Lung Center defends DAP-funded stem cell program

PCP: Stem cell therapy untested, expensive, and experimental

MANILA - The Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) defended the P70 million it received as funding from the Disbursement Acceleration Program for a stem cell research project.

LCP Executive Director Jose Luis J. Danguilan admitted receiving P105 million in total allocations from the DAP, which he said was spent wisely. He said P35 million was spent for the LCP's pediatric unit while the rest went to stem cell research.

The stem cell research program was listed as the 15th item in the Department of Budget and Management list. It was named as the LCPs Bio-Regenerative Technology Program.

The project intends to "fund the Bio-Regenerative Program aimed at harnessing stem cell research and technology to reconstruct new healthy cells, replacing cancer or dead cells."

Danguilan said the equipment bought for both the stem cell and pediatric unit programs have other uses.

"To spend the money wisely, it was decided that pieces of equipment needed for the Bioregenerative Program and the Pediatric Unit could also be used by the Department of Pathology and Laboratory, the Department of Thoracic Surgery and Surgery, the Department of Pulmonary Medicine and the Department of Radiology," he said.

He also noted the money was used to purchase equipment and supplies for the LCP Molecular Diagnostics and Cellular Therapeutics Laboratory for research "mainly on dendritic cell vaccine for use in cancer treatment, specifically lung cancer."

"To place things in perspective, the LCP is a tertiary hospital for pulmonary and other chest diseases, and as far as I know, it is the only tertiary pulmonary specialty hospital in the Philippines. As such, it should take the lead, not only in cutting edge treatment but also in advocacies," he added.

On Tuesday, members of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) said the priorities of the government when it comes to funding projects under the DAP seem to be misplaced.

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Lung Center defends DAP-funded stem cell program

Failed stem cell treatment causes nasal growth on woman's spine

A woman who received stem cell treatment for paralysis needed a growth of nasal tissue removed from her spine eight years later.

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We're still learning about stem cells and what they can and can't do, so it's unsurprising that there will be a few strange accidents. One such accident happened to a woman who underwent stem cell treatment for paralysis.

Eight years ago, the anonymous woman, a US citizen, was treated at Hospital de Egas Moniz in Lisbon, Portugal, according to New Scientist. Doctors took stem cells from her nose and implanted them into her spine, hoping that the olfactory cells would develop into neural cells to help repair spinal nerve damage.

The operation was part of an early stage clinical trial exploring the potential of nasal cells in treating paralysis. Other researchers usually remove and isolate the cells, cultivating them in the lab before transplanting them, but the Lisbon team skipped this step and transplanted the cells directly.

The cells did grow -- but they remained olfactory cells, and the woman's pain worsened. Last year, surgeons removed a three-centimetre growth of nasal tissue, bone and nerve branches from the site; but it wasn't causing the pain by itself. The tissue was also producing mucus, which was pressing on her spine.

"It is sobering," Harvard Medical School stem cell researcher George Daley. "It speaks directly to how primitive our state of knowledge is about how cells integrate and divide and expand."

The Lisbon team published a paper in 2010 detailing the effects of the trial on 20 patients. Of those 20 -- out of an estimated 140 given the treatment to date -- eleven experienced improvement in their condition, one patient's condition worsened, one developed meningitis, and four others had minor adverse reactions.

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Failed stem cell treatment causes nasal growth on woman's spine

News Canada

OTTAWA -- She knows he's tall, slender and generous, but she does not know the name of the man who anonymously donated $128,000 so she can receive "life-saving" stem cell treatment in Chicago.

"We just can't believe it. The future is incredible right now," said Stephanie Headley, 47, who uses an oxygen tank due to damaged lungs.

The single mother of four was diagnosed in 2002 with an aggressive form of systemic scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that hardens the skin and organs.

Doctors didn't expect her to survive this long, but she credits a positive outlook and the support from her parents after her marriage fell apart.

Nonetheless, the disease is progressing and Headley was expecting to die sooner than later from heart failure.

Her family launched a fundraising campaign on youcaring.com, titled Please Save Our Mom, two months ago for a stem cell transplant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Headley was stunned when a man delivered a $128,000 bank draft on July 3.

