks. Secondary work at her practice focuses on the management of pediatric onset disability.
She is the founder and president of the Dayniah Fund, a non-profit charitable foundation formed to support persons with progressive debilitating diseases who are faced with catastrophic events such as surgery or illness. The Dayniah Fund educates the public about the challenges of people with disabilities and supports research on reducing the pain and suffering caused by disabling diseases and conditions.
Dr. Shapiro serves as assistant clinical professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.
Stem Cell Institute Speakers include:
Neil Riordan PhD Clinical Trials: Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Autism and Spinal Cord Injury
Dr. Riordan is the founder of the Stem Cell Institute and Medistem Panama Inc.
Jorge Paz-Rodriguez MD Stem Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Disease: MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus
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Stem Cell Institute Welcomes Special Guest Speaker Roberta F. Shapiro DO, FAAPM&R to Stem Cell Therapy Public Seminar ...
Posted: April 30, 2014 at 3:44 am
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
28-Apr-2014
Contact: Franca Davenport f.davenport@imperial.ac.uk 020-759-42198 Imperial College London
New research looking at the success of clinical trials of stem cell therapy shows that trials appear to be more successful in studies where there are more discrepancies in the trial data.
Researchers from Imperial College London conducted a meta-analysis of 49 randomised controlled trials of bone marrow stem cell therapy for heart disease. The study, published today in the British Medical Journal, identified and listed over 600 discrepancies within the trial reports.
Discrepancies were defined as two (or more) reported facts that could not both be accurate because they were logically or mathematically incompatible. For example, one trial reported that it involved 70 patients, who were divided into two groups of 35 and 80.
The researchers found eight trials that each contained over 20 discrepancies.
The researchers found that the discrepancy count in a trial was the most important determinant of the improvement in cardiac function reported by that trial. Trials with fewer and fewer discrepancies showed progressively smaller improvements in cardiac function. The five trials with no discrepancies at all showed an effect size of zero (see bar chart in Notes to Editors).
Previous meta-analyses looking at the results of lots of clinical trials have suggested that on average, bone marrow stem cell therapy has a significant positive effect on improving heart function. However, some trials have shown that it successfully improves heart function whilst others have not. The reasons for this are unclear.
Professor Darrel Francis, one of the study authors from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said: "Clinical trials involve a huge amount of data and so it is understandable that discrepancies sometimes arise when researchers are presenting their findings. However, our study suggests that these discrepancies can have a significant impact on the overall results. It is a powerful reminder to all of us conducting clinical trials to be careful and vigilant to avoid discrepancies appearing in the work.
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Study of stem cell trials links discrepancies in data with reported success of treatment
