Non-white patients suffer from lack of marrow, stem cell donors

There are concerns a dramatic shortage of stem cell and bone marrow donors from non-Caucasian ethnic groups is putting lives in jeopardy.

And experts are trying to fix the problem by tackling the biggest issue lack of awareness.

For Angela Yee Hamshaw, news of her sister's leukemia diagnosis was devastating.

Doctors could not find a bone marrow match in the family for 37-year-old Audrey Popowich. So as here chemotherapy began, so too did the search for a donor.

But because of her Chinese heritage, Popowich was warned that finding a match could prove extremely difficult.

"It can be very difficult. Within specific ethnic groups we do struggle to find donors, said Cassandra DeLuca, a coordinator with Canadian Blood Services.

About 75 per cent of the 330,000 registered Canadian donors are Caucasian. Chinese Canadians make up about six per cent, while South Asian donors account for less than three per cent of the supply.

"It comes from general awareness. Within certain communities there is more awareness than others, DeLuca said.

The huge gap is frustrating, said Dr. Mona Shafey, who works at the Alberta Bone Marrow Transplant program.

They're facing life and death here, she said.

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Non-white patients suffer from lack of marrow, stem cell donors

Stroke patients show signs of recovery in stem cell treatment trial

The studies so far have not been able to rule out completely the possibility that the patients benefited from the placebo effect of receiving close medical attention.

However, Prof Muir told the BBC: "It seems odd that it should all just be chance and a placebo effect. We are seeing things that are interesting and somewhat surprising.

He added: "My expectation had been that we would see very little change and if we did see change it would be a relatively short-lived temporary change. [But] we have seen changes that have been maintained over time.

The patients in the study, which took place at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital, were aged in their 60s, 70s and 80s, and all had suffered their stroke between six months and five years earlier.

Frank Marsh, 80, a retired teacher, was once a keen piano player, but a stroke five years ago left him with poor strength and co-ordination in his left hand.

Describing the improvement he experienced after receiving the stem cell treatment, he told the BBC: "I can grip certain things that I never gripped before, like the hand rail at the baths, with my left hand as well as my right.

"It still feels fairly weak and it's still a wee bit difficult to co-ordinate but it's much better than it was."

He added: "I'd like to get back to my piano. I'd like to walk a bit steadier and further."

The small-scale study, whose results will be presented to the European Stroke Conference in London tomorrow, is the worlds first clinical trial examining the safety of neural stem cell treatment in stroke patients.

The first phase of the research was carried out to check that the procedure is safe. Now Prof Muir and his team are planning a larger phase two trial later this year to explore further how effective the treatment is.

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Stroke patients show signs of recovery in stem cell treatment trial

Stroke stem-cell trial shows promise

27 May 2013 Last updated at 00:01 ET By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent, BBC News

Five seriously disabled stroke patients have shown small signs of recovery following the injection of stem cells into their brain.

Prof Keith Muir, of Glasgow University, who is treating them, says he is "surprised" by the mild to moderate improvements in the five patients.

He stresses it is too soon to tell whether the effect is due to the treatment they are receiving.

The results will be presented at the European Stroke Conference in London.

BBC News has had the first exclusive interview with one of the patients involved.

They are taking part in a small clinical trial involving nine patients in their 60s, 70s and 80s at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital to assess the safety of the procedure which involves injecting stem cells into the damaged brain part.

It is one of the first trials in the world to test the use of stem cells in patients.

Results to be presented on Tuesday show that there have been no adverse effects on the patients so far and there have been improvements to more than half participating in the trial.

However, at this stage it is not possible to say whether the improvements are due to the close medical attention the patients are receiving. It is well documented that the feeling of wellbeing resulting from such attention, known as the placebo effect, can have a positive effect on people's health.

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Stroke stem-cell trial shows promise

PH gov't warns public vs stem cell therapies in hotels, other non-health facilities

By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com May 26, 2013 7:15 PM

Reuters file photo of stem cell therapy

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH)'s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against undergoing stem cell therapy in non-health facilities.

The FDA issued the warning after it received complaints that stem cell therapies were being done in hotel rooms.

It has also advised the public to consult only with duly-licensed medical practitioners who practice stem cell therapy in DOH-approved health establishments

The agency has also warned the public "against receiving stem cell preparations and therapies without prior regulatory applications and approval" from the FDA and the DOH.

The following stem cell preparations require government approval, according to the FDA:

An advisory from the FDA-DOH states that the agencies do not allow the creation, importation, promotion, marketing and use of human embryos, human embryonic stem cells and their derivatives, aborted human fetal stem cells and their derivatives for human treatment and research, as well as plant parts labeled as stem cells.