"He's given me my life," said Headley.

"He's saved my kids enormous pain."

She said the man phoned and wanted to stop by with a donation.

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Parkinson's stem cell effort holds fundraiser

Attendees at a fundraiser for Parkinson's patients enjoy food and the setting sun at the home of Jeffrey Strauss, owner of the Pamplemousse Grill. The proceeds help Summit4StemCell.org.

A bold experiment to relieve Parkinson's disease symptoms for many years faces a Nov. 4 deadline to raise a total of $2.5 million. That money will allow the group running the project to get matching funds from California's stem cell agency.

Thanks to the owner/chef of Pamplemousse Grill and a number of donors, the group just took a giant step toward that goal.

The group, Summit4StemCell.org, has been holding events for years to raise money to research the therapy, which will use skin cells from eight patients to form new brain cells. The cells will be implanted in the patients' brains to replace the cells destroyed in Parkinson's that make the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Supporters and some patients have climbed atop Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and to Base Camp at Mt. Everest, as well as holding local fundraisers. That money has advanced the research so it's feasible to try it in the patients. But more money is needed to pay for the treatment and related expenses.

So last week, supporters gathered at the home of Jeffrey Strauss, owner of Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach.

Proceeds from the $500-a-plate dinner brought in nearly $1 million for the project, said Sherrie Gould, an organizer and project sparkplug. Gould, a nurse practitioner at Scripps Clinic, interfaces between the clinical side, led by neurologist Melissa Houser of Scripps Clinic, and the research side, led by Jeanne Loring, a stem cell scientist at The Scripps Research Institute, and Andres Bratt-Leal of the Parkinsons Association of San Diego. The association is the nonprofit under which Summit4StemCell is held.

"Jeffrey is very close to a couple of our patients, and he literally opened up his home to about 130 people, completely provided food, drink, open bar, wine, wait staff, linens..." Gould said.

Counting in-kind donations, the total raised so far is about $1.5 million, meaning that Summit4StemCell needs to raise another $1 million by September, for a total of $2.5 million, Gould said. With that amount, the group can apply for $2.5 million in matching funds from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

"Funding our mission has been at a grass-roots level, philanthropy, and a few minor grants," the project said in a fundraising email. "With over 900 people donating to the project we have been able to successfully biopsy the patients skin and create dopamine-producing neurons from eight of Dr. Houser's PD patients. We are now comparing cell lines with other researchers' lines, characterizing/purifying the cells, and most exciting: testing the neurons from our patients in an animal model of PD."

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Can stem cell treatment reverse heart damage?

In medical school, Gerald Karpman was taught that when it comes to matters of the heart, what's done is done.

"If you survived the heart attack, you survived at the level that you were going to be," he recalls. "Whatever damage was done was permanent."

That thinking has prevailed until very recently, when studies involving a handful of patients showed an infusion of stem cells might help rebuild healthy hearts in heart attack survivors.

On March 7, Karpman joined that perilous club. A dermatologist in Camarillo, California, and a former marathon runner, the 66-year-old had a rigorous routine: eight to 10 miles of walking each day and a meticulous, meatless diet.

But that morning, sitting at his home computer, a pain kicked in.

"Within about 30 seconds, I was in extreme discomfort," recalls Karpman, who says it was worse than the kidney stones he once suffered. "I couldn't sit still. I mean even driving the car (to the hospital), I couldn't put a seat belt on; I'm just moving around, just trying to think of something else."

Karpman made it to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, where doctors used stents to reopen an artery in his heart and save his life.

As he lay recovering, he took in some grim news: Nearly 20 percent of his heart muscle was dead, starved of oxygen. Dead heart tissue leaves a scar, interrupting the coordinated muscle action that makes the heart such an efficient pump.

A standard measure of the heart's pumping ability is the ejection fraction, the percentage of blood in the left ventricle that is pumped out with each heartbeat. A healthy ejection fraction is between 55 and 70, according to the American Heart Association. Karpman's was 30.

Damage as severe as what Karpman suffered carries a high risk of developing heart failure.

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Can stem cell treatment reverse heart damage?

