StemCell Therapy

ByEthan Weston February 2, 2017

Stem cell research is making medical breakthroughs, and now, it could offer hope to people who have multiple sclerosis.

A newNational Institutes of Healthstudy suggests one-time stem cell transplants might be more effective than long-term medicinal treatment at treating relapsing-remitting MS.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that causes a person's immune system to attack their central nervous system. Common symptoms are impaired motor function, weakness and chronic pain. Relapsing-remitting MS is the most common form of the disease.

Stem cells are cells that haven't decided what they want to be when they grow up. That means they can develop into different types of cells. Because of that, they can be used to heal older damaged cells, like those attacked by the immune system.

The study followed 24 people who weren't having success with the typical MS medications. The experimental treatment suppressed participants' immune systems with chemotherapy. Then, their own stem cells were transplanted back into their bodies to rebuild their immune systems.

Related StoryPart-Pig, Part-Human Embryos Could Give Us Replacement Human Organs

Five years after treatment, most participants' symptoms were in remission. Some of them even showed some improvements.

Larger studies will be needed to confirm these findings. But the head of the study said it's a good first step toward more effective treatment for an incredibly debilitating and deadly disease.

Read the rest here:
Stem Cell Therapy Offers Hope to Multiple Sclerosis Patients (VIDEO) - Newsy

A New Delhi clinic that has claimed to help paralyzed Canadians walk again by injecting them with stem cells now says it can use the same treatment to make children with Down syndrome almost near normal.

Nutech Mediworld says it has treated up to 16 newborns, toddlers and older children with Down syndrome. According to its medical director, Geeta Shroff, we have seen that patients actually start improving clinically they become almost at par for their age.

Canadian experts say the bold claim risks raising false expectations and public confusion, much like the now-discredited Liberation therapy for multiple sclerosis, and that its playing off the over-hyped belief stem cells have the potential to cure almost anything.

Its also the latest controversy over stem cell tourism, and the growing number of clinics worldwide marketing pricey, unregulated and unproven treatments.

Nutech Mediworld charges US$5,000 to $6,000 per week for its stem cell-based therapies. The clinic says it has treated such incurable conditions as spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy. Around 20 Canadians have sought treatment at the clinic for paralyzing spinal cord injuries, spending upwards of $US48,000 each. Shroff says some of her patients have regained the ability to walk with walkers.

More recently, she began working with Down syndrome, one of the most common chromosomal disorders worldwide.

Most cases are caused by a random error in cell division. The child ends up with three copies of chromosome 21, instead of the usual two.

That extra copy causes abnormal neuronal development and changes in the central nervous system, Shroff says, leading to persistent developmental delays.

Human embryonic stem cells injected into a childs muscles and bloodstreamcan regenerate and repair that damaged brain, she says. They also work at the genetic level, she claims.

In a single case published last year, Shroff reported treating a two-month-old baby boy in September 2014 diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth. The infant had delayed milestones, lack of speech, subnormal understanding and subnormal motor skills, she wrote.

After two stem cell therapy sessions, the baby started babbling and crawling, she reported. He had improved muscle tone. He was social and was able to recognize near ones.

The child became almost as near normal as possible cognitively

The child became almost as near normal as possible cognitively, Shroff told the Post in an interview. Today, hes talking; hes walking. He was at par with normal children on analysis.

The former infertility specialist uses embryonic stem cells developed from a single fertilized egg donated by an IVF patient 17 years ago. According to Shroff, We have witnessed no adverse events at all.

The Down syndrome treatments, reported by New Scientist, have raised skepticism and alarm. Its not at all clear what cells shes actually putting in patients, says renowned developmental biologist Janet Rossant, senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto.

By just putting them into the bloodstream theres no way to imagine they could contribute to the right tissues.

Embryonic stem cells can also form teratomas benign tumours and masses composed of lung cells, tufts of hair, teeth, bone and other tissues.

The gold standard for any therapy would be a clinical trial comparing treated with untreated children and vetted through proper regulatory systems that clearly she is not going through, Rossant says.

The Ottawa Hospitals Dr. Duncan Stewart, who is leading the first trial in the world of a genetically enhanced stem cell therapy for heart attack, says theres a remote chance embryonic stem cells could help with Down syndrome. But its a stretch. The injected cells would also likely be rejected and die off with days, he believes. If the cells are disappearing within days, how are they working?

This is a very vulnerable population Theyre very vulnerable to people who are selling hope and have no basis for it

This is a very vulnerable population, Stewart adds. Theyre very vulnerable to people who are selling hope and have no basis for it.

But stem cells have taken on almost mystical appeal.

Theyve become a pop culture phenomenon, says healthy policy expert Timothy Caulfield, of the University of Alberta. The field itself is guilty of making breathless announcements about breakthroughs and cutting edge, he says. And people can market that kind of language.

This kind of nonsense doesnt help.

Email: jskirkey@postmedia.com | Twitter:

Continued here:
From Down syndrome to 'near normal'? New Delhi clinic makes stem cell claims that worry experts - National Post

The Re-Brand Premier Regenerative Stem Cell and Wellness Centers, recently rebranded their business from Premier Stem Cell Institute, in response to expanding locations, technology, and treatments. This move reflects the growth and success this company has undergone recently and goals for the future.

PRSC and Wellness Centers President, Kandace Stolz said, This rebrand is the culmination of the years of work weve put into stem cell medicine. Were growing and healing more patients than we ever have before, this new name reflects those accomplishments and gives us room grow. We are so thrilled for this move and cant wait to do even more for our patients going forward.

Premier Regenerative Stem Cell and Wellness Centers will continue to partner with the NFL Alumni Association and treat current and former professional athletes. PRSC remains dedicated to studying stem cell treatment by collecting and tracking data to further stem cell progress and maximize results for all patients. PRSCs commitment to being a leader in stem cell and regenerative medicine is unwavering and will continue to innovate and learn to heal and improve the quality of life for all patients.

About Premier Regenerative Stem Cell and Wellness Centers: PRSC is the leading research and treatment facility in Colorado, providing innovative medicine and therapies for those in pain by harnessing the bodys own natural healing power of stem cells. As team of cutting-edge medical experts, PRSC is dedicated to treating patients by using their own stem cells to heal, improve quality of life, and battle the acute pain of chronic illnesses. Premier Regenerative Stem Cell and Wellness Center locations include Loveland Colorado, Dallas Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, and Jacksonville, Florida. PRSC has plans to expand to other major cities across the United States in the near future.

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Stem Cell Therapy - Premier Stem Cell Institute

What is Stem Cell Therapy? Stem Cell Therapy (SCT), provides the body with stem cells in the location where it is most needed in order to assist in the healing and regeneration of its existing cells. Contact us to find a doctor/clinic near you who can provide you with therapy using Stemaid Embryonic Stem-Cells. About Us Stemaid provides Embryonic Stem Cells and unique protocols to doctors in order to help their patients who face major health conditions as well as individuals who simply wish to stay young and healthy. Over the past five years of development, we have successfully conducted research into targeted major diseases related to lung, kidney, liver and heart failures, we have aided in helping people who have suffered stroke or brain injury to walk or talk again, we have removed all traces of tumor in multiple cancer patients and we have achieved significant results in fighting aging and its physical markers. You may see a more detailed and referenced list of these successes here.

Embryonic Stem cell treatments have not been approved by FDA. For this reason, we are located abroad. If you are interested in our technology or would like us to put you in touch with the nearest clinic to you who can provide you with stem-cells, please contact us here .

Call us toll-free on 1-844-STEMAID

Original post:
Stemaid : Embryonic Stem-cells

The results of a quick and dirty research project on stem cell research studies.....

If I Google "stem cell clinical trials", I get several hundred thousand results... So, changing to "clinical trials stem cell COPD", I come up with several sites that claim to be experiencing fabulous success in stem cell therapy for COPD patients. Further study of these sites reveals that they all make a point that their procedures are not approved by the FDA, and that the only verifiable positive results are anecdotal, that is, from the statements of their own patients. All well and good, if the statements are true, and if the reports of their patients are not just the result of the placebo effect brought on by their desperate hope that the trials did in fact work.

In addition to these sites, there is one from the American Lung Association with quite a bit of information on the possibilities of stem cell therapy. Included in the ALA site is a link to:

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/

which takes me to a listing of the hundreds of clinical trials currently under consideration, recruiting, or underway. There are also a few that have been completed. I urge you to take a look at the site. Once there, I searched for stem cells COPD, and came up with a list of 18 trials in various stages, most of which actually had something to do with COPD.

On the surface, the listing appeared to be just that; the information for various institutions that are seriously looking into the value of stem cells in the treatment of lung disease. And, hopefully, most of them are legitimate.

So, reading through the list, it appears that there are some trials going on, most of them in the US, having to do with stem cell therapy for COPD. However, further digging in at least a couple of the sites revealed the following:

One of the companies, on its web site, appears to me to claim that they are presently administering stem cell treatments, and that they have had success in relieving the symptoms and (at least so far), improving the prognosis of COPD patients. Again to me, that casts a bit of a cloud on the validity of the supposed trial.

Another of the companies talks a lot about various stem cell treatments, but does not mention anything related to COPD. So far, so good...but then, there it was! The information that they have a clinic in Mexico that deals in stem cell therapy for COPD.

Believe me when I say that nothing would make me happier than to discover that someone, somewhere, was having success in healing COPD patients, whether it was from stem cells or from dancing around them dressed in feathers. I fully realize the desperation of someone with a chronic disease. I have been there. However, I totally detest anyone who would take advantage of that desperation to extract money from the patients or their families.

Please be careful.

Uncle Jim

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Stem Cell Therapy for COPD

Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that can differentiate into specialized cells and can divide (through mitosis) to produce more stem cells. They are found in multicellular organisms. In mammals, there are two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and adult stem cells, which are found in various tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all the specialized cellsectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm (see induced pluripotent stem cells)but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.

There are three known accessible sources of autologous adult stem cells in humans:

Stem cells can also be taken from umbilical cord blood just after birth. Of all stem cell types, autologous harvesting involves the least risk. By definition, autologous cells are obtained from one's own body, just as one may bank his or her own blood for elective surgical procedures.

Adult stem cells are frequently used in various medical therapies (e.g., bone marrow transplantation). Stem cells can now be artificially grown and transformed (differentiated) into specialized cell types with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves. Embryonic cell lines and autologous embryonic stem cells generated through somatic cell nuclear transfer or dedifferentiation have also been proposed as promising candidates for future therapies.[1] Research into stem cells grew out of findings by Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till at the University of Toronto in the 1960s.[2][3]

The classical definition of a stem cell requires that it possess two properties:

Two mechanisms exist to ensure that a stem cell population is maintained:

Potency specifies the differentiation potential (the potential to differentiate into different cell types) of the stem cell.[4]

In practice, stem cells are identified by whether they can regenerate tissue. For example, the defining test for bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is the ability to transplant the cells and save an individual without HSCs. This demonstrates that the cells can produce new blood cells over a long term. It should also be possible to isolate stem cells from the transplanted individual, which can themselves be transplanted into another individual without HSCs, demonstrating that the stem cell was able to self-renew.

