StemCell Therapy

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - May 19, 2017) - Propanc Biopharma Inc.(OTCQB: PPCH) ("Propanc Biopharma" or "the Company"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on development of new and proprietary treatments for cancer patients suffering from solid tumors such as pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers, today announced that fresh new insights have emerged into how cancer stem cells (CSCs) are able to resist standard treatments, become more aggressive and spread rapidly. Published in Oncogene, by researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute south of Barcelona, Spain, the findings have significant implications for Propanc Biopharma's lead product PRP, which reprograms CSCs so that they are no longer malignant and a threat to the patient. PRP is a solution for once daily intravenous administration of a combination of two pancreatic proenzymes trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen.

One of the authors from the study, Dr Miguel ngel Pujana, describes why tumors adapt to and resist certain therapies, like mTOR inhibitors, a treatment used in advanced stages of breast cancer. He links mTOR inhibition with increased expression of certain genes, like EVI1, which contributes to epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a key process by which cancer cells become stem cell-like, motile and invasive, seeding new tumors. Dr Miguel concludes, "Tumor cells are able to adapt to treatment through a phenotype (character) shift that makes them more aggressive and sustains their metastatic potential." Data from hundreds of cell lines expand on the concept that CSCs are frequently the source of therapy resistance and metastasis, the main cause of patient death from cancer.

"When administering PRP to a patient, we are essentially reprogramming CSC gene expression, pushing these cells back to a normal, less malignant state, so they die naturally," said Dr Kenyon, Propanc's Chief Scientific Officer. "Reversing the EMT process is a key feature of PRP and is fast becoming a credible solution to controlling CSCs, which are responsible for cancer spreading, or metastasis, the main cause of patient death from cancer."

"The latest scientific discoveries regarding CSC reprograming shows we are on the right track, which we believe is not reflected in our current market capitalization," said James Nathanielsz Propanc's Chief Executive Officer. "Nevertheless, we are advancing towards First-In-Human studies and remain excited about developing PRP as a new therapeutic approach for cancer sufferers. We remain focused on delivering long term value to our loyal shareholders."

The rationale for developing PRP is based on a set of in-vitro studies on CSCs, as well as xenograft and syngeneic mouse models of ovarian and pancreatic cancers, respectively. In summary, these data indicate that the dramatic reduction of cellular markers associated with the process of EMT as a consequence of PRP treatment, could not only reverse the EMT process with the implication to stop tumor progression and metastasis, but also seem to suppress the development of CSCs. Consequently, these results are strong indicators of the therapeutic potential of PRP that could be categorized as an anti-CSC therapeutic drug.

Currently progressing towards First-In-Human studies, PRP aims to prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis from solid tumors. Eighty percent of all cancers are solid tumors and metastasis is the main cause of patient death from cancer. According to the World Health Organization, 8.2 million people died from cancer in 2012. Consequently, a report by IMS Health states innovative therapies are driving the global oncology market to meet demand, which is expected to reach $150 Billion by 2020. The Company's initial target patient populations are pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers, representing a combined market segment of $14 Billion predicted in 2020, by GBI Research.

To view Propanc Biopharma's "Mechanism of Action" video on anti-cancer product candidate, PRP, please click on the following link: http://www.propanc.com/news-media/video

To be added to Propanc Biopharma's email distribution list, please click on the following link: http://ir.propanc.com/email-alerts and submit the online request form.

About Propanc Biopharma:Propanc Biopharma is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing new cancer treatments initially for patients suffering from pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers. We have developed a formulation of anti-cancer compounds, which exert a number of effects designed to control or prevent tumors from recurring and spreading throughout the body. Our products involve or employ pancreatic proenzymes, which are inactive precursors of enzymes. In the near term, we intend to target patients with limited remaining therapeutic options for the treatment of solid tumors. In future, we intend to develop our lead product to treat (i) early stage cancer and (ii) pre-cancerous diseases and (iii) as a preventative measure for patients at risk of developing cancer based on genetic screening. For more information, visit: http://www.propanc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:All statements other than statements of historical fact contained herein are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include the words "may," "will," "estimate," "intend," "continue," "believe," "expect," "plan" or "anticipate" and other similar words. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed. Our future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to change and to inherent risks and uncertainties including those regarding our earnings, revenues and financial condition, our ability to implement our plans, strategies and objectives for future operations, our ability to execute on proposed new products, services or development thereof, our ability to establish and maintain the proprietary nature of our technology through the patent process, our ability to license from others patents and patent applications, if necessary, to develop certain products, our ability to implement our long range business plan for various applications of our technology, our ability to enter into agreements with any necessary manufacturing, marketing and/or distribution partners for purposes of commercialization, the results of our clinical research and development, competition in the industry in which we operate, overall market conditions, and any statements or assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Other risks, uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected may be described from time to time in reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement contained herein, except as required by law.

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Propanc Biopharma Highlights PRP's Potential to Reprogram Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) - Markets Insider

Jerusalem Post Israel News

Aging cells are key to finding Fountain of Youth Jerusalem Post Israel News ... organism as a whole and on specific age-related diseases. A few age-related diseases account for most of the causes of death in old people. Senescent cells accumulate in premalignant lesions, sites of tissue damage and in normal tissues during aging.

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Aging cells are key to finding Fountain of Youth - Jerusalem Post Israel News

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - May 19, 2017) - Propanc Biopharma Inc. (OTCQB: PPCH) ("Propanc Biopharma" or "the Company"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on development of new and proprietary treatments for cancer patients suffering from solid tumors such as pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers, today announced that fresh new insights have emerged into how cancer stem cells (CSCs) are able to resist standard treatments, become more aggressive and spread rapidly. Published in Oncogene, by researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute south of Barcelona, Spain, the findings have significant implications for Propanc Biopharma's lead product PRP, which reprograms CSCs so that they are no longer malignant and a threat to the patient. PRP is a solution for once daily intravenous administration of a combination of two pancreatic proenzymes trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen.

One of the authors from the study, Dr Miguel ngel Pujana, describes why tumors adapt to and resist certain therapies, like mTOR inhibitors, a treatment used in advanced stages of breast cancer. He links mTOR inhibition with increased expression of certain genes, like EVI1, which contributes to epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a key process by which cancer cells become stem cell-like, motile and invasive, seeding new tumors. Dr Miguel concludes, "Tumor cells are able to adapt to treatment through a phenotype (character) shift that makes them more aggressive and sustains their metastatic potential." Data from hundreds of cell lines expand on the concept that CSCs are frequently the source of therapy resistance and metastasis, the main cause of patient death from cancer.

"When administering PRP to a patient, we are essentially reprogramming CSC gene expression, pushing these cells back to a normal, less malignant state, so they die naturally," said Dr Kenyon, Propanc's Chief Scientific Officer. "Reversing the EMT process is a key feature of PRP and is fast becoming a credible solution to controlling CSCs, which are responsible for cancer spreading, or metastasis, the main cause of patient death from cancer."

"The latest scientific discoveries regarding CSC reprograming shows we are on the right track, which we believe is not reflected in our current market capitalization," said James Nathanielsz Propanc's Chief Executive Officer. "Nevertheless, we are advancing towards First-In-Human studies and remain excited about developing PRP as a new therapeutic approach for cancer sufferers. We remain focused on delivering long term value to our loyal shareholders."

The rationale for developing PRP is based on a set of in-vitro studies on CSCs, as well as xenograft and syngeneic mouse models of ovarian and pancreatic cancers, respectively. In summary, these data indicate that the dramatic reduction of cellular markers associated with the process of EMT as a consequence of PRP treatment, could not only reverse the EMT process with the implication to stop tumor progression and metastasis, but also seem to suppress the development of CSCs. Consequently, these results are strong indicators of the therapeutic potential of PRP that could be categorized as an anti-CSC therapeutic drug.

