StemCell Therapy

Harvard Gazette

Diabetes specialists seek to push WIC program away from juice Harvard Gazette The article was written by Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor Florence Brown, director of the Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Diabetes and Pregnancy Program; HMS instructor in pediatrics Elvira Isganaitis, a research associate and staff ...

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Diabetes specialists seek to push WIC program away from juice - Harvard Gazette

- More and more people retrieve their banked cells and benefit from clinical treatments

Twenty individuals, ranging from the ages of 2 to 43, have become the first to use stem cells from their teeth in the treatment of various conditions including cerebral palsy, diabetes, cleft lip, and autism. The cells in use are dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) - the richest source of MSCs in the body - extracted from the likes of exfoliated incisors, deciduous or baby, and wisdom teeth.

All patients report no adverse reactions, with several experiencing huge improvements in their conditions. To date, all treatments worked as well if not better than traditional treatments, but by far the most promising results are being seen in children with autism.

A complex behavioural disorder that affects 1 in every 100 people in the UK, autism is one of the biggest challenges that faces modern medicine today. Not only do symptoms manifest differently in each patient, but there is no one definitive cause. To treat an individual requires a tailored combination of therapies and medications - often meaning years of harsh drugs and hours of intensive behavioural therapy.

Many experts believe stem cell therapy can change that, or at least help children along the way, and several recent studies are proving their intentions are more than good-hearted. Their case is based on the rationale that autism is caused, in part, by inflammation in the body. And a particular type of stem cells, known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), is able to reduce that inflammation.

Our teeth are not only richer in MSCs than bone marrow or cord blood, but the process of extraction also costs less and can be done so non-invasively, using naturally fallen teeth. This makes it an easy and completely pain-free process. You don't even have to see the inside of a hospital or clinic - just send the tooth to the bank, and they will do the rest.

And that's exactly what the parents of five children with autism did. Having originally sent teeth of all shapes and sizes to BioEden, the world's first tooth stem cell bank, they've now retrieved their cells and the children are involved in various stages of cell-based therapies.

Reports from one 11-year-old show how developmental markers across the board improved after just 10 weeks of treatment. Progress has been made in language, driving motility, communication with the environment, and memory and retention, and they're getting ready for their second round of treatment this year.

In another case of an 11-year-old, the child didn't speak before the treatment but now has a vocabulary of 15 words. Other improvements among the five children include better memory, mobility, and bodily control, more energy, a new sensitivity to pain, and physical growth. It's clear autism responds well to tooth cells.

Tooth stem cell banking offers patients a convenient and risk-free alternative to cord blood banking for example and bone marrow aspiration. By not throwing away those shedded baby teeth and instead sending them to a specialist tooth bank, you can arm yourself with a powerful resource and help safeguard a children's future health.

BioEden is a specialist banking facility that does not directly participate in or encourage its customers to seek therapies. The determination as to whether stem cell therapy may be useful to treat a particular condition is a decision that must be made between the patient and their treating physician.

Contact: Leon Staff Tel.: +44-208-4770-336 Email: info@bioeden.co.uk

Website: http://www.bioeden.com

SOURCE BioEden

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BioEden - Autistic Children's Early Success Stories From Tooth Stem Cells - PR Newswire (press release)

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Proteomics applications in dental derived stem cells

Journal of Cellular Physiology, 2017, 232, 1602-1610 Jie Li, Weidong Tian and Jinlin Song

Abstract: At present, the existence of a variety of dental derived stem cells has been documented. These cells displayed promising clinical application potential not only for teeth and its surrounding tissue regeneration, but also for other tissues, such as nerve and bone regeneration. Proteomics is an unbiased, global informatics tool that provides information on all protein expression levels as well as post-translational modification in cells or tissues and is applicable to dental derived stem cells research. Over the last decade, considerable progress has been made to study the global proteome, secrotome, and membrane proteome of dental derived stem cells. Here, we present an overview of the proteomics studies in the context of stem cell research. Particular attention is given to dental derived stem cell types as well as current challenges and opportunities.

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Journal Highlight: Proteomics applications in dental derived stem cells - separationsNOW.com

(MENAFN Editorial) Stem cells are characterized by their potential to develop into fully functional cells of a specific organ or tissue in the body. Theoretically stem cells can be artificially coaxed into becoming a muscular cell, nerve cell or any other based on the medical requirement. This capability called Totipotency is sometimes lost along the development stages and cells then become pluripotent, multi-potent and oligopotent at each level. The stem cells of the body include embryonic stem cells, which are present in a blastocyst, fetal stem cells, cord blood stem cells (isolated from umbilical cord), adipose tissue, hematopoietic stem cells and dental stem cells. Stem cells and progenitor cells help act as a treatment and can perform as a damage repair mechanism of the body. Umbilical stem cells and embryonic stem cells can be stored in cryogenic-refrigeration as a stem cell storage bank for later use.

Stem cells have been applied in several therapies of late, particularly in oncology and brain disorders. The potential areas of stem cell therapy are limitless since the stem cells adapt to various body stimulus to convert into cells of unique function and type. This report covers the market for stem cell therapies, products and anti-bodies among other products in research pipelines of many key industrial players. The most common type of cells therapies commercialized today includes mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs. SCs used in osteo-grafting is one of the fastest growing market segments today. Research & development is carried out by government and private institutions on a very large scale since the success of even one application would mean the quickest means of treating severe and debilitating diseases and conditions. The most common proven treatments are targeted for bone, corneal and skin diseases. AMD in particular is a key target area within corneal treatments. BMT?s have been performed for over a decade successfully in most cases for autoimmune disorders, cancer and blood disorders among others. A rising application area is cosmetics wherein conditions such as alopecia are considered as strong growth factors.

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Ongoing research by SA-BRC estates suggest the market to be valued at US 6.5 billion in 2014 and growing at a CAGR of 16.8%. The major drivers of this therapy are the increase in the stem cell banking and cord blood banking market, which has increased the number of stem cell procedures. The stem cell banking market is thus complementing the stem cell therapy market. Another factor driving the growth is the list of potential applications. Several challenges are currently preventing the use of stem cells particularly in western countries, where intense regulatory hurdles have resulted in the slow progress in treatment approvals unlike countries such as China, where stem cell therapies have received a greater acceptance by the government and are practiced on a larger scope of therapies. Reimbursement and cost of treatment is expected to be one of the most significant challenges to this market since ethical issues as well cost incurred to hospital for technology used to complete all stages of stem cell therapies. Since several therapies are not covered for by insurance, out-of-pocket expenses are enormous in most experimental cases.

Stem cell therapy is relatively an old research area in biopharmaceutical and biotechnology. There are an estimated 2 million research projects covering all aspects of stem cell research over the world. There are over 400 clinical trials being conducted across the world for SC therapy products. Thus, there are numerous players involved in stem cell products of which the most notable key players are companies such as Cytori, Cardio3 Bioscience, Bioheart, Aastrom Biosciences, Invitrogen (part of Life Technologies), Osiris Therapeutics, TiGenix and Gamida Cell. The competitive landscape is highly fragmented and is expected to remain so due to high number of emerging players in the market leading to a high level of threat from new entrants.

