Category Archives: Stem Cell Treatment

Yanick Mulumba

Kabungo Yanick Mulumba, a resident of Maamba, Zambia, a graduate of St. Canisius High School, and now a senior at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, is one of forty undergraduate students accepted into the 2014 Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Internship Program, which provides participants with a challenging summer research experience in a cutting-edge stem cell science laboratory.

Mulumba is spending ten weeks, from June 9 to August 15, in the Harvard University Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology laboratory of HSCI Principal Faculty member Chad Cowan, PhD, known for his research on genetic disease modeling. Mulumbas project this summer is to engineer transplantable white blood cells that dont attack the bodys own cells when used for adoptive immunotherapya treatment that uses biological substances to boost a patients immune system.

The internship has enhanced my critical thinking through troubleshooting and planning of experiments, Mulumba said. Ive also been exposed to leaders in academia and industry who have helped me learn how to combine my interests in medicine, research, and healthcare management.

Over the course of the program, interns participate in a stem cell seminar series, a career pathways presentation, and a weekly stem cell companion course. They present their summer research findings, both orally and in poster format, at an end-of-program symposium.

This program represents an exciting opportunity for undergraduates to gain hands-on experience in stem cell research while working in an HSCI laboratory under the supervision of an experienced researcher, said HSCI Internship Program co-director M. William Lensch, PhD.

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following sponsors for the 2014 HSCI Internship Program: Biogen Idec, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine, Loughborough University (UK), Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

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Maamba resident awarded Harvard Stem cell institute internship

NIH scientist transforming treatment of sickle cell disease

By adminAugust 5, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

By Partnership for Public Service August 5 at 9:54 AM

Dr. Griffin Rodgers spends most of his waking hours leading the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), but he also manages to carve out time to work on a life-long passion discovering a cure for sickle cell disease.

Long before becoming the director of NIDDK, Rodgers was credited with discovering the first effective therapy for sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects more than 90,000 Americans, most of them African-Americans. The disease, which affects millions of people throughout the world, can damage bones, joints and internal organs, cause acute and chronic pain, and often result in premature death.

Prior to his discovery of a drug treatment in the 1990s, the only options for sickle cell patients were blood transfusions for pain and supportive care.

This initial breakthrough has been followed by the recent announcement that Rodgers and a team of National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers have developed a modified blood stem-cell transplant regimen that is highly effective in reversing sickle cell disease in adults. The findings, based on a clinical trial of 30 patients, represent a potentially transformative treatment.

Dr. Neal Young, chief of NIHs Hematology Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, said Rodgers has been the driving force behind the advanced medical treatments for people with sickle cell disease. His work, said Young, is a very big deal because it will save the lives and alleviate the suffering of thousands of people.

Dr. Thomas Starzl, a physician and researcher who performed the worlds first liver transplant, wholeheartedly concurred.

Griffin Rodgers work on sickle cell disease has been revolutionary, said Starzl. I can only give him rave reviewsfive stars.

Rodgers grew up in New Orleans where he had three high school friends who became debilitated with sickle cell disease. Two of those friends died in their teenage years and the third passed away a few years after high school.

These deaths left a tremendous impression on Rodgers, who pursued a medical career that led him to NIH in 1984 where he began his work on sickle cell disease. Over the years as he made his mark in the laboratory and the clinical setting, Rodgers also progressed through the managerial ranks, heading NIDDKs Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch starting in 1998, becoming deputy director of NIDDK in 2001 and director of the institute in 2007.

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NIH scientist transforming treatment of sickle cell disease

Lumbar disc pain and knee arthritis 8 months after stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D. – Video

By adminAugust 3, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

Lumbar disc pain and knee arthritis 8 months after stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D.
Steve discusses his outcome eight months after his stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D. for his low back pain and arthritic knee http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Lumbar disc pain and knee arthritis 8 months after stem cell treatment by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video

Early stem cell transplant may cure "bubble boy" disease

By adminJuly 31, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

"Bubble boy" David Vetter lived in a protective environment designed by NASA engineers. He died of complications after receiving a bone marrow transplant in 1984, at the age of 12. Baylor College of Medicine Photo Archives

Babies born with so-called "bubble boy" disease can often be cured with a stem cell transplant, regardless of the donor -- but early treatment is critical, a new study finds.

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), as the condition is medically known, actually refers to a group of rare genetic disorders that all but eliminate the immune system. That leaves children at high risk of severe infections.

The term "bubble boy" became popular after a Texas boy with SCID lived in a plastic bubble to ward off infections. The boy, David Vetter, died in 1984 at the age of 12, after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant -- an attempt to give him a functioning immune system.