Currently progressing towards First-In-Human studies, PRP aims to prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis from solid tumors. Eighty percent of all cancers are solid tumors and metastasis is the main cause of patient death from cancer. According to the World Health Organization, 8.2 million people died from cancer in 2012. Consequently, a report by IMS Health states innovative therapies are driving the global oncology market to meet demand, which is expected to reach $150 Billion by 2020. The Company's initial target patient populations are pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers, representing a combined market segment of $14 Billion predicted in 2020, by GBI Research.

To view Propanc Biopharma's "Mechanism of Action" video on anti-cancer product candidate, PRP, please click on the following link: http://www.propanc.com/news-media/video

To be added to Propanc Biopharma's email distribution list, please click on the following link: http://ir.propanc.com/email-alerts and submit the online request form.

About Propanc Biopharma:Propanc Biopharma is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing new cancer treatments initially for patients suffering from pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers. We have developed a formulation of anti-cancer compounds, which exert a number of effects designed to control or prevent tumors from recurring and spreading throughout the body. Our products involve or employ pancreatic proenzymes, which are inactive precursors of enzymes. In the near term, we intend to target patients with limited remaining therapeutic options for the treatment of solid tumors. In future, we intend to develop our lead product to treat (i) early stage cancer and (ii) pre-cancerous diseases and (iii) as a preventative measure for patients at risk of developing cancer based on genetic screening. For more information, visit: http://www.propanc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:All statements other than statements of historical fact contained herein are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include the words "may," "will," "estimate," "intend," "continue," "believe," "expect," "plan" or "anticipate" and other similar words. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed. Our future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to change and to inherent risks and uncertainties including those regarding our earnings, revenues and financial condition, our ability to implement our plans, strategies and objectives for future operations, our ability to execute on proposed new products, services or development thereof, our ability to establish and maintain the proprietary nature of our technology through the patent process, our ability to license from others patents and patent applications, if necessary, to develop certain products, our ability to implement our long range business plan for various applications of our technology, our ability to enter into agreements with any necessary manufacturing, marketing and/or distribution partners for purposes of commercialization, the results of our clinical research and development, competition in the industry in which we operate, overall market conditions, and any statements or assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Other risks, uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected may be described from time to time in reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement contained herein, except as required by law.

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Propanc Biopharma Highlights PRP's Potential to Reprogram Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) - Marketwired (press release)

FitzGerald, Susan

doi: 10.1097/01.NT.0000520472.01901.8f

Features

Two new reports on autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) indicate that the therapy may benefit some MS patients. But whether AHSCT is viable is a matter of debate among some MS experts, who contend that the regimen could be toxic, leading to infection and death.

Two new reports on autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) indicate that the therapy may benefit some MS patients. But whether AHSCT is viable is a matter of debate among some MS experts, who contend that the regimen, which uses a combination of cytotoxic drugs to ablate the immune system in an attempt to reset the immunological memory could be toxic, leading to infection and death.

Experts who were not involved with the study said that newer, second generation MS drugs may be safer options, though few studies comparing the method with these drugs have been undertaken.

The first new report, published in the April 28 online edition of Neurology, provided a meta-analysis of 15 studies involving 764 MS patients who underwent AHSCT. The report found that the risk-benefit profile of the therapy makes it best suited for patients who have aggressive, relapsing-remitting MS who have not yet become highly disabled.

The second report, which provided long-term outcomes for 281 MS patients from an observational, retrospective study, found that almost half of the patients remained free from neurological progression five years after AHSCT. The study, published in the April edition of JAMA Neurology, reported that younger age, relapsing form of MS, fewer prior immunotherapies, and lower baseline EDSS [Expanded Disability Status Scale] score were factors associated with better outcomes.

Maria Pia Sormani, PhD, professor of biostatistics at the University of Genoa in Italy, and lead author of the report in Neurology, told Neurology Today that skepticism about the treatment approach is likely due to multiple factors.

MS is not a lethal disease, and this procedure is very invasive and has a non-negligible mortality risk, said Dr. Sormani, who also was a study author on the JAMA Neurology study. The lack of data from a rigorous clinical trial of AHSCT for MS has also been problematic.

To gain a clearer picture of what the current evidence shows, her team's meta-analysis pooled data from 15 studies, mostly open label, from January 1991 to July 2016. The researchers found that treatment-related mortality (TRM) declined during the period covered by the review, likely a result of improvements in transplant techniques, more clinical experience, and better patient selection, Dr. Sormani said. Overall TRM was 2.1 percent, but after 2005 it was 0.3 percent.

The meta-analysis found that the rate of disease progression in patients was 17.1 percent at two years following AHSCT and 23.3 percent at five years. The analysis also found that 83 percent of patients had no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) at two years, and 67 percent had no evidence at five years. Doing the transplant earlier, before the patient develops much disability seems advantageous, Dr. Sormani said.

The meta-analysis had the usual limitations of such reviews, she noted. The original studies were not all designed or executed in the same way, patient selection and study methodology were not uniform, and transplant techniques and protocols varied.

Even with advanced immunotherapy, such as natalizumab or alemtuzumab, only 32-39 percent maintained NEDA at two years in the phase II clinical trials, wrote Joachim Burman, MD, PhD, of Uppsala University in Sweden and Robert Fox, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, in the editorial accompanying the paper. They agreed with the research team that the approach is more likely to benefit those with RRMS, not those with progressive forms of MS.

The report in JAMA Neurology included data on 281 patients from 25 centers who underwent AHSCT between January 1995 and December 2006. Seventy-eight percent of the patients had progressive forms of MS. The median follow-up was 6.6 years, with some patients followed for as long as 16 years

The five-year probability of progression-free survival was 46 percent and overall survival was 96 percent, the research team headed by Paolo A. Muraro, MD, a clinical reader in neuroimmunology and deputy head of the division of brain sciences at Imperial College London.

Factors associated with neurological progression after transplant were older age, progressive (versus relapsing) form of MS, more than two previous disease-modifying therapies, and higher baseline EDSS scores.

An accompanying editorial coauthored by Michael K. Racke, MD, professor of neurology and neuroscience at Ohio State University, noted that while the transplant therapy appears to favor those with RRMS with aggressive breakthrough disease, it Z

Dr. Racke told Neurology Today in an interview that he is currently planning a multicenter randomized controlled trial, which will include 55 RRMS patients in each arm. The study will compare AHSCT using what is considered a medium-intensity myelobation (BEAM) technique to best available drug treatment (whatever treatment a given patent is taking).

Dr. Racke said one question that needs to be further considered is, When is the best time to do a transplant? He said drug therapies need to be given a chance, but earlier might be better than later because once you start getting damage to the central nervous system we can't really fix that.

He said the upcoming trial will likely include cost analyses to compare the cost of long-term drug therapy to the mostly upfront costs of transplant, which is thought to be a once-and-done procedure.

Commenting on the two studies, Timothy L. Vollmer, MD, FAAN, professor of neurology at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and co-director of the Rocky Mountain MS Clinic at Anschutz Medical Center, expressed skepticism about using AHSCT, particularly in light of effectiveness of the second-generation MS drugs that have come into use, such as natalizumab for JCV negative patients, fingolimod, dimethyl fumarate, and ocrelizumab.

Dr. Vollmer said most studies of AHSCT for MS were done before the newer drugs were available. He is concerned about both the immediate risks (infection, death) and potential long-term consequences of undergoing a toxic regimen to eradicate the immune system, noting that it could cause brain atrophy, already a concern for MS patients.

Mark S. Freedman, MD, professor of neurology at the University of Ottawa, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit at The Ottawa Hospital-General Campus, is more sanguine about the procedure.

In a 2016 report in The Lancet, he and a colleague described outcomes for 24 RRMS patients who underwent transplant after failing drug therapy. Dr. Freedman said he has done about 25 more cases since the study came out. He said no patient has experienced a clinical relapse following transplant, none has evidence of new brain lesions on MRI, and none requires disease-modifying medication.

Dr. Freedman said there is a high level of interest in the procedure among MS patients, but it isn't for everyone. Patients must be carefully selected for the procedure, and undergo an aggressive chemotherapy regimen to eliminate their immune system, he said, noting that those with a high inflammatory component to their disease are ideal. Harvested stem cells undergo a special sorting technique at his center before being infused into the body to make sure that no previous disease-causing lymphocytes are accidentally included.

