Yearly Archives: 2015


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TORONTO - Gordie Howe's son says the hockey legend's stroke symptoms have improved since his treatment with stem cells at a Mexican clinic in early December and he wants him to repeat the procedure.

But regenerative medicine experts say there's no scientific evidence such therapies work, and in some cases they can be seriously harmful or even deadly.

The 86-year-old Howe suffered two disabling strokes late last year. In December, the family took him to a Tijuana clinic where he received stem cell injections as part of a clinical trial being run under a licensing agreement with Stemedica Cell Technologies of San Diego, Calif.

The experimental treatment involved injecting neural stem cells into Howe's spinal canal, along with intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat and umbilical cord blood.

Marty Howe said his father can walk again, his speech is improving and he is regaining some of the weight he lost following the strokes.

"After his stem cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, and it was all that," he told The Canadian Press while in Calgary for a hockey promotion event Tuesday. "They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle."

However, experts in the field question whether stem cells are responsible for Howe's improvement and caution that most so-called stem cell therapies have not gone through rigorous scientific trials, nor have they been approved as treatments by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mick Bhatia, director of McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said there are many unknowns in Howe's case, such as how many stem cells were administered, were tests done to see whether they migrated to the targeted area of the body, and did they take up residence where they might have some effect or simply disappear?

"Is this a transient effect, or is it really a perceived or somewhat of a placebo effect and is there something really happening? Scientifically and biologically that is important," Bhatia said Wednesday from Hamilton.

And because Howe received adult stem cells produced from donor cells, he may have needed to take drugs to prevent an immune reaction as well as anti-inflammatory medications, he said.

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Asymmetrex Scheduled to Present Unique Perspectives in Stem Cell Biology and Recent Advances in Technologies for Adult …

Boston, MA (PRWEB) January 29, 2015

Dr. James Sherley, Director of the new biotech start-up Asymmetrex, LLC (formerly known as The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC) is looking forward to four upcoming opportunities in 2015 to continue to impress both academic and industry audiences with his companys very frank take on what is needed to accelerate progress in stem cell medicine.

Asymmetrex has set the focus for its efforts on adult stem cells that are found in the organs and tissues of children and adults. Unlike human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), adult stem cells are free of induced mutations, are not tumor-forming, and have the essential ability to continuously regenerate mature human tissue cells like those in children and adults. To date, hESCs and iPSCs have only been able to regenerate immature cells, and even those not continuously.

Previously, the two main challenges hindering wider use of adult stem cells for drug development and medical therapies have been difficulty producing them and difficulty counting them. Asymmetrex has reported, and in many cases secured patents for, new technologies that reduce or eliminate both of these challenges. At the coming conferences, Dr. Sherley will describe the companys most recent technological advances in this regard and discuss the science that led to them.

In particular, he will highlight the companys newest technology developed with partner AlphaSTAR Corporation for estimating adult stem cell number in any human tissue. The two companies are developing the new technology as an assay to detect drug candidates that will fail in expensive pre-clinical animal studies and clinical trials because of intolerable toxicity against tissue stem cells. By screening-out such drugs earlier in the drug development process, Asymmetrex and AlphaSTAR estimate that together they could save the U.S. pharmaceutical industry $4-5 billion each year.

The four scheduled conferences include the 7th Annual Predictive Toxicology Summit, February 16-18, in London; the 5th World Congress on Cell and Stem Cell Research, March 23-25, in Chicago; the 2015 Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology, March 28-April 1, in Boston; and the Inaugural 3D Cellular Models Conference, June 11-12, also in Boston.

The breadth of conference topics reflects the many important roles that adult tissue stem cells play in human biology and cellular medicine. Dr. Sherley offers that, Because of the importance of adult stem cells in normal body function, it is not surprising that Asymmetrexs technologies impact so many different facets of stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, and drug development.

About Asymmetrex

Asymmetrex, LLC is a Massachusetts life sciences company with a focus on developing technologies to advance stem cell medicine. Asymmetrexs founder and director, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on the unique properties of adult tissue stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing induced pluripotent stem cells for disease research purposes. Currently, Asymmetrexs focus is employing its technological advantages to develop facile methods for monitoring adult stem cell number and function in clinically important human tissues.

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Asymmetrex Scheduled to Present Unique Perspectives in Stem Cell Biology and Recent Advances in Technologies for Adult ...

Stem Cell Therapy + PRP Helps Shoulder Injury and Whiplash Patient – Denise Lawson – Video


Stem Cell Therapy + PRP Helps Shoulder Injury and Whiplash Patient - Denise Lawson
Denise Lawson experienced two motor vehicle accidents in 2001 that left her with neck pain, headaches, and sporadic episodes of weakness on the left side of her body. Over time, Denise developed...