Properties of stem cells can be illustrated in vitro, using methods such as clonogenic assays, in which single cells are assessed for their ability to differentiate and self-renew.[7][8] Stem cells can also be isolated by their possession of a distinctive set of cell surface markers. However, in vitro culture conditions can alter the behavior of cells, making it unclear whether the cells shall behave in a similar manner in vivo. There is considerable debate as to whether some proposed adult cell populations are truly stem cells.[citation needed]

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are the cells of the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage embryo.[9] Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 45 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent and give rise during development to all derivatives of the three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. In other words, they can develop into each of the more than 200 cell types of the adult body when given sufficient and necessary stimulation for a specific cell type. They do not contribute to the extra-embryonic membranes or the placenta.

During embryonic development these inner cell mass cells continuously divide and become more specialized. For example, a portion of the ectoderm in the dorsal part of the embryo specializes as 'neurectoderm', which will become the future central nervous system.[10] Later in development, neurulation causes the neurectoderm to form the neural tube. At the neural tube stage, the anterior portion undergoes encephalization to generate or 'pattern' the basic form of the brain. At this stage of development, the principal cell type of the CNS is considered a neural stem cell. These neural stem cells are pluripotent, as they can generate a large diversity of many different neuron types, each with unique gene expression, morphological, and functional characteristics. The process of generating neurons from stem cells is called neurogenesis. One prominent example of a neural stem cell is the radial glial cell, so named because it has a distinctive bipolar morphology with highly elongated processes spanning the thickness of the neural tube wall, and because historically it shared some glial characteristics, most notably the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).[11][12] The radial glial cell is the primary neural stem cell of the developing vertebrate CNS, and its cell body resides in the ventricular zone, adjacent to the developing ventricular system. Neural stem cells are committed to the neuronal lineages (neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes), and thus their potency is restricted.[10]

Nearly all research to date has made use of mouse embryonic stem cells (mES) or human embryonic stem cells (hES) derived from the early inner cell mass. Both have the essential stem cell characteristics, yet they require very different environments in order to maintain an undifferentiated state. Mouse ES cells are grown on a layer of gelatin as an extracellular matrix (for support) and require the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Human ES cells are grown on a feeder layer of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and require the presence of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF or FGF-2).[13] Without optimal culture conditions or genetic manipulation,[14] embryonic stem cells will rapidly differentiate.

A human embryonic stem cell is also defined by the expression of several transcription factors and cell surface proteins. The transcription factors Oct-4, Nanog, and Sox2 form the core regulatory network that ensures the suppression of genes that lead to differentiation and the maintenance of pluripotency.[15] The cell surface antigens most commonly used to identify hES cells are the glycolipids stage specific embryonic antigen 3 and 4 and the keratan sulfate antigens Tra-1-60 and Tra-1-81. By using human embryonic stem cells to produce specialized cells like nerve cells or heart cells in the lab, scientists can gain access to adult human cells without taking tissue from patients. They can then study these specialized adult cells in detail to try and catch complications of diseases, or to study cells reactions to potentially new drugs. The molecular definition of a stem cell includes many more proteins and continues to be a topic of research.[16]

There are currently no approved treatments using embryonic stem cells. The first human trial was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in January 2009.[17] However, the human trial was not initiated until October 13, 2010 in Atlanta for spinal cord injury research. On November 14, 2011 the company conducting the trial (Geron Corporation) announced that it will discontinue further development of its stem cell programs.[18] ES cells, being pluripotent cells, require specific signals for correct differentiationif injected directly into another body, ES cells will differentiate into many different types of cells, causing a teratoma. Differentiating ES cells into usable cells while avoiding transplant rejection are just a few of the hurdles that embryonic stem cell researchers still face.[19] Due to ethical considerations, many nations currently have moratoria or limitations on either human ES cell research or the production of new human ES cell lines. Because of their combined abilities of unlimited expansion and pluripotency, embryonic stem cells remain a theoretically potential source for regenerative medicine and tissue replacement after injury or disease.

Human embryonic stem cell colony on mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layer

The primitive stem cells located in the organs of fetuses are referred to as fetal stem cells.[20] There are two types of fetal stem cells:

Adult stem cells, also called somatic (from Greek , "of the body") stem cells, are stem cells which maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found.[22] They can be found in children, as well as adults.[23]

Pluripotent adult stem cells are rare and generally small in number, but they can be found in umbilical cord blood and other tissues.[24] Bone marrow is a rich source of adult stem cells,[25] which have been used in treating several conditions including liver cirrhosis,[26] chronic limb ischemia [27] and endstage heart failure.[28] The quantity of bone marrow stem cells declines with age and is greater in males than females during reproductive years.[29] Much adult stem cell research to date has aimed to characterize their potency and self-renewal capabilities.[30] DNA damage accumulates with age in both stem cells and the cells that comprise the stem cell environment. This accumulation is considered to be responsible, at least in part, for increasing stem cell dysfunction with aging (see DNA damage theory of aging).[31]

Most adult stem cells are lineage-restricted (multipotent) and are generally referred to by their tissue origin (mesenchymal stem cell, adipose-derived stem cell, endothelial stem cell, dental pulp stem cell, etc.).[32][33]

Adult stem cell treatments have been successfully used for many years to treat leukemia and related bone/blood cancers through bone marrow transplants.[34] Adult stem cells are also used in veterinary medicine to treat tendon and ligament injuries in horses.[35]

The use of adult stem cells in research and therapy is not as controversial as the use of embryonic stem cells, because the production of adult stem cells does not require the destruction of an embryo. Additionally, in instances where adult stem cells are obtained from the intended recipient (an autograft), the risk of rejection is essentially non-existent. Consequently, more US government funding is being provided for adult stem cell research.[36]

Multipotent stem cells are also found in amniotic fluid. These stem cells are very active, expand extensively without feeders and are not tumorigenic. Amniotic stem cells are multipotent and can differentiate in cells of adipogenic, osteogenic, myogenic, endothelial, hepatic and also neuronal lines.[37] Amniotic stem cells are a topic of active research.

Use of stem cells from amniotic fluid overcomes the ethical objections to using human embryos as a source of cells. Roman Catholic teaching forbids the use of embryonic stem cells in experimentation; accordingly, the Vatican newspaper "Osservatore Romano" called amniotic stem cells "the future of medicine".[38]

It is possible to collect amniotic stem cells for donors or for autologuous use: the first US amniotic stem cells bank [39][40] was opened in 2009 in Medford, MA, by Biocell Center Corporation[41][42][43] and collaborates with various hospitals and universities all over the world.[44]

These are not adult stem cells, but rather adult cells (e.g. epithelial cells) reprogrammed to give rise to pluripotent capabilities. Using genetic reprogramming with protein transcription factors, pluripotent stem cells equivalent to embryonic stem cells have been derived from human adult skin tissue.[45][46][47]Shinya Yamanaka and his colleagues at Kyoto University used the transcription factors Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4[45] in their experiments on human facial skin cells. Junying Yu, James Thomson, and their colleagues at the University of WisconsinMadison used a different set of factors, Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and Lin28,[45] and carried out their experiments using cells from human foreskin.

As a result of the success of these experiments, Ian Wilmut, who helped create the first cloned animal Dolly the Sheep, has announced that he will abandon somatic cell nuclear transfer as an avenue of research.[48]

Frozen blood samples can be used as a source of induced pluripotent stem cells, opening a new avenue for obtaining the valued cells.[49]

To ensure self-renewal, stem cells undergo two types of cell division (see Stem cell division and differentiation diagram). Symmetric division gives rise to two identical daughter cells both endowed with stem cell properties. Asymmetric division, on the other hand, produces only one stem cell and a progenitor cell with limited self-renewal potential. Progenitors can go through several rounds of cell division before terminally differentiating into a mature cell. It is possible that the molecular distinction between symmetric and asymmetric divisions lies in differential segregation of cell membrane proteins (such as receptors) between the daughter cells.[50]

An alternative theory is that stem cells remain undifferentiated due to environmental cues in their particular niche. Stem cells differentiate when they leave that niche or no longer receive those signals. Studies in Drosophila germarium have identified the signals decapentaplegic and adherens junctions that prevent germarium stem cells from differentiating.[51][52]

Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. Bone marrow transplant is a form of stem cell therapy that has been used for many years without controversy. No stem cell therapies other than bone marrow transplant are widely used.[53][54]

Stem cell treatments may require immunosuppression because of a requirement for radiation before the transplant to remove the person's previous cells, or because the patient's immune system may target the stem cells. One approach to avoid the second possibility is to use stem cells from the same patient who is being treated.

Pluripotency in certain stem cells could also make it difficult to obtain a specific cell type. It is also difficult to obtain the exact cell type needed, because not all cells in a population differentiate uniformly. Undifferentiated cells can create tissues other than desired types.[55]

Some stem cells form tumors after transplantation;[56] pluripotency is linked to tumor formation especially in embryonic stem cells, fetal proper stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells. Fetal proper stem cells form tumors despite multipotency.[citation needed]

Some of the fundamental patents covering human embryonic stem cells are owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) they are patents 5,843,780, 6,200,806, and 7,029,913 invented by James A. Thomson. WARF does not enforce these patents against academic scientists, but does enforce them against companies.[57]

In 2006, a request for the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to re-examine the three patents was filed by the Public Patent Foundation on behalf of its client, the non-profit patent-watchdog group Consumer Watchdog (formerly the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights).[57] In the re-examination process, which involves several rounds of discussion between the USTPO and the parties, the USPTO initially agreed with Consumer Watchdog and rejected all the claims in all three patents,[58] however in response, WARF amended the claims of all three patents to make them more narrow, and in 2008 the USPTO found the amended claims in all three patents to be patentable. The decision on one of the patents (7,029,913) was appealable, while the decisions on the other two were not.[59][60] Consumer Watchdog appealed the granting of the '913 patent to the USTPO's Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) which granted the appeal, and in 2010 the BPAI decided that the amended claims of the '913 patent were not patentable.[61] However, WARF was able to re-open prosecution of the case and did so, amending the claims of the '913 patent again to make them more narrow, and in January 2013 the amended claims were allowed.[62]

In July 2013, Consumer Watchdog announced that it would appeal the decision to allow the claims of the '913 patent to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), the federal appeals court that hears patent cases.[63] At a hearing in December 2013, the CAFC raised the question of whether Consumer Watchdog had legal standing to appeal; the case could not proceed until that issue was resolved.[64]

Diseases and conditions where stem cell treatment is being investigated include:

Research is underway to develop various sources for stem cells, and to apply stem cell treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions, diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions.[80]

In more recent years, with the ability of scientists to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, and with scientists' growing ability to create stem cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer and techniques to create induced pluripotent stem cells, controversy has crept in, both related to abortion politics and to human cloning.

