Harmonizing a broken heart: Stem cells keep cardiac beat in synchrony

Sep. 1, 2013 Stem cell therapy used to regenerate injured tissue in the heart restores synchronous pumping, shows research published today [1 September] in The Journal of Physiology. The study proposes a novel strategy of 'biological resynchronisation' in which stem cells repair heart muscle damage to reestablish correct cardiac motion.

Heart attacks limit local oxygen, which can kill areas of cardiac tissue -- called 'infarcted' areas -- and also leave scarring. This damage leads to a lack of synchrony in the heart beat motion.

Current therapies use pacing devices, but these require healthy tissue for optimal outcome, meaning a third of patients do not respond well to this treatment. However, this new approach discovered by a team at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA overcomes this limitation as stem cells actually form functional cardiac tissue and reconstruct heart muscle.

Professor Andre Terzic, who led the study, explains the importance of this potential new therapy: "Heart chambers must beat in synchrony to ensure proper pumping performance. Damage to the heart can generate inconsistent wall motion, leading to life-threatening organ failure.

"The heart is vulnerable to injury due to a limited capacity for self-repair. Current therapies are unable to repair damaged cardiac tissue. This proof-of-principle study provides evidence that a stem cell-based regenerative intervention may prove effective in synchronizing failing hearts, extending the reach of currently available therapies."

Doctor Satsuki Yamada, first author of the study, further explains how the research was carried out:

"Stem cells, with a capacity of generating new heart muscle, were engineered from ordinary tissue. These engineered stem cells were injected into damaged hearts of mice. The impact on cardiac resynchronization was documented using high-resolution imaging."

The observed benefit, in the absence of adverse effects, will need to be validated in additional pre-clinical studies prior to clinical translation.

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Harmonizing a broken heart: Stem cells keep cardiac beat in synchrony

Precision StemCell Reports Encouraging Early Results of Direct Injection of Umbilical Cord Matrix Stem Cells for …

BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Precision StemCell (www.precisionstemcell.com), an outpatient treatment facility in Colombia, has successfully performed a breakthrough stem cell procedure that may soon improve the lives of everyone with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. The new procedure consists of an advanced, image-guided injection of umbilical cord matrix stem cells into the patient's nerve roots at the point where they exit the spinal cord.

"At our center in Colombia, we have been able to test far more advanced procedures than in the US," explained Dr. Jason Williams, a board-certified radiologist and founder of Precision StemCell. "Specifically, we have obtained stem cells from the umbilical cord matrix of donors; these cells share many of the properties of embryonic stem cells, while not raising any ethical questions. After culturing, we have tens of millions of cells to work with, which are then carefully injected into the patient's nerve roots at the base of the spine. We use image guidance to precisely locate the injected stem cells."

Williams continued: "Young, healthy stem cells have enormous restorative potential that we're only beginning to realize. We know, for example, that umbilical cord matrix stem cells produce immune system-boosting substances and growth factors that slow down ALS. The next steps will involve refining the process even further to build on our current positive results. Stem cells almost certainly hold the key to reversing this tragic condition."

American citizen Steve Ladner traveled to Precision's clinic in Colombia to undergo this new treatment. Improvements were notable only a few weeks after the procedure. "I have more strength and more muscle control than I had before the stem cell injection," remarked Ladner. "My voice is stronger and my energy level is much higher; I even rode horses and bikes, things I couldn't have imagined doing before visiting Precision StemCell. This wasn't the first stem cell therapy I had tried, but it's been by far the most effective at easing my symptoms."

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a nearly always fatal disease affecting the motor neurons; symptoms include weakness, muscle loss, twitches and spasms, and eventually difficulty swallowing and breathing. The exact cause of the disease is still unknown, though genetic abnormalities do account for some instances. Treatment is aimed at slowing the progress of the disease and making the patient more comfortable. Precision StemCell is confident that its stem cell therapies represent a new frontier in ALS research and may one day even lead to a cure.

"We have learned that the stem cells of people with ALS are not as viable as those from a healthy person, meaning they do not grow well, if at all. Donor cells have the potential to create much better outcomes, but unfortunately the culturing and altering of stem cells is not allowed in the US, which is why Dr. Williams opened the clinic in Colombia," explained Precision StemCell's Dr. Leonardo Gonzalez. "In addition to this latest treatment option, we're continually exploring other techniques, including new applications for gene therapy. Dr. Williams and I believe we are on the verge of making a great leap forward in the treatment of ALS and similar neurodegenerative diseases."

Beyond ALS, Precision StemCell has expertise treating a whole host of neurodegenerative and autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.

To learn more about the pioneering research of Precision StemCell, please contact info@precisionstemcell.com. Prospective patients can see if they qualify for treatment by completing an online form.

About Precision StemCell

Precision is an image guided surgical center, which uses advanced image guidance to administer stem cells for the treatment of various diseases and injuries. Precision is located in Bogota, Colombia. Drs. Jason Williams and Leonardo Gonzalez are the lead physicians.

