On stem cell therapy, benefits

Bobby Chia (Foto by Allan Defensor)

THERE is a lot of hype going on in some circles about stem cell therapy: Is it a cure-all? Is it the elusive fountain of youth?

Wikipedia definesstem cell therapy as the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition.The process involves the administration of live whole cells or maturation of a specific cell population in a patient for the treatment of the disease as has been done in bone marrow transplants.

Bobby Chia, a Thai national who was in Cebu for a brief visit, said that stem cell therapy has been done in Villa Medica, Germany, since the 1960s. He learned about it 10 years ago when his mother had cancer and he looked around for the best medical care for her and found it in Villa Medica. It made her so much better (she can even play tennis now) that four years ago, Chia bought the clinic being run by Dr. Geoffrey Huertgen, a third generation doctor of that clinic.

The stem cell can be taken from the patient himself, but Chia says this stem source is naturally as old as the patient himself. Villa Medica chooses to use stem cells from fetuses of sheep (he said that stem cells from any mammal would be the same, but sheep stem cells are the ones more readily available). The process for Villa Medica, says Chia, involves the designing of a cocktail of stem cells to address whatever needs correction. If the eyes are not good, we choose the eyes. If the ears are not good, we choose the ears. If the heart is not good, we choose the heart. The procedure has been known to treat diseases and ailments like Parkinsons, diabetes, hypertension, migraine, allergies etc.

It (stem cell therapy) does not make you 18 years old all over again but it energizes you; from not being able to walk to walking again. It gives you a better quality of life. It is not a quick cure, but for a lot of people it is. We offer a choice for people who have no hope, Chia shares. But my main target is people who are not sick, Chia states, referring to athletes, models, professionals who want to have a better quality of life.

Chia says there are four doctors in Villa Medica. Since the cell therapy is patient-specific, the patient needs to stay four days and four nights at the clinic: for a detox program, for physical check-up, for interview, for determining the cocktail of stem cells to be used and how. The result, Chia says,is not immediate. It may take six weeks or even longer for the stem cells to do their work.

Chia says he has had about 150 patients coming from Cebu. Leaf through the pages of the local papers, one of them might just be there!

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on March 27, 2015.

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On stem cell therapy, benefits

Lung Institute Announces New Treatment with Bone Marrow

Tampa, FL. (PRWEB) March 26, 2015

This month, the Lung Institute has started treating people suffering from chronic lung diseases with stem cells extracted from their bone marrow. This treatment protocol is added to the two other treatment options offered by the Lung Institute: venous (blood-derived) and adipose (fat-derived) stem cell therapy.

The bone marrow and adipose treatments offer the highest concentration of stem cells and allow for the cells to be reintroduced directly into the lungs through a nebulizer. Given this added benefit, most patients in the past opted to receive the adipose treatment over venous. However, many patients have other medical conditions that preclude them from choosing the adipose treatment. Since the number of stem cells harvested from a bone marrow procedure matches that of the adipose procedure, patients that have previously only qualified for the venous procedure are now eligible for a treatment option that produces the highest chance of success.

Patients are often surprised by the simplicity of these minimally invasive procedures, but with cutting-edge technology and the patient-centric clinical team at the Lung Institute, patients can rest assured that they are in good hands. Throughout the entire treatment process, patients have the opportunity to get any questions immediately answered by our knowledgeable medical staff. The Lung Institute clinical team remains in contact with patients after treatment and works together with the patients physician and pulmonologist to create a strong support system for the patient.

About the Lung Institute At the Lung Institute, we are changing the lives of hundreds of people across the nation through the innovative technology of regenerative medicine. We are committed to providing patients a more effective way to address pulmonary conditions and improve their quality of life. Our physicians, through their designated practices, have gained worldwide recognition for the successful application of revolutionary minimally invasive stem cell therapies. With over a century of combined medical experience, our doctors have established a patient experience designed with the highest concern for patient safety and quality of care. For more information, visit our website at LungInstitute.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or call us today at (855) 313-1149.

