Dangerous results from unproven medical treatments led to Google ban – The Verge

Acting to prevent clinics from misleading patients, Google announced on Friday that it will ban ads for unproven or experimental medical procedures.

For several years, the Food and Drug Administration has inched toward cracking down on clinics that offer unproven and unsafe stem cell therapy. Scientists have long condemned these clinics for attracting patients with promises not backed by science. The FDA wants these clinics to test their procedures like any new treatment, in rigorous clinical trials, and federal courts have agreed. But these clinics continue to market the unsafe procedures. Experts say this has put vulnerable patients in a bind, exposing them to sketchy salespeople who are peddling hope for thousands of dollars. Now that Google has weighed in, courting patients with dubious claims just got a lot harder.

Normally, before a new treatment can be widely available, it must go through clinical trials to test whether it is effective. These scientific studies establish how safe and effective the treatment is so that duds and dangerous treatments can be left behind. Results are closely monitored by outside researchers and regulators to maintain scientific integrity. The only stem cell procedures that have gone through the clinical trials process and are currently approved by the FDA involve using specific cells from bone marrow or cord blood to treat bone marrow and blood cancers. Google does still allow ads that recruit patients for sanctioned clinical trials in the US.

Rogue stem cell clinics, which bypass the regulatory process, are not new. Hundreds of doctors across the country gladly accept payment for what other doctors and scientists say is just modern snake oil, seeing patients with chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons, and other hard-to-treat diseases. They tell patients that injecting stem cells into problem areas whether thats a joint, vein, or eye is their safest or best option. But often, they offer no scientific evidence to back up those claims and very rarely accept insurance. Unlike most FDA-sanctioned clinical trials, patients pay out of pocket and upfront, often spending between $10,000 and $20,000 on treatments.

Its heartbreaking. Its infuriating, says Jeremy Snyder, a professor at Simon Fraser University who studies the medical exploitation of vulnerable patients.

Leigh Turner, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota, recalls writing his first letter to the FDA over seven years ago, encouraging it to investigate what he describes as a marketplace in expansion-mode.

Turner was shocked by how doctors were endangering patients with clinically unproven uses of patients cells, citing clear conflicts with FDA regulations. Stories later surfaced of patients being harmed by stem cell procedures. Patients suffered serious infections, benign tumors, and blindness after their treatments. The FDA ramped up its focus on rogue clinics: first writing new regulations, then harshly worded letters, before moving on to legal action. Going to court to assert that these procedures must pass through clinical trials. But slow-moving legal battles, though many of them are ultimately successful, still havent shuttered these expanding businesses. And tech companies have boosted that expansion from the start.

According to Gayathri Sivakumar, a health communication researcher at Colorado State University who previously worked for Googles ad and policy teams in India, chronically ill patients often depend on the internet for health information. Advertisers get what they want and for Google its a good way of making money, she says.

Google and Bing ads let clinics market directly to patients seeking help. Even searching phrases like best alternative treatment for paralysis returns ads for unproven and potentially dangerous stem cell therapies. Marketing agencies routinely use Google and Facebook to funnel patients into unregulated clinics that are operating without robust evidence. Desperate and sick patients follow these ads hoping for answers and end up making clinics and Google richer in the process.

On September 6th, The Washington Post reported that Google plans to pull and prevent ads from stem cell clinics.

According to Google, direct-to-consumer stem cell and cell-based treatments and gene therapies can lead to dangerous health outcomes and we feel they have no place on our platforms. The policy will go live in October.

Google is no stranger to banning ads for predatory businesses. Last year, Google banned ads for addiction treatment centers after a Verge report revealed the ads took advantage of people with deceptive marketing. In May, Google announced it would eliminate misleading ads for anti-abortion clinics.

Experts say this latest move is important given how massive Google is in the online ad space. This is fantastic news, says Snyder. While he says Google should be applauded, he adds that it is heavily responsible for propping up these clinics in the first place.

Asked about Googles ban, Turner says that it seems pretty comprehensive. He was especially pleased that its policy did not attempt to distinguish between clinics based on the potential risk of treating the conditions they claim to heal. Some conditions, such as joint issues, are less risky to treat than things like neurological disorders. If Google were to try to distinguish between the two, Turner believes it would riddle its policy with loopholes. Google confirmed the policy will not distinguish between different types of unproven uses.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard about it, says Paul Knoepfler, a stem cell biologist at the University of California at Davis. Knoepfler has tracked this industry for years in academic journals and on his blog. I also expect the stem cell clinics to fight back. They will try to adapt.