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Stem cell work could help to stop arthritis in its tracks

Cambridge News Follow us on

Sunday 1 Sep 2013 3:00 PM

Written byADAM LUKE

A Cambridgeshire clinic has received approval to use adult stem cells to help repair and regenerate damaged tissues and joints.

The Villar Bajwa Practice at the Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital in New Road, Impington, is the first private hospital in the UK to offer the treatment for the hip tackling the early stages of arthritis.

It is also one of only a handful of sites to do the same for the knee, in which stem cells are used to create more cartilage, helping to preserve the natural hip and knee joints and delay or prevent the need for bigger operations such as joint replacements.

The operation costs about 3,800 on the NHS and slightly more privately.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Richard Villar, runs the Impington practice with Ali Bajwa.

He said: One of the Holy Grails of my speciality is to encourage gristle articular cartilage to heal.

Gristle is that shiny, white layer on the end of a bone that most will have seen on a chicken drumstick. In humans, it coats the ball of the hip, and the hip socket but it features in many other joints, too knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, ankles, toes and even fingers.

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Stem cell work could help to stop arthritis in its tracks

ProfNet Experts Available on Artwork Lighting, Stem Cell Transplants, Pediatric Cancer, More

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ProfNet Experts Available on Artwork Lighting, Stem Cell Transplants, Pediatric Cancer, More

Stem cell lab opens

Aug 30, 2013 From wire report

TALLINN - A lab suitable for production and multiplying of stem cells, unique in the Baltic States was opened in the Tehnopolis center in Tallinn on Aug. 16, reports Postimees Online. The new lab includes a so-called clean room corresponding to GMP standards, which guarantees an aseptic environment with a special monitoring and influencing system.

Creators of the lab want to develop it, together with the Cell Treatment Cluster, into a production venue necessary for the development of Estonian and European medicine that is capable of producing cell treatment products corresponding to high quality requirements.

Estonian scientists are expected to post scientific achievements and breakthroughs to the world. The prerequisite for achieving an applied breakthrough is a research-technical base and a lab with clean area that corresponds to the conditions for medicine production, said Biolaborite council member, non-profit organization Cell Treatment founder, cell biologist PhD Toomas Neuman.

Cell treatment is a future field of medicine that enables treatment of a person with stem cells taken from his own body. As a doctor and a surgeon I hope that the new lab provides an opportunity of creating and developing innovative treatment methods for global medicine, said Dr. Andrus Loog from Restorative Surgery Clinic.

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Stem cell lab opens

Rejoinder to the stem cell ‘tempest’

Medical Files By Rafael Castillo M.D. Philippine Daily Inquirer

First of two parts

Last Wednesday, the leaders of close to 30 medical organizations, composed of specialists from various fields, gathered at the office of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) to reassert their recommendations to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (PhilFDA) to regulate stem cell treatment (SCT) in the country.

As we said in a previous column, many local practitioners are jumping the gun and, unfortunately, sprinting in the wrong direction with their unscrupulous administration of stem cells left and right for various medical conditions. Their medical practice has not been established as safe and effective for this experimental treatment.

Some medical colleagues were quoted as saying that these medical organizations that are sounding the alarm dont realize that they are killing this promising treatment of the future. I dont think so. Theyre in fact protecting this potential form of treatment from practices that would compromise the safety of patients on the long term, and give it a bad name.

More local experience

In previous columns, weve encouraged more local experience on stem cell treatment under a research protocolwhich is also one of the strong recommendations of the PCP and other medical organizationsso we could gain expertise on it and contribute to the world literature. Unfortunately to this date, there is only one published case report (a single case) in a peer-reviewed international journal.

It is estimated that for the last five years, at least 3,000 Filipinos were given stem cell treatment locally in the big centers and small stem cell clinics which have sprouted like mushroom in Metro Manila and other key cities in the country. Its difficult to explain why there is no published reportother than the lone case reportof what has happened to all these patients given this experimental treatment.

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Rejoinder to the stem cell ‘tempest’

Belgian technique uses fat cells

Right off the bat, Dr. Ed Santos, oncologist and surgeon who trained in stem cell therapy in Belgium and has been a medical doctor for 30 years, will tell you how old he is. "I'm 60."

Well can he afford to brag, because his skin is clear, rosy and bright, while the rest of him shows a body that is just about to ripen for middle age. In his brand-new StemGenics Center for Age Management and Regenerative Medicine on Eisenhower St. in Greenhills, San Juan, the doctor proudly gives the visitor a tour of the clinic's gleaming equipment and facilities, all because its principal investor, Sunder Hemandas, believes that "SCT is the future of medicine." There's another reason for the pride in the doctor's voice. Unlike some fly-by-night "clinics" operating out of hotel rooms, StemGenics is endorsed by the Department of Health.

The following are excerpts of a conversation with Dr. Santos.

When does someone need stem cell therapy?

There is an increasing demand for the use of stem cells as therapy in oncology, end-organ diseases and regenerative medicine, as well as aesthetic applications. Despite the heightened interest, SCT is not a cure-all treatment. It should be considered when standard of care modalities fail or are inadequate.

