Category Archives: Stem Cell Treatment


After P900K stem cell therapy, PH official feels worse

MANILA - A government official on Thursday said he is no believer in stem cell therapy after undergoing the procedure but getting zero health benefits.

Speaking to radio dzMM, Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Antonio "Bebot" Villar said he was enticed to try out the procedure after hearing from other people about the near-miraculous effect of stem cell therapy.

He noted that even former President Joseph Estrada has attributed his rejuvenated health to stem cells.

"Kasi nababalitaan ko maganda itong stem cell. Ako ay madalas na [masakit] ang buto ko. Siguro nanghihina yung buto ko na at tsaka medyo mahina ang katawan ko kaya sinubukan ko ito," he said.

Villar said he paid 16,000 euros or more than P900,000 to Villamedica for stem cell therapy to cure aches and pains in his bones and general body weakness.

He said he underwent treatment with his wife at Makati Shangri-la hotel, along with at least a dozen others.

"July 9 may schedule na stem cell sa Shangri-la EDSA. Mga dose or kinse kami. Halos buong floor, yun chairman doctor kasama assistants na taga-Thailand," he said.

The DDB chief said he received several injections on the buttocks and ordered to stay in the hotel for a day so doctors could monitor their blood pressure. He said the stem cells were harvested from lambs.

He said that after the treatment, he tried to see if he got stronger but only felt worse.

"Ang lakas ng loob ko at naniniwala ako. Naglakad ako. Abay, sumakit ang mga paa ko. Parang wala itong epekto," he said.

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After P900K stem cell therapy, PH official feels worse

Shockwave Treatment increases the body’s own stem cell production and substantially reduces treatment costs

VIENNA, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

On the occasion of the Congress of the International Society for Medical Shockwave Treatment (ISMST) in Salzburg experts present recent international research findings. They demonstrate that medical shockwave treatment stimulates the organism to produce more of its own stem cells to be used in the self-healing process. "In turn, this leads to the successful healing of wounds which otherwise would not heal or would require sophisticated surgery to heal", explains Rainer Mittermayr, Head of Wound Healing Department at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for experimental and clinical traumatology.

Shockwave treatment has shown impressive results in the healing of bones and wounds. It helps treating severe trauma cases, using non-invasive procedures. Slow and badly healing wounds such as the diabetic foot ulcer, which is responsible for about two thirds of all amputations, can be brought under control within a short period of time. Moreover, shockwave therapy is used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, cellulite and other medical conditions on a successful basis.

However, there is more: shockwaves also stimulate the mobilization of the stem cells to move to the specific location where they are needed and where they are transformed into the cell type required assisting with the healing process. "Comprehensive scientific studies have finally proven what we had already been able to observe in the treatment of thousands of patients with shockwaves here in Austria," says Mittermayr. Shockwaves initiate the formation of new blood vessels to grow into the tissue, and induce the formation of new tissue and, thus, the healing process - new blood flow to the heart muscle, the growth of new bone tissue and the growth of new skin over wounds. "It would be safe to assume that shockwaves will replace conventional stem-cell research within the next five to 10 years," is Mittermayr convinced.

Shockwaves are as effective as surgery. Just cheaper and less painful.

Recently published studies document that shockwaves are as successful as surgical methods in the treatment of non-healing bone fractures. However, this kind of therapy is superior to surgery in terms of rehabilitation: "Patients who received shockwave treatment showed significantly fewer and less severe complications," says Markus Gleitz, orthopedic surgeon and General Secretary of ISMST. Wolfgang Schaden, Head of the Shockwave department at the AUVA Trauma Centre Meidling adds: "The patients in question recover faster and are rehabilitated more quickly. This is much less painful for the patients and they get back on their feet more quickly and, thus, back to work much faster."

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Shockwave Treatment increases the body's own stem cell production and substantially reduces treatment costs

DOH: Solons who died after stem cell therapy were sick

MANILA - Two congressmen who died after undergoing stem cell therapy abroad were already sick before getting treatment, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Ona refused to say if stem cell treatment caused the deaths of congressmen Erico Aumentado and Pedro Romualdo. Both lawmakers died of pneumonia.