These experts agree that Googles move sets a good example. They also agree that vulnerable patients arent yet in the clear. Snyder wants to see other tech companies follow suit, and Turner thinks state medical boards should consider disciplinary action against doctors putting patients at risk.

Sivakumar echoed this mix of approval and caution. Is it a full solution? Not really, she says. But it can reduce the negative effects for a short time until they find another way to exploit people.

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Dangerous results from unproven medical treatments led to Google ban - The Verge

Column: A stem cell clinic under fire by the FDA and ex-patients files for bankruptcy – Los Angeles Times

StemGenex, the operator of a La Jolla clinic that drew a warning from the Food and Drug Administration that its purported stem cell treatments were illegal, has filed for bankruptcy.

The clinic also is facing a class-action lawsuit in San Diego federal court brought by several former customers who say they were misled by its advertising and marketing.

The firms bankruptcy filing, made on Sept. 5, lists more than $1 million in liabilities and $155,788 in assets including a Tesla Model X electric car on which it still owes $54,000.

The filing opens a window into the scale of StemGenexs business. It discloses revenues of more than $8.2 million dating back to Jan. 2, 2017. Based on the firms standard fee of about $14,900 per treatment, the revenue figure suggests StemGenex may have had as many as 550 customers over that period; some have said they had more than one treatment, for which they were charged separate fees.

Neither StemGenex nor its founder and president, Rita Alexander, could be reached Thursday. The firms bankruptcy attorney did not respond to a request for comment. The StemGenex website, through which prospective customers could arrange treatment or appointments, no longer lists a telephone number and now identifies the firm as an educational stem cell resource.

Weve reported previously that StemGenex operated one of the hundreds of clinics sprawled across the U.S. offering treatments for a host of medical conditions purportedly by using stem cells. Its procedure involved extracting fat from a customers body by liposuction, processing the tissue ostensibly to concentrate its stem cells, and injecting the resulting fluid into the same customer.

As the FDA asserted in a warning letter it issued to StemGenex in November, the firm said it could treat a variety of serious diseases and life-threatening conditions, including Alzheimers disease, Crohns disease, Type I and Type II diabetes, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinsons disease, peripheral neuropathy and rheumatoid arthritis.

No scientific evidence exists validating the claim that the treatment StemGenex offered has proven medical utility in humans. Patients treated at other unrelated clinics offering similar procedures have suffered serious medical consequences, including blindness. The FDA informed StemGenex that its marketing of the purported stem cell treatment was illegal and could be putting patients at risk.

The procedure has come under attack by the FDA, which has mounted a campaign to warn prospective patients and has brought legal action against several such firms. In June, a federal judge in Miami issued an injunction effectively shutting down Florida-based U.S. Stem Cell clinic. A similar FDA lawsuit against Rancho Mirage-based Cell Surgical Network is pending in federal court in Riverside.

The class-action lawsuit against StemGenex was brought by former patients who say they were induced by the firms false and misleading advertisements to pay for treatments that have no basis in scientific fact. StemGenex has denied that it made any misrepresentations to customers or that it offers patients any promises or guarantees of results.

Customers said in depositions filed in the lawsuit that they were told the clinic had a 90% success rate in treating its patients. Indeed, as they could tell from the StemGenex website or from promotional material sent to them, the clinic had a 100% patient satisfaction rating.

As it turned out, however, the success rate the firms agents cited was inaccurate, according to former executives. The patient satisfaction rating had nothing to do with whether the treatments worked medically, Alexander acknowledged in a deposition, but referred only to features such as the hotel accommodations the patients received. The rating was the product of a questionnaire filled out by patients the day after their procedures, typically while they were still recovering from surgery and while a clinic employee stood by.

In fact, a former StemGenex executive, asked by a plaintiffs lawyer if there was any scientific basis to make the claim, answered: There is none.

The firms bankruptcy filing automatically places the class-action case on hold. But Timothy Williams, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said they intend to pursue the case, whether in bankruptcy court or district court. He said that even if StemGenex is found to have few assets, the plaintiffs will proceed against the firms insurers and other named defendants, including Alexander and former physicians associated with StemGenex.