We're taking away immunologic memory, Dr. Freedman said. The new immune system is learning all over again what it should and shouldn't be doing.

He said that while the procedure is only done in patients who have not fared well with drug therapy, the best timing for this treatment would be as early as possible, when disability is minimal.

Probably doing it within five years from the onset of illness would give the optimal results, he said.

Continued here:
Is Autologous Heamatopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Still Viable for MS? - LWW Journals

Cancer stem cells are bad actors. They enable cancers to metastasize, or spread, and help revive cancers after the malignancies go dormant. One of the few agents that can effectively attack them is a small molecule called salinomycin. But scientists havent understood how the compound kills the cells.

Now, researchers have discovered salinomycins mechanism (Nat. Chem. 2017, DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2778). The findings reveal a key weakness of cancer stem cells that could lead to the design of other drugs to help fight the cells.

To discover the mechanism, Raphal Rodriguez of Institut Curie and Frances National Center for Scientific Research, Maryam Mehrpour of Institut Necker Enfants Malades and INSERM, and coworkers first tried to create a more potent version of salinomycin by modifying it with groups of varying polarity and charge. The most potent was ironomycin, in which one of salinomycins hydroxyl groups was replaced by a short amine-alkyne chain. Ironomycin has an order of magnitude greater potency than salinomycin at killing breast cancer stem cells, both in culture and in mice.

They then used in vivo click chemistry on ironomycins alkyne group to label the compound with a fluorescent dye, enabling them to track where the compound goes when in cancer stem cells. They had expected it to distribute evenly throughout the cells and were surprised when it instead localized in lysosomes, which are cellular compartments with enzymes that break down certain molecules.

This led them to the mechanism: Salinomycin, or ironomycin, binds cellular iron and sequesters it in lysosomes. The high concentration of lysosomal iron then triggers a process called ferroptosisin which iron catalyzes the so-called Fenton reaction, producing reactive oxygen species that break lysosomal membranes, oxidize cell lipids, and cause cell death. The mechanism is not specific to cancer stem cells, Rodriguez says, but these cells are more susceptible to salinomycins or ironomycins activity because they are more dependent on iron and may be less efficient at scavenging free radicals than conventional cells.

The study is the first to characterize salinomycins mechanism of action at a molecular level, which is in itself a major step forward and an impressive feat, given the structural complexity of this compound, says Piyush Gupta of the Whitehead Institute and MIT, who discovered salinomycins activity against cancer stem cells. It is also the first to convincingly show that iron plays an unusually important role in regulating the malignant properties of cancer stem cells. These are both important contributions that will guide the development of new therapies targeting the most malignant of cancer cells.

Selective mechanisms for killing cancer stem cells have been a long-standing goal of cancer drug discovery, but few mechanisms have been identified, says Brent R. Stockwell of Columbia University, who discovered ferroptosis. This paper suggests that iron sequestration in lysosomes could be one such effective mechanism for targeting cancer stem cells.

One possible drawback to a cancer-stem-cell-targeting compound is that other cells in the tumor might still survive, he adds. So you would likely need a combination of drugs targeting cancer stem cells and non-stem-cell tumor cells. And there might be toxicity to normal stem cells, so this would need to be evaluated as research on stem-cell-targeted agents progresses.

Read more:
Route to cancer stem cell death ironed out - Chemical & Engineering News

May 18, 2017

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Porto, Portugal (17-20 May) shows the obese people have higher levels of a protein called survivin, which protects fat-containing adipocyte cells in the body from being destroyed. The study was led by Dr Sonia Fernndez-Veledo and Dr Joan Vendrell and is presented at ECO by Dr Miriam Ejarque, all of the Pere Virgili Institute, Rovira i Virgili University, CIBERDEM, Taragona, Spain.

Adipose tissue (AT) has a central role in obesity-related metabolic imbalance through the dysregulated production of inflammatory proteins called cytokines and adipokines. In addition to its known risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, obesity is also a major risk for cancer. Human adipocyte-derived stem cells (hASCs), which determine AT expansion, are important players in pathological development of obesity and associated cancer; however, the mechanisms underlying hASCs-induced alterations in cancer remain unknown. The authors aimed to better understand these mechanisms.

hASCs were isolated from subcutaneous AT of lean and obese subjects. Serum and AT from a cross-sectional study of 111 subjects classified by body-mass index were collected. Apoptosis (the process of cell death) was measured by flow cytometry, which uses highly focused beams of light to analyse functioning of individual cells. Gene and protein expression were assessed using the standard methods of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting.

The authors then investigated the impact of obesity on the expression of survivin, an anti-apoptotic protein (which protects cells from death), already known to be a diagnostic biomarker of tumour onset and recurrence that has been studied in several cancers. In this new cross-sectional study, circulating levels of survivin and gene expression in subcutaneous AT were 2.5 times higher in obese and morbidly obese patients than lean patients. Within AT, survivin was detected in hASCs, and its expression was significantly increased in obesity and by pro-inflammatory interleukin proteins.

Analysis of survivin expression in hASCs revealed a complex regulation within cell mechanisms, including epigenetic modifications and improved protein stability (giving the cell protection). "We discovered that survivin levels determine the susceptibility of hASCs to stimuli that cause the cell to die," explains Dr Ejarque Carb. "hASCs from an obese person were better protected from death than those in normal weight subjects."

She concludes: "Collectively, these data shed new light on the molecular mechanisms controlling AT expansion in obesity through promotion of hASCs that are resistant to cell death, and point to survivin as a new molecular player in the communication between hASCs and tumour cells. Thus, promoting cell death by targeting survivin might represent an effective strategy for both obesity and cancer therapy."

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Study shows protein called 'survivin' which protects fat cells from death is at higher levels in obese people - Medical Xpress

Stem cell transplants may advance ALS treatment by repair of blood ... Science Daily Researchers show that bone marrow stem cell transplants helped improve motor functions and nervous system conditions in mice with the disease Amyotrophic ... and more »

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Stem cell transplants may advance ALS treatment by repair of blood ... - Science Daily

It will facilitate organ donation as well as increase awareness of organ transplants

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has issued a decree on declaration of death. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, issued the ministerial decree (No. 550 of 2017) recently. It covers three main provisions, namely death resulting from cardiac-respiratory arrest; death resulting from complete loss of brain functions; and paediatric brain death guidelines.

Sustainable health solution

HE Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Ministry's Public Health Policy and Licensing sector, said that the decree complements the national programme for organ transplantation as embodied in Federal Law No. 5 of 2016, that excludes stem cells, blood cells and bone marrow transplants,. It is a sustainable health solution, especially for individuals suffering from cancer, heart disease, pulmonary failure, hepatic fibrosis, and kidney failure. He reiterated the UAE's commitment to criminalize illegal organ transplant procedures, saying these violate human dignity.

Clinical death

A national committee composed of all local health authorities prepared the latest resolution in consultation with the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments.

The decree was made in response to the urgent need to enact legislation on the declaration of death in a bid to protect hospitals and enable doctors to stop the suffering of brain-dead patients. The question of clinical death is a medical and legal problem, while the issue of organ transplants has raised vital ethical issues such as the clear definition of death and the timing and manner of authorizing the transplant procedures.

Patient protection from regional and global non-accredited facilities

Al Amiri said a number of patients diagnosed with kidney and liver failures, among others, will go abroad to seek organ transplants. Out of desperation, however, they fall prey to false promises of non-specialized centers, especially those located in some Asian countries. Worse, they might become infected with AIDS and viral hepatitis as a result of the fraudulent procedure. The ministerial resolution, he said, will protect UAE patients from becoming victims.

Moreover, the resolution aims to help contribute to the enhancement of the country's medical tourism. Significant investments are expected to pour into the country with the opening of new international centers specializing in organ transplants. It also allows the establishment of a national organ bank and a database to record all individuals who signify their wish to donate their organs upon their deaths.

An organ donor can save 5 to 8 lives

Al Amiri explained that organ transplant will take place only in accredited public and private hospitals with Ministry-approved standards and prior approval of competent authorities to ensure patient safety and implementation of correct procedures.