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June 2, 2017 by Mirabai Vogt-James A bone densitometer will accompany the mice to the space station. It measures the bone density of the animals. Credit: University of California, Los Angeles

What do space travel, rodents and a bone-building protein all have in common? A team of UCLA scientists is bringing these three elements together to test an experimental drug that could one day result in a treatment for osteoporosis, which affects more than 200 million people worldwide.

The drug could also potentially help those with bone damage or loss, a condition that afflicts people with traumatic bone injury, such as injured military service members, as well as astronauts who lose bone density while in space.

Led by Dr. Chia Soo and Dr. Kang Ting, who met and married while working on this project, as well as Dr. Ben Wu, the UCLA research team is scheduled to send 40 rodents to the International Space Station this week. Once there, the rodents will receive injections of the experimental drug, which is based on a bone-building protein called NELL-1. The project is being done in collaboration with NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the U.S. National Laboratory on the space station.

"This is really a pivotal point in the study of NELL-1's effect on bone density," said Soo, principal investigator on the study, the vice chair for research in the UCLA Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and a member of the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. "We would not be at this point without many years of funding and support from the National Institutes of Health, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and several UCLA departments and centers. We are honored to conduct the next phase of our research in the U.S. National Laboratory."

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The UCLA researchers have been conducting studies on NELL-1 for more than 18 years and were excited when Julie Robinson, NASA's chief scientist for the International Space Station Program, visited UCLA in early 2014 and encouraged them to submit a grant that would fund their NELL-1 research in space. The team received the necessary funding from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space in September 2014 to move forward with the project.

"The preparations have been very exciting; we've had conference calls with NASA's Ames Research Center every two weeks to go over all the fine details," said Dr. Jin Hee Kwak, an assistant professor of orthodontics in the UCLA School of Dentistry and project manager on the study. "Everything is choreographed down to the tiniest details, such as whether you're going to fill a syringe half way or all the waythat small amount affects the total weight of the rocket."

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is currently targeted to blast off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida today. It will be the first time that UCLA scientists send rodents to the International Space Station. After living in microgravity and receiving NELL-1 injections for about four weeks, half of the rodents will return from space and land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja, California.

This marks the first time that American researchers will bring back live rodents from the International Space Station. After retrieval, the rodents will be returned to UCLA where they will continue to receive the NELL-1 drug for an additional four weeks. The remaining half of the rodents that stay in the space station will also receive an additional four-week dosage of the drug and will return to UCLA later.

"To prepare for the space project and eventual clinical use, we chemically modified NELL-1 to stay active longer," said Wu, who is chair of the division of advanced prosthodontics in the UCLA School of Dentistry and professor in the schools of engineering and medicine. "We also engineered the NELL-1 protein with a special molecule that binds to bone, so the molecule directs NELL-1 to its correct target, similar to how a homing device directs a missile."

Discovered in 1996 by Ting, NELL-1 has a powerful effect on tissue-specific stem cells that create bone-building cells called osteoblasts. When exposed to NELL-1, the stem cells create osteoblasts that are much more effective at building bone. Furthermore, NELL-1 reduces the function of osteoclasts, which are the cells that break down bone.

"Our preclinical studies show that NELL-1's dual effect on both osteoblasts and osteoclasts significantly increases bone density," said Ting, chair of the section of orthodontics and the division of growth and development in the UCLA School of Dentistry.

After the age of 50, humans typically lose about 0.5 percent of their bone mass each year. But in space, bone loss significantly increases due to the lack of gravity. It is commonly known that bone density is improved by physical activity that puts pressure on bone, which helps it stay strong. Without gravity's pressure, astronauts can lose around 1.5 percent of their bone mass each month. Therefore, space is an ideal testing environment for NELL-1's effect on bone density.

Research on NELL-1 is supported by past or current grants from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, the UCLA School of Dentistry, the UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the UCLA Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center.

The experimental NELL-1 drug described above is used in preclinical tests only and has not been tested in humans or approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective for use in humans.

Explore further: Study reveals bone-building protein's impact on bone stem cells

A new study by UCLA researchers shows that administering the protein NELL-1 intravenously stimulates significant bone formation through the regenerative ability of stem cells.

Growing bone on demand sounds like a space-age concepta potentially life changing one. Such a capability could benefit those needing bone for reconstructive surgery due to trauma like combat injuries or those waging a ...

A UCLA research team has found a combination of proteins that could significantly improve clinical bone restoration. The findings may be a big step toward developing effective therapeutic treatments for bone skeletal defects, ...

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Researchers from the UCLA Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have published two studies that define how key ...

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A University of California, Berkeley, study of mice reveals, for the first time, how puberty hormones might impede some aspects of flexible youthful learning.

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Mice headed for space to test bone-building drug - Medical Xpress

INDORE: Glaucoma is major cause of eye related problem but due to lack of awareness, around 90 per cent patients fail to get timely treatment, says an expert during a two-day conference- Ophthalmology Tomorrow- that started on Saturday.

"Glaucoma, also known as eye pressure, is a symptomless disease and therefore, people are unable to approach the doctors at early stage. This lead to permanent blindness within a few years" said the oration award winner Dr G Chandrasekhar of Hyderabad.

People with over 40 years of age suffering from diabetes and have family history of glaucoma are at high risk to catch the disease. Thus, they should go for eye check-up at regular intervals of 1-2 years. "We have technology to operate cataract by placing lenses in eyes without administrating drops of anaesthesia. There is only a need to create awareness among people about comprehensive check-up from eye-specialist for glaucoma," said Dr Chandrasekhar.

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'Glaucoma is symptomless, leads to blindness in few yrs' | Indore ... - Times of India

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: PBYI), a biopharmaceutical company, announced the presentation of positive results from an ongoing Phase II clinical trial (Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium TBCRC 022) of Puma's investigational drug PB272 (neratinib) for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain. The data were presented today in an oral presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2017 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

The multicenter Phase II clinical trial enrolled patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have brain metastases. The trial is being performed by the TBCRC and enrolled three cohorts of patients. Patients in the first cohort (n=40) included those with progressive brain metastases who were administered neratinib monotherapy. Data from this cohort were previously reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2016. Patients in the second cohort (n=5) represent patients who had brain metastases which were amenable to surgery and who were administered neratinib monotherapy prior to and after surgical resection. The third cohort (target enrollment=60) enrolled two sub-groups of patients (prior lapatinib-treated and no prior lapatinib) with progressive brain metastases who were administered neratinib in combination with the chemotherapy drug capecitabine. The oral presentation reflects only the patients in the third cohort of patients without prior lapatinib exposure (cohort 3A, n=37), who all had progressive brain metastases at the time of enrollment and who received the combination of capecitabine plus neratinib. A full copy of the oral presentation that was presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting is available on the Puma Biotechnology website. Results from the second cohort and cohort 3B (prior lapatinib-treated) will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting.

In cohort 3A, 30% of the patients had received prior craniotomy, 65% of the patients had received prior whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), and 35% had received prior stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to the brain. No patients had received prior treatment with lapatinib.