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Column: A stem cell clinic under fire by the FDA and ex-patients files for bankruptcy - Los Angeles Times

Google bans ads for ‘unproven’ treatments from stem cell clinics – BioNews

16 September 2019

Google has announced a new Healthcare and Medicines policy whereby clinics offering 'unproven or experimental medical techniques' will not be allowed to advertise on the platform.

The policy will covermost stem cell and gene therapies, and follows a recent campaign by the FDA to take action against clinics offering unapproved stem cell treatments (see BioNews 949 and 916), as well as reports of patients being harmed by unregulated treatments (see BioNews893).

'This new policy will prohibit ads selling treatments that have no established biomedical or scientific basis. The new policy also includes treatments that are rooted in basic scientific findings and preliminary clinical experience, but currently have insufficient formal clinical testing to justify widespread clinical use,' said a Google blog post.

According to the Washington Post, clinics have been advertising stem cell treatments for a wide range of conditions including multiple sclerosis and ALS (motor neurone disease) as well as more common conditions including macular degeneration and arthritis. The treatments often cost US$10,000-20,000 and there are concerns that vulnerable patients are being exploited.

Advertising for participants to take part in properly regulated clinical trials will still be permitted, as will advertising aimed at communicating scientific findings to the public.

Google worked with The International Society for Stem Cell Research to develop the new policy.

'While stem cells have great potential to help us understand and treat a wide range of diseases, most stem cell interventions remain experimental and should only be offered to patients through well-regulated clinical trials,' said the society's president, Professor Deepak Srivasteva.

'The premature marketing and commercialisation of unproven stem cell products threatens public health, their confidence in biomedical research, and undermines the development of legitimate new therapies.'

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Computer Science K-12 Education; Family of Stem Cell Donor Connects With Recipient 20 Years Later; Forecasting Volcanic Eruptions – WILL News -…

More school districts are introducing computer science education in their classrooms. But Illinois doesnt have any standards for teaching that subject and teachers say its time to come up with a clear plan. Plus,decades ago, a cutting edge stem cell treatment from umbilical cord blood saved one Illinois woman's life. And, earlier this month she met her donor and his parents for the first time. Also,well talk to a University of Illinois geology professor about her work how to better forecast volcanic eruptions.

Computer Science K-12 Education

Think back to when you were a kid in school. You might remember trying to learn the basics, in topics like writing or math. Maybe as you got older you started to learn basic history and science, too.

Well, for students and teachers alike, theres also been more and more demand for computer science education at all age levels.

And now, educators throughout the state say theres a huge need to come up with a clear plan for K-12 computer science in Illinois. Thats because even though many districts have added computer science, theres still a lot we dont know about it,including a lack of established standards for K-12 public schools that teach this subject.

Raya Hegeman-Davis is the Program Coordinator for the University of Illinois Secondary Teacher Education and Computer Science Initiative. Bertram Ludascher is a professor at the University of Illinoiss school of information sciences and faculty affiliate at NCSA and the computer science department. Nicole Rummel is the director of instruction at the Mahomet-Seymour School District.

They aresome of the participants at a summit thats happeningFriday at the University of Illinois.

Family of Stem Cell Donor Connects With Recipient 20 Years Later

In 1994, Dania Davey and her husband made an important decision. Although she didnt quite realize how important it was at the time, that decision would save a young womans life hundreds of miles away.

That woman is Holly Becker, who was 24 when she received a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Holly is an oncologist at Loyola Medicine in Maywood, Illinois decided to try a cutting edge treatment at the time in the 90's: a stem cell transplant from donated umbilical cord blood.

That cord blood came from Danias son Patrick. It was donated and frozen the day he was born in New York.

Holly is now cancer free. And she met the Daveysearlier this month in Illinois. Its thought to be one of the first times a stem cell donor from umbilical cord blood has met the recipient.

Dania Davey and Holly Becker joined us. Dr. Patrick Stiff also joinedus from Loyola University Medical Center. He was Hollys oncologist back in 1997. Duke University'sDr. Joanne Kurtzberg is an expert on cord blood and director of the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank.

Forecasting Volcano Eruptions

When it comes to forecasting severe weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes, accuracy is key. Knowing what to expect and when to expect it can mean the difference between life and death.