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Lung Institute Announces New Treatment with Bone Marrow

Stem cell treatment for knee arthritis shows promising results

FREDERICK, Md., March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Recent studies employing adult stem cells obtained from bone marrow and fat have been used in patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee. Results have indicated not only symptomatic improvement but also suggest that cartilage healing and regeneration may be taking place.

According to Director, Dr. Nathan Wei of the Arthritis Treatment Center, "Osteoarthritis options in the past have been limited to symptom relief. We are now entering an era where we have therapies that may also rebuild lost cartilage."

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee affects more than 20 million Americans. It is a disease due to loss of cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of long bones and provides cushioning and shock absorption.

He goes on to say, "by administering adult stem cells, in a certain fashion, we may be able to restore lost cartilage. While this action has been demonstrated in multiple animal models, it has only been described in anecdotal reports in humans. Fortunately, we are now conducting clinical studies that are much better controlled and more scientifically valid."

Dr. Wei adds, "The positive effect on arthritis is not only due to multiplication, division, and transformation of the stem cell into cartilage, but it is also due to the fact the stem cell releases proteins that attract other reparative cells to the area. This is called the 'paracrine' effect."

"We are excited about the early results of our investigation and hope the results will continue to be positive. If so, I hope that knee replacement surgery might become a thing of the past," he concludes.

Dr. Wei is a board-certified rheumatologist and regenerative medicine expert. He is director of the Arthritis Treatment Center located in Frederick, Maryland.

http://www.arthritistreatmentcenter.com

SOURCE Arthritis Treatment Center

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Stempeutics Receives Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Classification From European Medicines Agency (EMA) for …

BANGALORE, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

- The First Stem Cell Drug Based on Pooling Technology to be Granted ATMP Classification

- A New Treatment Which Offers Hope to Patients Suffering From Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger's Disease) Affecting an Estimated 2 out of Every 10,000 People in Europe

- The First Real Hope for Patients Facing Limb Amputation

Stempeutics Research, a group company of Manipal Education and Medical Group and a Joint Venture with Cipla Group, announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product classification for its novel stem cell drug 'Stempeucel' which will be used for the treatment of Thromboangiitis Obliterans (TAO). The ATMP classification, approved by the committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) of the European Medicines Agency, will allow Stempeutics to commercialize the product 'Stempeucel' across the European Union region.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150323/735846 )

Thromboangiitis Obliterans is a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of small and medium arteries and veins of the feet. It is strongly associated with use of tobacco products primarily from smoking, but also from smokeless tobacco. Stempeucel drug is expected to address the root cause of the disease through anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory mechanisms. It is expected to induce angiogenesis through release of vascular endothelial growth factors, epithelial growth factors, angiopoietin and improve the perfusion and help the repair and regeneration of the ischemic muscle tissue.

The aim of the ATMP classification is to regulate cell and gene therapy and tissue engineered medicinal products, providing a benchmark for a level of quality compliance for pharmaceutical practices. The regulation provides guidelines to research development companies for following a standardized process in order to obtain approval in EU countries. The regulation also offers incentives to companies involved in developing ATMPs in the European Union, including fee reductions for scientific advice, scientific recommendations on ATMP classification and evaluation and certification of quality and non-clinical data.

Commenting on the ATMP classification, Mr B N Manohar, CEO of Stempeutics said, "We are happy to receive ATMP status from the EMA. We view this as an important milestone to further develop our novel stem cell biological drug Stempeucel in the EU for treating Thromboangiitis Obliterans indication. Additionally, we interpret this as a favourable indication for how the European regulators view our therapy."

Dr. Jeff Karp, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, who serves as Scientific Advisor to Stempeutics said, "I see Stempeutics as a global regenerative medicine company that could make a significant difference to disease treatment. Stempeutics has an impressive combination of exciting technologies and it has been wonderful to work with the team as they achieve critical milestones and advance their products to patients."

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Stempeutics Receives Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Classification From European Medicines Agency (EMA) for ...

Stem cell therapy could reverse Type 2 diabetes, UBC study finds

VANCOUVER -- University of B.C. scientists appear to be one step closer to reversing diabetes using stem cell therapy.