The primary endpoint of the trial was central nervous system (CNS) Objective Response Rate according to a composite criteria that included volumetric brain MRI measurements, steroid use, neurological signs and symptoms, and RECIST evaluation for non-CNS sites. The secondary endpoint of the trial was CNS response by Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology-Brain Metastases (RANO-BM) Criteria. The efficacy results from the trial showed that 49% of patients experienced a CNS Objective Response by the composite criteria. The results also showed that the CNS response rate using the RANO-BM criteria was 24%. The median time to CNS progression was 5.5 months and the median overall survival was 13.5 months, though 49% of patients remain alive and survival data are immature.

The results for cohort 3A showed that the most frequently observed severe adverse event for the 37 patients evaluable for safety was diarrhea. Patients received antidiarrheal prophylaxis consisting of high dose loperamide, given together with the combination of capecitabine plus neratinib for the first cycle of treatment in order to try to reduce the neratinib-related diarrhea. Among the 37 patients evaluable for safety, 32% of the patients had grade 3 diarrhea and 41% had grade 2 diarrhea.

Neratinib given in combination with capecitabine showed promising activity in patients with heavily pre-treated HER2-positive disease metastatic to the CNS, said Rachel A. Freedman, MD, MPH, Breast Oncology Center, Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Despite the introduction of several new treatments for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, CNS progression events remain a major source of patient morbidity and mortality. Based on the results from TBCRC-022, we look forward to additional trials with neratinib-based regimens for HER2-positive CNS disease.

We are very pleased with the activity seen in this trial with the combination of neratinib plus capecitabine, said Alan H. Auerbach, CEO and President of Puma Biotechnology. As a small molecule that can cross the blood brain barrier, neratinib potentially offers patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that has metastasized to the CNS a novel HER2 targeted treatment option. We look forward to working with TBCRC on future trials of neratinib in patients with HER2-positive disease metastatic to the CNS.

About Puma Biotechnology

Puma Biotechnology, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a focus on the development and commercialization of innovative products to enhance cancer care. The Company in-licenses the global development and commercialization rights to three drug candidatesPB272 (neratinib (oral)), PB272 (neratinib (intravenous)) and PB357. Neratinib is a potent irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks signal transduction through the epidermal growth factor receptors, HER1, HER2 and HER4. Currently, the Company is primarily focused on the development of the oral version of neratinib, and its most advanced drug candidates are directed at the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. The Company believes that neratinib has clinical application in the treatment of several other cancers as well, including non-small cell lung cancer and other tumor types that over-express or have a mutation in HER2. Further information about Puma Biotechnology can be found at http://www.pumabiotechnology.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the development and potential benefits of the Companys drug candidates, the Companys clinical trials and the announcement of data relative to these trials. All forward-looking statements included in this press release involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and actual outcomes and results could differ materially from these statements due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, the fact that the Company has no product revenue and no products approved for marketing, the Company's dependence on PB272, which is still under development and may never receive regulatory approval, the challenges associated with conducting and enrolling clinical trials, the risk that the results of clinical trials may not support the Company's drug candidate claims, even if approved, the risk that physicians and patients may not accept or use the Company's products, the Company's reliance on third parties to conduct its clinical trials and to formulate and manufacture its drug candidates, risks pertaining to securities class action, derivative and defamation lawsuits, the Company's dependence on licensed intellectual property, and the other risk factors disclosed in the periodic and current reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

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Puma Biotechnology Announces Positive PB272 Phase II Data from TBCRC 022 Trial in Patients with HER2-Positive ... - Business Wire (press release)

If you are interested in a career in one of the most interesting areas of science then you should consider joining the field of biotechnology. Armed with a BSc Biotechnology degree, you will be able to apply for many interesting and high paying jobs across a number of industries. As a matter of fact, there are quite a few colleges in Dehradun that offer three year graduate programs in biotechnology because there is a great deal of demand for a degree in this field on account of its robust job prospects. Keep in mind that youll generally need to have a background in science (10 + 2) in order to be able to apply for this course because math, biology and chemistry are very important to students in this field.

The field of biotechnology is growing at a very rapid pace and it is also essential to many industries. The importance of this field comes from its ability to use technological methodologies to improve a number of biological systems in order to create new processes and products that have the ability to improve our life overall. The field of biotechnology consists of many different areas of study. Some of the most important ones are Immunology, Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering, Microbiology and Environmental Biotechnology, just to name a few. Plant and animal biotechnology are also important areas of study.

Since the field of biotechnology is a very vast one that covers many different areas of study, it is best for you to understand which area appeals to you the best before you select a particular program. It is also important to keep in mind that the employment opportunities offered by each area of study differ considerably. Even so, you will find that employment opportunities for a BSc biotechnology graduate are fairly robust.

If you have a BSc Biotechnology degree then you will be able to get employment right away although a Masters degree will brighten your job prospects further. As a graduate, you will be able to get jobs in various fields including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing and agriculture. The government is a very good source of jobs for biotechnologists and so are many large corporate houses. Waste management is a very important area these days and there is great need for biotechnologists who specialize in this area. As you can see, biotechnology is a very large and important field that is worth entering.

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Bsc Biotechnology What Does The Course Cover? - Good Herald

There are plenty of explanations of what biotechnology is, but the simplest one is that it is a field of study where biology is the foundation on which different kinds of technology are developed. Biotechnology is the basis of many different kinds of research in the fields of environment, food science, robotics, agriculture and medicine.

The human involvement in manipulating their environment is now at remarkable levels. From the most basic direct organism manipulations such as fermenting beer and culturing bacteria to advanced nucleotide-based organ regeneration and animal cloning, our knowledge and technology has advanced far beyond what anyone wouldve expected just a decade ago.

But even before there was a name to call it by, biotechnology was in existence. Even something that people have been doing for centuries, like preservatives to keep food edible during winter, is a form of biotechnology. When around 6000 BC, fruit juice was first fermented to form alcohol, it was another instance of biotechnology. Of course, it has emerged as a science only recently.

About twenty years ago, the role of genetics in artificially creating proteins in a living being was discovered. DNA was discovered and molecular biology became a part of mainstream science. This was what gave rise to the study of biotechnology under that name.

The mid 80s brought a revelation in biotechnology genetic structures could be modified by careful combinations between animals and plants. This introduction to transgenic organisms also developed an area for further research into disease resistance and productivity rate increases. Modern biotechnology is used in a variety of ways and the medical and biological research fields have managed to get the most benefit out of it. The methods used have gone beyond ordinary genetic transfers, to include actual plant-generated pharmaceuticals and substance production for antibiotics and insulin.

Modern biotechnology is practiced in three different categories red, white and green. Red Biotechnology is when the genetically altered microorganisms are used to produce medical and pharmaceutical substances, such as proteins, vitamins, antibiotics and vaccines etc. Its also used in genome manipulation.

White Biotechnology is also known as bio-manufacturing and Grey Biotechnology. This is not yet a completely established field and involves manipulating live organisms to create important industrial chemicals. Some of the organisms used in these techniques include bacteria, enzymes, moulds and yeast.