According to him, one donor can save 5 to 8 lives. Organs that have been successful transplanted include the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, and intestines, while tissues include bone, tendons, cornea, skin, heart valves, nerves, and veins. Worldwide, kidney transplantation is the most common, followed by liver then heart. He pointed out the importance of keeping the identity of the donor and his family confidential as well as the name of the beneficiary.

Cardiac arrest and loss of brain functions

Al Amiri also noted that the resolution differentiates between the declaration of death resulting from cardio-respiratory arrest and death resulting from complete loss of brain functions. This serves as a guide to hospitals, especially for those with intensive care units. Brain death is defined as an irreversible cessation of all functions of all parts of the brain.

The decree also explained the conditions and exceptions for the declaration of brain death, including proper diagnosis through clinical preliminary examination, then the brain reflexes test with the visual response to light. It also covers the observation period, or intervals between clinical tests, and protocols. The results of these tests should be duly recorded along with the electrical brain layout. The time interval between the tests varies according to the age groups, from 48 hours for infants to 6 hours for adults.

Paediatric brain death

For paediatric brain death, the decree mandates 48- hour observation period for infants aged 7 days to two months; 24 hours for infants aged two months to 1 year; with 2 electroencephalograms separated by a period of 24 hours and both showing the absolute lack of effectiveness of brain or one ECG showing brain inactivity and lack of blood flow to the brain confirmed through CT scan or radioisotope,; and children aged 1 year and until puberty, the same adult protocol is followed except the observation period which must be at least 12 hours. After puberty, he same protocol for adults is followed.

Sustainable organ transplant programme

Dr Ali Abdul Kareem Al Obaidli, Chair of the National Organ Transplant Committee, praised the completion of procedures allowing the expenditure of the national organ transplant programme, including organ donation upon death. He said that the efforts of the country's wise leadership and the Ministry of Health and Prevention will lead to the establishment of a sustainable programme for organ transplants given that the UAE enjoys modern health infrastructure and the willingness of the citizens and residents to donate their organs as per the results of various surveys and studies in support of the National Organ Transplantation Programme.

The decree aims to ease the burden on patients suffering from organ failure and protect them from undergoing operations in non-specialized centers abroad that may cause numerous complications.

Clear criteria to establish credibility in declaration of death process

Dr Marwan Al Mulla, Director of the Department of Health Regulation of Dubai Health Authority, this decree will lead to the rearrangement of priorities for hospital-based healthcare programmes to prevent patients in critical conditions to be moved to less efficient healthcare centers. It also seeks to increase the hospitals' capacity and capability to receive more emergency cases that require intensive and continuous care. The decree aims to provide financial support to patients, their families, and healthcare providers, in addition to establishing clear criteria that will lend credibility to the process of death declaration. Lastly, it strives to promote organ donations to help critical patients according to relevant legislations.

Enhancing the health system

Dr Amer Sharif, Vice Chancellor of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) and CEO of Dubai Healthcare City Authority's Education Sector, commanded the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the national committee for organ transplantation in establishing these standards. He indicated that this development will definitely facilitate organ donation as well as increase awareness of organ transplants in the UAE.

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UAE issues decree on declaration of death - Khaleej Times

A "brave, strong and kind" mum who gave birth while battling an aggressive cancer has died.

Louise Winstanley died in the early hours of Sunday morning after a tragic sequence of events, leaving a family devastated and five-month-old daughter Harlow and son Jaxon, two, missing their mum.

In December, the 29-year-old was eight months pregnant and after going to her GP for a routine blood test was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia.

Louises fianc Peter Doran and their family, who live in Allerton , then had to make a decision whether to induce the baby Louise was carrying or allow her to undergo treatment for the cancer.

It was decided to start her off with a course of chemotherapy but she reacted badly to the treatment and within 48 hours had suffered a heart attack and a stroke.

Because of the complications, Louise was then moved to the Manchester Royal Infirmary where all the treatment she needed was under one roof.

Her brother, Gavin Winstanley, has spoken to the ECHO about the devastating events that followed.

The 34-year-old said: When we got to Manchester in January, doctors were monitoring Louises heart and made a decision to stop the treatment and induce the baby by c-section.

Harlow was born prematurely on January 4 and taken straight into intensive care but she pulled through and is with us now, just missing her mum.

The c-section meant Louise then had to wait around three weeks for the wound to heal before any treatment could start again.

Medical professionals from London consulted with doctors and the family and a course of treatment was developed for Louise to reduce the amount of damage being done to her body.

Gavin added: She had doses of a superdrug and thankfully went into remission. We had achieved the first step and everyone was over the moon.

Louise was then able to leave hospital and spend time with baby Harlow.

A further two weeks passed and the family were told that for Louise to beat the cancer once and for all she would need a stem-cell transplant.

Her three older brothers were all tested for a match to be the donor and it turned out Gavin was.

At the end of April he gave his younger sister his stem cells in a bid to remove the cancer from her body for good.

He said: There was a two-week window for my cells to build up in Louise. It was a dangerous time because she couldnt fight any form of infection.

Gavin said two days later things started to go wrong as Louise contracted an infection which shut down her kidneys and liver.

Then, because of the damage to her heart and brain she started to bleed internally and the bleed could not be stopped. Gavin said she was overcome just before 4am on Sunday, May 14.

Her death left a void in the heart of her young family, but Gavin says they are now trying to bring something good out of a very dark time.

A gofundme link has been set up and Gavin added: We have asked people not to send flowers but to donate money and we will set up a trust fund for the kids.

We are a proud family but this was a conscious decision for the kids, we are only doing something for them to help their future.

The page reads: Louise will forever be in our hearts throughout the rest of our lives.

We will see her always in her children everyday as they grow up and make her so proud. We want her memory to live on and it will through her children.

To view the fundraising page click here.

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Liverpool mum who gave birth while battling aggressive cancer has died aged just 29 - Liverpool Echo

Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, recently issued Ministerial decree No. 550 of 2017 on the declaration of death.

The decree covers three main provisions, namely death resulting from cardiac-respiratory arrest; death resulting from complete loss of brain functions; and pediatric brain death guidelines.

Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Ministrys Public Health Policy and Licensing sector, emphasized that the UAE is keeping abreast of the latest developments in global health legislations and international health standards and is modernizing the state health legislative initiatives to improve local services according to global standards.

This is in line with the UAE Vision 2021 that aims at enhancing the local health system through enactment of health policies in adherence with the highest international standards. Sustainable health solution

Dr. Al Amiri said that the recently issued ministerial decree complements the national program for organ transplantation as embodied in Federal Law No. 5 of 2016, that excludes stem cells, blood cells and bone marrow transplants.

It is a sustainable health solution, especially for individuals suffering from cancer, heart disease, pulmonary failure, hepatic fibrosis, and kidney failure. He reiterated the UAEs commitment to criminalize illegal organ transplant procedures, saying these violate human dignity. Clinical death

After studying similar regional and global cases, a national committee composed of all local health authorities prepared the latest resolution in consultation with the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments.

The decree was made in response to the urgent need to enact legislation on the declaration of death in a bid to protect hospitals and enable doctors to stop the suffering of brain-dead patients.

The question of clinical death is a medical and legal problem, while the issue of organ transplants has raised vital ethical issues such as the clear definition of death and the timing and manner of authorizing the transplant procedures. Patient protection from regional and global non-accredited facilities

He said a number of patients diagnosed with kidney and liver failures, among others, will go abroad to seek organ transplants. Out of desperation, however, they fall prey on false promises of non-specialized centers, especially those located in some Asian countries. Worse, they might become infected with AIDS and viral hepatitis as a result of the fraudulent procedure.

The ministerial resolution, he said, will protect UAE patients from becoming victims. Moreover, the resolution aims to help contribute to the enhancement of the countrys medical tourism.