Now, researchers at the University of Illinois are part of a new study looking at ways we can better forecast volcanic eruptions. Theyve been studying one which happened in Alaska back in 2008,which traditional forecasting models missed.

Researchers are now using new computer models to paint a more accurate picture about if and when we can expect volcanic eruptions.

Trish Gregg, geology professor at the University of Illinois,joined us in theour Urbanastudio to tell us more about the work she and her team have been doing.

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Computer Science K-12 Education; Family of Stem Cell Donor Connects With Recipient 20 Years Later; Forecasting Volcanic Eruptions - WILL News -...

Michael Schumacher Appears To Be Responding Well To Stem Cell Treatment – International Business Times

It appears that Formula One racing legend Michael Schumacher is responding well to stem cell treatment. According to several sources, the 50-year-old is conscious over at a Paris hospital which is now tightly guarded.

A pioneering surgeon, Philippe Mehasche, known to specialize in stem cell treatment treated the seven-time World Champion driver at the Georges Pompidou Hospital. The tight security was for the transfusions of inflammation-reducing stem cells which are part of the procedure to address the head injuries Schumacher suffered almost six years ago, The Sun reported.

It was La Parisien who reported that the hospital has now been transformed into a virtual bunker since the arrival of Schumi. An official update on the status of the F1 legend has yet to be released. However, a nurse in Cardiology allegedly attending to Schumacher said that the racing legend is conscious. The F1 ace could benefit from infusions of stem cells that are distributed in the body to obtain a systemic anti-inflammatory action throughout the body.

With tight security, only permitted personnel are allowed to pay Schumacher visit. So far, only close friend Jean Todt reportedly visited Schumacher. The former rally driver stayed for about 45 minutes before quietly leaving the hospital.

The lack of update is understandable. Hospitals do follow certain protocols when it comes to revealing the prognosis of their patients. Regardless, Schumacher fans and supporters simply just want to know if the procedure could boost the chances of the race driver in recovering from that tragic skiing accident back in 2013.

Schumacher has not been since publicly since then with updates minimal. Before the stem cell treatment, he is believed to be paralyzed and unable to speak. Schumacher spent three months in a medically-induced coma after the accident and has had years of intensive care at his house in Gland, a Swiss town on the shore of Lake Geneva.

The treatment was supposed to happen earlier. But an undisclosed health scare moved the date to this week when Professor Mehasche got back from a holiday. He first examined Schumacher before transferring him to the George Pompidou for the stem cell treatment.

German Formula One driver Michael Schumacher gestures at the end of the Brazil's F-1 GP on November 25, 2012 at the Interlagos racetrack in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images

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Michael Schumacher Appears To Be Responding Well To Stem Cell Treatment - International Business Times

Therapeutic antibodies in cancer therapy – Drug Target Review

Monoclonal antibodies have shown great promise in the treatment of various cancers. This article discusses how therapeutic antibodies are produced and the various treatment strategies that are currently being adopted.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and was responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths last year. Globally, about one in six deaths is due to cancer.1

There are many cancer treatment options available and the type a patient receives will depend on the nature of the cancer and how advanced it is. Current treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapy, hormone therapy, stem-cell transplantation and precision medicine. Some patients may have only one treatment, but most will have a combination of treatments.

Biological therapy involves either the use of living organisms, substances derived from living organisms or laboratory-produced versions of these substances for treatment. Some biological cancer therapies stimulate the bodys natural immune system to act against the cancerous cells. These types of biological therapy, often known as immunotherapy, do not directly target cancer cells, while others, such as antibodies, target cancer cells directly. Biological therapies that interfere with specific molecules involved in tumour growth and progression are also referred to as targeted therapies.

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Therapeutic antibodies in cancer therapy - Drug Target Review

Clinical Advancement and Application of Stem Cell Research – Science Times

(Photo : Pixabay)

Scientists in Japan celebrate this week after being the first in the world to successfully treat corneal disease with stem cells. Despite the hum of promise washing the community, many news sources suggest that these findings be met with skepticism. While it is important to exercise a measured skepticism when faced with any kind of novel medical practice, the current applications of stem cell treatments show real promise for the advancement of medicine.