Hepatotoxicity and drug-induced liver injury account for a substantial number of failures of new drugs in development and market withdrawal, highlighting the need for screening assays such as stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells, that are capable of detecting toxicity early in the drug development process.[81]

Link:
Stem cell - Wikipedia

Stem Cell Therapy in Michigan

Thank you for visiting. Many people have been awaiting a practical way to get stem cells for various conditions. This site is intended to offer information so you can learn about current options, understand what stem cells are, and to allow you to determine if this stem cell therapy be for you.

The term Stem Cells refers to cells in your body that are lying dormant, and designed to regenerate or repair diseased tissues. Stem Cell Therapy refers to isolating and deploying stem cells into your body with the intention of regenerating the tissues they are designed to repair.

Your stem cells are your bodys natural healing cells. They are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate your damaged cells. Stem cells derived from your own tissues may well be the next major advance in medicine. Allure Medical Spa has the technology to produce a solution rich with your own stem cells. Under investigational protocols these can be deployed to treat a number of degenerative conditions and diseases.

At this time, the cost of experimental stem cell treatments is not covered by insurance companies. We believe that our research is university quality. We are patient funded and we have no source of grants or pharmaceutical company funding. Although we are a for-profit organization, our goal is not to patent stem cell technology for corporate profit but rather to learn the medical potential of these cells and contribute to the science of regenerative medicine. We have set our fees very reasonably to lower the threshold of access to stem cell medicine. Our fee includes harvesting, isolating cells and deployment of your own cells. Also, under special conditions, your stem cells may be cryogenically stored for future treatments.

Read more:
Stem Cell Therapy Treatment at Allure Medical Spa in Michigan

Mayo Clin Proc. 2009 Oct; 84(10): 859861.

Regenerative Medicine Institute, National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland, Galway

Stem cell therapy has recently progressed from the preclinical to the early clinical trial arena for a variety of disease states. Two review articles published in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings address the use of stem cells for cardiac repair and bone disorders.1,2 These articles provide state-of-the-art information regarding 2 important aspects of an exciting topic with wide-ranging therapeutic potential in a manner relevant to the Proceedings' core audience of practicing clinicians. Stem cell therapy is potentially applicable to all subspecialties of medicine, but both articles stress that caution is required in interpreting the current role of these technologies in medical practice.

The clinical need for new therapies for cardiac repair is obvious and particularly relevant to conditions such as heart failure, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and myocardial infarction (MI). Studies using cell therapies in humans with these conditions are performed rapidly after demonstration of efficacy in animal models. This progression has occurred without a clear understanding of the basic science underpinning this technology.

Most patients enrolled in clinical studies of cardiac repair using stem cell therapy have had an MI. The clinical rationale for stem cell therapy for MI is to restore cardiac function and thus prevent left ventricular remodeling that can lead to heart failure. Gersh et al1 report that these studies have demonstrated safety, with only modest improvement in cardiac function. Recent meta-analyses have confirmed modest improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) associated with cell therapy after MI.3,4 The findings of some studies have suggested that patients with the most severe MIs benefit the most, but a recent publication of the REGENT trial has shown no benefit from cell therapy, even in patients with LVEF of less than 40%.5 The REGENT trial may have been limited by inadequate power to detect a difference between the study and control groups, but contradictory results have also been observed in previous studies of intracoronary delivery of bone marrow-derived progenitor cells (ASTAMI and REPAIR-AMI).6,7 Substantial progress has been made in understanding the potential of cell therapy in cardiovascular disease, but there is still a dearth of crucial information, such as the optimal cell type; mode of processing of cells; and dose, mode, and timing of cell delivery. Most studies have used unfractionated or mononuclear bone marrow cells that were injected via catheters into the infarct-related artery within a few days of the MI. These limitations may be responsible for the inconsistent outcomes reported in human studies. It would appear that, in patients with preserved LVEF after MI, stem cell therapy provides no benefit, but those with large MIs and reduced LVEF may benefit. However, the modest efficacy outcomes are probably related to poor engraftment and retention of the injected cells in myocardium, issues that require additional preclinical experiments. Future studies should focus on patients with the largest infarcts and on methods to enhance engraftment of stem cells at the site of injury.

See also pages 876 and 893

In another study in the Proceedings, Undale et al2 review the therapeutic potential of stem cell therapy for bone repair and metabolic bone disease. This field is at an earlier stage than cell therapy for cardiac repair in that the numbers of patients studied are lower. These authors review human studies in nonunion of fractures, osteogenesis imperfecta, and hypophosphatasia. In contrast with most studies of cardiac repair in which mixed cell populations have been used, a single cell type, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has been used in studies of bone repair. Although the nature of MSCs is beyond the scope of this editorial, this cell type has considerable potential for treatment of musculoskeletal disorders due to its ability to differentiate to bone and cartilage. In addition, MSCs can be expanded easily in culture and have immunosuppressive properties, which raises the possibility of allogeneic off-the-shelf treatments. Potential problems include culture expansion-induced karyotypic abnormalities, but this has not been observed in all studies.8,9

The current status of adult stem cell therapy could be summarized as having shown enormous potential in preclinical animal studies without the same degree of positive results in early human studies. This may be due to the fact that stem cells, despite their demonstrated resistance to hypoxia,10 have low survival rates at the disease site. Indeed, the relationship between therapeutic effect and numbers of cells administered is highlighted in the review by Undale at al. Genetic modification of stem cells and the use of biomaterial scaffolds to promote engraftment and enhance persistence at the disease site in animal models have augmented the therapeutic effect.11,12

Before stem cell therapy for tissue repair applications can progress, several important topics must be addressed thoroughly. First, the therapeutic mechanism of action needs to be defined. The early assumption was that differentiation of the transplanted cells gave rise to cells with a local phenotype that reconstituted or rebuilt damaged tissue, but little evidence supports this theory. It seems more likely that the concept of engineered tissue is not central to the mode of action and that the repair response depends rather on a dynamic and complex signaling network between the transplanted cells and host cells. This involves secretion of paracrine factors by the transplanted cells, and expression of these factors may be stimulated by the injured host environment.

Second, wide-ranging toxicology studies are needed to enhance our confidence in the use of cellular therapies. Although these therapies are generally considered safe, data on the long-term effects of cell transplant are still lacking. The possibility of tumorigenicity has been raised in a number of studies. For allogeneic transplant, these issues become even more important.

Third, proper standardization and characterization of transplanted cell preparations have not yet been achieved. This is a serious impediment to meaningful interpretation of the results of preclinical and early clinical studies. The issues of heterogeneity and phenotypic changes associated with expansion of MSCs must be addressed more satisfactorily before we can understand the full therapeutic potential of these cells.

Stem cell therapies have not yet become a routine component of clinical practice, but practicing physicians may be asked for advice by patients seeking cures for conditions for which conventional medicine offers no solution. Substantial numbers of patients are pursuing experimental stem cell treatments and in many cases are incurring considerable expense. Both review articles in this issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings emphasize that stem cell research is at an early stage and that patients should be discouraged from undergoing a form of treatment whose safety and efficacy have not yet been proven.

As previously mentioned, it is vitally important to understand the mechanism underlying the potential benefits of stem cell administration so that new therapeutic paradigms may evolve. A large body of evidence suggests that the cell per se may not be required and that the mechanism of effect is paracrine in nature.13 For instance, MSCs secrete proangiogenic and cytoprotective factors that may be responsible for their therapeutic benefit.14 These paracrine factors may also activate host endogenous stem cells. Understanding the host-stem cell interaction may allow identification of novel therapeutic factors or pathways that can be modulated without the need for cell delivery.

Compared with the concept of paracrine effects, there is less evidence of therapeutic benefit related to differentiation of transplanted adult stem cells to host tissue, but this approach may be important in certain disease states. Future areas of research may focus on the need for differentiation vs paracrine effects to afford a specific therapeutic outcome. If therapeutic benefit depends on differentiation rather than paracrine effects, embryonic stem cells or the recently developed induced pluripotent stem cells may be the optimal choice.15 Although induced pluripotent stem cells lack the ethical problems associated with embryonic stem cells, they have substantial regulatory hurdles to surmount before introduction to the clinical realm because of the factors required for their generation and the risks of teratogenicity.

Stem cells may be considered one of the available tools in the evolving area of regenerative medicine. The goal of regenerative medicine is to promote organ repair and regeneration, thus obviating the need for replacement. Stem cell therapy may participate in this process via paracrine mechanisms or differentiation into native tissues. The target disease will probably influence which of these mechanisms is more important. Successful translation to the clinical realm will require an understanding of disease pathogenesis and stem cell biology and partnership with other disciplines such as medical device technology, biomaterials science, gene therapy, and transplantation immunology. Advanced hybrid technologies arising from such partnerships will represent the next generation of regenerative therapeutics and will assist in overcoming current barriers to clinical translation, such as poor rates of stem cell engraftment and persistence.

Stem cell therapies have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy and benefit in preclinical models, but results in clinical studies have not been impressive. For this reason, stem cell therapies remain in the realm of experimental medicine. The debate continues as to whether clinical trials are justified in the absence of a more complete understanding of the biology underpinning stem cell therapies. Basic science studies to understand the mechanism of effect and the biology of stem cell differentiation must continue.

However, carefully planned and ethically approved clinical trials resulting from a robust preclinical pathway are necessary to advance the field. This will require a programmatic approach that involves partnerships of clinicians, academics, industry, and regulatory authorities with a focus on understanding basic biology that informs a tight linkage between preclinical and clinical studies. Rather than suggesting that clinical trials are premature, such trials should be encouraged as part of multidisciplinary programs in regenerative medicine.

Articles from Mayo Clinic Proceedings are provided here courtesy of The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

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Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine

Utilizing your own stem cells to help the healing process of injured or degenerated joints The human body is made of billions of specialized cells that form specific organs like the brain, skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bone. Each day these cells go through a degenerative and regenerative process. As older cells die, new cells are born from stem cells with the unique capability of being able to create multiple types of other cells. However, when tissues are injured, the degenerative process exceeds this regenerative process, resulting in structures that become weaker, painful and less functional. While there are several types of stem cells, those that are best at promoting musculoskeletal healing (tendon, ligament, cartilage and bone) are found in bone marrow. These mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are essential to successful patient outcomes and at Stem Cell ARTS we utilize the patented Regenexx Stem Cell Protocol, which iscapable of yielding much higher concentrations of these important cells. Most Commonly Treated Knee Conditions and Injuries Below is a list of the most common knee injuries and conditions that we treat with stem cells or platelet procedures. This is not an all-inclusive list. Knee Patient Outcome Data

This Regenexx bone marrow derived stem cell treatment outcome data analysis is part of the Regenexx data download of patients who were tracked in the Regenexx advanced patient registry.