By: StemCell ARTS

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Stem Cell Therapy + PRP Helps Shoulder Injury and Whiplash Patient - Denise Lawson - Video

Howe's stem cell treatment raises concerns

By Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Gordie Howe's son says the hockey legend's stroke symptoms have improved since his treatment with stem cells at a Mexican clinic in early December and he wants him to repeat the procedure.

But regenerative medicine experts say there's no scientific evidence such therapies work, and in some cases they can be seriously harmful or even deadly.

The 86-year-old Howe suffered two disabling strokes late last year. In December, the family took him to a Tijuana clinic where he received stem cell injections as part of a clinical trial being run under a licensing agreement with Stemedica Cell Technologies of San Diego, Calif.

The experimental treatment involved injecting neural stem cells into Howe's spinal canal, along with intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat and umbilical cord blood.

Marty Howe said his father can walk again, his speech is improving and he is regaining some of the weight he lost following the strokes.

"After his stem cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, and it was all that," he told The Canadian Press while in Calgary for a hockey promotion event Tuesday. "They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle."

However, experts in the field question whether stem cells are responsible for Howe's improvement and caution that most so-called stem cell therapies have not gone through rigorous scientific trials, nor have they been approved as treatments by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mick Bhatia, director of McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said there are many unknowns in Howe's case, such as how many stem cells were administered, were tests done to see whether they migrated to the targeted area of the body, and did they take up residence where they might have some effect or simply disappear?

"Is this a transient effect, or is it really a perceived or somewhat of a placebo effect and is there something really happening? Scientifically and biologically that is important," Bhatia said Wednesday from Hamilton.

See original here:
Howe's stem cell treatment raises concerns

Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among experts

TORONTO - Gordie Howe's son says the hockey legend's stroke symptoms have improved since his treatment with stem cells at a Mexican clinic in early December and he wants him to repeat the procedure.

But regenerative medicine experts say there's no scientific evidence such therapies work, and in some cases they can be seriously harmful or even deadly.

The 86-year-old Howe suffered two disabling strokes late last year. In December, the family took him to a Tijuana clinic where he received stem cell injections as part of a clinical trial being run under a licensing agreement with Stemedica Cell Technologies of San Diego, Calif.

The experimental treatment involved injecting neural stem cells into Howe's spinal canal, along with intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat and umbilical cord blood.

Marty Howe said his father can walk again, his speech is improving and he is regaining some of the weight he lost following the strokes.

"After his stem cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, and it was all that," he told The Canadian Press while in Calgary for a hockey promotion event Tuesday. "They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle."

However, experts in the field question whether stem cells are responsible for Howe's improvement and caution that most so-called stem cell therapies have not gone through rigorous scientific trials, nor have they been approved as treatments by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mick Bhatia, director of McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said there are many unknowns in Howe's case, such as how many stem cells were administered, were tests done to see whether they migrated to the targeted area of the body, and did they take up residence where they might have some effect or simply disappear?

"Is this a transient effect, or is it really a perceived or somewhat of a placebo effect and is there something really happening? Scientifically and biologically that is important," Bhatia said Wednesday from Hamilton.

And because Howe received adult stem cells produced from donor cells, he may have needed to take drugs to prevent an immune reaction as well as anti-inflammatory medications, he said.

More here:
Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among experts

Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among medical experts

Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press Published Thursday, January 29, 2015 6:49AM EST

TORONTO -- Gordie Howe's son says the hockey legend's stroke symptoms have improved since his treatment with stem cells at a Mexican clinic in early December and he wants him to repeat the procedure.

But regenerative medicine experts say there's no scientific evidence such therapies work, and in some cases they can be seriously harmful or even deadly.

The 86-year-old Howe suffered two disabling strokes late last year. In December, the family took him to a Tijuana clinic where he received stem cell injections as part of a clinical trial being run under a licensing agreement with Stemedica Cell Technologies of San Diego, Calif.

The experimental treatment involved injecting neural stem cells into Howe's spinal canal, along with intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat and umbilical cord blood.

Marty Howe said his father can walk again, his speech is improving and he is regaining some of the weight he lost following the strokes.

"After his stem cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, and it was all that," he told The Canadian Press while in Calgary for a hockey promotion event Tuesday. "They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle."

However, experts in the field question whether stem cells are responsible for Howe's improvement and caution that most so-called stem cell therapies have not gone through rigorous scientific trials, nor have they been approved as treatments by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mick Bhatia, director of McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said there are many unknowns in Howe's case, such as how many stem cells were administered, were tests done to see whether they migrated to the targeted area of the body, and did they take up residence where they might have some effect or simply disappear?

"Is this a transient effect, or is it really a perceived or somewhat of a placebo effect and is there something really happening? Scientifically and biologically that is important," Bhatia said Wednesday from Hamilton.