The latest study, published last week in the journal Stem Cell Reports, found that Type 2 diabetes can be eliminated in mice using a combination of conventional diabetes drugs and specially cultured stem cells. Similar methods have already been used to reverse Type 1 diabetes, which usually begins in childhood.

The team simulated Type 2 diabetes in mice by feeding them a high-fat, high-calorie diet for several weeks. In humans, Type 2 usually begins in adulthood and can be a result of obesity, poor diet and lack of exercise.

Like diabetic humans, the diabetic mice treated only with drugs experienced spikes in their blood sugar levels after eating sugary meals.

But the mice that were surgically implanted with pancreatic-like cells grown from human stem cells didnt have those drastic swings and were able to regulate their blood sugar like healthy animals.

Being able to reduce spikes in blood sugar levels is important because evidence suggests its those spikes that do a lot of the damage increasing risks for blindness, heart attack, and kidney failure, said Timothy Kieffer, a professor in UBCs department of cellular and physiological sciences.

So far, the researchers have followed the mice for up to seven months, and theyve remained healthy.

When we removed the transplanted devices and analyzed the cells within, they still appear very healthy so we believe they will function much longer. Ultimately the duration of cell function will need to be assessed in humans, Kieffer said in an email.

Human trials are already underway for stem cell therapy on Type 1 diabetes; the first patient was implanted with cells in October.

The treatment also had a surprising side-effect: weight loss. The mice all returned to the same, healthy weight as the animals in the control group.

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Stem cell therapy could reverse Type 2 diabetes, UBC study finds

Stem cell clinics under govt scanner

Those hospitals and medical institutions advertising treatment of incurable diseases with stems cells are now under scanner of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The ministry has already processed complaints against at least 23 website advertisements.

The National Apex Committee for Stem Cell Research and Therapy (NACSCRT), under the Indian Council of Medical Research, has looped in Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to monitor advertisements that claim to fully cure patients with stem cell based therapies.

Several clinics and organisations advertise stem cell therapies whose safety and efficacy are not proven, to attract vulnerable patients. As per the National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research 2013, stem cell therapy has not been proven effective other than in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) for haematological disorders (disorders which primarily affect the blood).

NAC-SCRT has observed that several clinicians, companies, hospitals advertise stem cell based therapies other than haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for haematological disorders on their websites. Officials clearly say that these therapies are currently investigational and must be conducted only within the scope of clinical trials.

Dr. Alok Srivastava, Chairman, NAC-SCRT said, "Advertisements claiming to offer stem cell-based therapies other than Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantations for blood diseases are in violation of the clause 10.3.1 of the National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research-2013."

"Use of stem cells for any other purpose outside the ambit of clinical trials will be against these guidelines and is hence not permissible. We have asked ASCI to review such advertisements and are happy that action has been initiated against 23 such websites. It is necessary that such misleading advertisements be removed and action be taken against the defaulters unless they are suitably modified to clarify the unproven nature of these therapies and are only offered within approved clinical trials. The NAC-SCRT will be reviewing the developments in the field and modifying its position with regard to proven therapies from time to time," he added.

As stem cell-based therapies are currently experimental, advertising these for results not approved by regulatory authorities is in violation of Chapter III of the ASCI code for Self-Regulation of Advertisements. "The code requires that advertisements should not propagate products or services, the use of which is banned under the law," said Narendra Ambwani, Chairman, ASCI.

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How stem cells can fix a broken heart with just one jab

The pioneering treatment involves cells taken from a patients own body Theseare then reinjected into their heart to repair damaged muscle Could improve quality of life for patients suffering from heart failure This is caused by heart failing to pump enough blood around the body at the right pressure

By Roger Dobson and Katherine Keogh For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 17:16 EST, 21 March 2015 | Updated: 18:15 EST, 21 March 2015

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A pioneering treatment that uses stem cells to repair a broken heart could transform the lives of people with a potentially fatal cardiac condition.

The 15-minute procedure involves cells taken from a patients own body, which are then reinjected into their heart to repair damaged muscle.

It is hoped that the procedure could improve the quality of life for patients suffering from heart failure, which affects 900,000 people in the UK.

The condition is caused by the heart failing to pump enough blood around the body at the right pressure, because the muscle has become too weak or stiff to work properly. It causes breathlessness and extreme tiredness, and can even lead to sudden death.