Regenexx has published more data on stem cell safety in peer reviewed medical research for orthopedic applications than any other group world-wide. This is a report of 1,591 patients and 1,949 procedures treated with the Regenexx Stem Cell Procedure. Based on our analysis of this treatment registry data, the Regenexx Stem Cell Procedure is about as safe as any typical injection procedure, which is consistent with what we see every day in the clinic.

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These non-surgical stem cell injection procedures happen within a single day and may offer a viable alternative for those who are facing surgery or even joint replacement. Patients are typically able to return to normal activity following the procedure and are able to avoid the painful and lengthy rehabilitation periods that are typically required to help restore strength, mobility and range-of-motion following invasive joint surgeries. Lastly, patients are far less vulnerable to the risks of surgeries, such as infection and blood clots.

Modern techniques in todays medicine allows us to withdraw stem cells from bone marrow, concentrate them through a lab process and then re-inject them precisely into the injured tissues in other areas of the body using advanced imaging guidance. Through Fluoroscopy and MSK Ultrasound, were able to ensure the cells are being introduced into the exact area of need. When the stem cells are re-injected, they enhance the natural repair process of degenerated and injured tendons, ligaments, and arthritic joints Turning the tables on the natural breakdown process that occurs from aging, overuse and injury.

If you are suffering from a joint injury or degenerative condition such as osteoarthritis, you may be a good candidate for a stem cell procedure. Please complete the form below and we will immediately send you an email with additional information and next steps in determining whether youre a candidate for these advanced stem cell procedures.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Knee Injuries and Arthritis - StemCell ARTS

Types of stem cells

Not all stem cells come from an early embryo. In fact, we have stem cells in our bodies all our lives. One way to think about stem cells is to divide them into three categories:

You can read in detail about the properties of these different types of stem cells and current research work in our other fact sheets. Here, we compare the progress made towards therapies for patients using different stem cell types, and the challenges or limitations that still need to be addressed.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) cells have unlimited potential to produce specialised cells of the body, which suggests enormous possibilities for disease research and for providing new therapies. Human ESCs were first grown in the lab in 1998. Recently, human ESCs that meet the strict quality requirements for use in patients have been produced. These clinical grade human ESCs have been approved for use in a very small number of early clinical trials. One example is a clinical trial carried out by The London Project to Cure Blindness, using ESCs to produce a particular type of eye cell for treatment of patients with age-related macular degeneration. The biotechnology company ACT is also using human ESCs to make cells for patients with an eye disease: Stargardts macular dystrophy.

Current challenges facing ESC research include ethical considerations and the need to ensure that ESCs fully differentiate into the required specialised cells before transplantation into patients. If the initial clinical trials are successful in terms of safety and patient benefit, ESC research may soon begin to deliver its first clinical applications.

Many tissues in the human body are maintained and repaired throughout life by stem cells. These tissue stem cells are very different from embryonic stem cells.

Blood and skin stem cells: therapy pioneers Stem cell therapy has been in routine use since the 1970s! Bone marrow transplants are able to replace a patients diseased blood system for life, thanks to the properties of blood stem cells. Many thousands of patients benefit from this kind of treatment every year, although some do suffer from complications: the donors immune cells sometimes attack the patients tissues (graft-versus-host disease or GVHD) and there is a risk of infection during the treatment because the patients own bone marrow cells must be killed with chemotherapy before the transplant can take place.

Skin stem cells have been used since the 1980s to grow sheets of new skin in the lab for severe burn patients. However, the new skin has no hair follicles, sweat glands or sebaceous (oil) glands, so the technique is far from perfect and further research is needed to improve it. Currently, the technique is mainly used to save the lives of patients who have third degree burns over very large areas of their bodies and is only carried out in a few clinical centres.

Cord blood stem cells Cord blood stem cells can be harvested from the umbilical cord of a baby after birth. The cells can be frozen (cryopreserved) in cell banks and are currently used to treat children with cancerous blood disorders such as leukaemia, as well as genetic blood diseases like Fanconi anaemia. Treatment of adults has so far been more challenging but adults have been successfully treated with double cord transplants. The most commonly held view is that success in adults is restricted by the number of cells that can be obtained from one umbilical cord, but immune response may also play a role.One advantage of cord blood transplants is that they appear to be less likely than conventional bone marrow transplants to be rejected by the immune system, or to result in a reaction such as Graft versus Host Disease. Nevertheless, cord blood must still be matched to the patient to be successful.

There are limitations to the types of disease that can be treated: cord blood stem cells can only be used to make new blood cells for blood disease therapies. Although some studies have suggested cord blood may contain stem cells that can produce other types of specialised cells not related to the blood, none of this research has yet been widely reproduced and confirmed. No therapies for non-blood-related diseases have yet been developed using blood stem cells from either cord blood or the adult bone marrow.

Mesenchymal stem cells Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are found in the bone marrow and are responsible for bone and cartilage repair. They also produce fat cells. Early research suggested that MSCs could differentiate into many other types of cells but it is now clear that this is not the case. MSCs, like all tissue stem cells, are not pluripotent but multipotent they can make a limited number of types of cells, but NOT all types of cells of the body. Claims have also been made that MSCs can be obtained from a wide variety of tissues in addition to bone marrow. These claims have not been confirmed and scientists are still debating the exact nature of cells obtained from these other tissues.

No treatments using mesenchymal stem cells are yet proven. Some clinical trials are investigating the safety and effectiveness of MSC treatments for repairing bone or cartilage. Other trials are investigating whether MSCs might help repair blood vessel damage linked to heart attacks or diseases such as critical limb ischaemia, but it is not yet clear whether these treatments will be effective. MSCs do not themselves produce blood vessel cells but might support other cells to repair damage. Indeed MSCs appear to play a crucial role in supporting blood stem cells.

Several claims have been made that MSCs can avoid detection by the immune system and that MSCs taken from one person can be transplanted into another with little or no risk of rejection by the body. The results of other studies have not supported these claims. It has also been suggested that MSCs may be able to affect immune responses in the body to reduce inflammation and help treat transplant rejection or autoimmune diseases. Again, this has yet to be conclusively proven but is an area of ongoing investigation.

Stem cells in the eye Clinical studies in patients have shown that tissue stem cells taken from an area of the eye called the limbus can be used to repair damage to the cornea the transparent layer at the front of the eye. If the cornea is severely damaged, for example by a chemical burn, limbal stem cells can be taken from the patient, multiplied in the lab and transplanted back onto the patients damaged eye(s) to restore sight. However, this can only help patients who have some undamaged limbal stem cells remaining in one of their eyes. The treatment has been shown to be safe and effective in early stage trials. Further studies with larger numbers of patients must now be carried out before this therapy can be approved by regulatory authorities for widespread use in Europe.

A relatively recent breakthrough in stem cell research is the discovery that specialised adult cells can be reprogrammed into cells that behave like embryonic stem cells, termed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The generation of iPSCs has huge implications for disease research and drug development. For example, researchers have generated brain cells from iPSCs made from skin samples belonging to patients with neurological disorders such as Downs syndrome or Parkinsons disease. These lab-grown brain cells show signs of the patients diseases. This has implications for understanding how the diseases actually happen researchers can watch the process in a dish and for searching for and testing new drugs. Such studies give a taste of the wide range of disease research being carried out around the world using iPSCs.

The discovery of iPSCs also raised hopes that cells could be made from a patients own skin in order to treat their disease, avoiding the risk of immune rejection. However, use of iPSCs in cell therapy is theoretical at the moment. The technology is very new and the reprogramming process is not yet well understood. Scientists need to find ways to produce iPSCs safely. Current techniques involve genetic modification, which can sometimes result in the cells forming tumours. The cells must also be shown to completely and reproducibly differentiate into the required types of specialised cells to meet standards suitable for use in patients.

Stem cells are important tools for disease research and offer great potential for use in the clinic. Some adult stem cell sources are currently used for therapy, although they have limitations. The first clinical trials using cells made from embryonic stem cells are just beginning. Meanwhile, induced pluripotent stem cells are already of great use in research, but a lot of work is needed before they can be considered for use in the clinic. An additional avenue of current research is transdifferentiation converting one type of specialised cell directly into another.

All these different research approaches are important if stem cell research is to achieve its potential for delivering therapies for many debilitating diseases. The table below gives a brief overview of the different types of stem cells and their uses. You can also download this table as a pdf.

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Types of stem cells and their current uses | Europe's stem ...

This article is about the medical therapy. For the cell type, see Stem cell.

Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition.

Bone marrow transplant is the most widely used stem-cell therapy, but some therapies derived from umbilical cord blood are also in use. Research is underway to develop various sources for stem cells, and to apply stem-cell treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions.

Stem-cell therapy has become controversial following developments such as the ability of scientists to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, to create stem cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer and their use of techniques to create induced pluripotent stem cells. This controversy is often related to abortion politics and to human cloning. Additionally, efforts to market treatments based on transplant of stored umbilical cord blood have been controversial.

For over 30 years, bone marrow has been used to treat cancer patients with conditions such as leukaemia and lymphoma; this is the only form of stem-cell therapy that is widely practiced.[1][2][3] During chemotherapy, most growing cells are killed by the cytotoxic agents. These agents, however, cannot discriminate between the leukaemia or neoplastic cells, and the hematopoietic stem cells within the bone marrow. It is this side effect of conventional chemotherapy strategies that the stem-cell transplant attempts to reverse; a donor's healthy bone marrow reintroduces functional stem cells to replace the cells lost in the host's body during treatment. The transplanted cells also generate an immune response that helps to kill off the cancer cells; this process can go too far, however, leading to graft vs host disease, the most serious side effect of this treatment.[4]

Another stem-cell therapy called Prochymal, was conditionally approved in Canada in 2012 for the management of acute graft-vs-host disease in children who are unresponsive to steroids.[5] It is an allogenic stem therapy based on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the bone marrow of adult donors. MSCs are purified from the marrow, cultured and packaged, with up to 10,000 doses derived from a single donor. The doses are stored frozen until needed.[6]

The FDA has approved five hematopoietic stem-cell products derived from umbilical cord blood, for the treatment of blood and immunological diseases.[7]

In 2014, the European Medicines Agency recommended approval of Holoclar, a treatment involving stem cells, for use in the European Union. Holoclar is used for people with severe limbal stem cell deficiency due to burns in the eye.[8]

In March 2016 GlaxoSmithKline's Strimvelis (GSK2696273) therapy for the treatment ADA-SCID was recommended for EU approval.[9]

Stem cells are being studied for a number of reasons. The molecules and exosomes released from stem cells are also being studied in an effort to make medications.[10]

Research has been conducted on the effects of stem cells on animal models of brain degeneration, such as in Parkinson's, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.[11][12][13] There have been preliminary studies related to multiple sclerosis.[14][15]