"First hindi ko alam yun. Second, ang information that we got: It has nothing to do Ibig sabihin, they were already very sick bago nagpa-so-called stem call, baka sakali," he said in the interview.

On the other hand, the health secretary said clinics or hospitals in the Philippines offering stem cell treatments should be duly licensed by the Department of Health.

Dapat yung mga clinic or mga ospital na gumagawa noon kailangang mayroong license, approved ngayon ng DOH. Kaya iinspekyunin sila," he said.

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte earlier confirmed Aumentado and Romualdo had died after undergoing stem cell treatment in Germany last year. He clarified that it has not been established whether stem cell therapy was the cause of death.

Belmonte said that after having stem cell therapy, the 2 felt rejuvenated and may have exerted themselves during the last election campaign.

Belmonte said Aumentado even started walking around without a cane.

Aumentado's son, Aristotle, earlier said his father had leg thrombosis for which he had to undergo bifemoral bypass and stem cell therapy .

After stem cell therapy, his father started walking without a cane, and sometimes had low-blood sugar. However, he said they forgot to get him stem cell treatment for his father's pneumonia, which he had before the stem cell treatment in Germany last September.

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DOH: Solons who died after stem cell therapy were sick

Giving hope: The promise of stem cell therapy

MANILA - As stem cell treatment begins to gain traction among Filipinos, a surgeon believes the country is now entering a new phase in medicine.

Dr. Levi John Lansangan, one of the founding members of the Philippine Stem Cell Society, said there is much promise in stem cell therapy because of the hope it gives to ailing patients.

"Before it was only physiologic, then it became pathologic, which deals with diseases. Then it became pharmacologic, wherein we give medicine. But now it is regenerative, wherein the body heals by itself," Lansangan told ANC's "Prime Time" on Wednesday.

Stem cell treatment involves harvesting stem cells, processing them, and injecting them back to the body.

Lansangan said the autologous treatment, which harvests stem cells from the patients own system, is the safest type of stem cell procedure.

The procedure may last for up to 4 hours, depending on the patients health. It may cost up to P1.6 million.

Stem cell treatment is believed to have the potential to cure illnesses including diabetes, heart ailments, brain damage such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers, osteoarthritis, stroke, baldness and even sports injuries.

The hardest thing to say to a patient is hopelessness. If you say there is no hope for the disease, it is very unacceptable for the patient. But with stem cell, were giving hope. Not hope in the sense that we are just giving placebo but hope that there is really something into it thats really big, Lansangan said.

But Lansangan warned that there are also risks involved in the process, particularly if stem cells are derived from animals such as rabbits and black sheep.

There are a lot of sources for stem cell. But the only stem cell sources approved by the DOH [Department of Health] come from the bone marrow, fats and blood of the patient itself. We dont recognize xenograph, or from animals. That is where the problem lies, he said.

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Giving hope: The promise of stem cell therapy

International Stem Cell Corporation to Present Data From Its Parkinson’s Disease Program at Society for Neuroscience …

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 27, 2013) - International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com) a California-based biotechnology company developing novel stem cell based therapies, announced today that it will present preliminary data from its IND-enabling study in Parkinson's disease at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego, CA on November 10th 2013.

The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and clinicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. More than 30,000 people are expected to attend the annual meeting, making it one of the largest scientific and medical conferences in the world.

ISCO's Parkinson's disease program uses human parthenogenetic neural stem cells (hPNSC) which are a novel therapeutic cellular product derived from the company's proprietary histocompatible human pluripotent stem cells. hPNSC are self-renewing mulitpotent cells that are precursors for the major cells of the central nervous system. The ability of hPNSC to (i) differentiate into dopaminergic (DA) neurons and (ii) express neurotrophic factors such as glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to protect the nigrostriatal system, offers a new opportunity for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, especially in cases where current small molecule approaches fail to adequately control the symptoms.