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The Lancet: Targeted drug doubles progression free survival in Hodgkin lymphoma

A phase 3 trial of brentuximab vedotin (BV), the first new drug for Hodgkin lymphoma in over 30 years, shows that adults with hard-to-treat Hodgkin lymphoma given BV immediately after stem cell transplant survived without the disease progressing for twice as long as those given placebo (43 months vs 24 months).

The findings, published in The Lancet, are potentially practice changing for this young cancer population who have exhausted other treatment options and for whom prognosis is poor.

"No medication available today has had such dramatic results in patients with hard-to-treat Hodgkin lymphoma"*, says lead author Craig Moskowitz, a Professor of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA.

Hodgkin lymphoma is the most common blood cancer in young adults aged between 15 and 35 years. Most patients are cured with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, for patients who relapse, or do not respond to initial therapy, the treatment of choice is usually a combination of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT)--a procedure that uses healthy stem cells from the patient to replace those lost to disease or chemotherapy. While about 50% of patients who undergo this procedure are cured, for the other half treatment is palliative.

BV is an antibody attached to a powerful chemotherapy drug that seeks out cancer cells by targeting the CD30 protein on Hodgkin lymphoma cells. BV sticks to the CD30 protein and delivers chemotherapy directly into the cancer cell to kill it. Recently, BV has been approved for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma in 50 countries.

In the AETHERA phase 3 trial, Moskowitz and colleagues aimed to establish whether early treatment with BV after ASCT could prevent disease progression. They randomly assigned 329 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma aged 18 or older who were at high risk of relapse or progression after ASCT to 16 cycles of BV infusions once every 3 weeks or placebo.

At 2 years follow up, the cancer had not progressed at all in 65% of BV patients compared with 45% in the placebo group. "Nearly all of these patients who are progression free at 2 years are likely to be cured since relapse 2 years after a transplant is unlikely"*, explains Dr Moskowitz.

BV was generally well tolerated. The most common side effects were peripheral neuropathy (numbness or pain in the extremities due to nerve damage; 67% BV vs 13% placebo) and neutropenia (low white blood count; 35% vs 12%).

According to Dr Moskowitz, "The bottom line is that BV is a very effective drug in poor risk Hodgkin lymphoma and it spares patients from the harmful effects of further traditional chemotherapy by breaking down inside the cell resulting in less toxicity."*

Writing in a linked Comment, Professor Andreas Engert from the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany discusses how best to define which patients are at high risk of relapse and should be treated with BV. He writes, "AETHERA is a positive study establishing a promising new treatment approach for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma at high risk for relapse. However, with a progression-free survival of about 50% at 24 months in the placebo group, whether this patient population is indeed high risk could be debated...An international consortium is currently reassessing the effect of risk factors in patients with relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma to define a high-risk patient population in need of consolidation treatment. We look forward to a better definition of patients with relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma who should receive consolidation treatment with brentuximab vedotin.

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Stem cell therapy may help treat type 2 diabetes

A human embryonic stem cell line derived at Stanford University.(REUTERS/Julie Baker/Stanford University School of Medicine/California Institute for Regenerative Medicine/Handout)

Type 2 diabetes is marked by insulin resistance, or the bodys inability to store sugar and convert it into carbohydrates for energy. Overcoming that resistance is the main hurdle scientists face in creating new treatment for the condition, but researchers in Canada have found a promising means for doing so: combining stem cell therapy and antidiabetic medication.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for nearly 95 percent of the 400 million diabetes cases worldwide. Current treatment involves imprecise insulin injection, and can produce side effects like unwanted weight gain, gastrointestinal issues and low blood glucose levels. Eighty percent of Type 2 diabetes patients are overweight.

In the study, published Thursday in the journal Stem Cell Reports, scientists observed that transplanting human stem cells into mice with Type 2 diabetes symptoms, then administering common antidiabetic drugs, improved the mices glucose metabolism, body weight and insulin sensitivity three hallmark problems associated with the condition.