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Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among medical experts

Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Network Announce Launch of New Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Clinic in …

MIAMI (PRWEB) January 29, 2015

Regenestem Network, the worlds largest membership network of regenerative medicine practitioners, has announced the launch of a new stem cell clinic in Oaxaca, Mexico. The new facility, offering the most advanced cellular medicine protocols and techniques available is in partnership with Ulises Cervera, M.D. a neurologist coming from the Children's Hospital of Morelia, Mexico.

The new Oaxaca facility will offer the most advanced protocols and techniques available in stem cell medicine to patients from across Mexico and around the world.

Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Network are expanding the companys clinical presence worldwide by partnering with experienced and qualified regenerative medicine physicians to open new clinics licensed and developed under the Regenestem banner.

In 2014, Global Stem Cells Group expanded the Regenestem Networks global presence to 20 countries.

Regenestem offers stem cell treatments to help treat a variety of diseases and conditions including arthritis, autism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and pain due to injuries at various facilities worldwide. Regenestem Oaxaca will have an international staff experienced in administering the latest in cellular therapies.

Regenestem is certified for the medical tourism market, and staff physicians are board-certified or board-eligible. Regenestem clinics provide services in more than 10 specialties, attracting patients from the United States and around the world.

The Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem are committed to the highest of standards in service and technology, expert and compassionate care, and a philosophy of exceeding the expectations of their international patients.

For more information, visit the Regenestem Network website, email info(at)regenstem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About Regenestem: Regenestem Network, a division of the Global Stem Cells Group, Inc., is an international medical practice association committed to researching and producing comprehensive stem cell treatments for patients worldwide. Having assembled a highly qualified staff of medical specialistsprofessionals trained in the latest cutting-edge techniques in cellular medicineRegenestem continues to be a leader in delivering the latest protocols in the adult stem cell arena.

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Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Network Announce Launch of New Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Clinic in ...

Epigenetic drug boosts chemotherapy's efficacy in some lung cancers

IMAGE:This is Carla Kim, PhD, of the Boston Children's Hospital Stem Cell Research Program. view more

Credit: Boston Children's Hospital

BOSTON (January 28, 2015) -- An existing drug may help some patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have become resistant to chemotherapy, finds a study from Boston Children's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). The findings, in human cancer cells and in mice, suggest a window of vulnerability in NSCLC, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.1 The work was published online today by the journal Nature.

NSCLC is a highly genetically complex cancer with many different subtypes, each bearing different mutations. In two common subtypes that do not respond to standard chemotherapy--tumors with BRG1 or EGFR mutations--the researchers increased the effectiveness of etoposide, a common chemotherapy agent, by adding an epigenetic therapy already in clinical testing.

Conversely, when the same epigenetic therapy (inhibition of an enzyme known as EZH2) was added to certain tumors without BRG1 and EGFR mutations, the tumors become more resistant to chemotherapy. Together, the findings advance the idea of individualized, "precision medicine" in cancer, incorporating epigenetic therapy guided by tumor genetic testing.

The study also suggests that genetic tumor testing should screen for mutations in BRG1, a natural tumor suppressor. This test is not done widely now, although testing does look for EGFR mutations and other known cancer "driver" mutations. An estimated 10 percent of patients with NSCLC have BRG1 mutations, and this genetic subtype currently lacks a targeted therapy.

"Etoposide plus an EZH2 inhibitor could be a first-line therapy for BRG1-mutant tumors, and a treatment option for EGFR-mutant tumors that are resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors," says Christine Fillmore, PhD, of Boston Children's Hospital's Stem Cell Research Program, the study's first author.

EZH2 has been strongly linked with cancer progression and is part of a complex of molecules that determine which genes in a cell are turned "on" or "off"--part of the cell's so-called epigenome. Epigenetic therapy has become a hot area in cancer research, and EZH2 inhibitors are in phase I/II trials for other cancers, including B cell lymphomas and malignant rhabdoid tumors.

However, the use of EZH2 inhibitors in lung cancer has needed more rationale in preclinical studies, says oncologist Kwok-Kin Wong, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at DFCI and Harvard Medical School and a collaborator on the study. The researchers hope their findings will inspire the pharmaceutical industry to test EZH2 inhibitors together with chemotherapy in patients whose tumors have BRG1 or EGFR mutations.

"This study provides better predictive information as to which cancer patients will respond to EZH2 inhibitors, and shows that even epigenetic therapy needs to be specified to a genotype," says senior author Carla Kim, PhD, an associate professor at Boston Children's Stem Cell Program and the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.

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Epigenetic drug boosts chemotherapy's efficacy in some lung cancers

Arthritic knees three months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. – Video


Arthritic knees three months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D.
Holly, three-time World Cup Downhill Gold Medalist and Olympian, discusses her outcome from bone marrow stem cells for her arthritic knees performed at Docere Clinics http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Arthritic knees three months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video