Saved from amputation – how a stem cell gel rebuilt my shattered leg

Clive Randell, 57, injured his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2011 Thanks to a new stem cell procedure, he can now ride his bike again Stem cells taken from the pelvis are blended with gel to 'glue' the bone

By David Gerrie

Published: 16:01 EST, 12 July 2014 | Updated: 02:33 EST, 13 July 2014

A pioneering stem cell procedure to repair fractured bones could provide a lifeline for accident victims facing the amputation of a limb.

The development involves harvesting stem cells master cells that are able to transform into any kind of body tissue from the patients pelvis, blending them with a specially created gel and injecting the solution into the damaged bone.

One patient already benefiting is lifelong motorcycle enthusiast Clive Randell who suffered horrific injuries to his left leg when his Harley-Davidson was rammed by a car in 2011.

On yer bike: Clive Randell, 57, pictured with his 'saviour' Professor Anan Shetty at Kents Canterbury Christ Church University, can now ride his bike again after undergoing the new stem cell procedure

He suffered multiple open fractures, leaving bone protruding through the skin, and extensive skin loss. Doctors repeatedly told him his leg would have to be amputated.

Today, though, Clive, 57, is back on his feet and, astonishingly, also his bike thanks to the ground-breaking stem-cell treatment.

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Saved from amputation - how a stem cell gel rebuilt my shattered leg

Stem Cells May Ease Urinary Incontinence, Study Says

By Maureen Salamon HealthDay Reporter Latest Womens Health News

FRIDAY, July 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For the millions of women who can't cough, sneeze or laugh without losing bladder control, researchers are testing a treatment that uses stem cells to regenerate weakened urethra muscles.

In a small pilot study, European researchers found that injecting stem cells isolated from patients' own fat tissue improved or eliminated stress incontinence in all participants within a year.

Stress incontinence affects about twice as many women as men because of pelvic floor strain from pregnancy and childbirth.

Most women who choose to treat the condition undergo a procedure that inserts surgical mesh between the urethra and vagina to reduce urine leakage, urologists said. But widening controversy over the use of surgical mesh makes the idea of stem cell treatment even more attractive.

"This is an application that makes sense because of the ease of access to the urethra, which isn't a difficult area to inject," said Dr. Timothy Boone, chairman of urology at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, who wasn't involved in the study.

Globally, similar research is under way on the use of stem cells to treat stress incontinence.

However, "a lot of other stem cell therapies are a lot more invasive," Boone added. "It's too soon to tell, but the hope would be that a significant number of women would benefit from this and avoid the possible complications of surgery."

The study is published online in the July issue of the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Stress incontinence occurs when pelvic floor muscles supporting the bladder and urethra become too weak to prevent urine flow when pressure is placed on the abdomen. The problem can range from being a nuisance to highly debilitating.

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Injured Argentine winger Angel Di Maria may be resorting to unproven stem cell therapy

Im not betting on it, but if, by some miracle, Argentine winger Angel Di Maria is on the pitch against Germany Sunday in the 2014 World Cup final, get ready for another explosion of interest in stem cell therapy, a now familiar occurrence every time a famous athlete undergoes the treatment.

Di Maria, who either tore or strained a thigh muscle in Argentinas World Cup win over Belgium, is so determined to play in the final that, according to some reports, he is having the muscle injected with stem cells in the hope of healing by Sunday. (This Associated Press report from Thursday said he was practicing at 60 to 80 percent, so Im guessing were talking about a strain.)

If those reports are true, Di Maria will join a long line of elite athletes who have resorted to the unproven and possibly risky therapy. This kind of stem cell therapy is experimental in every sense of the word, according to the International Society for Stem Cell Research. There also is some evidence that the procedure can promote tumor growth or create an immune response to a patients own cells, or that injected stem cells might migrate to another part of the body.

Never mind. There is soccer to be played!

No one denies that stem cells hold promise as a therapy down the road, perhaps in as little as five or 10 years, says Kevin McCormack, communication director for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. With $3 billion supplied by voters in a 2004 ballot initiative, the organization is funding trials of the use of stem cell therapies for scarring after heart attacks, sickle cell anemia, leukemia and other conditions.