Agricultural Biotechnology, also known as Green Biotechnology, is whats applied into creating better, fresher, more nutritious and longer-lasting agricultural produce. A traditional agricultural biotechnology example is how wheat varieties are cross-bred to produce a disease-resistant crop.

If you are looking for the latest biotech news then take a look at this great new website. Full of details about innovations for the biotech industry , you cant afford to miss it. New inventions, ideas and theories make great reading.

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Evolving Biotechnology - Good Herald

In BriefBioquark is about to begin a trial that will attempt to bringbrain-dead patients back to life using stem cells. However, thetrial is raising numerous scientific and ethical questions forother experts in the field. Back From The Dead

Researchers seem to be setting their sights on increasinglylofty goals when it comes to the human body from the worlds first human head transplant, to fighting aging, and now reversing death altogether. Yes, you read that right. A company called Bioquarkhopes to bring people who have been declared clinically brain-dead back to life. The Philadelphia-based biotech company is expected to start on the project later this year.

This trial was originally intended to go forward in 2016 in India, but regulators shut it down. Assuming this plan will be substantially similar, it will enroll 20 patients who will undergo various treatments. The stem cell injection will come first, with the stem cells isolated from that patients own blood or fat. Next, the protein blend gets injected directly into the spinal cord, which is intended to foster growth of new neurons. The laser therapy and nerve stimulation follow for 15 days, with the aim of prompting the neurons to make connections. Meanwhile, the researchers will monitor both behavior and EEGs for any signs of the treatment causing any changes.

While there is some basis in science for each step in the process, the entire regimen is under major scrutiny. The electrical stimulation of the median nerve has been tested, but most evidence exists in the form of case studies. Dr. Ed Cooper has described dozens of these cases, and indicates that the technique can have some limited success in some patients in comas. However, comas and brain death are very different, and Bioquarks process raises more questions for most researchers than it answers.

One issue researchers are raising about this study is informed consent. How can participants in the trial consent, and how should researchers complete their trial paperwork given that the participants are legally dead and how can brain death be conclusively confirmed, anyway? What would happen if any brain activity did return, and what would the patients mental state be? Could anything beyond extreme brain damage even be possible?

As reported by Stat News, In 2016, neurologist Dr. Ariane Lewis and bioethicist Arthur Caplan wrote in Critical Care that the trial is dubious, has no scientific foundation, and suffers from an at best, ethically questionable, and at worst, outright unethical nature. According to Stat News, despite his earlier work with electrical stimulation of the median nerve, Dr. Cooper also doubts Bioquarks method, and feels there is no way this technique could work on someone who is brain-dead. The technique, he said, relies on there being a functional brain stem one of the structures that most motor neurons go through before connecting with the cortex proper. If theres no functional brain stem, then it cant work.

Pediatric surgeon Charles Cox, who is not involved in Bioquarks work, agrees with Cooper, commenting to Stat News on Bioquarks full protocol, its not the absolute craziest thing Ive ever heard, but I think the probability of that working is next to zero. I think [someone reviving] would technically be a miracle.

Pastor remains optimistic about Bioquarks protocol. I give us a pretty good chance, he said. I just think its a matter of putting it all together and getting the right people and the right minds on it.

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Scientists Hope to Use Stem Cells to Reverse Death in Controversial Study - Futurism

Stress and being overburdened may not give you a near-fatal illness," Susan Doherty says, "but in my opinion it can turn the key and open the gate." Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette

Death is a great teacher and Susan Doherty should know.

The Westmount author and fitness instructor has stared it in the face, unblinking, having gone to the brink several times in the last couple of years as she found herself in the clutches of a very rare, and very deadly, illness.

And death, she says, or the very real prospect of it, has taught her so very much about life.

Now, as she approaches the significant one-year anniversary of her stem cell transplant at the Royal Victoria Hospital on June 2, she hopes some of those lessons can be shared with others facing daunting obstacles.

Doherty is one of those people best described as a force of nature. Even at the height of her life-threatening illness and harrowing treatments, one of her doctors recalled she took such swift power walks through the hospital that it was challenging keeping up with her.

It is her unstoppable nature that very likely got her through a two-year battle with HLH, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, a life-threatening immunodeficiency.

So rare and unknown is this blood disease that when she was given the diagnosis by hematologist-oncologist April Shamy and her team at the Jewish General Hospital on Aug. 6, 2015, her blood had to be flown to Toronto because the test required for confirmation is not available here.

HLH is not cancer, but its treated like cancer, and Doherty had to begin chemotherapy within hours. Left untreated, a patient can die within 60 days of multi-organ failure and they were not sure where Doherty was on that trajectory.

Doherty, 59, is one of the first adults in Quebec to receive a stem cell transplant for HLH.

With HLH, the immune system becomes overactive and poorly controlled, which is potentially damaging to all vital organs and blood cells.

When I say how fortunate I am to have had the diagnosis in time, I feel truly blessed. People often die before they even know whats wrong, Doherty said.

Her medical crisis began on Feb. 25, 2015, with the onset of chills and a racing heart. An hour later she felt fine and chalked it up to wintry weather.

I felt like something evil had passed through my body and left without a trace, she recalled.

In reality, it was more like something evil had entered her body and decided to stay.

One doctor blamed it on anxiety after all, she was in the throes of moving her sick mother while she nursed a broken arm; her mother-in-law had end-stage Alzheimers disease; she was working on the final edit of her first novel, A Secret Music; she was teaching several fitness classes and she was volunteering in the schizophrenia ward at the Douglas Hospital three times a week.

Stress and being overburdened may not give you a near-fatal illness, but in my opinion it can turn the key and open the gate, Doherty said.

In August, she developed a high fever and the right side of her face went numb. Over the next several days, Doherty had every test imaginable.

She describes the day she got her diagnosis as both the scariest and most spiritual of her life. Surrounded by her husband, Hal Hannaford, and her children, Alisse and Reid, Doherty began my recovery with positivity and the certainty my health would return.

She maintained a demanding exercise and meditation regime and decided very early on in her journey that it took just as much energy to be positive as to be negative.

The physical pain of what I went through is nothing compared to the existential pain, she said.

Her doctors recognized her unflagging optimism as inspirational.

The way she confronted and navigated her course was extraordinary, said Shamy. She tackled every day with a smile and an exemplary positive attitude. She has been an inspiration to all of us and we have been enriched through meeting her.

Doherty successfully completed chemotherapy and went into remission for 77 days.

Then, in January 2016, HLH came back fast and furious. Shamy told her she would need a stem cell transplant if she had any hope of surviving.

Doherty had to repeat the chemotherapy, plus additional brain chemotherapy. In Montreal, only the Royal Victoria and Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospitals even have stem cell transplant programs, and Doherty was fortunate to be accepted at the Vic.

Doctors told her she had a 50 per cent chance of survival. But Doherty always told everyone her chances were 100 per cent; she just knew she would be in the good pile.

A donor was found in Germany (so Doherty made a playlist of German music to inspire her during the transplant), and she had to prepare for 50 days in isolation.

Doherty packed only the necessities: her weights, a yoga mat, running shoes, a wooden angel and her lucky shamrock. She was able to get a miniature spin bike in her room at the Glen. She focused on remaining positive, but there were moments when it was necessary to go into her bathroom, close the door and sob.