About International Stem Cell CorporationInternational Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos.ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available at http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

Forward-looking StatementsStatements pertaining to anticipated developments, the potential benefits of research programs and products, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements.

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International Stem Cell Corporation to Present Data From Its Parkinson's Disease Program at Society for Neuroscience ...

Stem-cell treatment trials give family hope

By Clare Speak

For the Post

Five-year-old Nelly Vadoviov is the first Slovak child to undergo an experimental stem-cell treatment, using stem cells from the umbilical cord blood taken at her birth.

The pioneering treatment is for cerebral palsy and is being conducted during clinical trials at Duke University Hospital in the United States.

Nelly was picked to take part in the trial by the Cord Blood Center (CBC) Group, which coordinates and enables the participation of patients in clinical trials of the treatment as part of a project called Pomocnruka, or Helping Hand.

CBC has centers in six countries including Slovakia and the Czech Republic and works within many Czech maternity hospitals, offering collection and preservation of umbilical cord blood, which are rich in stem cells.

The cells are stored in private banks for future use by the child or relatives. There are high hopes among experts of stem-cell treatment of providing a cure for Cerebral Palsy, among other disorders.

According to CBC, most clinical trials for stem-cell treatment take place outside of Europe, which is why they began their cooperation with the U.S. hospital. So far, some 200 children worldwide have undergone the experimental treatment, most of them from the United States. There have been only a handful of patients from Europe.

"The main purpose of our project is to ensure that umbilical blood will not only be conserved but actively used in healing procedures," said Dr. Miroslav Kube, representing CBC. "Our vision is to secure the widest possible use of stem cells from umbilical blood in accordance with new emerging trends in global medicine care."

More than 150 children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years are involved in the program, and each will receive two injections over two years, one containing cord blood and the other a placebo solution. Nelly had her first injection in May this year, and neither her parents nor her doctors know whether she received the placebo or stem cells this time.

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Stem cell treatment seen as likely cause of three politicians’ deaths

Three politicians from Mindanao had reportedly died after receiving stem cell treatment in Germany, although it was not established yet if the deaths were directly connected to the treatment, the head of the biggest association of doctors in the country said Monday.

According to Leo Olarte of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), the politicians may have died due to "anaphylactic shock" following a hypersensitivity reaction to the stem cells from animals, especially sheep.

Anaphylaxis is a deadly allergic reaction that causes difficulty in breathing and sudden drop in blood pressure.

"Kapag ikaw ay nabigyan ng stem cell galing sa tupa, aatakihin ng katawan 'yan kasi ito ay hindi inherent sa katawan... Magkakaroon ng hypersensitivity reaction na magdudulot ng anaphylactic shock sa pasyente," Olarte said in a phone interview with GMA News Online.

He also cited possible death due to delayed graft function, which is a complication after an organ transplantation.

The politicians, who were not identified as requested by their families, had illnesses in the lungs, heart and liver before the treatment, Olarte said.

However, he was quick to add that it has yet to be proven if the stem cell treatment was the real cause of the three politicians' deaths.

"Ito ay mga hearsay pa lang, he said. Baka naman namatay dahil sa kanilang orihinal na sakit."

He said the families of the deceased are coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police for further investigation.

Treatments in hotels

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Stem cell treatment seen as likely cause of three politicians' deaths

Stem cell treatment new frontier

An Australian-based biomedical company has approached sports scientists and doctors, including those at AFL clubs, spruiking contentious ''frontier'' stem cell treatment to help players recover from injury.

The developmental and largely unproven treatment, banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency if it is performance-enhancing, but approved if it is solely for injury purposes, involves fat cells being taken from a player and processed.

These processed stem cells are then injected into the injured tendon or joint, in the hope it stimulates cartilage growth to ease pain.

But at a time when the Essendon and Melbourne football clubs are under investigation for a supplements scandal, allegedly used in part to fast-track recovery for injured players, an AFL medico and club doctors have told Fairfax Media they remain cautious about stem cell treatment.