Which type of procedure should a patient choose?

There are stem cell types that have been proven to cause complications such as kidney failure, or even death. Embryonic stem cells have been associated with tumor formation. SCT preparations that are permitted (by DOH) for patient use are autologous (your own) adult human stem cells, allogeneic (from another person) human stem cells, human umbilical cord stem cells and human organ-specific cells. DOH does not allow SCT from embryonic, aborted fetal, and genetically altered animal and plant stem cells.

How is your (StemGenics) procedure different?

I work primarily with autologous (from the patient) uncultured fat-derived stromal vascular tradition and its stem cells, where tissue harvest, minimal manipulation techniques, stem cell activation, and delivery are done in a single procedure. The process is completed as an outpatient procedure within a four-to-six-hour time frame.

Using fat as a source of stem cells allows for the treatment to be a single step procedure, as fat is very rich in stem cells. . .In other techniques, harvested tissue such as bone marrow or blood needs to spend time in the lab for expansion, so that it can reach the required number of stem cells needed. Our Belgian technology has been shown to provide about 200 percent more stem cells.

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Belgian technique uses fat cells

Mayo Clinic to Open Stem Cell Laboratory in Phoenix Mayo Clinic to Open Stem Cell Laboratory in Phoenix

Thursday, August 22, 2013

PHOENIX Mayo Clinic in Arizona, with one of the most active bone marrow transplant programs in United States, will open its own stem cell laboratory in summer 2014. The laboratory will be initially dedicated to storing and processing stem cells used for bone marrow transplants at Mayo Clinic Hospital and Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Mayo Clinic is a regional referral center and performs more than 200 adult stem cell transplants each year and approximately 30 pediatric transplants with Phoenix Children's. The program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy and the National Bone Marrow Donor Program.

Stem cell (blood or marrow) transplant is the infusion or injection of healthy stem cells into the body to replace damaged or diseased stem cells. Although the procedure to replenish the body's supply of healthy blood-forming cells is generally called a stem cell transplant, it's also known as a bone marrow transplant, peripheral blood stem cell transplant or an umbilical cord blood transplant, depending on the source of the stem cells. Stem cell transplants can use cells from a person's own body (autologous stem cell transplant), from a donor (allogeneic stem cell transplant) or from an identical twin (syngeneic transplant).

Mayo Clinic's Bone Marrow Transplant program provides consultations, evaluations and treatment for patients who would potentially benefit from a stem cell transplant. Patients who are younger than age 18 are cared for through Mayo Clinic's pediatric program at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

The new 6,200-square-foot lab will be located on the Phoenix campus of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Mayo Clinic physicians say the new lab will help increase capacity, improve turnaround times for processing and provide the potential for research-related activities including regenerative medicine.

###

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com or MayoClinic.org/news.

Journalists can become a member of the Mayo Clinic News Network for the latest health, science and research news and access to video, audio, text and graphic elements that can be downloaded or embedded.

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Mayo Clinic to Open Stem Cell Laboratory in Phoenix Mayo Clinic to Open Stem Cell Laboratory in Phoenix

Mayo Clinic to Open Stem Cell Lab in Phoenix

Released: 8/22/2013 7:00 PM EDT Source Newsroom: Mayo Clinic

Newswise PHOENIX Mayo Clinic in Arizona, with one of the most active bone marrow transplant programs in United States, will open its own stem cell laboratory in summer 2014. The laboratory will be initially dedicated to storing and processing stem cells used for bone marrow transplants at Mayo Clinic Hospital and Phoenix Childrens Hospital.

Mayo Clinic is a regional referral center and performs more than 200 adult stem cell transplants each year and approximately 30 pediatric transplants with Phoenix Childrens. The program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy and the National Bone Marrow Donor Program.

Stem cell (blood or marrow) transplant is the infusion or injection of healthy stem cells into the body to replace damaged or diseased stem cells. Although the procedure to replenish the body's supply of healthy blood-forming cells is generally called a stem cell transplant, it's also known as a bone marrow transplant, peripheral blood stem cell transplant or an umbilical cord blood transplant, depending on the source of the stem cells. Stem cell transplants can use cells from a persons own body (autologous stem cell transplant), from a donor (allogeneic stem cell transplant) or from an identical twin (syngeneic transplant).

Mayo Clinic's Bone Marrow Transplant program provides consultations, evaluations and treatment for patients who would potentially benefit from a stem cell transplant. Patients who are younger than age 18 are cared for through Mayo Clinic's pediatric program at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

The new 6,200-square-foot lab will be located on the Phoenix campus of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Mayo Clinic physicians say the new lab will help increase capacity, improve turnaround times for processing and provide the potential for research-related activities including regenerative medicine. ###

About Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.com and http://www.mayoclinic.org/news.

Journalists can become a member of the Mayo Clinic News Network for the latest health, science and research news and access to video, audio, text and graphic elements that can be downloaded or embedded.

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Mayo Clinic to Open Stem Cell Lab in Phoenix