Often awake for 24 hours, there was a lot of time to fill. Exercise every day, even the awful days, was a must. It built resilience, she believes.

Your hair falls out, your muscles waste from the steroids, you have ulcers all along your digestive tract. You feel ugly, she recalled.

But there was Hannaford, every morning, with a cinnamon latt and his ability to make her feel beautiful.

June 2 last year was transplant day. As the infusion of stem cells began, she thought about the selflessness of her German donor, the countless emails from supportive friends and family that had lifted her spirits and all she had learned throughout her ordeal.

You get better faster if you have good friends and a loving family, she said. She says her debt to science is infinite but recognizes that her unshakable faith was also instrumental as she celebrates this one-year miracle anniversary.

Unbelievably, Doherty never felt sorry for herself. She believes her battle was nothing compared to the people with schizophrenia she works with and that her mission to help them is why she survived.

No matter what you are facing in life, you can always choose your attitude. Always, Doherty said. Outcomes are outcomes. But living with happiness is a choice.

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Cower in the face of death? Not on your life, Westmount woman says - Montreal Gazette

Faces: Facial Blindness

Meet two people who suffer from Prosopagnosia, or facial blindness a condition that leaves them unable to recognize friends and family.

Updated: 8:00 PM EDT May 31, 2017

WEBVTT >> THIS IS CHRONICLE ON WCVBCHANNEL 5.>> THE FAMOUS FACE LOOKSFAMILIAR?>> I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THAT IS.>> EVEN THE MIRROR LEAVES HIMUNSURE.>> THERE IS A LACK OFRECOGNITION.>> THESE TWO MEN SUFFER FROM AMYSTERIOUS CONDITION, FACIALBLINDNESS.AND A SURGEON TO MAKE HER ABETTER WOMAN.>> I KNOW HE WOULD MAKE ME LOOKLIKE I WAS BORN NATURALLY LIKETHAT.>> THE AMAZING GERMAN -- THEAMAZING JOURNEY.>> ABOUT FACE.NEXT ON CHRONICLE.>> GOOD EVENING.SINCE BIRTH BROKE HAS HADTROUBLE RECOGNIZING EMILY,COWORKERS, EVEN HIMSELF.HE SUFFERS FACIAL BLINDNESS, ACONDITION BOTH MYSTERIOUS ANDINCURABLE.>> IMAGINE GOING TO WORK EVERYDAY AND NOT BEING ABLE TORECOGNIZE FELLOW WORKERS.IT IS A PROBLEM RICK FACESDAILY.NOT JUST AT WORK BUT AT HOMEWITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY.HE HAS A RARE CONDITION KNOWN ASFACIAL BLIND.HE HAS DEVELOPED STRATEGIES FORTELLING PEOPLE APART.>> BY THEIR POSTURE, THEIRSHOULDERS.BEARD, NO BEER.VOICE.GAIT IS A BIG THING.I CAN SEE SOMEBODY HALF A BLOCKAWAY FROM ME AND RECOGNIZE THEM.>> IT IS WHAT YOU SEE IN TURN AFACE UPSIDE DOWN.>> IT IS A NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMTHAT SCIENTISTS DON'T FULLYUNDERSTAND AND SO FAR CANNOTFIX.>> IF I TURN A FACE UPSIDE DOWNYOU WOULD KNOW THE EYES AND THEMOUTH WAS THERE, YOU JUST CAN'TPERCEIVE IT WITH THE SAME WAY.>> THEY HAVE A PROBLEMCOMPREHENDING RACIALEXPRESSIONS.>> I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT MOODYOU ARE IN.>> THE FACE CONTAINS LOTS OFINFORMATION.IT'S HARD TO UNDERESTIMATE HOWMUCH INFORMATION WE GET.WE CAN FIGURE HOW THAT PERSONIS.WE GET IDENTITY FROM THE FACE.WE ARE ALSO GETTING FACIALEXPRESSIONS AND DETERMINING WHATPEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT.>> RICK WAS BORN WITH FACIALBLINDNESS BUT WASN'T DIAGNOSEDUNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO.FINALLY IT MADE SENSE WHY HENEVER RECOGNIZED HIMSELF IN AMIRROR.>> I KNOW IT IS ME BECAUSE I'MSTANDING THERE AND I KNOW WHAT ILOOK LIKE.BUT I'VE HAD TIMES WHERE I HAVELOOKED AT MY FACE AND FOUND ITTO BE UNSETTLING.IT WOULD BE THIS ODD FEELING OFA LACK OF RECOGNITION.>> I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU ASERIES OF FAMOUS FACES.>> HE HAS COME TO DARTMOUTH TOTAKE PART IN THE FACIALBLINDNESS STUDIES.>> I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THAT IS.>> HE DEVELOPED IT AFTER FALLINGOFF OF A LETTER TO YEARS AGO.IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULTFOR HIS WIFE OF NEARLY 30 YEARS,THE WIFE H DOESN'T ALWAYSRECOGNIZE.>> HE WOULD REFER TO ME AS HISWIFE.I KNEW HE HAD A HARD TIMERECALLING THE KIDS.HE DIDN'T HAVE NAMES.HE WENT INSIDE AND SAW SOMEBODYTHAT LOOKS LIKE ME.HE REALIZED I WAS OUTSIDE ANDCOULDN'T MAKE THE CONNECTION OFHOW I COULD BE OUTSIDE AND INTHE GROCERY STORE.SOMEBODY FAMILIAR LOOKING WASACTUALLY NOT ME.>> IT WAS HEARTBREAKING FOR HER.I MAKE A MENTAL NOTE OF WHAT SHEWEARS THAT DAY.IF TWO WOMEN WERE STANDINGSIDE-BY-SIDE AND NO JEWELRY ORANYTHING, I WOULD HAVE NO IDEAUNTIL THEY SPOKE.>> I TRIED NOT TO THINK ABOUTIT.PEOPLE WOULD SAY HE KNOWS WHOYOU ARE.I WOULD SAY I DON'T THINK HEDOES.THEY WOULD SAY I'M SURE HE DOES.I DON'T TRY AND THINK ABOUT ITTOO MUCH BECAUSE IT'SHEARTBREAKING.>> IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR IT POSINGA REAL CHALLENGE TORELATIONSHIPS.>> PEOPLE HAVE RELATIONSHIPSTHAT HAVE BEEN LOST BECAUSE OFTHIS.PEOPLE TAKE IT PERSONALLY WHENYOU DON'T RECOGNIZE THEM.I'VE HAD PEOPLE TALK TO ME ABOUTROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS, THEYWALKED RIGHT PAST THE PERSON ONTHE STREET AND THE PERSON DIDN'TREACT WELL TO IT.>> SHE SAYS IT'S GETTING EASIERFOR THEM, HAVING A SENSE OFHUMOR HELPS.>> A POSTED A NOTE THAT SAID JIMREMEMBERED THAT HE PROPOSED TOME 30 YEARS AGO.BY DON'T RECOGNIZE YOUR FACE.>> I NEVER DOUBTED THAT HE LOVEDME OR KNEW WHO I WAS.HE STILL REMEMBERSCHARACTERISTICS ABOUT ME.THE FACT THAT HE COULD LOOK ATSEVERAL PEOPLE AND NOTSPECIFICALLY POINT ME OUT, I TRYNOT TO THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH.IT'S HEARTBREAKING.>> I'M NOT GOING TO ASK WHY.I REALLY WANT ASK WHAT IS NEXT.BY GODS'S GRACE I'M GOING TO BETHE FIRST PERSON TO BEAT FACIALBLINDNESS.>> PROBABLY PRESIDENT CLINTON.>> ANOTHER GROUP HAS ANOPPOSITE.THEY ALWAYS SAY I NEVER FORGET AFACE AND MEAN IT.SCIENTISTS CALL THEM SUPERRECOGNIZERS.THEY ARE VERY MUCH SOUGHT AFTERBY LAW ENFORCEMENT.HE MAKES MALE FACES MOREFEMININE.>> THE SHAPE OF HEARSE CALL, THESHAPE OF HER CHEEKS.