Significant investments are expected to pour into the country with the opening of new international centers specializing in organ transplants. It also allows the establishment of a national organ bank and a database to record all individuals who signify their wish to donate their organs upon their deaths. Our role is to spread this culture and the importance of social and educational awareness within this context. We also hope to establish an environment where people will be motivated to donate their organs to help thousands of patients in need of transplants, reduce the burden on hospitals, lessen the costs on the state and society, and urge insurance companies to cover organ transplants, he said. An organ donor can save 5 to 8 lives

Dr. Al Amiri explained that organ transplant will take place only in accredited public and private hospitals with Ministry-approved standards and prior approval of competent authorities to ensure patient safety and implementation of correct procedures. According to him, one donor can save 5 to 8 lives. Organs that have been successful transplanted include the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, and intestines, while tissues include bone, tendons, cornea, skin, heart valves, nerves, and veins.

Worldwide, kidney transplantation is the most common, followed by liver then heart. He pointed out the importance of keeping the identity of the donor and his family confidential as well as the name of the beneficiary. Cardiac arrest and loss of brain functions

Dr Al Amiri also noted that the resolution differentiates between the declaration of death resulting from cardio-respiratory arrest and death resulting from complete loss of brain functions.

This serves as a guide to hospitals, especially for those with intensive care units. Brain death is defined as an irreversible cessation of all functions of all parts of the brain.

The decree also explained the conditions and exceptions for the declaration of brain death, including proper diagnosis through clinical preliminary examination, then the brain reflexes test with the visual response to light.

It also covers the observation period, or intervals between clinical tests, and protocols. The results of these tests should be duly recorded along with the electrical brain layout.

The time interval between the tests varies according to the age groups, from 48 hours for infants to 6 hours for adults.

48 hours

Infants (7 days - 60 days)

24 Hours

Infants (<60 days - 1 year)

12 hours

Children (

6 hours

Adults

Lastly, confirmation tests should be done either through electroencephalogram (EEG), cerebral vascular imaging, or apnea test with explanation of how it is performed and general considerations. The apnea test is positive if there is no respiratory activity during the separation of the patient from the ventilator. Pediatric brain death

For pediatric brain death, the decree mandates 48- hour observation period for infants aged 7 days to two months; 24 hours for infants aged two months to 1 year; with 2 electroencephalograms separated by a period of 24 hours and both showing the absolute lack of effectiveness of brain or one ECG showing brain inactivity and lack of blood flow to the brain confirmed through CT scan or radioisotope, and children aged 1 year and until puberty, the same adult protocol is followed except the observation period which must be at least 12 hours. After puberty, he same protocol for adults is followed. Sustainable organ transplant program

Dr. Ali Abdul Kareem Al Obaidli, Chair of the National Organ Transplant Committee, praised the completion of procedures allowing the expenditure of the national organ transplant program, including organ donation upon death.

He said that the efforts of the countrys wise leadership and the Ministry of Health and Prevention will lead to the establishment of a sustainable program for organ transplants given that the UAE enjoys modern health infrastructure and the willingness of the citizens and residents to donate their organs as per the results of various surveys and studies in support of the National Organ Transplantation Program. Dr. Al Obaidli pointed out the importance of providing services related to organ transplant in parallel with the intensive efforts preventing kidney and liver failures and other diseases, while highlighting the role of individuals and families in these initiatives. He emphasized the states keenness to provide high-quality health care, taking into account safety procedures and ethical standards.

The decree aims to ease the burden on patients suffering from organ failure and protect them from undergoing operations in non-specialized centers abroad that may cause numerous complications. As for the future expansion of the national transplant program, he noted the planned full coordination and periodic meetings among local centers such as SKMC, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Mohammed bin Rashid University for Medical Sciences, and Al Madina Hospital in the coming weeks. Clear criteria to establish credibility in declaration of death process

Dr. Marwan Al Mulla, Director of the Department of Health Regulation of Dubai Health Authority, this Ministerial decree No. 550 of 2017, which set the standards in the declaration of death according to the Federal Law on Medical Liability No. (4) of 2016.

It will lead to the rearrangement of priorities for hospital-based healthcare programs to prevent patients in critical conditions to be moved to less efficient healthcare centers. It also seeks to increase the hospitals capacity and capability to receive more emergency cases that require intensive and continuous care.

The decree aims to provide financial support to patients, their families, and healthcare providers, in addition to establishing clear criteria that will lend credibility to the process of death declaration. Lastly, it strives to promote organ donations to help critical patients according to relevant legislations. Enhancing the health system

Dr. Amer Sharif, Vice Chancellor of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) and CEO of Dubai Healthcare City Authority's Education Sector, commanded the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the national committee for organ transplantation in establishing these standards and he indicated that this development will definitely facilitate organ donation as well as increase awareness of organ transplants in the UAE. Dr. Amer Sharif explained that Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine launched last year an organ transplantation program that aims at relieving the suffering of patients with renal impairment and implemented 2 successful renal transplantation surgeries in collaboration with Mediclinic City Hospital and the support of the Saudi Center for organ transplant, which is considered as a reference in the GCC.

Dr. Sharif expressed his trust in the role of this decree in enhancing the healthcare systems and ensuring highest quality of healthcare services to the residents and citizens of the United Arab Emirates.

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MoH issues decree on 'declaration of death', supports organ ... - Emirates 24|7

Stanford and Harvard Universities have announced some astounding breakthroughs in stem cell research which raise hopes that we may postpone death, perhaps indefinitely. We age because stem cells lose the ability to produce new cells to replace those which are dying. When the researchers introduced blood from young mice into the vascular systems of old mice, the results were rejuvenated hearts and muscles and enhanced endurance. The brains of the old mice also responded with a burst of neurons which greatly increased memory and smell. The secret seems to be a protein molecule named CDF11.

The researchers are excited, if cautious, about the implications for us humans. Astronauts headed for Mars around 2030 would benefit immensely because it will be a very long journey and space travelers are subject to great stress as well as extra radiation. The future possibilities for mankind as a whole are staggering. What if we could live two or five centuries or even longer? Therefore we must ask, What is life without the anticipation of death?

Obviously, our already overpopulated earth would be inundated in a few decades. There are at least three further implications.

First, Ernest Becker, in his award-winning The Denial of Death, claims that some of our greatest achievements in art, architecture and science as well as heroic deeds arise from a motivation, largely unconscious, to create symbolic immortalities which will outlast our brief lifetimes. It must be one of our reasons for having children. That could apply to other areas as well, such as establishing national parks or even the research indicated above.

A second response to our awareness that we are mortal is the form of love called Eros. From Plato to Freud, thinkers have recognized that Eros love, the yearning to fulfill the self by uniting with something other than self, is awakened most be the knowledge that we and those we care for will one day die. Eros love is deeply related to Thanatos, or death. Eros runs through the whole range of experience, from sexual desire to attraction to the beautiful to longing for the Divine. Prolonged life without Eros could be a protracted bore.

A third example of how death influences our consciousness is found in Martin Heigeggers influential Being and Time. Our consciousness is always tensing toward the future. Life is constantly running forward toward death. That anxiety, or care, can bring us back to the present and awaken in us care in another sense, as caring or responsibility. We can become shepherds of Being by actualizing our potential and by taking a courageous attitude toward non-Being experienced as guilt, emptiness and finitude. Further, we can go beyond imposing our constructs on nature and let it reveal its Being to us as beautiful, uncanny and embracing.

In summary, this research appears to have real implications for our future. We shall wait and see. Meanwhile, our attitude toward dying will probably be the usual, well expressed in the country western song: Lord, Im ready to go when you call me. Just give me a little more time.

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Might We Live Forever? - Ken Vos - Caledonian Record

ABU DHABI: The Ministry of Healths decision concerning the criteria for diagnosing death supports the Decree of Organ and Human Tissue Transplantation, which was issued by Federal Law No. 5 of 2016, Dr. Ameen Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health and Licenses Policy, said in a statement issued on Saturday.

The decisions provisions exclude the transfer and transplanting of stem cells, blood cells and marrow. It stands a sustainable solution for a large number of patients, especially those with cancer, heart disease, pulmonary failure, hepatic fibrosis and kidney failure, because the transplantation fully ends the issue, Al Amiri added.

He reiterated the UAEs commitment to criminalise organ trafficking, which completely abuses humanity.