There have been similar reports looking at treatment of type 1 diabetes by stem cell-based replacement, and there are many people around the world who are interested in that, lead study author Timothy J. Kieffer, a molecular and cellular medicine professor at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, told FoxNews.com. Until this point, nobody to our knowledge had tested such a stem cell-based transplant study in a Type 2 diabetes model.

Many [of these studies] have been predicted to fail because one of the characteristics of Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance, and that is in part due to obesity and higher demands of insulin, Kieffer added, and therefore it might be predicted that insulin replacement wouldnt work if were just putting insulin back.

Researchers fed four separate groups of immunosuppressed mice a different diet to try to emulate humans diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. One group of mice received a 45 percent fat diet; one a 60 percent fat diet; one a high-fat, Western diet; and the last a low-fat diet. No single group of mice developed a phenotype that exactly mimicked a Type 2 diabetes human patient, but all three high-fat groups ended up exhibiting characteristics that mirrored the hallmark features of the condition.

Study authors transplanted human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic progenitor cells into the mice after they began exhibiting symptoms. These cells are programmed to expand and differentiate when transplanted into the pancreas, and to subsequently secrete insulin.

To transplant the human stem cells, researchers used a macroencapsulation device, a mechanism that is meant to prevent the body from detecting nonnative material as foreign and subsequently rejecting it. Because the mice were immunosuppressed, the device wasnt necessary, but Kieffer said his team used it so their findings would be more relevant for future clinical trials, wherein the patients would not be immunosuppressed. Researchers opted to induce Type 2 diabetes symptoms in immunosuppressed mice instead of using the mice model genetically engineered to assume Type 2 diabetes for that same reason.

The hope in the field is that some sort of device will eliminate the need for immunosuppression when cells are transplanted, Kieffer said.

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Stem cell therapy may help treat type 2 diabetes

First stem cell-based approach to treat type 2 diabetes effective in mice

IMAGE:This is an image of macro-encapsulated pancreatic endocrine cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. Devices were harvested at 29 weeks post-transplant and immunofluorescent staining was performed for insulin (red),... view more

A combination of human stem cell transplantation and antidiabetic drugs proved to be highly effective at improving body weight and glucose metabolism in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. The findings, published March 19th by Stem Cell Reports, could set the stage for clinical trials to test the first stem cell-based approach for insulin replacement in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90%-95% of the now approaching 400 million cases of diabetes worldwide, is currently treated by oral medication, insulin injections, or both to control blood glucose levels. However, insulin delivery is imprecise, onerous, and often promotes weight gain, while drugs do not work in some patients and may cause gastrointestinal problems or low blood glucose levels, highlighting the strong need for better treatment options.

To address this need, senior study author Timothy Kieffer of the University of British Columbia collaborated with BetaLogics, a division of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, and tested a promising stem cell transplantation approach.

First, they fed mice a high-fat diet to induce obesity, low responsiveness to insulin, and high blood glucose levels--the hallmarks of type 2 diabetes. The mice then received transplants of encapsulated pancreatic progenitor cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. These transplanted cells matured into insulin-secreting beta cells, resulting in improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. Moreover, stem cell transplantation combined with currently available antidiabetic drugs resulted in rapid weight loss in the mice and more significant improvements in glucose metabolism compared with either treatment alone.

Moving forward, the researchers will use their mouse model of type 2 diabetes to test the effectiveness of transplanting more mature insulin-producing cells that could potentially reverse symptoms of diabetes faster and at a lower dose compared to pancreatic progenitor cells.

A similar stem cell-based transplantation approach recently obtained clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada to be tested in patients with type 1 diabetes in phase1/2 clinical trials sponsored by a regenerative medicine company called ViaCyte.

"Success in these clinical trials could pave the way for testing in patients with type 2 diabetes," Kieffer says. "Our hope is that a stem cell-based approach to insulin replacement will ultimately improve glucose control in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, resulting in healthier, longer lives."

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Dr. Kieffer received financial support from Janssen R&D, LLC, for the research described in this article. The work was also supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Initiative, the Stem Cell Network (SCN), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), and Stem Cell Technologies.

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First stem cell-based approach to treat type 2 diabetes effective in mice