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Faces: Facial Blindness - WCVB Boston

Prof. Aurea Regina Telles Pupulin Universidade Estadual de Maring Brazil

The DDTWC 2013 was of great importance with respect to scientific discoveries and it was a well organized scientific program.

Dr. Uranchimeg Otoch National Cancer Center Mongolia

The DDTWC was a successful scientific program and a platform to meet numerous Nobel Laureates and some of the top international scientists. It was a great occasion to attend some stimulating lectures and poster presentations. Some of the highlights of the conference I observed were;

A. Administration. B. Scientifically motivating C. The venue. D. Social activities. E. Personal interaction of organizers with each participant.

Prof. Antonio Gotto, Jr. Lewis Thomas University USA

I found the Drug Discovery and Therapy World Congress 2013 to be an exceptionally well organized and scientifically stimulating conference. The lectures were very engaging, conducted at a high level, and exposed me to a wide variety of relevant topics in drug discovery and pharmacotherapy.

Dr. Nesrine Talaat Lamie Cairo University Egypt

I enjoyed the conference and the whole team.

1. The team was so friendly 2. The venue was nice and appealing. 3. The arrangement was good; however the schedule did not match with some speakers. 4. It was not clear for the poster presenter that there will be evaluation of the best poster on the last day of the conference. 5. The speakers did not cover my field of study (pharmaceutical analysis).

I was so pleased to meet some eminent scientists and the team.

Dr. Rathnam Chaguturu University of Kansas USA

"A fantastic conference of the highest caliber with ample opportunity to network with world-renowned scientists. A virtual 'high-five' to the conference organizers for their outstanding achievement in making this conference a grand success. I am already looking forward to next year's conference."

Dr. Frida Barak, Barzilai Medical Center Israel

Overall organization was very good; it was a scientifically stimulating event. The conference venue was also pleasing.

Prof. Illana Gozes, Tel Aviv University, Israel

It was a very nicely organized conference, in an excellent location, with excellent speakers and interesting interactions.

Dr. David Alexander Potter University of Minnesota United States

The "small meetings" within a meeting format allowed significant and meaningful scientific interactions.

Dr. J. O. Osayande Flanders Institute of Biotechnology Belgium

The conference was highly organized with respect to the venue and selection of presented scientific topics, if given another opportunity, I wouldnt mind joining the conference again in the upcoming years.

Dr. Ivor Cowlrick, Pharma Communications GmbH Germany

With regard to the congress: It was well organised with a challenging and far-reaching scientific agenda. The Hynes Convention Center in Boston is an excellent venue for any scientific congress. I did not attend any social activities but the colleagues were warm and receptive during the meeting.

Dr. Haya abdulwahab Abubshait University of Dammam Saudi Arabia

It was a pleasure attending the DDTWC; the congress was scientifically sound and fruitful in all respects. DDTWC was an excellent and successful event., It was a great opportunity for the scientists interested in various scientific fields and also to gain knowledge from the contributions of the eminent participants. It would be a pleasure to be part of the future conferences.

Dr. Denise de Oliveira Silva Instituto de Quimica da Universidade de So Paulo Brazil

It was a great honor to be one of the track-chairs and attend DDTWC in Boston in 2013. The high scientific level, the excellent organization, and the international standard venue located in a very pleasant city, made this a unique event. The high quality sessions promoted exciting discussions between researches from different fields, and led to productive interactions among participants and organizers, in a friendly atmosphere. Congratulations to the organizers!

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Global Biotechnology Congress 2017

Application of technologies on biological systems, dead organisms and their derivatives and food and medicine can be broadly defined as biotechnology. It never had a particular definition since its applications and implementations on various other areas of science are enormous. From manipulating crops and plants to increase the yield to transfer of genes from one organism to the other biotechnology encompasses almost all the living and non-living entities on earth. With the drastic improvement in various machineries and equipments used in the processing of biological materials and the examining of microscopic organisms biotechnology has come a far way since the traditional days of fermentation like techniques, which also is a part of biotechnology.

In the earlier times, biotechnologys application was limited to agriculture and in the production of fermented food products but with the discovery of newer and much complicated data comprising of the most smallest of structures that are measured in microns biotechnology has been found fruitful in the production of many useful products that improves the quality of life of mankind. The categories of science like genetic engineering, animal cell culture, plant cell culture, microbiology, molecular biology, cytogenetics, cryopreservation, bioprocessing, biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, immunology and bioinformatics all these come under biotechnology.

Biotechnology has wide prospects when it comes to environmental science as well. It is used to recycle and retreat the wastes that are left behind at contaminated sites by various industries. This process is termed as bioremediation. Many experiments concerning DNA and RNA and other molecular structures in the human body also comprise of a wide area of practical biotechnology. Mapping of the genes has risen a lot of interest in this decade and with the completion of the Human Genome Project newer prospects for biotechnology has paved way.

Biotechnology has found promising applications in pharmaceutical manufacturing as well. From the production of antibiotics to the purification and separation processes for biomolecules. Biotechnology has its presence felt almost everywhere. Biotechnology plays a massive role in the field of medicine as well. As more and more genetic diseases are brought into picture it is through biotechnology that we try and find ways and means of manipulating the genes and discovering the cure for the disease.

Also with the depleting natural resources for fuel and the environmental effects caused by the use of the conventional fuels can be curbed to a certain extent with the proper manifestation of biotechnology in the production of biorenewable fuel from crops. Biotechnology can speed the production of ethanol and methane for natural gas from these crops.

Overall, biotechnology improves the quality of life and brings in new horizons of modern techniques in various aspects of human life.

The author of this article has great knowledge on Biotechnology. He has written many articles on Chromatography with the great knowledge. He has a great deal of knowledge in Pharmaceutical information as well.

Photo By qimono from Pixabay

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Biotechnology: An Overview - Good Herald

GETTY

Eating oily fish one to two times a week can prevent or help existing arthritis, according to research.

Examples of oily fish include salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel.

Its because theyre rich in omega-3 fatty acids which protect both the heart and brain.

White fish, such as cod, are less rich in the nutrient, but do contain some.