15 Photos

Immune disorder forced David Vetter to live in bubble - but breakthroughs from his story now enable similar kids to live free

In the best-case scenario, a child would get stem cells -- the blood-forming cells within bone marrow -- from a sibling who is a perfect match for certain immune-system genes.

But that's not always an option, partly because kids with SCID are often their parents' first child, said Dr. John Cunningham, director of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. He was not involved in the study.

In those cases, doctors typically turn to a parent -- who is usually a "half" match, but whose stem cells can be purified to improve the odds of success. Sometimes, stem cells from an unrelated, genetically matched donor can be used.

The good news: Regardless of the donor, children with SCID can frequently be cured, according to the new findings. But early detection and treatment is vital.

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Early stem cell transplant may cure "bubble boy" disease

Chris Johnson Opens Up About Stem Cell Treatment with the MMQB

By adminJuly 30, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

Chris Johnson was once the most dynamic running back in the NFL. Now, following his move from the Tennessee Titans to the New York Jets, he's hoping cutting-edge medical treatment can help him return to those previous levels of production and extend his career.

Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB reports Johnson underwent stem-cell treatment as part of his recovery from an injury to his left knee. Dr. James Andrews, who's well known for his work with athletes across the sports spectrum, handled the procedure.

The three-time Pro Bowl ball-carrier explained he suffered meniscus damage in Week 3 last season, but he decided to fight through the injury. While he ended up playing in all 16 games, he certainly didn't look like the player Titans fans once knew.

At 28, he's entering a period when most running backs begin to fade due to the cumulative damage after years of absorbing hits and general fatigue. Johnson hopes the treatment can help him avoid that drop-off.

"When I tore my meniscus and played the season out, through the wear and tear, I lost a lot of cartilage," he told Vrentas. "When you put the stem cells in, it might be able to help rebuild that cartilage in your knee. Hopefully, it makes your knee better for even more years."

Vrentas also spoke with Andrews, who states there are still question marks surrounding the benefits of the treatments. Still, he's trying to help the research pick up steam stateside so players won't have to keep going to Europe or elsewhere, making it unclear exactly what they're being provided with.

Ultimately, his hope is combining the stem-cell treatments with normal recovery methods like surgery can further accelerate how quickly athletes get back in the game.

"Instead of taking a year, a year and a half in order to get well, maybe we can cut that down in half," he said. "We have an old saying: 'You can't bargain with Mother Nature.' The biologics, the stem-cell therapy, is the revelation that may change that."

If Johnson can showcase the form that allowed him to rush for more than 2,000 yards en route to being named the AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, perhaps Andrews' wish will begin to take shape.

The returns are promising so far. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News pegged Johnson as one of the standout players early in Jets training camp:

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Chris Johnson Opens Up About Stem Cell Treatment with the MMQB

Lung Institute – Patient Testimonial: Jean H., Houston, TX – Video

By adminJuly 29, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

Lung Institute - Patient Testimonial: Jean H., Houston, TX
Jean H. is a COPD patient that lives in Texas. She has had frequent symptoms of wheezing and coughing since being diagnosed with COPD. After having researched and receiving a stem cell treatment...

By: Lung Institute

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Lung Institute - Patient Testimonial: Jean H., Houston, TX - Video

Brisbane mother dies in Russia

By adminJuly 29, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

Kellie van Meurs, pictured with her husband Mark, died while undergoing stem cell treatment in Russia. Photo: Facebook

Supporters of a Brisbane mother-of-two who died while undergoing a controversial stem cell treatment in Russia say it did not cause her death, nor have others been discouraged from seeking it.

Kellie van Meurs suffered from a rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome, which causes progressive rigidity of the body and chronic pain.

She travelled to Moscow in late June to undergo an autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) under the care of Dr Denis Fedorenko from the National Pirogov Medical Surgical Centre.

Kellie van Meurs, pictured with family and supporters, died while undergoing stem cell treatment in Russia. Photo: Facebook

The transplant more commonly used for multiple sclerosis patients involves rebooting a patients immune system with their own stem cells after high-dose chemotherapy.

Ms van Meurs was Dr Fedorenkos first SPS patient, and her husband Mark said she died of a heart attack on July 19.

I do know that Rosemary [Ms van Meurs' aunt and carer in Moscow] felt she received the best possible care, especially from Dr Fedorenko, he said.

Given her level of constant pain and overlapping auto-neuronal problems I still don't think we had a better option.

Queensland mum dies in Russia