But for now, stem cells are known to be effective only for certain disorders of the blood, immune system and bone marrow. Beyond that, little has been proven, although clinics in the United States and around the world are offering the therapy and raking in bucks from desperate patients.

Di Maria may even see some benefits, McCormack said. In theory, they might [help] because they may have an anti-inflammatory effect or they may stimulate the bodys own natural healing, he said. But the problem is that they havent done any research to prove that.

The stem cells are harvested from a patients bone marrow and sometimes run through a centrifuge to concentrate them. Then they are injected into the damaged tissue.

For athletes, who are always looking for ways to prolong their careers and bounce back from injury, the fad began in 2010, when Major League pitcher Bartolo Colon had a slurry of stem cells that can turn into a variety of tissues injected into his injured elbow and shoulder. Within months, he was throwing 93 mile per hour fastballs for the New York Yankees. Later, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, one of the most famous athletes in the United States, reportedly had stem cell therapy on his injured neck.

McCormack and others express concern that when pro athletes and other celebrities have unproven treatments, it sends the rest of us weekend warriors out in search of the same. Here a good bit of blame goes to us in the media. A 2012 analysis conducted for the journal Molecular Therapyshowed that 72.7 percen of the media coverage of athletes and stem cell therapy didnt address whether the treatment works, and 42 percent referred to alleged benefits. Only 5.7 percent of the stories brought up possible safety issues and risks.

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Injured Argentine winger Angel Di Maria may be resorting to unproven stem cell therapy

Stem Cell Research in New York State | NYSTEM

(Complete report available in pdf format - 1.6 MB)

Executive Summary I. Introduction II. Methodology and Scope III. The Potential of stem cell research and NYSTEM IV. Findings V. Observations and Recommendations from the NY stem cell research community

Directory of Principal Investigators (available in the PDF above) An updated directory of stem cell scientists in New York State is now available.

This report summarizes data obtained from responses to written surveys and structured personal interviews with stem cell scientists in New York State between June and October, 2007. The findings are accompanied by a directory of the scientists interviewed. The objectives of this initial inquiry were threefold: (i) identify institutions and scientists in New York State with ongoing stem cell research programs; (ii) develop an overview of the scope and directions of these researchers' activities and (iii) solicit the views of the stem cell science community in New York regarding the potential scope and mechanisms of funding by NYSTEM. Letters were sent to 42 institutions that were identified through publicly available funding and publication records as having relevant research efforts. Overall, from 28 responding institutions we received feedback from 162 principal investigators (PI) at 23 institutions in time for inclusion in this report. The first interviews took place July 20 and the most recent visit was October 4; in this span of 10 weeks we interviewed investigators from 21 institutions representing all geographic areas of the state.

Importantly, this inquiry identified a strong community of stem cell scientists across the state, as judged by publications and external funding, with diverse interests and expertise, who are well positioned to take immediate advantage of the opportunities that will be provided by NYSTEM. Within the limits of our surveys and interviews, we estimate that more than 200 scientists head laboratories conducting stem cell related research, and that roughly two-thirds of these have a major focus in some aspect of stem cell science. Our survey demonstrated that 52% of PIs have NIH funding. Based on an examination of public databases in 2006, the research scientists have attracted $39.5 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for stem cell research, as well as substantial foundation, industry and other types of support for which no comprehensive figures are available. Based on survey responses, their work has resulted in at least 115 patents and 16 licenses. Moreover, we estimate that approximately 1,000 scientists, trainees and support staff are currently employed in their academic and private laboratories conducting stem cell research. The data provide fuel for the need for traineeships. At present, only 58% of PIs have graduate students working on stem cells. The situation is similar but slightly better with postdocs as 67% of PIs report having a postdoc.

Stem cell research in New York is broad in scope and highly collaborative, as about 80% of the investigators reported at least one collaboration. One objective of our inquiry was to ascertain the scope of this research within New York State and determine if there are dominant themes or specific areas of strength. Based on data from 162 scientists, the largest fractions had a focus on cancer, neural disease or aging. Other major topics included hematopoietic and musculoskeletal disease and diabetes. The data also showed that many investigators are engaged in studies of fundamental aspects of stem cell biology. Of the 162 respondents, nearly half reported that their research significantly concerned basic stem cell biology.