GETTY

Its though that omega-3s anti-inflammatory properties helps combat the joint disorder.

Indeed, a 2013 study published in journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases found that eating at least one portion of oily fish a week could have halve rheumatoid arthritis risk.

Its though that omega-3s anti-inflammatory properties helps combat the joint disorder.

Paul Chamberlain, Head of Nutrition at Solgar, said: Omega-3 family of fats play an important role in controlling inflammatory processes in the body.

Hence those with any kind of itis will often benefit from eating more omega-3 rich foods.

1 of 9

GETTY

Research also suggests that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the expression of cartilage-degrading enzymes, cyclooxygenase-2 and inflammatory cytokines that are involved in the progression of joint disorders.

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis, alongside osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

The researchers from the 2013 study suggest that fish oil supplements may also be beneficial.

Chamberlain said: Many people do not eat the recommended one to two portions of oily fish per week meaning they may lack omega-3 in their diet.

GETTY

This means that taking supplements may be an easy way to get the protective joint benefits.

The Arthritis Foundation recommend choosing fish oil capsules with at least 30 per cent EPA and DHA - the active ingredients - for arthritis-related conditions.

If youre vegetarian, there are other dietary sources.

Chamberlain added: As well as oily fish, omega-3s are derived from some nuts and seeds such as walnuts and flax.

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Arthritis symptoms: Eating THIS twice a week could help painful joints - Express.co.uk

More than 9,000 people are expected to take part in the Walk to Fight Arthritis in 41 communities across Canada this Sunday. ( Rene Johnston/Toronto Star )

More than 9,000 people are expected to take part Sunday in the Walk to Fight Arthritis in 41 communities across Canada.

In Toronto, the walk kicks off at Woodbine Park at 10:30 a.m. and runs through the Beach area with both one and five-kilometre route options.

The Walk to Fight Arthritis is a symbol of how important it is to stay active and healthy, said Janet Yale, president and CEO of the Arthritis Society. Walking is a really important way for people to improve their mobility. Its really core to our mission to get people moving as a way to help them cope with their disease.

The disease affects 4.6 million Canadians 15 and older, or one in six Canadian adults, according to the society. This number is expected to hit 7.5 million by 2036.

Arthritis is not a well-understood disease, Yale said. Many people who have arthritis dont even realize they have it. They may be living in pain, they may have aches and pains in their joints and they may think its a natural part of getting older. It isnt actually. Its a disease.

While arthritis is often perceived as a condition of the elderly, more than half of those who suffer from the disease are under the age of 65.

Now in its eighth year, the walk has raised more than $8 million Canada-wide.

Yale said funds raised from the walk will go towards funding research to find a cure, as well as to support those living with the disease through tools and resources.

There are 15 additional walks taking place across Canada this year. Yale said the goal is to add 10 new communities each year.

Its also really important as a way to bring people together in support of this common cause and to see that there are others like them who are suffering from this disease and how we can improve peoples quality of life through coming together as a community, she said.

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

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Arthritis walk gets moving Sunday morning - Toronto Star

Do your hands hurt? Have they become stiff and painful? Do you find yourself asking for help with opening jars? Have you started to notice a decrease in your pinch and grip strength? If so, you may have wearing out of the small joints in your hand a very common condition known as arthritis.

Arthritis literally means inflamed joint. It results when cartilage begins to wear out and the bone ends become irregular. While arthritis can affect any joint in the body, it is often most noticeable in the small joints in the hand given their relatively minimal soft tissue envelope. This condition can be very painful and disabling especially when left untreated.

Osteoathritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, resulting from simple wear and tear over time. It is characterized by a degeneration or thinning of smooth cartilage end caps within the hand. This creates direct or bone on bone contact causing in pain and deformity. OA is most commonly seen in women over the age of 40; however, men are unfortunately not immune to it! Pain is typically the first symptom of this potentially disabling condition. This is especially prevalent with opening jars, turning door knobs, and writing. As the arthritis progresses, patients can even develop a bump at the base of the thumb from the deformed joint.

Arthritis is diagnosed from a combination of a clinical exam by your physician as well as X-rays. While X-rays are important in the diagnosis, they only tell part of the story. Some patients may have very bad arthritis on X-rays, but are not very symptomatic. On the other hand, some patients have relatively minimal arthritis on X-rays, but have a tremendous amount of pain.

Treatment of OA of the hand is aimed at minimizing pain and restoring as much function as possible. Your physician may recommend the use of topical medications or anti-inflammatory medicines like Ibuprofen and Naproxen. In addition, the use of braces (both soft and hard) can be helpful in managing OA especially in the base of thumb (CMC) joint. Finally, if symptoms persist despite these nonoperative modalities, your doctor may recommend surgery of which there are often good options available when the time comes.

Originally posted here:
Signs You May Have Arthritis - David Katz, MD | Online Athens - Online Athens (blog)

by Michael Locklear, News 4 San Antonio

Stefanie Cowley of Helotes testified in favor of the bill. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, was told she was a no-option patient in 2011 and in 2014, she began the therapy that required her to travel to Mexico. (Photo: Sinclair Broadcast Group)

SAN ANTONIO Some terminally and chronically ill patients are eagerly awaiting the governors signature on a bill they believe will help thousands of Texans.

HB 810, known as Charlies Law, would allow access to adult stem cell therapy for certain sick people.

Stefanie Cowley of Helotes testified in favor of the bill. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, was told she was a no-option patient in 2011 and in 2014, she began the therapy that required her to travel to Mexico.

Cowley said a Houston company, Celltex Therapeutics, does a mini-liposuction, extracting a few tablespoons of her fat, then prepares the hundreds of millions of stem cells. She then travels to Cancun so a private hospital there can set up an hour-long IV to return the stem cells to her body.

These are your healing cells, she said. These are if you cut yourself, they're your healing cells that go towards that spot to repair.

That took my pain levels down from 8-9-10 daily to 2-3-4, Cowley said.

Charlies Law would presumably allow her to access the treatment entirely within Texas, which could become the first state in the country to do so.

Cowley said other conditions such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers and even autism could benefit from the treatment, although stem cell researchers caution that large-scale successes have not yet been reported.

David Eller, CEO and Chairman of Celltex Therapeutics, released the following statement:

@MichaelLocklear | mlocklear@sbgtv.com

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MS patients await governor's signature on bill allowing adult stem ... - WOAI

F

or any given medical problem, it seems, theres a research team trying to use stem cells to find a solution. In clinical trials to treat everything from diabetes to macular degeneration to ALS, researchers are injecting the cells in efforts to curepatients.

But in one study expectedto launch later this year, scientists hope to use stem cells in a new, highly controversial way to reverse death.

The idea ofthe trial, run by Philadelphia-based Bioquark, isto inject stem cells into the spinal cords of people who have been declared clinically brain-dead. The subjects will also receive an injected protein blend, electrical nerve stimulation, and laser therapy directed at the brain.

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The ultimate goal: to grow new neurons and spur them to connect to each other, and thereby bring the brain back to life.

Its our contention that theres no single magic bullet for this, so to start with a single magic bullet makes no sense. Hence why we have to take a different approach, said Ira Pastor, CEO of Bioquark.