Healthy adult brains contain neural stem cells which divide to maintain general stem-cell numbers, or become progenitor cells. In healthy adult laboratory animals, progenitor cells migrate within the brain and function primarily to maintain neuron populations for olfaction (the sense of smell). Pharmacological activation of endogenous neural stem cells has been reported to induce neuroprotection and behavioral recovery in adult rat models of neurological disorder.[16][17][18]

Stroke and traumatic brain injury lead to cell death, characterized by a loss of neurons and oligodendrocytes within the brain. A small clinical trial was underway in Scotland in 2013, in which stem cells were injected into the brains of stroke patients.[19]

Clinical and animal studies have been conducted into the use of stem cells in cases of spinal cord injury.[20][21][22]

The pioneering work[23] by Bodo-Eckehard Strauer has now been discredited by the identification of hundreds of factual contradictions.[24] Among several clinical trials that have reported that adult stem-cell therapy is safe and effective, powerful effects have been reported from only a few laboratories, but this has covered old[25] and recent[26] infarcts as well as heart failure not arising from myocardial infarction.[27] While initial animal studies demonstrated remarkable therapeutic effects,[28][29] later clinical trials achieved only modest, though statistically significant, improvements.[30][31] Possible reasons for this discrepancy are patient age,[32] timing of treatment[33] and the recent occurrence of a myocardial infarction.[34] It appears that these obstacles may be overcome by additional treatments which increase the effectiveness of the treatment[35] or by optimizing the methodology although these too can be controversial. Current studies vary greatly in cell-procuring techniques, cell types, cell-administration timing and procedures, and studied parameters, making it very difficult to make comparisons. Comparative studies are therefore currently needed.

Stem-cell therapy for treatment of myocardial infarction usually makes use of autologous bone-marrow stem cells (a specific type or all), however other types of adult stem cells may be used, such as adipose-derived stem cells.[36] Adult stem cell therapy for treating heart disease was commercially available in at least five continents as of 2007.[citation needed]

Possible mechanisms of recovery include:[11]

It may be possible to have adult bone-marrow cells differentiate into heart muscle cells.[11]

The first successful integration of human embryonic stem cell derived cardiomyocytes in guinea pigs (mouse hearts beat too fast) was reported in August 2012. The contraction strength was measured four weeks after the guinea pigs underwent simulated heart attacks and cell treatment. The cells contracted synchronously with the existing cells, but it is unknown if the positive results were produced mainly from paracrine as opposed to direct electromechanical effects from the human cells. Future work will focus on how to get the cells to engraft more strongly around the scar tissue. Whether treatments from embryonic or adult bone marrow stem cells will prove more effective remains to be seen.[37]

In 2013 the pioneering reports of powerful beneficial effects of autologous bone marrow stem cells on ventricular function were found to contain "hundreds" of discrepancies.[38] Critics report that of 48 reports there seemed to be just five underlying trials, and that in many cases whether they were randomized or merely observational accepter-versus-rejecter, was contradictory between reports of the same trial. One pair of reports of identical baseline characteristics and final results, was presented in two publications as, respectively, a 578 patient randomized trial and as a 391 patient observational study. Other reports required (impossible) negative standard deviations in subsets of patients, or contained fractional patients, negative NYHA classes. Overall there were many more patients published as having receiving stem cells in trials, than the number of stem cells processed in the hospital's laboratory during that time. A university investigation, closed in 2012 without reporting, was reopened in July 2013.[39]

One of the most promising benefits of stem cell therapy is the potential for cardiac tissue regeneration to reverse the tissue loss underlying the development of heart failure after cardiac injury.[40]

Initially, the observed improvements were attributed to a transdifferentiation of BM-MSCs into cardiomyocyte-like cells.[28] Given the apparent inadequacy of unmodified stem cells for heart tissue regeneration, a more promising modern technique involves treating these cells to create cardiac progenitor cells before implantation to the injured area.[41]

The specificity of the human immune-cell repertoire is what allows the human body to defend itself from rapidly adapting antigens. However, the immune system is vulnerable to degradation upon the pathogenesis of disease, and because of the critical role that it plays in overall defense, its degradation is often fatal to the organism as a whole. Diseases of hematopoietic cells are diagnosed and classified via a subspecialty of pathology known as hematopathology. The specificity of the immune cells is what allows recognition of foreign antigens, causing further challenges in the treatment of immune disease. Identical matches between donor and recipient must be made for successful transplantation treatments, but matches are uncommon, even between first-degree relatives. Research using both hematopoietic adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells has provided insight into the possible mechanisms and methods of treatment for many of these ailments.[citation needed]

Fully mature human red blood cells may be generated ex vivo by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which are precursors of red blood cells. In this process, HSCs are grown together with stromal cells, creating an environment that mimics the conditions of bone marrow, the natural site of red-blood-cell growth. Erythropoietin, a growth factor, is added, coaxing the stem cells to complete terminal differentiation into red blood cells.[42] Further research into this technique should have potential benefits to gene therapy, blood transfusion, and topical medicine.

In 2004, scientists at King's College London discovered a way to cultivate a complete tooth in mice[43] and were able to grow bioengineered teeth stand-alone in the laboratory. Researchers are confident that the tooth regeneration technology can be used to grow live teeth in human patients.

In theory, stem cells taken from the patient could be coaxed in the lab turning into a tooth bud which, when implanted in the gums, will give rise to a new tooth, and would be expected to be grown in a time over three weeks.[44] It will fuse with the jawbone and release chemicals that encourage nerves and blood vessels to connect with it. The process is similar to what happens when humans grow their original adult teeth. Many challenges remain, however, before stem cells could be a choice for the replacement of missing teeth in the future.[45][46]

Research is ongoing in different fields, alligators which are polyphyodonts grow up to 50 times a successional tooth (a small replacement tooth) under each mature functional tooth for replacement once a year.[47]

Heller has reported success in re-growing cochlea hair cells with the use of embryonic stem cells.[48]

Since 2003, researchers have successfully transplanted corneal stem cells into damaged eyes to restore vision. "Sheets of retinal cells used by the team are harvested from aborted fetuses, which some people find objectionable." When these sheets are transplanted over the damaged cornea, the stem cells stimulate renewed repair, eventually restore vision.[49] The latest such development was in June 2005, when researchers at the Queen Victoria Hospital of Sussex, England were able to restore the sight of forty patients using the same technique. The group, led by Sheraz Daya, was able to successfully use adult stem cells obtained from the patient, a relative, or even a cadaver. Further rounds of trials are ongoing.[50]

In April 2005, doctors in the UK transplanted corneal stem cells from an organ donor to the cornea of Deborah Catlyn, a woman who was blinded in one eye when acid was thrown in her eye at a nightclub. The cornea, which is the transparent window of the eye, is a particularly suitable site for transplants. In fact, the first successful human transplant was a cornea transplant. The absence of blood vessels within the cornea makes this area a relatively easy target for transplantation. The majority of corneal transplants carried out today are due to a degenerative disease called keratoconus.

The University Hospital of New Jersey reports that the success rate for growth of new cells from transplanted stem cells varies from 25 percent to 70 percent.[51]

In 2014, researchers demonstrated that stem cells collected as biopsies from donor human corneas can prevent scar formation without provoking a rejection response in mice with corneal damage.[52]

In January 2012, The Lancet published a paper by Steven Schwartz, at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute, reporting two women who had gone legally blind from macular degeneration had dramatic improvements in their vision after retinal injections of human embryonic stem cells.[53]

In June 2015, the Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study (SCOTS), the largest adult stem cell study in ophthalmology ( http://www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT # 01920867) published initial results on a patient with optic nerve disease who improved from 20/2000 to 20/40 following treatment with bone marrow derived stem cells.[54]

Diabetes patients lose the function of insulin-producing beta cells within the pancreas.[55] In recent experiments, scientists have been able to coax embryonic stem cell to turn into beta cells in the lab. In theory if the beta cell is transplanted successfully, they will be able to replace malfunctioning ones in a diabetic patient.[56]

Human embryonic stem cells may be grown in cell culture and stimulated to form insulin-producing cells that can be transplanted into the patient.

However, clinical success is highly dependent on the development of the following procedures:[11]

Clinical case reports in the treatment orthopaedic conditions have been reported. To date, the focus in the literature for musculoskeletal care appears to be on mesenchymal stem cells. Centeno et al. have published MRI evidence of increased cartilage and meniscus volume in individual human subjects.[57][58] The results of trials that include a large number of subjects, are yet to be published. However, a published safety study conducted in a group of 227 patients over a 3-4-year period shows adequate safety and minimal complications associated with mesenchymal cell transplantation.[59]

Wakitani has also published a small case series of nine defects in five knees involving surgical transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells with coverage of the treated chondral defects.[60]

Stem cells can also be used to stimulate the growth of human tissues. In an adult, wounded tissue is most often replaced by scar tissue, which is characterized in the skin by disorganized collagen structure, loss of hair follicles and irregular vascular structure. In the case of wounded fetal tissue, however, wounded tissue is replaced with normal tissue through the activity of stem cells.[61] A possible method for tissue regeneration in adults is to place adult stem cell "seeds" inside a tissue bed "soil" in a wound bed and allow the stem cells to stimulate differentiation in the tissue bed cells. This method elicits a regenerative response more similar to fetal wound-healing than adult scar tissue formation.[61] Researchers are still investigating different aspects of the "soil" tissue that are conducive to regeneration.[61]

Culture of human embryonic stem cells in mitotically inactivated porcine ovarian fibroblasts (POF) causes differentiation into germ cells (precursor cells of oocytes and spermatozoa), as evidenced by gene expression analysis.[62]

Human embryonic stem cells have been stimulated to form Spermatozoon-like cells, yet still slightly damaged or malformed.[63] It could potentially treat azoospermia.

In 2012, oogonial stem cells were isolated from adult mouse and human ovaries and demonstrated to be capable of forming mature oocytes.[64] These cells have the potential to treat infertility.