The types and sources of stem cells that researchers use in their studies are diverse. The majority of investigators use rodent or other non-human sources to supply stem cells for their research. However, nearly half of the investigators use stem cells of human origin, most of whom employ non-embryonic derived cells of a variety of types: hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells from marrow and umbilical cord blood, amniotic stem cells, and organ-specific cells derived from skin, cardiac, liver, kidney and other sources. Also included in this list are cancer stem cells. A smaller but still significant fraction of investigators use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in their work, or hold approved protocols and plan to use hESCs in the immediate future. Of 39 investigators, 24 reported using only NIH-approved ("registry") hESC lines and 15 reported using "non-registry" lines. Investigators planning to derive new stem cell lines from embryos deemed non-viable, were included in the "non-registry" hESC group. Several of those involved in hESC work were doing so only through collaborations with investigators at other institutions, and only about half of those using hESCs in their work reported that it represented a large fraction of their effort.

In terms of funding preferences, there was strong, but not universal agreement for the use of an investigator-initiated NIH R01-like grant mechanism that would provide substantial funding to individual laboratories for multiple years. Many also favored an additional mechanism of investigator-initiated funding analogous to the NIH R21 vehicle which encourages higher risk with the promise of greater reward. Many interviewees supported institution-based multi-investigator grants in which several researchers at one institution, or investigators at several institutions, collaborate on complementary aspects of a particular research problem. There was considerable support for individual postdoctoral fellowships or young investigator grants as a mechanism for bringing new talent into the stem cell field. Likewise there was considerable enthusiasm for short -term funding for "sabbaticals" in which investigators could visit another laboratory (inside or outside NYS) to acquire specific training in stem cell science or a field that would benefit particular aspects of stem cell research. In contrast, there was little support for institutional training grants, in which graduate students or postdocs are supported en masse, often to work in assigned labs.

It is clear that the area of hESC research has been constrained by inadequate federal support, and that an important focus of NYSTEM should be to enhance opportunities for hESC studies within appropriate ethical guidelines as established by the Board. Concurrent with this opinion, there was unanimity among these researchers that NYSTEM funding should not be restricted to hESC work, since it is unknown at this time which human stem cell types (embryonic or adult) will be best suited for application to particular diseases. Several investigators involved in translational research noted that there is a major gap in available federal funding for pre-clinical studies that move important findings from animal models to human systems. New York State funding for advanced biotechnology core facilities was identified as important by a number of individuals. In particular, researchers working with non-registry hESC indicated that the duplication of equipment required by current federal funding restrictions was a hardship.

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Stem Cell Research in New York State | NYSTEM

Stem cell heart failure treatment advances

Stem cells grown under low oxygen. These stem cells from Stemedica are licensed to CardioCell.

CardioCell, a San Diego stem cell company, has started a Phase 2a trial of its treatment for chronic heart failure.

The companys special stem cells will be injected into patients with heart failure not caused by a heart attack. Nearly 2 million Americans have that kind of heart failure.

CardioCell is also testing these stem cells on heart attack patients to help their recovery. The cells are licensed from Stemedica, CardioCell's parent company.

Taken from bone marrow, the stem cells produce chemicals intended to heal malfunctioning heart cells. They are grown under low oxygen conditions, or hypoxia. CardioCell says hypoxia reflects the conditions under which natural stem cells exist. Histogen, also of San Diego, is developing its own kind of low-oxygen stem cells.

Growing stem cells with abundant oxygen reduces their "stemness," and they become prone to differentiate, said Sergey Sikora, CardioCell's president and chief executive.

Sergey Sikora, president and CEO of CardioCell / CardioCell

More than 20 patients are being sought to take part in the study, which is taking place at three locations. These are Emory University in Atlanta, Northwestern University in Chicago, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Patients will receive injections of the stem cells, and a control group will receive a saline injection. After 90 days, the groups will be reversed. Patients who had received the stem cells will get a saline injection, and the control group will get the stem cells.

The stem cells last for about a month, after which they disappear, Sikora said.

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Stem cell heart failure treatment advances