"Stem cells are safe" says a neurologist for the Ukrainian clinic that uses stem cell treatments called ilaya. "Recently there has been speculation that stem cell therapy can contribute to the development of cancer. But there is no documented case of this anywhere in the medical literature." The company says in a statement about their stem cell clinic and associated therapies. Ilaya is one of many clinics globally that are offering new and promising medical treatments and therapies using stem cells.

As scientists from Japan, Oxford, and all over Europe and Asia report exciting news in the development of stem cell-related technologies, the US seems less positive. As some sources warn the US against "bad actors" and poorly instructed treatments. Which brings to surface questions about where stem cell research really sits in the eyes of science.

Perhaps one of the most exciting, and arguably freeing, advancements in stem cell therapy is the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). For years, much of the research surrounding stem cell advancement was incredibly reserved, due to the nature and procurement of embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells are those that are collected from blastocysts or the very earliest stages of fetal development. These cells are truly pluripotent, meaning, these cells are capable of forming tissues from all three primary germ layers (ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm). What this says to a layman is that pluripotent cells have yet to differentiate into specific types of cells. They can be anything, from liver cells, bone and blood cells, to the building blocks of the brain. They are truly capable of forming any layer of any part of the body. Both in human and animal models.

While for decades these embryonic stem cells were the only link that researchers had to accessible pluripotency, in 2006 however, this all changed.

In Japan, Shinya Yamanaka's lab discovered that by genetically "reprogramming" certain adult cells, one could convert adult cells into pluripotent cells. The concept was so novel and had applications so vast, that in 2012 Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize for these findings. What this meant to the scientific community at large was that: not only could they be provided with pluripotent cells outside of the questionable collection from embryos, but that these cells were host-specific. Meaning that things like transplant rejection could effectively be a thing of the past.

The idea that adult cells could become the functional structure for almost any organ, organelle, or bodily structure- without concern of host rejection was something medicine had only dreamed of. "Think of the waiting lists that patients requiring donor materials. Some of the time expected to find a donor can far exceed the prognosis of the patient themselves. A large part of these waits isn't just lack of available organs, but also lack of donor matches. Now, what if that patient didn't need to be on a list, what if the specific replacement they needed could be grown from their very own cells." The company posits.

Ilaya and similar clinics aren't alone in this query. Outside of rejection statistics, the waitlist on necessary organ transplantation is often unrealistically long. In the US alone, there are currently 121,678 people waiting for necessary organ transplantation, and 13 people die every day awaiting kidney transplant according to the National Kidney Foundation. One global survey on the prevalence of corneal donation need alone, stated that there exists "only 1 cornea available for 70 needed", which makes Japan's latest triumph that much more exciting.

Not all organs even make it to people in need. Some are purchased solely for medical research, which can be a drain on the limited resources. Step in iPSCs. While iPSCs have shown great promise in individual treatments, these procedures still remain highly controversial throughout different communities.

One thing that seems widely agreed upon, however, is the use of iPSCs in pharmaceutical testing. iPSCs can be used for in vitro drug modelling. Historically, actual organs or cells were required to be able to see disease processes within specific human systems. Sometimes researchers use animal models, like rats or pigs, to be able to see how disease and specific treatments may affect the mammalian functionality. With iPSCs, researchers are now able to build organs and organelles, like neurons and cardiovascular cell systems.

Having these organ structures on hand, researchers can now begin to tailor treatments and medicine directly to patient-specific disease response. Making designer medicine within reach. As an added bonus, one study points out that by using iPSCs for patient-specific disease modelling and therapeutic agent design, they will inadvertently be able to understand the usability and application of iPSCs in and of themselves. Observing first hand how they can be best used in clinical translation. Which could be "a powerful approach that holds great promise for regenerative medicine in the future."

So while many treatments regarding stem cell technologies are still considered highly experimental. Clinics from all around the world are starting to display positive findings with the use of these cells and combating devastating and irreversible disease processes. From cardiovascular disease to psychiatric applications- such as autism and schizophrenia.

For now, the types of treatments that clinics are able to offer may be limited, but thanks to the ever-present rumble of science moving forward treatment, analysis, and procedure- we may be at the very tip of a very large iceberg of discovery. Only time, and experience will tell.