Destruction of the immune system by the HIV is driven by the loss of CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood and lymphoid tissues. Viral entry into CD4+ cells is mediated by the interaction with a cellular chemokine receptor, the most common of which are CCR5 and CXCR4. Because subsequent viral replication requires cellular gene expression processes, activated CD4+ cells are the primary targets of productive HIV infection.[65] Recently scientists have been investigating an alternative approach to treating HIV-1/AIDS, based on the creation of a disease-resistant immune system through transplantation of autologous, gene-modified (HIV-1-resistant) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (GM-HSPC).[66]

On 23 January 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration gave clearance to Geron Corporation for the initiation of the first clinical trial of an embryonic stem-cell-based therapy on humans. The trial aimed evaluate the drug GRNOPC1, embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, on patients with acute spinal cord injury. The trial was discontinued in November 2011 so that the company could focus on therapies in the "current environment of capital scarcity and uncertain economic conditions".[67] In 2013 biotechnology and regenerative medicine company BioTime (NYSEMKT:BTX) acquired Geron's stem cell assets in a stock transaction, with the aim of restarting the clinical trial.[68]

Scientists have reported that MSCs when transfused immediately within few hours post thawing may show reduced function or show decreased efficacy in treating diseases as compared to those MSCs which are in log phase of cell growth(fresh), so cryopreserved MSCs should be brought back into log phase of cell growth in invitro culture before these are administered for clinical trials or experimental therapies, re-culturing of MSCs will help in recovering from the shock the cells get during freezing and thawing. Various clinical trials on MSCs have failed which used cryopreserved product immediately post thaw as compared to those clinical trials which used fresh MSCs.[69]

There is widespread controversy over the use of human embryonic stem cells. This controversy primarily targets the techniques used to derive new embryonic stem cell lines, which often requires the destruction of the blastocyst. Opposition to the use of human embryonic stem cells in research is often based on philosophical, moral, or religious objections.[110] There is other stem cell research that does not involve the destruction of a human embryo, and such research involves adult stem cells, amniotic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells.

Stem-cell research and treatment was practiced in the People's Republic of China. The Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China has permitted the use of stem-cell therapy for conditions beyond those approved of in Western countries. The Western World has scrutinized China for its failed attempts to meet international documentation standards of these trials and procedures.[111]

State-funded companies based in the Shenzhen Hi-Tech Industrial Zone treat the symptoms of numerous disorders with adult stem-cell therapy. Development companies are currently focused on the treatment of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders. The most radical successes of Chinese adult stem cell therapy have been in treating the brain. These therapies administer stem cells directly to the brain of patients with cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's, and brain injuries.[citation needed]

Since 2008 many universities, centers and doctors tried a diversity of methods; in Lebanon proliferation for stem cell therapy, in-vivo and in-vitro techniques were used, Thus this country is considered the launching place of the Regentime[112] procedure. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/281712114_Treatment_of_Long_Standing_Multiple_Sclerosis_with_Regentime_Stem_Cell_Technique The regenerative medicine also took place in Jordan and Egypt.[citation needed]

Stem-cell treatment is currently being practiced at a clinical level in Mexico. An International Health Department Permit (COFEPRIS) is required. Authorized centers are found in Tijuana, Guadalajara and Cancun. Currently undergoing the approval process is Los Cabos. This permit allows the use of stem cell.[citation needed]

In 2005, South Korean scientists claimed to have generated stem cells that were tailored to match the recipient. Each of the 11 new stem cell lines was developed using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology. The resultant cells were thought to match the genetic material of the recipient, thus suggesting minimal to no cell rejection.[113]

As of 2013, Thailand still considers Hematopoietic stem cell transplants as experimental. Kampon Sriwatanakul began with a clinical trial in October 2013 with 20 patients. 10 are going to receive stem-cell therapy for Type-2 diabetes and the other 10 will receive stem-cell therapy for emphysema. Chotinantakul's research is on Hematopoietic cells and their role for the hematopoietic system function in homeostasis and immune response.[114]

Today, Ukraine is permitted to perform clinical trials of stem-cell treatments (Order of the MH of Ukraine 630 "About carrying out clinical trials of stem cells", 2008) for the treatment of these pathologies: pancreatic necrosis, cirrhosis, hepatitis, burn disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, critical lower limb ischemia. The first medical institution granted the right to conduct clinical trials became the "Institute of Cell Therapy"(Kiev).

Other countries where doctors did stem cells research, trials, manipulation, storage, therapy: Brazil, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Israel, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, India, and many others.

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Stem-cell therapy - Wikipedia

NEW YORK An experimental stem cell therapy developed by Asterias Biotherapeutics restored some movement to patients paralyzed by recent spinal cord injuries, according to interim data from a small study being presented on Wednesday.

One of the five patients in the trial regained use of both arms and hands, and is now able to feed himself, send texts on a phone and operate a wheelchair, the Fremont, California-based company said.

Three months after the cells were implanted, the study met its efficacy goal of two patients regaining return of two motor levels of functioning on at least one side of their body, the company said.

All five people in the study have experienced some upper extremity improvement so far, Asterias said.

Each motor level function measurement correlates with a reduction in the assistance and care a paralyzed patient might require. A two-level improvement can mean a patient is able to live more independently.

The cells are injected by a neurosurgeon directly into the site of the spinal cord damage within two to four weeks of injury, before scar tissue forms. The hope is that they can help restore signals from the brain through the spinal cord to the outer extremities.

Stem cells are able to transform into various other types of cells in the body, and scientists have been working for years to try to harness their unique capabilities to combat various medical conditions, including paralysis and heart failure.

"I am very encouraged by this first look at efficacy data in complete cervical spinal cord patients," Dr. Shekar Kurpad, a trial researcher and director of the Spinal Cord Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said in a statement.

The company had not expected to reach the efficacy goal before six to 12 months after implantation of the 10 million embryonic stem cells dubbed AST-OPC1, Asterias Chief Executive Stephen Cartt said.

"We came out early with the data because it was so compelling. We were expecting to wait until January," Cartt said in a telephone interview, acknowledging that the work is still in the early stages and that it is a very small study.

The interim results were presented at the International Spinal Cord Society meeting in Vienna, Austria.

There were no reported serious adverse side effects related to AST-OPC1 or the injection procedure, Asterias said.

The company has secured regulatory approval to double the dose to 20 million cells in future studies.

The five patients will be followed and assessed for 12 months.

"It's certainly our hope that we see at least that these gains are maintained, and we hope to see continuing improvement," Cartt said.

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Asterias stem cell therapy shows promise in spinal cord ...

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Painful discs in the neck or low back are common causes of severe back pain and disability. Historically, therapies did not exist to regenerate the degenerative process in a vertebral disc, often leaving surgical intervention as the only option if other non-operative treatment options have failed. In selected patients, we now have hopes of better ways to treat spinal disease. Regenerative therapies for the spine are the future for spinal treatments. We are excited to offer innovative techniques as new and improved ways to try to heal spinal problems without having to undergo surgery. Regenerative therapy options hold wonderful healing potential and represent the future of modern medicine.

In the United States alone, more than 400,000 lumbar discectomies and 500,000 spinal fusions are performed each year for symptoms related to lumbar disc degeneration. The ability to get these to heal without surgery has been a long-term goal of many patients and physicians alike.At Virginia Spine Institute, we are working to promote healing without surgery. Virginia Spine Institute continues to be on the forefront of treatment options and is proud to offer stem cell therapy treatments for patients as part of ourcomprehensive non-operative treatment options.

We obtain a patients own stem cells by aspirating tissue from the patient's hip bone or from their fat cells. These cells are centrifuged down to identify and separate specific primitive cells that will help heal tissues. Stem cells are theninjected into the disc, stimulating healing of the disc by using these primitive blood cells to stimulate regeneration of the collagen within the disc. We are excited to report improvements in our patients treated with stem cells.

What are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the potential to become specialized types of cells. Stem cells can be categorized as embryonic stem cells or adult stem cells.Embryonic stem cells are derived from a human fetus; there are many ethical concerns with embryonic stem cells, and these are not used in our practice.

Adult stem cells are derived from adults, sometimes obtained from your very own body! Adult stem cells are further divided into different categories. For example, the types of adult stem cells we use to treat musculoskeletal issues are known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These are multi-potent cells that can differentiate into bone cells, cartilage cells, or fat cells. Its important to note that they cannot differentiate into any other type of cell.

The human body has multiple storage sites for stem cells to repair degenerated and injured structures. We have found that obtaining stem cells from the hip bone (iliac bone) is easily performed within minutes and, in most cases, is a fairly painless procedure for the patient. The stem cells are obtained from your own bone marrow; just minutes later, they are used for treatment.

This procedure is done in our office and starts with the patient lying face down on the examination table. The skin is first numbed with a novocaine solution. After that, the cortex of the hip bone (iliac bone) is numbed. Next, under x-ray (fluoroscopic) guidance, a special needle is advanced through the bone to the cortex of your hip bone into the bone marrow. The liquid marrow - which contains the stem cells - is then withdrawn into a syringe. Finally, the needle is removed, and a small bandage is placed where the needle was inserted.

After the procedure, the syringe of stem cells is taken to the lab and placed in a specialized machine called a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the bone marrow solution and stem cells are separated from the non-useful cells. The concentrated stem cells are then transferred to a new syringe. Now, the stem cells are ready for the treatment.

Not all patients will be a candidate for these disc regeneration procedures. For those whom are ideal candidates, this provides great hope with reduction in pain and improved quality of life without the need for major surgery. We are excited about these great advances in health care and look forward to helping you live pain free.

Stem cell injections are most commonly used for treatment of the following conditions:

The area of injury is first identified using ultrasound or fluoroscopy. The area is then sterilized, and the skin above the area is numbed with a novocaine-type solution. Using ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance, the needle is guided to the area of injury, and the stem cell solution is injected. All the regenerative injections performed at our practice are performed under image guidance with ultrasound or fluoroscopy to confirm accurate placement of the stem cells.

The risks depend on the area being treated; however, there is always a potential risk of an injection causing infection, bleeding, or nerve damage. It is important to note that there is no risk of allergic reaction since you are using your own stem cells. At Virginia Spine Institute we always recommended the safest and most efficient procedures for our patients, however, your physician will review any possible risks associated with this treatment prior to administering.

The benefit is usually seen approximately two to three months after the whole treatment protocol has completed; however, you may start to notice the benefit sooner than this.

In most cases, patients respond very well to just one treatment; however, the patient may require two to three injections. We never perform more than three injections within a span of 12 months.

Virginia Spine Institute is part of an ongoing FDA clinical trial study and now also offers stem cell therapy to patients not enrolled in the study. This pioneering cell therapy, currently under investigation by our physicians, shows promise in restoring the structure of degenerating discs and alleviating pain after other non-operative treatments have failed.

The clinical trial uses NuQu (made by ISTO Technologies, Inc) to attempt to restore a damaged disc to save the disc and prevent further degeneration. NuQu is composed of culture-expanded juvenile cartilage cells (stem cells) in a protein-based carrier. These cells have been proven to have far greater regenerative potential than adult cartilage-forming cells based upon preliminary investigations.

After evaluating hundreds of patients for the FDA trial comparing these cartilage forming stem cells to a saline placebo, the spinal experts at Virginia Spine Institute were able to enroll 5 patients in the study. Although early results have been promising, the evaluation will not be complete until a full year passes after the injection.