A dogged quest to fix broken spinal cords pays off with new hope for the paralyzed

But the scientific literature scarce as it is seems to show that even several magic bullets are unlikely to accomplish what Bioquark hopes itwill.

This isnt the first start for the trial. The study launched in Rudrapur, India, in April 2016 but it never enrolled any patients. Regulators shut the study down in November2016 because, according to Science, IndiasDrug Controller General hadnt cleared it.

Now, Pastor said, the company is in the final stages of finding a new location to host trials. The company willannounce a trial in Latin America in coming months, Pastor told STAT.

If that trial mirrors the protocol for the halted Indian one, itll aim to enroll 20 patients wholl receive a barrage of treatments. First theres the injection of stem cells isolatedfrom the individuals own fat or blood. Second, theres a peptide formula injected into the spinal cord, purported to help nurture new neurons growth. (The company has tested the same concoction, called BQ-A, in animalmodels of melanoma, traumatic brain injuries, and skin wrinkling.) Third, theres a regimen of nerve stimulation and laser therapyover 15 days to spur the neurons to form connections. Researcherswilllook to behavior and EEG for signs that the treatment is working.

But the process is fraught with questions. How do researchers complete trial paperwork when the person participating is, legally, dead? (In the United States, state laws most often define death as the irreversible loss of heart and lung or brain function.) If the person did regain brain activity, what kind of functional abilities would he or she have? Are families getting their hopes up for an incredibly long-shot cure?

Answers to most of those questions are still far off. Of course, many folks are asking the what comes next? question, Pastor acknowledged. While full recovery in such patients is indeed a long term vision of ours, and a possibility that we foresee with continued work along this path, it is not the core focus or primary endpoint of this first protocol.

No real template exists to know whether this approach might work and its gotten some prominent backlash. Neurologist Dr. Ariane Lewis and bioethicist Arthur Caplan wrote in a 2016 editorial that the trial borders on quackery, has no scientific foundation, and gave families a cruel, false hope for recovery. (Exploratory research programs of this nature are not false hope. They are a glimmer of hope, Pastor responded.)

The company hasnt tested the full, four-pronged treatment, even in animal models. Studies have evaluated the treatments singly for other conditions stroke, coma but brain death is a quite different proposition.

Stem cell injections to the brain or spinal cord have shown some positive results for children with brain injuries; trials using similar procedures to treat cerebral palsy and ALS have also been completed. One small, uncontrolled studyof 21 stroke patients found that they recoveredmore mobility after they received an injection of donor stem cells into their brains.

On transcranial laserdevices, the evidence is mixed. The approach has been shown to stimulate neuron growth in some animal studies. However, a high-profile Phase 3 study of one such device in humans was halted in 2014 after it showed no effect on 600 patients physical capabilities as they recovered from a stroke. Othertrialsto revive people from comasusing laser therapy are underway.

The literature around electrical stimulation of the median nerve whichbranches from the spinal cord downthe arm and to the fingers primarily consists of case studies.Dr. EdCooper wrote some of those papers, one of which described dozens of patients treated in his home state of North Carolina, including 12 who had a Glasgow Coma Score of 4 an extremely low score on the scale. With time (and with the nerve stimulation), four of those 12people made a good recovery, the paper described; others were left with minor or major disabilities after their coma.

Mini-me brains-in-a-dish mimic disease, raise hope for eventual therapies

But Cooper, an orthopedic surgeon by training who worked with neurosurgeons on the paper, said unequivocally that there is no way this technique could work on someone who is brain-dead. The technique, he said, relies on there being a functional brain stem one of the structuresthat mostmotor neurons go through before connecting with the cortex proper. If theres no functional brain stem, then it cant work.

Pastor agreed but heclaimed the technique would work because there are a small nestofcells that still function in patients who are brain-dead.

Complicating such trials, there is noclear-cut confirmatory test for brain death meaning a recovery in the trial might not be entirely due to the treatment. Some poisons and drugs, for instance, can make people look brain-dead.Bioquark plans to rely on local physicians in the trials host country to make the declaration. Were not doing the confirmatory work ourselves, Pastor said, but each participant would have undergone a battery of tests considered appropriate by local authorities.

But asurvey of 38 papers published over 13 years found that, if the American Academy of Neurology guidelines for brain death had been met, no brain-dead people have ever regained brain function.

Of Bioquarks full protocol, its not the absolute craziest thing Ive ever heard, but I think the probability of that working is next to zero, said Dr. Charles Cox, a pediatric surgeon who has doneresearch with mesenchymal stem cells the type used in the trial at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Cox is not involved in Bioquarks work.

Some studies have found that cells from a part of thebrain called the subventricular zone can grow in culture even after a person is declared dead, Cox said. However, its unlikely that the trials intended outcome to havea stem cell treatment result in new neurons or connections would actually happen. Neurons would likely struggle tosurvive, because blood flow to the brain isalmost always lostin people whohave been declared brain-dead, Cox said.

But Pastor thinksBioquarks protocol will work. I give us a pretty good chance, he said. I just think its a matter of putting it all together and getting the right people and the right minds on it.

Cox is less optimistic. I think [someone reviving] would technically be a miracle, he said. I think the pope would technically call that a miracle.

Kate Sheridan can be reached at kate.sheridan@statnews.com Follow Kate on Twitter @sheridan_kate

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Resurrected: A controversial trial to bring the dead back to life plans a restart - STAT

"It's our contention that there's no single magic bullet for this, so to start with a single magic bullet makes no sense. Hence why we have to take a different approach," Bioquark CEO, Ira Pastor, told Stat News.

As Pastor told the Washington Post last year, he doesn't believe that brain death is necessarily a permanent condition, at least to start. It may well be curable, he argued, if the patient is administered the right combination of stimuli, ranging from stem cells to magnetic fields.

The resuscitation process will not be a quick one, however. First, the newly dead person must receive an injection of stem cells derived from their own blood. Then doctors will inject a proprietary peptide blend called BQ-A into the patient's spinal column. This serum is supposed to help regrow neurons that had been damaged upon death. Finally, the patient undergoes 15 days of electrical nerve stimulation and transcranial laser therapy to instigate new neuron formation. During the trial, researchers will rely on EEG scans to monitor the patients for brain activity.

This isn't the first time that Bioquark has attempted this study. Last April, the company launched a nearly identical study in Rudrapur, India. However, no patients enrolled and the study wound up getting shut down that November by the Indian government over clearance issues with India's Drug Controller General. Bioquark is reportedly nearing a deal with an unnamed Latin American country to hold a new trial later this year.

Whether the treatment will actually work is an entirely different matter. Bioquark admits that it has never actually tested the regimen, even in animals, and the various component treatments have never themselves been applied to brain death. They've shown some promise in similar cases like stroke, brain damage and comas but never actually Lazarus-ing a corpse.

"I think [someone reviving] would technically be a miracle," Dr. Charles Cox, a pediatric surgeon at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, told Stat News. "I think the pope would technically call that a miracle."

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Researchers will attempt to 'reanimate' a corpse with stem cells - Engadget