Al Amiri explained that the transplantation and transfer of organs from the deceased will begin in public and private hospitals with approved standards from the MoH so as not to allow mafias of organs trafficking or any health facility to tamper with the laws. He explained that it is because the nature of operation requires prior approval of the competent authorities to ensure compliance with the standards.

He noted said that the decision detailed the methods of death diagnosis resulting from the total stopping of the heart, breathing, and all brain functions using cerebral evidence. This method has become possible at any hospital through the ICU. It is applied on any patient dies due to the previous causes. The death caused by stroke happens when all the brains functions completely stop, including its stem, he explained.

He also explained the conditions and exceptions for diagnosing death using cerebral standards, through the initial clinical examination, followed by testing the brain stem reflexes in terms of the visual response to the light test and the period of observation (between the two test). The result shall be recorded on the stork death document by doctors who examined the case. The observation period is determined according to age of the patient. It is 48 hours for the infants between 7 to 60 days, 24 hours for the infants between 60 days to one year, and 12 hours for the children between 1 year to 16-18 and 6 hours for the adults.

Diagnosis of death using cerebral criteria shall be completed by other verification tests namely the EEG or the cerebral vasodilatation test and the apnea test with the explanation of how it is performed and the general considerations. The apnea test is positive. unless there is no respiratory signs during separation of the patient from the ventilator, he added.

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MoH issues new criteria for death diagnosis - Gulf Today

Rebecca Wallersteiner reviews Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeons Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table by Stephen Westaby at the cutting edge of medical memoir.

The finest of margins separates life from death, triumph from defeat, hope from despair a few more dead muscle cells, a fraction more lactic acid in the blood, a little extra swelling of the brain. Grim Reaper perches on every surgeons shoulder and death is always definitive. There are no second chances, writes Professor Stephen Westaby in the opening sentence of his moving, brilliant memoir, published this spring. During the past twenty years Westaby has become internationally renowned for his pioneering heart surgery techniques including the use of heart pumps, artificial hearts and technology to circulate blood around the body and for dealing with complex congenital anomalies in babies and toddlers. He is famed for inventing the Westaby tube, an ingenious instrument shaped like a T on top of a Y which helps keep the entrances of badly damaged lungs open during surgery.

He is famed for inventing the Westaby tube, an ingenious instrument shaped like a T on top of a Y which helps keep the entrances of badly damaged lungs open during surgery.

All heart surgery is a risk. Those of us who make it as surgeons dont look back. We move on to the next patient, always expecting the outcome to be better, never doubting it, writes Westaby. Cardiac surgery is not for the timid or nervy. In the operating room there is no room for doubt. The balance between life and death is so delicate and the heart surgeon walks the tight-rope between the two. An off-day can have dire consequences this job has a steep learning curve, and the cost is measured in human life.

Professor Westably didnt come from a medical family. He was raised church-mice poor in a grimy council estate in 1950s Scunthorp. He decided to become a heart specialist at the age of seven after watching American surgeons perform hole-in-the-heart surgery in the classic BBC series, Your Life in Their Hands, and seeing his beloved grandfather, a steelworker, who had smoked twenty a day die of cardiac failure, at the age of 63. Aged sixteen he got a job as a hospital porter in the school holidays.

As a pre-clinical medical student, aged 18, he illicitly watched from the Ether Dome, in the then Charing Cross hospital, as a 26-year-old woman called Beth was operated on for a heart weakened by rheumatic fever. The woman died. Beth taught me a very important lesson that day in the ether dome. Walk away as her surgeons did and try again tomorrow, writes Westaby. He quotes his mentor Sir Russell Brock, the most renowned heart surgeon of the era, who was known for his bluntness about losing patients I have three patients on my operating table today. I wonder which will survive. Even though it may seem insensitive, the heart surgeon cannot afford to dwell on death as to indulge in sorrow or regret brings unsustainable misery. One the important things he learnt from Brock was to regard his very ill patients as puzzles.

Soon Westaby was obsessed with his work: Cardiac surgery is like quicksand. Once in it youre sucked deeper and deeper, and I struggled to leave the hospital in case something remarkable happened and I missed it.

Cardiac surgery is like quicksand. Once in it, youre sucked deeper and deeper, and I struggled to leave the hospital in case something remarkable happened and I missed it.

He worked for thirty five years at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford without being sued or suspended, an increasing rare species.

Later in his career Westaby grappled with necessary detachment when his interests veered towards complex cases: heart surgery for complex congenital anomalies in babies and young children. Some came toddling happily into hospital, teddy bear in one hand, Mummy holding the other. Blue lips, little chest heaving, blood thick as treacle. Theyd never known a different life and I strived to provide that for them. To make them pink and energetic and liberate them from impending doom. In Saudi Arabia he battled for the life of an 18-month-old-boy who had an engorged heart on the wrong side of his chest.

Professor Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of heart surgery, saving hundreds of lives over the course of a thirty-five year career and in his fascinating and vividly written memoir he describes some of his remarkable and poignant cases such as the baby who suffered multiple heart attacks by the age of six months, a woman who lived the nightmare of locked-in syndrome, and a man whose life was powered by a battery for eight years.

As he approaches his 69th birthday, Westaby continues to investigate the possibility that the adult heart might be regenerated with its own stem cells.

A powerful, important and riveting book, Fragile Lives offers an exceptional insight into the world of heart surgery and how it feels to hold someones life in your hands. Although its gory descriptions mean that it is not for the faint-hearted, it would make ideal summer holiday reading for doctors. Highly recommended!

Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeons Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table by Stephen Westaby, published by Harper Collins, 2017, 14.99

Rebecca Wallersteiner is a health and arts journalist, who writes for The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, NetDoctor, Telegraph, The Times, Traveller and The Oldie magazines. She also works for the NHS and is the Hippocratic Post's roving reporter.

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Life and death on the operating table - The Hippocratic Post (blog)

Manuelas most recent email set my skeptic senses tingling. This worried Colombian wife had reached out to me across the transom of the World Wide Web emphasis on the World Wide because of my personal experience and extensive research into awareness in vegetative states. Yet in this instance, I think my skeptical chops may be more helpful, as I attempt to get between her and predatory stem cell regeneration quacks.

Youll see why Im so concerned when you read her message:

Thanks for replying to my emails, this also helps me a lot [after I sent her a list Kate Allatt prepared for people in a locked-in or minimally conscious state].

I think my Husband (His name is Felipe [my pseudonym for him])is in that period of the coma [referring to my last email, in which I described my partial awareness during my coma, as my consciousness flickered in and out], he seem to be conscious some times, but other times he looks like he is somewhere else. He also has against his health that he has lost so much weight, he was 185 pounds, and today he is 125. We are looking for other options too, there is something called cells regeneration, it is very expensive, but I think is a good option. I will check out your blog.

Have a great day!

You may have picked this up by now, but my diplomacy skills are so atrocious that I could qualify for a position in the Trump administration diplomatic corps if I werent such a liberal. Thus, this was my typically too-blunt reply:

Manuela,

I would highly recommend against trying stem cell regeneration! Its not only unproven, but is potentially extremely dangerous. Read this article about three women who lost their all or part of their sight after having stem cells injected in their eyes in an attempt to cure macular degeneration:Patients Lose Sight After Stem Cells Are Injected Into Their Eyes. I think that in many cases, stem cell regeneration therapy is performed by quacks or at least unlicensed doctors pushing an unproven therapy, often exploiting desperate people.

If I were you, I would first try Ambien. Its harmless, inexpensive to try, and has had a few but remarkable successes (it was a small study). Zolpidem is the drugs name. Its available in a cheap generic. I used to take it myself before my coma.

Another technique that has shown temporary effectiveness is deep brain stimulation. I put some links into my first email, but here they are again (actually, this time the Ambien link is more specific to the drug treatment). Ambien:Sleeping pill may rouse coma patientsand deep brain stimulation:Electric brain stimulation rouses some people in a minimally conscious or vegetative state. The other thing that might help Felipes would be the physical therapy youve already said you were committed to beginning. If careful enough, that should be harmless as well.