Patients who receive stem cell preparation without prior FDA-DOH approval run the risk of contracting infectious diseases and severe complications which may lead to permanent disabilities, physical deformities, serious iatrogenic harm, autoimmune diseases and worst death, and without the benefit of health insurance coverage.

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PH gov't warns public vs stem cell therapies in hotels, other non-health facilities

Teens tries to raise $30,000 for stem cell treatment

BRADENTON --

Friends, family and others came to a carnival fundraiser on Manatee Avenue Saturday afternoon to help a 14-year-old Lupus patient raise $30,000 for stem cell treatment.

Moriah Goode suffers from the autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia.

She spoke at the event to give a heartfelt thanks to all who participated.

"Thank you for caring about me and loving me so much enough to help me and try to raise money. You are amazing, all of you," she said.

The carnival included music, rides, games and food.

It gave Moriah a chance to have fun with her friends, a rare treat due to her illnesses.

Moriah's stem cell treatment is not covered by her insurance plan.

"I'm terrified because some days my back goes numb and sometimes my whole body goes numb and my hands shake and I have tremors and I can't do anything to control it," she said.

As of Saturday afternoon, she raised $5,400 towards her goal.

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Teens tries to raise $30,000 for stem cell treatment

Doctors claim cerebral palsy 'cure'

Research into stem cell treatments has shown promising progress Photograph: Getty Images

Medics in Germany said they have successfully treated a child with cerebral palsy for the first time.

Just weeks after being given an intravenous stem cell treatment from umbilical cord blood, the symptoms of a boy who had been left in a vegetative state after a heart attack improved considerably and within months he could talk and move.

The doctors who carried out the treatment said the results of the treatment dispel "long-held doubts" surrounding the effectiveness of stem cell therapy.

After going into cardiac arrest in November 2008, the two-year-old boy, known only as LB, was left paralysed with severe brain damage and in a vegetative state. Doctors warned his parents that his chances of survival were minimal.

Until now, there has been no treatment for the cause of what is known as infantile cerebral palsy.

Dr Arne Jensen of the Campus Clinic Gynaecology in Bochum, who carried out the new treatment, said: "In their desperate situation, the parents searched the literature for alternative therapies. They contacted us and asked about the possibilities of using their son's cord blood, frozen at his birth."

Nine weeks after the brain damage, on January 27, 2009, the doctors administered the prepared blood intravenously.

They studied the progress of recovery at two, five, 12, 24, 30 and 40 months after his brain injury.

Usually, the chances of survival after such severe brain damage and more than 25 minutes of resuscitation are just 6%.

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Doctors claim cerebral palsy 'cure'

Foolhardy expectations from stem cell products

Medical Files By Rafael Castillo Philippine Daily Inquirer

I have received a couple of queries regarding capsules or drink solutions which are supposed to boost the number of stem cells in the body and these could assist in cellular renewal or rejuvenation. I understand these are being marketed locally by direct sellers who are part of multilevel networking companies.

These stem-cell-enhancing preparations come from blue-green algae sources, which as far back as I can remember, have been promoted to be a panacea for all sorts of illnesses. Apparently the claim that it can boost stem cell production or its release from the bone marrow puts a scientific basis to it, which is attuned with the times since stem cell treatment is now the exciting buzz word.

I last reviewed the scientific literature on stem cell treatment earlier this year when I was requested to give a lecture partly discussing the effects of adult stem cells on the cardiovascular system. I remember coming across some articles on the potential role of blue-green algae in enhancing stem cell production but most of these studies were done either on mice and other experimental animals or in tissue cultures in the laboratory. Theres still a long way between any positive results noted in these experiments to actual clinical benefits that can be extrapolated in humans.

Time and again we hear of and read so many clinical trials showing a negative effect of a drug in humans when all its preclinical trials in experimental animals and small trials in few healthy human volunteers showed beneficial results with no evidence of harm or toxicity.

First do no harm

In the practice of medicine, a cardinal rule is First do no harm. There is still an unresolved issue about the potential toxicity of some blue-green algae preparations. Some products have been shown to contain a significant amount of toxins which can potentially cause liver failure. I cant remember the number of cases of liver toxicity reported for which blue-green algae has been implicated.

If theres smoke, there might be fire. Unless the smoke really clears and the potential harm and toxicity by blue-green algae are ruled out, it would probably be not good advice to take it.

I have nothing against natural dietary supplements so long as theres no reason to worry about any potential harm, and the reported benefits have scientific basis. When patients show me all sorts of supplements and ask if they could take them, I usually tell them to go ahead unless theres reasonable doubt about the products safety. In fact, I take and prescribe a few tried-and-tested supplements myself.