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Clinical Advancement and Application of Stem Cell Research - Science Times

FLI-06 Intercepts Notch Signaling And Suppresses The Proliferation And | OTT – Dove Medical Press

Rui-huan Gan,1,* Li-song Lin,2,* Jing Xie,35,* Li Huang,2,4 Lin-can Ding,2 Bo-hua Su,2 Xian-e Peng,1,5 Da-li Zheng,4,5 You-guang Lu1,3

1Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, Peoples Republic of China; 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Affiliated First Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Peoples Republic of China; 3Department of Preventive Dentistry, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350000, Peoples Republic of China; 4Key Laboratory of Stomatology of Fujian Province, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350004, Peoples Republic of China; 5Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, Peoples Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: You-guang LuDepartment of Preventive Dentistry, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, 246 Yang Qiao Middle Road, Fuzhou 350000, Peoples Republic of ChinaTel +86 591 8373 6429Fax +86 591 8372 0599Email fjlyg63@fjmu.edu.cn

Xian-e PengDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, 1 Xue Yuan Road, University Town, Fuzhou 350122, Peoples Republic of ChinaTel +86 138 0951 6580Fax +86 591 8372 0599Email fmuxe@163.com

Purpose: The Notch signaling pathway plays an oncogenic role in tongue squamous cell carcinoma. The aim of this study was to inhibit the proliferation and self-renewal of tongue cancer cells by applying Notch signaling pathway inhibitor FLI-06 (Selleck, USA) and to lay a foundation for the clinically targeted treatment of tongue cancer for the future.Methods: The mRNA expression level of Notch1 and the overall survival rate of patients with tongue cancer were examined by analyzing the TCGA database. Tongue cancer cells were treated with FLI-06. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and stem cell self-renewal ability were tested in appropriate ways. A xenograft mouse model was established to observe tumor growth.Results: From the TCGA data, we demonstrated that patients with high expression of Notch1 had a poor prognosis. We observed that the Notch signaling pathway inhibitor FLI-06 can restrain the activation of the Notch signaling pathway, decrease cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis in vitro. The xenograft experiment indicated that intraperitoneal injection of FLI-06 inhibited tumor growth and increased cell apoptosis. FLI-06 suppressed both the mRNA and protein expression of Notch receptor and Notch targeted genes. We also observed that FLI-06 suppressed the proliferation of tongue cancer stem cells.Conclusion: FLI-06 can block the proliferation and self-renewal of tongue cancer cells. It is inferred that this compound, which inhibits the Notch signaling pathway, may serve as a potential targeted drug for the treatment of tongue cancer in the clinic.

Keywords: tongue cancer, Notch signaling pathway, Notch inhibitor, cancer stem cells

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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FLI-06 Intercepts Notch Signaling And Suppresses The Proliferation And | OTT - Dove Medical Press

Michael Schumacher released from hospital – Hope for fans after experimental treatment – Express.co.uk

It is understood the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion was admitted to the Paris clinic under a fake name. His medical treatment involved an experimental stem cell surgery, local newspaper Le Parisien claim.A hospital worker said: "Yes he is in my service.

And I can assure you that he is conscious."

Surgeon Professor Philippe Menasche welcomed Schumacher, 50, to the hospital last Monday.

The 69-year-old expert is well known for performing the world's first embryonic cell transplant on a patient with heart failure.

Schumacher has reportedly visited the hospital twice before by helicopter.

The German legends health has been a closely guarded secret since he suffered catastrophic brain injuries in a skiing accident in 2013.

Schumachers career saw him amass a record seven world titles and the most amount of wins (91) ever for a driver.

But after his accident the German driver was placed in a medically induced coma for nearly six months.

In June 2014 he was discharged from the hospital and has since been receiving medical care at home near Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

JUST IN:Michael Schumacher stem-cell treatment does not exist - expert

She said: Michael has always been a very warmhearted person.

But he did not want this side of him to be public, because he wanted to look like he was focused on the competition.

Ms Kehm has always insisted the racing superstars condition is not a public matter.

Ms Kehm shared details about Schumachers caring side, which were highlighted on his employees birthdays and during the Christmas holidays.

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Michael Schumacher released from hospital - Hope for fans after experimental treatment - Express.co.uk

Oscar Saxelby-Lee leukaemia fundraiser for life-saving treatment – Metro.co.uk

Oscar Saxelby-Lee underwent a transplant in May after a search for a donor saw thousands across the UK including strangers sign-up to a register in a bid to help.