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They confirmed the company and treatment was known within AFL circles but some said there was little or no proof that it worked.

There have been reports the company, Regeneus, along with other biomedical companies, are willing to provide free treatment in the hope of using that player's rights to help sell the product. This particular treatment costs $9000 and there is no Medicare rebate.

There have also been concerns from sports doctors about safety and whether treatment would endanger players in the long term, for the stem cells may only mask the pain and not heal the injury itself.

''I am just a little bit sceptical about it at the moment,'' one AFL club doctor said. ''It's available to us, and it's a little more expensive, but we have used a couple of other blood-derived products ourselves.''

Another AFL doctor said: ''I would see it as a frontier area for potential treatments. I don't see it playing a role in performance enhancement. It's a form of injury treatment.''

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Stem cell treatment new frontier

PMA probes politicians’ deaths due to stem cell treatment

MANILA The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) is now investigating the deaths of three politicians who died allegedly after undergoing stem cell treatment in Germany.

While the association refused to divulge identities of the politicians, PMA president Dr. Leo Olarte said the three held notable posts in the country.

"Sila ay nabigyan ng mga stem cell na galing sa tupa, rabbit at mga embryonic stem cell at mga stem cell na galing din sa aborted na mga bata o fetuses. Nagkaroon sila ng kumplikasyon pagbalik dito, he said.

He added: Nagkaroon sila ng late hypersensitivity graft-host reaction. Dito na sila sa Pilipinas namatay."

Olarte said they already approached the families of the victims to get more details but some of them refused to cooperate causing a little delay in the investigation.

Based on the data gathered by the PMA, the three politicians died a year after seeking the treatment in Germany.

Unlike in the Philippines, the PMA said it is allowed to harvest stem cells from animals in European countries like Germany.

Saying that stem cells harvested from animals are dangerous, the PMA urged Filipinos not to fly abroad just to seek stem cell therapy treatment.

Olarte said the country has experts, who are members of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM), competent to perform the treatment in the Philippines.

The PMA and PSSCM have already partnered with the Department of Health, Professional Regulations Commission, National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police to go after those performing the treatment in the country without authority. from a report by Dennis Datu, dzMM

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PMA probes politicians' deaths due to stem cell treatment

Stearns family waits for outcome of stem cell transplant

BLUE MOUND The stress of leukemia treatment weighs heavily not only on Brynn Stearns, but also on her two children.

Before Stearns had a stem cell transplant at Loyola University in Chicago on June 11, her doctors warned of what was likely to happen to her body over the next four months.

She received massive doses of chemotherapy drugs for several days before the transplant to effectively kill her immune system. She is experiencing nausea, diarrhea, mouth sores and hair loss. Medications to reduce those side-effects have their own side-effects such as anxiety, drowsiness, muscle tightness and shakiness.

Im just nervous of the outcome, Stearns said. The chemo and how youre going to be sick.

Now, as the family waits, the effect on Kaydence, 6, and Kolby, 5, is apparent. When the topic turns to their mothers future, the two otherwise active children become quiet and stare blankly.

It plays on the kids, Stearns mother Nancy Piper said. When we talk about it, theyre quiet.

As a single mother, the first concern for Stearns is her children. Theyre the whole reason why Im doing this, she said.

Stearns and her family began her medical journey almost three years ago. In 2010, doctors diagnosed Stearns, then 24, with leukemia during routine gallbladder surgery. Although otherwise healthy, Stearns was required to take chemotherapy pills to put her body into remission. For two years, the pills did their job.

During a routine visit two years later, the doctors found her blood counts had changed. She was no longer in remission. After more blood work and a bone marrow biopsy, Stearns was told she would need a stem cell transplant.

But first a bone marrow donor was needed. Fortunately, a donor was found quickly. Although they will not be allowed to meet the donor for two years, the family learned the donor is a male from the West Coast. Stearns and the family gave his stem cells a name, Milo.

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Stearns family waits for outcome of stem cell transplant