Although NuQu is an early-stage, cell-based therapy aimed at treating the cause of back pain associated with degenerating discs, we remain optimistic that it has the potential to cure this disease. This pioneering cell therapy, currently under investigation by our physicians, shows promise in restoring the structure of degenerating discs and alleviating pain after other non-operative treatments have failed and before surgery even becomes a consideration.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Neck & Back Pain - DC Metro Area

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis is currently treated with immune suppressive agents such as steroids, methothrexate, cyclosporine, gold, and more recently infliximab (Remicade). Despite inducing temporary improvement, these approaches possess long-term adverse effects due to non-specific inhibition of immune responses. When disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like methotrexate are not effective, biologics like abatacept (Orencia), adalimumab (Humira) or etanercept (Enbrel) may be recommended. None of these treatments address the issue of damage that has already occurred to the joints or extra-articular tissues.

Even though advancements in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment protocols and introduction of targeted biological therapies have markedly improved patient outcomes, up to 50% of patients still fail to achieve a significant clinical response.

Stem cell therapy has been demonstrated to induce profound healing activity in animals with various forms of arthritis. For example, the company Vet-Stem routinely utilizes stem cells in horses with various joint deformities to accelerate healing. Besides healing of damaged tissues, stem cells have the unique ability to modulate the immune system so as to shut off pathological responses while preserving ability to fight off disease.

Stem cells and specifically, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) home to inflamed tissue and start producing anti-inflammatory agents. These mediators act locally and do not suppress the immune response of the patients whole body. Additionally, MSCs induce the production of T regulatory cells, a type of immune cell whose function is to protect the body against immunological self-attack.

A recent study on MSCs for rheumatoid arthritis (Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: Safety and Efficacy) showed that MSCs produced a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-, both of which are temporarily targeted by many current RA treatments. without the long-term side effects. These decreases are shown in Figure 5 from the original publication.

The Stem Cell Institute uses adult stem cells called allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis. These cells are harvested from human umbilical cords donated after normal, healthy births. All mothers who donate umbilical cords undergo infectious disease testing and medical history screening. Proper written consent is obtained from each family prior to umbilical cord donation.

All mesenchymal stem cells harvested from umbilical cords are screened for infectious diseases to International Blood Bank Standards before they are cleared for use in treatments.

Only a small percentage of umbilical cords pass our rigorous screening process.

Through retrospective analysis of our cases, weve identified proteins and genes that allow us to screen several hundred umbilical cord donations to find the ones that we know are most effective. We only use these cells and we call them golden cells.

We go through a very high throughput screening process to find cells that we know have the best anti-inflammatory activity, the best immune modulating capacity, and the best ability to stimulate regeneration.

The bodys immune system is unable to recognize human umbilical cord tissue (HUCT)-derived mesenchmyal stem cells as foreign and therefore they are not rejected. HUCT stem cells have been administered thousands of times at the Stem Cell Institute and there has never been a single instance rejection (graft vs. host disease). Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells also proliferate/differentiate more efficiently than older cells, such as those found in the fat and therefore, they are considered to be more potent.

In this next video (just past the 1 minute mark), Arnold Caplan, PhD explains the mechanism by which donor mesenchymal stem cells shield themselves from the recipients immune system. Dr. Caplan is the scientist who discovered the mesenchymal stem cell. He is commonly referred to as the father of the mesenchymal stem cell.

They are typically given intravenously (IV) over the course of a few days.

Below is an example of a typical 4-day rheumatoid arthritis treatment protocol.

*Includes Hilton hotel room with breakfast, WIFI, transportation from and to the airport with VIP airport gate service and expedited customs clearance upon arrival, and transportation between the Hilton and Stem Cell Institute.

*After examining each patients medical history and other medical information our team of physicians will recommend a specific treatment protocol. Your recommended protocol may differ from the example given above.

Proper follow-up helps us evaluate the effectiveness of our treatments and improve our treatment protocols based on observed outcomes. Therefore, one of our medical staff will contact you regularly to monitor your progress. You will be contacted after 1 month, 3 months, 4 months, and 1 year.

Of course there are. A number of our treated rheumatoid arthritis patients have volunteered to speak with prospective patients after treatment approval. Your patient coordinator will be happy to put you in touch with them at the appropriate time.

You may also view rheumatoid arthritis patient news, stories and videos. Please take a look!

You may contact us by telephone 1 (800) 980-STEM (toll-free in US) and 1 (954) 358-3382.

To apply for stem cell treatment, please complete this Patient Application Form.

Antigen Specific Therapy of Rheumatoid Arthritis Ichim T. Zheng X, Suzuki M, Kubo N, Zhang X, Min L, Beduhn M, Riordan N, Inman R, Min W. Expert opin. Biol. Ther. 2008; 8(2): 191-199

Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: Safety and Efficacy Liming Wang, Lihua Wang, Xiuli Cong, Guangyang Liu, Jianjun Zhou, Bin Bai, Yang Li, Wen Bai, Ming Li, Haijie Ji, Delin Zhu, Mingyuan Wu and Yongjun Liu Stem Cells Dev. 2013 Dec 15;22(24):3192-202. doi: 10.1089/scd.2013.0023. Epub 2013 Oct 4.

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Rheumatoid Arthritis - Stem Cell Therapy

When Kris Boesens car fishtailed on a wet road, hitting a tree and slamming into a telephone poll, the 21-year-old never thought he would walk again. But results from an early-stage clinical trial using stem cells to restore movement have given the 21-year-old promise that his spinal cord injury may one day be reversed, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

Boesen, of Bakersfield, California, qualified for the study at the Keck Medical Center of the University of Southern California (USC).

He was extremely excited about having an opportunity to try to do somethingto get better than he was at that point, Boesens father, Rodney Boesen, told the news station.

Doctors told the young man that hed likely never have movement or sensation below his neck, but the trial aimed to improve those functions.

In early April within two weeks to 30 day of Boesens injury neurosurgeon Charles Liu and his team injected 10 million stem cells, called AST-OPC1 cells, directly into his cervical spinal cord, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Within two weeks, the effects of his accident began to improve.

"Patientswho suffer these disabilities want more than anything else to do something for themselves, says Dr. Liu, director of the USC Neurorestoration Center, told the news station. They want to be more independent, less dependent. It makes all of us appreciate how important it is that we can do these things."

Today, three months after receiving the therapy, Boesen can feed himself, use his cellphone and operate his motorized wheelchair, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. He also can write his name, and hug family and friends.

"If I was there and I was able to thank them, he told the news station.I would just tell them, Thank you for giving (me) my life back. Thank you for allowing me to live my life again."

Since the procedure, Boesen has been evaluated four times, and he will be monitored every four months.

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Experimental stem cell therapy helps restore paralyzed man's ...

Regenerative Medical Group (RMG)provides the opportunity for every appropriate patient to benefit from stem cells. Many innovative procedures at RMG continue to increase in popularity. This is because at RMG we focus on patient satisfaction and optimal outcomes. Our therapies are individualized. Since we have hundreds of patient with successful results we have been able to identify patterns of where stem cells make NEW cells. This is one of our advantages in helping you! We use the most optimal stem cells for each patient. Usually we strive for pluri-potential cells because these stem cells can differentiate into whatever your body needs. We strive to create the most powerful stem solution as well. Most powerful means we determine not only the number of stem cells but also the percent that are alive and the percent purity for each type of stem cell. Notice the diagram and realize we have the ability to create the best solution for you.

Your own adult stem cells or tissue-specific stem cells harvest from:

There are three types of adult stem cells in the human body. The first type of stem cell turns into blood components, with a second destined to become lining of the endometrium. The third, and most important for musculoskeletal regenerative medicine, are mesenchymal stem cells. They have been used in animal models to regenerate cartilage and in human models to regenerate bone (Centeno et al, 2008).

Injection Indications As with other types of regenerative medicine, stem cell injections work better for some cases than for others. There have only been small studies so far looking at bone marrow derived stem cell injections in humans. In a 2011 study out of the Beijing Institute of Technology, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were shown to have an excellent potential for cartilage production in animals (Li et al, 2011). A recent study in canines showed that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were effective in repairing bone defects (Kang et al, 2013). With the positive results seen in animals, the treatments have been introduced for humans. TeleHealth Medical Group offers stem cell injections for many conditions, including:

Spinal arthritis of neck and back Extremity arthritis including shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle arthritis Sacroiliac joint arthritis Rotator cuff tendonitis and tears Achilles tendonitis Degenerative Disc Disease Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow) Medial Epicondylitis (Golfers Elbow) Ligament Sprains Muscle Strains Hair Loss Peripheral Arterial Disease

How are these injections different from cortisone shots? Bone marrow derived stem cell injections have the goal of making NEW CELLS wear there was damaged tissue which provides pain relief. Cortisone injections simply provide anti-inflammatory medicine to reduce pain, but no regenerative cells or growth factors that lead to repair or new cells. Here is a great example of a stem cell treatment for a rotator cuff tear. Normally a tear would need a surgical procedure for repair. However, as you can see the stem cell therapy for the rotator cuff tear allowed it to heal without surgery by making NEW CELLS!

Stem cell infusions are offered for these conditions:

What Are My Options? Regenerative Medical Group offers several treatment opportunities and most are partially covered by insurance. Contact us today to restore balance to your life with innovative treatments.

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Stem Cell Therapy - Regenerative Medical Group

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DENVER -- Stem cell therapy soon might become the go-to treatment option for patients with osteoarthritis or chronic injury. But is the treatment for everybody?

It was the answer for former Broncos player Mark Schlereth, who dealt with daily pain.

I call it a varying degree of crappiness of how I feel," Schlereth said.

Schlereth played guard in the NFL for 12 seasons, and aches and pain were considered the daily norm for him.

You have to understand when you play that game you live with a certain amount of pain your entire adult life," he said.

He has the broken helmet he played with to prove it.

This was a helmet that I actually broke; I cracked it in a game," Schlereth said.

All the hits, blocks and big games came with a price, according to Schlereth.

Twenty knee surgeries, a bunch of elbow surgeries, it's back surgeries, kidney surgery, 29 combined surgeries," he said.

It wasnt until recently that the three-time Super Bowl champion found stem cell therapy, a treatment many in the medical community are hailing as a miracle.

Its amazing what a difference its made, he said.

Dr. Michael Cantor injected both of Schlereths shoulders with a combination of the former football player's own plasma, platelets and stem cells.

These platelets will then send a signal out to the bone marrow to send in the stem cells and once they arrive in the bloodstream at the site, the platelets drive the reaction and say, stem cells lay down new cartilage, new bone, new ligament," Cantor said.

Dr. Joel Cherdack of Denver Regenerative Medicine says its like hitting the reset button.

Weve been able to have them walking around pain free within four weeks," he said.

It promotes a process of healing in the body, giving it a second chance.

Youll wake up one morning and go, 'Wow, I was in a position sleeping that I couldnt have slept six weeks ago,' Schlereth said.

This is where the unthinkable is now becoming a reality.

I think its going to be a revolution in orthopedics, said Dr. Cecilla Pascual-Garrido, the leading researcher on stem cell therapy at University of Colorado Hospital.