The parents of a five-year-old boy whose leukaemia has returned despite a stem cell transplant are pleading for help to raise 500,0000 for lifesaving treatment.

Oscar Saxelby-Lee underwent a transplant in May after a search for a donor saw thousands across the UK including strangers sign-up to a register in a bid to help.

Following the procedure, Oscar was briefly cancer-free, but now the leukaemia has returned sparking an emotional appeal from his parents to save their boys life.

The youngster has T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which is difficult to treat and means he has been in and out of hospital constantly for the past nine months.

The only real option left for the family, who are facing a race against time, is in an overseas trial called CAR-T, which would mean travelling to Singapore.

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With the cost of treatment, travel and insurance to cover, his parents Olivia Saxelby and Jamie Lee, from Worcester, must now raise the huge sum in order to give their son a chance.

Despite his ordeal, Oscar, who is a big fan of David Walliams books and Marvel superheroes Ironman and Spider-Man, is still a proper little boy his mother said.

Ms Saxelby said the highs and lows of 2019 had been difficult to take, but they still had hope.

She said: Every time weve had good news, its been shocking, horrific news to follow. But thats the nature of this disease its not just us (going through it).

We have to accept this is Oscars journey but all we can do is try and make it better by curing him and getting him home where he belongs.

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I find it really hard myself sometimes because everybodys lifes on hold. Youre not in control of your life anymore, or your childrens lives.

Following his relapse, Oscar is back on a ward specially for stem cell patients at Birmingham Childrens Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment to try and keep the cancer at bay.

Ms Saxelby said: Unfortunately were now in a position where they cant do much for him, and its really sad because they feel helpless themselves.

She added that Oscars diagnosis in December 2018 was a massive blow. She said: Then we found out he needed a stem cell transplant.

So back in March we had a massive plea for everybody to sign up to become a donor and eventually we found one, which was incredible.

That was meant to be Oscars cure. In May he underwent a stem cell transplant and unfortunately suddenly hes relapsed, three months on.

We need to find a lot of money to try and get him some treatment outside the NHS, because they wont offer him (anything) unless he reaches post-12 months after a stem cell transplant.

She added: We need to raised 500,000 which is not only for treatment but supportive care, the travel and insurances on top, included.

Breaking down in tears, the 24-year-old said: Its a lot of money. We are pleading for everybody to try their hardest to chip in, even if its a tiny bit.

She added: Weve got two options; one is CAR-T, a trial in Singapore.

Unfortunately, there arent any CAR-T trials in the UK or anywhere else but Singapore that are open at the moment for children with T-cell leukaemia.

There are for B-cell, but not T-cell, so it is the only one that would potentially take him on. That is where they extract the cells, kind of zap them and then re-insert them over a period of time.

Or we can try and put him in for a second stem cell transplant, which again unfortunately they wont do unless he hits the 12-month mark post his first one (transplant) on the NHS.

She said CAR-T treatment was the better option for him to be cured.

Ms Saxelby added Oscar sometimes gets really upset with life and it was heart-breaking for him not to be able to do what other little boys his age take for granted.

Ms Saxelby said: We have now been put in a predicament where we have a price to pay for our childs life.

However, she said her dinosaur-mad son was also incredible and a fighter.

His little dimples keep us going and hes a cheeky chappy, always has been, always will be, she said.

As much as he is kind of isolated from life and normality, hes still a little boy, hes still great fun and still loves to have fun and enjoy everything around him.

She praised Oscars school Pitmaston Primary, in Worcester, and others for being hugely supportive.

If it wasnt for those teachers, parents, staff, the whole community of Worcester and Oscars supporters online, on his Facebook she said.

If we hadnt have had any of those people we wouldnt have got this far anyway.

People who want to donate to the appeal, which has already raised more than 50,000, should click here.

Alternatively, people can donate via mobile phone.

Text 5OSCAR 5 to 70085 to donate 5, 5OSCAR 10 to 70085 to donate 10, or text 5OSCAR 20 to 70085 to donate 20.

All texts costs the donation amount plus a standard rate message charge.

Excerpt from:
Oscar Saxelby-Lee leukaemia fundraiser for life-saving treatment - Metro.co.uk