As for Felipes weight, I myself lost a lot of weight and became dangerously skinny while being fed through my gastric tube. Perhaps you can request the high calorie liquid food I was eventually put on (if he isnt on it already).

Also, would you like me to put you in contact with the woman I mentioned who was in a locked-in state, Kate Allatt? (The link is Kates website, so you can contact her yourself if you like.) Kate is much more experienced in directing patients to resources than I am! In her memoir, by the way, she advocates for sometimes going against doctors wishes when you know whats best for your own body. She wasnt talking about a loved ones body, but you are Felipes voice right now.

At any rate, I hope you have a great day, as well, and that Felipe continues to improve!

There are further medical steps Manuela could take beyond the ones I had already suggested to her, though some involve slightly more powerful drugs. (Shes a looong way away from worrying about Ambien affecting Felipes driving.) These drugs at least have the advantage of having shown clinical effectiveness, albeit in studies that were small by necessity.

While stem cell regeneration is a promising area of legitimate medical research, these unlicensed clinics are a whole other kettle of fishiness. I had read about these scammers before, including an article about threewomen who lost their eyesight in whole or in part in an attempt to forestall their macular degeneration (which I linked to in my email).

I had also read about the sad case of Jim Gass, who had traveled to Mexico, China, and Argentina and paid tens of thousands of dollars to have stem cells injected into his spine in order to help him recover from a stroke.

Instead, he developed a huge tumor on his spine.

Whereas Gass was hampered before with a disabled arm and weakness in one of his legs, hes now a quadriplegic with the exception of one arm. And the growth of his spinal tumor continues unabated.

It may be too late for Jim Gass to learn this lesson about the dangers of unlicensed and unregulated stem cell regeneration clinics. But how can I impress that on Manuela without sounding paternalistic?

On the one hand, shes obviously a dogged online researcher. Thats how she found my coma recovery blog in the first place. But theres a reason why these scammers have a continual stream of victims beating down their doors to be fleeced.

There are a lot of desperate patients out there with no legitimate medical treatments, and theyre grasping for treatment options. Ive only been able to sense secondhand what my loved ones went through as I lay near death, with my doctors telling them to give up hope for my full recovery.

Or any recovery at all.

Keith did what Manuela is doing now, researching online. He found Dr. Adrian Owens tennis study, in which Dr. Owen and his team managed to communicated with a few people judged to be in persistent vegetative states.

That gave Keith the encouragement to continue trying to stimulate my mind as best he could without access to the expensive fMRI scanners Dr. Owen et al used.

What kind of desperately-needed hope can I offer Manuela?

Well, Ill probably send her a few more links to clinically tested treatments. Amantadine,a flu-fighting medication used as well for tremor in Parkinsons patients, and Levadopa(also used for Parkinsons disease) have both helped to improve awareness, increase periods of wakefulness, or even sparked awakening. While use of these drugs would be off label, at least there is clinical if limited data to back up their potential effectiveness.

Indeed, this is what the International Brain Injury Association had to say regarding patients in developing countries:

The situation gets worse in undeveloped countries where one can hardly find a brain trauma neurorehabilitation unit and exceptionally few patients can access them.

These treatment studies of course need to be replicated to spread more widely. But given that they employ tested treatments/drugs that are being used off label by specialists in the developed world, theyre certainly safer than stem cell regeneration, which is at best worthless and at worst has caused proven harm to many.

Manuela is already determined to take the matters into her own hands by giving Felipe physical therapy, despite his doctors dismissal of its utility. (My doctors said the same thing, and I believe that passive exercise wouldve at the very least shortened my recovery time. And given that my awareness and movement improved every time I was significantly stimulated, the physical therapy might well have hastened my awakening.)

In the end, all I can do is to try to gently encourage Manuela to try these safer and much cheaper interventions, which have show actual clinical effectiveness. With my decided lack of diplomatic skill, Im far from the best person to attempt this.

The stem cell regeneration clinic scammers will be waiting to pounce if I fail.

For as little as $1 a month, you can help feed a starving writer. Please considersupporting my work on Patreon.

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Stem Cell Regeneration Clinics: Waiting to Pounce on the Desperate - Patheos (blog)

Home Cancer New cancer treatment targeting cancer stem cells shows positive result in animal studies

Cancer is characterized by abnormal cells in the body that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. It is estimated that about 171 per 100,000 men and women will die from cancer every year, and it is considered the second leading cause of death in the U.S. Researchers estimate that approximately 39.6 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. While treatment does exist to help fight off these cellular abnormalities, they often come at a price, severely incapacitating the body and opening the potential for more opportunistic infections to occur. However, new research in the field of cancer study has uncovered new therapy in the form of a tumor vaccine that may shrink cancer, limiting the amount of side effects.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have created a vaccine that promotes that production of cancer-fighting immune cells in animal models. This was the effort of many years of research and development whereby cancer stem cells were engineered to express a pro-inflammatory process called interleukin-15 (IL-15) and its receptor (IL-15Ralpha). These proteins increase the production of immune cells previously mentioned, called T cells, which could lead to new immunotherapy treatments for cancer with improved side effects, according to the researchers.

The researchers go on to say that T cells and natural killer cells of the body are greatly stimulated by IL-15 and that they recognize and attack tumor cells. This pro-inflammatory protein was initially used in previous studies for the treatment of cancers such as melanoma and kidney cancer but caused a number of intolerable side effects in patients. So, the researchers found a way to transfer genes from IL-15 with its receptor into cancer cells, thereby increasing the tumors cell surface presentation of IL-15 to T cells. In animal models, this stopped the tumor cells from reproducing with little evidence of side effects.

These findings further support evidence of IL-15s ability as a cancer treatment. We are continuing vaccination studies in animal models with hopes of moving this research to a Phase I trial in humans to see if side effects are reduced, said John Morris, MD, co-author of this study and clinical co-leader of the Molecular Therapeutics and Diagnosis Program for the Cincinnati Cancer Consortium

Related Reading:

New research provides insight regarding cancer metastasis

Exercise may improve fatigue caused by cancer

https://www.healthnews.uc.edu/news/?/28993/

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New cancer treatment targeting cancer stem cells shows positive result in animal studies - Bel Marra Health

May 04, 2017 08:30 ET | Source: International Stem Cell Corporation

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB:ISCO), a California-based clinical stage biotechnology company developing stem cell-based therapies and biomedical products, today announced that its Chief Scientific Officer, Russell Kern, PhD, will deliver an oral presentation on the Company's Parkinson's disease clinical trial at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy 20th Annual Meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC.

Session Information

Session Date/Time:Thursday May 11, 2017 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM Session title:Clinical Trials for Neurologic and Neurosensory Disorders Room:Marriott Salon 1 Presentation Time:5:00pm - 5:15pm Presentation title: Update on the First-in-Human Clinical Study Evaluating Neural Stem Cells in Patients with Parkinsons Disease

Session Date/Time:Thursday May 11, 2017 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM Session title:Pharmacology, Toxicology and Assay Development Room:Maryland ABC Presentation Time:3:45pm - 4:00pm Presentation title: Pharmacology and Toxicology Studies Conducted for the First-in-Human Clinical Study of Neural Stem Cells in Parkinsons Disease

About the clinical study

The Phase I clinical study is a dose escalation safety and preliminary efficacy study of ISC-hpNSC, intracranially transplanted into patients with moderate to severe Parkinson's disease. The open-label, single center, uncontrolled clinical trial will evaluate three different dose regimens of 30,000,000 to 70,000,000 neural cells. A total of 12 participants with moderate to severe Parkinson's disease will be treated. Following transplantation, the patients will be monitored for 12 months at specified intervals, to evaluate the safety and biologic activity of ISC-hpNSC. PET scan will be performed at baseline, as part of the screening assessment, and at 6 and 12 months after surgical intervention. Clinical responses compared to baseline after the administration of ISC-hpNSC will be evaluated using various neurological assessments such as Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr and other rating scales.

About Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system mainly affecting the motor system. The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease result from the death of dopamine-generating cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain. Early in the course of the disease, the most obvious symptoms are movement-related; these symptoms include shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait. Later, thinking and behavioral problems may arise, with dementia commonly occurring in the advanced stages of the disease, and depression is the most common psychiatric symptom. Parkinson's disease is more common in older people, with most cases occurring after the age of 50.

Currently, medications typically used in the treatment of Parkinson's, L-DOPA and dopamine agonists, improve the early symptoms of the disease. As the disease progresses and dopaminergic neurons continue to be lost, the drugs eventually become ineffective while at the same time frequently producing a complication marked by involuntary writhing movements. In 2013 PD resulted in about 103,000 deaths globally, up from 44,000 deaths in 1990.

About ISC-hpNSC

International Stem Cell Corporation's proprietary ISC-hpNSC consists of a highly pure population of neural stem cells derived from human parthenogenetic stem cells. ISC-hpNSC is a suspension of clinical grade cells manufactured under cGMP conditions that have undergone stringent quality control measures and are clear of any microbial and viral contaminants. Preclinical studies in rodents and non-human primates have shown improvement in Parkinson's disease symptoms and increase in brain dopamine levels following the intracranial administration of ISC-hpNSC. ISC-hpNSC provides neurotrophic support and cell replacement to the dying dopaminergic neurons of the recipient PD brain. Additionally, ISC-hpNSC is safe, well tolerated and does not cause adverse events such as dyskinesia, systemic toxicity or tumors in preclinical models. International Stem Cell Corporation believes that ISC-hpNSC may have broad therapeutic applications for many neurological diseases affecting the brain, the spinal cord and the eye.

About International Stem Cell Corporation International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available atwww.internationalstemcell.com.

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Safe harbor statement Statements pertaining to anticipated developments, expected results and timing of clinical studies, potential applications of ISC-hpNSC to other diseases, progress of research and development initiatives, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products (including clinical trial results that differ from expectations based on earlier studies), regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements.

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WNCN

New Durham detention director aims to stem suicides WNCN In March, Uniece Fennell, 17, died in her cell. The Sheriff's Office says she was found hanging from a bed sheet attached to a window. In the cells, if you would, there was an opportunity to use certain parts of that cell to assist in suicides, said ... and more »

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New Durham detention director aims to stem suicides - WNCN

Chances are, you or a loved one will develop cancer at some point during your lives. Worldwide, cancer is one of the leading causes of death, with one in six deaths attributable to the disease. There were over 8.8 million cancer-related deaths in 2015 alone, and the number of new cancer cases each year tallies in the tens of millions.

We have state-of-the-art facilities to treat cancer, such as the Rush University Cancer Center in Chicago, which specializes in oncology research, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, which ranks as one of the best treatment centers in the United States. Were also funneling millions of dollars into cancer research, and have known about the disease in some capacity since the days of Hippocrates, stretching back 2300 years.

In that time, weve identified and cured countless diseases with much lower risks and mortality rates, so why havent we been able to eradicate cancer yet?

There are several reasons why cancer remains such an elusive disease:

1. There are many types of cancer.

First off, cancer isnt a disease; its a collective term for hundreds of diseases. Lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and brain cancer, for example, all have different risk factors, pathologies, and symptoms, and must be treated very differently. Even within one branch of cancer, there can be dozens to hundreds of different variants. For example, cancer cells are categorized, and certain types (such as cancer stem cells) can transform into further different types. This makes it nearly impossible to comprehensively study cancer as a whole. Instead, we must divide our focus to each individual iteration of the disease, and attempt to solve those problems one at a time.

2. Carcinogenesis is ridiculously complex.

Carcinogenesis, the mutation of otherwise healthy cells into cancer cells, is an enormously complicated process. Theres no simple trigger point that converts a healthy cell into a cancer cell; even the earliest estimations of the process reduced it to no fewer than six individual steps. Today, thanks to advanced computer models, we know there are hundreds to thousands of different genes collectively responsible for that conversion process, making it extraordinarily hard to understand, prevent, and/or reverse.

3. Cancer is produced from the bodys own cells.

Its also important to remember that cancer comes from the bodys own cells. Cancerous cells are still part of youtherefore, they are exceedingly hard to target without also targeting other parts of you. Cancer treatments often focus on trying to destroy cancer cells, but in the process, this approach can do more harm than good. The bodys immune system is unable to identify and fight cancer on its own (in many cases), though recent progress has been made in attempting to use the immune system against cancer.

4. Theres no virus or bacteria to target.

Cures and treatments for conventional diseases focus on targeting and exploiting a structural weakness in the prime cause for the disease. For example, with bacterial infections, most antibiotics attempt to puncture the cells lining to kill the bacterial cell. Since cancer cells arent easy to destroy, and dont share qualities with killable bacteria or viruses, its hard to come up with a treatment that eradicates the disease entirely.

5. Individuals respond differently to different treatments.

There are dozens of different cancer treatments already, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgeries, immunotherapy, and stem cell therapy. However, these treatments may have different levels of effectiveness and different levels of tolerance, depending on the individual responding to them. When researchers discover a new potential treatment for a specific type of cancer, it may only be applicable to a portion of cancer sufferers.

Because these factors cant be addressed with simple advancements in technology, and because we cant change the nature of cancer, its impossible to ever develop a once-size-fits-all cure for cancerat least not in the conventional sense.

Is this reason to despair? Not necessarily. Instead of pooling our efforts to curing cancer, were focusing on treating cancer. Were developing technology that can mitigate the pain and weakness associated with the disease, were inventing new treatment options that can potentially help more individuals, and were finding new ways to eradicate certain manifestations of the disease.

Cancer mortality rates are falling and life expectancies are risingand thats the best we can hope for.

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Why Don't We Have the Technology to Cure Cancer Yet? - Huffington post (press release) (blog)

CANCER is currently one of the top killers worldwide, and the number of cancer cases is only expected to rise. Although there are a number of therapies available, most of them are toxic and cause serious side effects. New research examines the impact of the natural vitamin C on cancer cell growth.

In a recent study, vitamin C proves effective in killing cancer stem-like cells. Cancer is the second leading cause of death and disease worldwide, accounting for almost 9 million deaths in 2015, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The global number of new cases of cancer are expected to grow by around 70 percent in the next 20 years. In the United States, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimate that almost 40 percent of U.S. men and women will have developed cancer at one point during their lives. There are various treatment options available for cancer, but they are not always effective; most of them are toxic, and they tend to have a variety of side effects.

In some more aggressive cases, the cancer does not respond to treatment, and it is believed that cancer stem-like cells are the reason why the cancer comes back and metastasizes. New research, published in the journal Oncotarget, examines the effectiveness of three natural substances, three experimental drugs, and one clinical drug in stopping the growth of these cancer stem cells (CSCs.)

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Salford in Manchester in the United Kingdom, and was led by Dr. Gloria Bonuccelli.

In total, the researchers measured the impact of seven substances: the clinical drug stiripentol, three experimental drugs (actinonin, FK866, and 2-DG), and three natural substances (caffeic acid phenyl ester (CAPE), silibinin, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).) The research focused on the bioenergetic processes of CSCs, which enable the cells to live and multiply. The study aimed to disrupt the CSCs metabolism and ultimately prevent their growth.

Of all the substances tested, the team found that actinonin and FK866 were the most effective. However, the natural products were also found to prevent the formation of CSCs, and vitamin C was 10 times more effective than the experimental drug 2-DG. Additionally, the study revealed that ascorbic acid works by inhibiting glycolysis the process by which glucose is broken down within the cells mitochondria and turned into energy for the cells proliferation.

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Vitamin C can kill cancer stem cells, study shows - Kashmir Watch

United News of India

International Stem Cell Corporation Receives Approval to Start Second Patient Cohort in Clinical Trial for Parkinson ... P&T Community CARLSBAD, Calif., May 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB:ISCO), a California-based clinical stage biotechnology company developing stem cell-based therapies and biomedical products, today announced that that the ... Public sector stem cell bank at KGMUUnited News of India all 9 news articles »

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International Stem Cell Corporation Receives Approval to Start Second Patient Cohort in Clinical Trial for Parkinson ... - P&T Community