But she did say this treatment isnt for everyone.

The time that we have to treat these patients is the time between when they were active and happy and between when they really need a hip replacement," Pascual-Garrido said.

Pat Lynch was a lifelong runner, and years of pounding the streets and mountain trails left him with daily hip and back pain. The pain has been so debilitating that it takes away from everyday things, including his job.

Lynch decided to look into stem cell treatments, so he sought out Pascual-Garrido, who told him he was too far gone, saying it would not be appropriate in his case to do stem cells.

The key is to have a patient with early osteoarthritis. If you have a patient with advanced osteoarthritis, the therapy will not work, Pascual-Garrido said.

Lynchs hip is nearly bone on bone; Pascual-Garrido said the stem cell cant regenerate tissue or cartilage that isnt there.

Its still research and we will have many years ahead to understand and see which patient is going to be beneficial from this treatment," she said.

Lynch is left with the option of living in pain or having a hip replacement.

Im not particularly fond of taking a chunk of my body out and replacing it with steel. I would rather do stem cells," he said.

In the Schlereth household, Mark is not the only one who has received this stem cell treatment. His Major League Baseball playing son Daniel has also undergone the treatment.

Mark Schlereth said hes looking forward to getting the therapy everywhere it hurts.

You know, Im going to be like the bionic man by the time its all said and done. Its just going to take a little time," he said.

It can cost anywhere from $1,200 to $8,000 a treatment.

Stem cell is not covered by insurance, but doctors said this is the future of medicine.

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Stem cell therapy relieves aches and pains; described as ...

The Advancement of Stem Cell Technology

At the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center we provide consultation relating to clinical research and deployment of stem cell therapy for patients suffering from diseases that may have limited treatment options. Stem cell therapy is not for everyone but under the right circumstances and under the right conditions there may be an opportunity for stem cell therapy to be effective. But stem cell therapy is not, at present time, is not the holy grail we all would like it to be.

Our expertise involves a deep commitment and long-term understanding, knowledge and experience in clinical research and the advancement of regenerative medicine.

We firmly support respected guidance regarding stem cell therapy indicating that it should be autologous, include ONLY minimal manipulation of regenerative cells, and be consistent with homologous use.

We do NOT advise the addition of chemicals or enzymes to produce the stromal vascular fraction (SVF).

We believe that treatment protocols ought to be reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Health, Office of Human Research Protection (OHRP) or United States F.D.A, or both.

Because we are committed to the principles and ideals of regenerative medicine, we are continuously updating, researching, and learning more on how to help patients and advance the state of the art of regenerative medicine. Accordingly we provide all patients who are interested in considering stem cell therapy an honest opinion as to the potential benefits and risks of stem cell therapy for their presenting condition.

At the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center we will review your medical records and condition, and then consider an array of ongoing IRB-approved protocols, registered with Clnicaltrials.gov, a service of the National Institute of Health and the National Library of Congress, to provide patients with a wide variety of treatment options and considerations for medical disorders that may benefit from adult stem cell-based regenerative therapy.

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Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center

You are Here: Home Stem Cell Therapy Stem Cell Therapy Builds New Tissue for More Complete Recovery What is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem Cell Therapy is also called regenerative therapy, because it uses the bodys most basic raw material, stem cells, to grow or regenerate new cells that the body needs. Stem cells are undifferentiated or unspecialized cells, meaning that they are blanks that can be developed into another type of cell that is required to repair or replace damaged tissue. In the musculoskeletal field, stem cell therapy can stimulate the formation of new bone, cartilage, tendon, ligaments, fat, and fibrous connective tissue.

Stem Cell Therapy creates specialized cells that have a particular life cycle and purpose, like bone or connective tissue. Stem cells can replicate themselves, too, so it is theoretically possible to have an unending supply of these regenerative machines that can then divide and be guided to produce the cells your doctor needs to fulfill specific purposes in your treatment.

It is important to know the credentials and experience of the doctor you select to administer stem cell therapy. Make sure you are consulting a physician certified in regenerative medicine.

Stem cells are now being studied for use in a wide range of conditions, from diabetes, to heart disease, to musculoskeletal disorders, to neurological disorders.

While stem cells can be derived from several sources, the most adaptable are embryonic and amniotic stem cells, the former derived from days-old human embryos, and the latter derived from the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus.

Adult stem cells are most often used to produce new cells of the same lineage. The body uses these cells naturally to maintain and repair the tissue in which the stem cells develop.

Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult stem cells that have been genetically programmed to act like embryonic stem cells. These are important tools in evaluating new drugs and in modeling diseases to help researchers understand how disease develops in the body.

Advanced PRP & Stem Cell Therapy Center of Boca Raton is proud to be one of the few practices in the country to have a robust practice surrounding the use of amniotic stem cells. Dr. Berkowitz has developed his reputation as a cellular therapy expert, and the practice has invested in the equipment that can safely store these fragile cells for up to six months.

At Advanced PRP & Stem Cell Therapy Center of Boca Raton, we carefully evaluate patients to determine whether advanced stem cell therapy is a good option for relieving their pain and restoring damaged tissue.

A good candidate for stem cell therapy is a patient whose has mild to moderate osteoarthritis, tendon inflammation, a partial tear of the Achilles tendon, or muscle strain or sprain.

Stem cell therapy is not a first line treatment for wound healing; growth factors like PRP are often an excellent choice for this purpose.

Prolotherapy Steroid injections

Do not take over-the-counter medications that can thin your blood (aspirin, Motrin, Aleve Advil, Naproxen, etc.). Drink as much water as possible on the day of your injection. Arrange for someone to drive you home after treatment.

You will be numb for an hour or two at the injection site, and may experience much more soreness than usual for the first few days after treatment. After the numbness wears off, refrain from any activities that increase your discomfort, and refrain from taking anti-inflammatory medications for at least four weeks after treatment. Control your pain with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or medications that your doctor prescribes. Use ice sparingly, for up to 20 minutes at a time every two to three hours. Resume any physical therapy regimen about a week after treatment.

Your recovery time will depend on the specific condition that is being treated. In all cases, the stem cell injections at the site of your injury will need time to grow your new cells. As the regeneration of new cells proceeds, you should notice a gradual improvement in your level of discomfort, and in your range of motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is an advanced technique for helping your body produce the cells it needs to regenerate, repair, and restore damaged or missing tissue. It can involve the use of donor amniotic or embryonic stem cells, which have the ability to develop into any type of cell needed (blood, bone, muscle, organ, tendon, ligaments, connective tissue, []

There may be some pressure at the injection site, but the process is fairly quick. You will be giving a numbing agent to help maintain comfort during your treatment.

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Stem Cell Therapy Boca Raton - Stem Cell Treatment by Dr ...

What are stem cells?

Our bodies are made up of millions of cells. Most of these cells are specialized to particular locations and functions. The cells in your brain are different from those in your stomach. Heart muscle cells are different from bone cells. And so on.

If a part of the body needs repair, tissue of the same types of cells may be used. Two well-known examples are grafts and transplants. A piece of blood vessel or bone may be grafted from one part of the body to repair another. Or an entire organ may be transplanted to replace a defective organ.

Stem cells are a promising new approach to repairing diseased or defective tissue. Unlike other cells, stem cells are generally not yet specialized. They are like generic blank cells that can be adapted and reproduced according to what they are needed for. Imagine being able to grow replacement tissues that match a patients damaged bone, muscle, or brain cells! This gives you an idea how stem cells might work, and why people are so excited about their potential.

Currently there are a few medical applications of stem cells that have been proven effective and are in use at Bumrungrad and other advanced hospitals. Other stem cell applications are the subject of research and clinical trials around the world. Despite the vast potential for stem cells, there are several issues that need further study. For example, factors and mechanisms of how stem cells differentiate into specific tissue and organs are not yet clearly understood.

What are the potential uses for stem cells?

There are a variety of diseases and injuries in which a patients cells or tissues are destroyed and must be replaced by tissue or organ transplants. Stem cells may be able to generate brand new tissue in these cases, and even cure diseases for which there is currently no adequate therapy. Conditions that could see revolutionary advances from stem cell treatment at some point in the future include Alzheimers, Parkinsons, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, some heart diseases, stroke, arthritis, cancer, and burns.

Stem cells may also prove valuable in genetic and pharmaceutical research.

What benefits of stem cells have been proven?

Stem cell therapy has proven useful in the treatment of certain cancers and diseases of the blood such as leukemia, Thalassemia, and certain immune deficiency diseases.

Stem cells in these cases can help restore the production of blood cells by the body. Blood cells are produced and developed by bone marrow, the soft tissue inside bones. The bodys ability to supply itself with enough normal blood cells can be affected by blood diseases and blood cancers. Blood cell production can also be damaged as a side effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy in cancer treatment. Stem cells harvested from bone marrow or processed from circulating blood can help offset this damage.

While it is a widely accepted treatment, bone marrow transplantation remains a risky procedure with many potential complications. It has always been reserved for patients with life-threatening diseases.

How is stem cell treatment regulated in Thailand?

Before 2009, there was no specific regulation governing scientists researching human stem cell applications in Thailand. Existing Thai FDA regulations do not cover stem cells because they are not a food or drug.

To correct this lack of oversight, on 27 March 2009, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) announced that stem cells and their products will be regulated as drugs. The regulations will not cover the use of stem cells in recognized, proven treatments for hematological (blood) diseases. However, for other kinds of treatments, healthcare providers and researchers should follow accepted research practices, including approval from scientific and ethics committees at institutional and national levels.

Additionally, the Thai Medical Council will soon issue parallel regulations to cover the use of stem cells by physicians. For experimental stem cell treatments, practitioners must register and comply with Council criteria.

Institutions must clearly inform patients of the unproven nature of the treatment. Patients must be able to weigh the risks and benefits of such treatment , in the absence of inducement, coercion, or profit motive. Several good studies of stem cell treatments are being conducted under these conditions in Europe and the US.

What is Bumrungrad Internationals position?

Bumrungrad International is optimistic about the future potential of stem cells to treat various diseases. Where stem cell treatments have been proven effective in clinical studies for example in the hematological diseases mentioned previously Bumrungrad offers expert treatment by experienced physicians. In other stem cell applications, our doctors are following international clinical trials closely to determine if and when treatments prove safe and effective.

We will develop capabilities and offer such treatments to our patients when they are accepted by the international medical community. If our clinical research program does participate in any trials, we assure our patients of the following:

Experimental treatments must be approached very cautiously, especially when they are sought by families as a last chance treatment for loved ones in critical condition. Patients and their families must be able to trust that their doctors and hospital have evidence supporting such treatment. The evidence cannot be merely that some patients seem to have benefited from the treatment. It must be subject to the stricter rules of scientific inquiry.

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Stem cell treatment - Medical Services - Bumrungrad ...