It cant be overemphasized and I think its worth reiterating that there are still a lot of unanswered questions in stem cell science, and exploiting it for commercial reasons is doing the consumers a lot of disservice. Telling them only half of the story, insofar as the effectiveness and safety of the product is concerned, is also being quite deceptive.

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Foolhardy expectations from stem cell products

BioTime Announces Results of Vote at Special Meeting of Shareholders

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) today announced that at a Special Meeting held on May 21, 2013, its shareholders approved the proposals related to the planned acquisition of stem cell related assets from Geron Corporation by BioTimes subsidiary Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asterias). Each of the proposals received at least 32,459,164 votes in favor from the 34,450,307 shares that were represented and voted, in person or by proxy, at the meeting. Additional information concerning the proposals approved at the Special Meeting and the vote totals can be found in a Form 8-K that BioTime has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Approvals of the Share Issuance Proposal and the Articles Amendment Proposal were necessary for the acquisition of stem cell related assets from Geron Corporation under the Asset Contribution Agreement, as the approval of those proposals satisfies one of the conditions required to be met in order to complete the asset contribution transaction.

About BioTime, Inc.

BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is enhanced through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of application. BioTime develops and markets research products in the fields of stem cells and regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary PureStem cell lines, HyStem hydrogels, culture media, and differentiation kits. BioTime is developing Renevia (formerly known as HyStem-Rx), a biocompatible, implantable hyaluronan and collagen-based matrix for cell delivery in human clinical applications. BioTime's therapeutic product development strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. BioTime's subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer, including the diagnostic product PanC-Dx currently being developed for the detection of cancer in blood samples. ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. is developing applications of BioTime's proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells to treat cardiovascular and blood cell diseases. BioTime's subsidiary LifeMap Sciences, Inc. markets GeneCards, the leading human gene database, as part of an integrated database suite that also includes the LifeMap Discovery database of embryonic development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine, and MalaCards, the human disease database. LifeMap Sciences also markets BioTime research products and PanDaTox, an innovative, recently developed, searchable database that can aid in the discovery of new antibiotics and biotechnologically beneficial products. Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a new subsidiary being used to acquire the stem cell assets of Geron Corporation, including patents and other intellectual property, biological materials, reagents and equipment for the development of new therapeutic products for regenerative medicine. BioTime's lead product, Hextend, is a blood plasma volume expander manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Hospira, Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corporation under exclusive licensing agreements. Additional information about BioTime can be found on the web at http://www.biotimeinc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for BioTime 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, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, 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 business of BioTime and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in BioTime's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. BioTime disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

To receive ongoing BioTime corporate communications, please click on the following link to join our email alert list: http://news.biotimeinc.com

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BioTime Announces Results of Vote at Special Meeting of Shareholders

Stem cell therapies sans FDA OK illegal

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public and tourists against getting stem cell therapies in the country without its approval.

FDA acting Director General Kenneth Hartigan-Go issued the advisory after it received complaints from the public and health professionals that stem cell therapies are conducted in non-health facilities, such as hotel rooms. He cautioned people from receiving stem cell preparations and therapies that were not approved by the FDA. Go said the following stem cell preparations require FDA approval: genetically altered human adult and umbilical cord stem cells; adipose or fat cells derived human stem cell; human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products that are subjected to genetic manipulation; and live animal embryonic, fetal, or adult stem cells in parental form for human administration. The FDA said it does not allow the creation, importation, promotion, marketing and use of human embryos, human embryonic stem cells and their derivatives, aborted human fetal stem cells and their derivatives for human treatment and research, as well as plant parts labeled as stem cells. (Jonathan Hicap)

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Stem cell therapies sans FDA OK illegal

Risks of cerebral palsy stem cell treatment

An expert panel of scientists and clinicians is warning people against going overseas for costly and unproven stem cell treatment for cerebral palsy.

A forum held in Sydney last night heard from leading researchers in the field and a parent who sought treatment in the United States for his young son.

The Cerebral Palsy Alliance estimates as many as 500 Australians have sought stem cell therapies overseas.

But the alliance last night urged families to hold out for the possibility that Australia will undertake its own clinical trials of the treatment as early as this year.

"We're very worried about families travelling overseas for treatment," Associate Professor Iona Novak, from the alliance, said.

"A lot of these stem cell tourism companies don't even describe what type of cells they're giving, so first we don't even know if they're human cells... so, of course, it is a very risky procedure.

"There has been a couple of cases internationally of children actually dying from these treatments."

The alliance estimates a child in Australia is born with cerebral palsy every 15 hours, making it the most common disability in childhood.

The condition is caused by damage to the child's brain during pregnancy, birth or soon after.

It often leads to seizures, blindness, hearing loss and slower developmental growth.

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Risks of cerebral palsy stem cell treatment