Beanie Baby billionaire's stem cell gift

Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner has donated $19,000 to a woman with kidney failure (Jennifer Vasilakos, inset) to pay for a stem cell treatment she hopes will save her life. Source: Supplied

A WOMAN who gave driving directions to a lost traveller ended up with a $US20,000 cheque to pay for life-saving medical treatment.

Jennifer Vasilakos wrote in her blog that she was sitting at her stall by the side of the road in Santa Barbara California, trying to raise money for an operation.

Ms Vasilakos has kidney failure but does not qualify for a transplant because of the removal of a small spot of melanoma from her back last year.

She was seeking donations towards the cost of a stem cell treatment which she hoped could repair her kidneys, but which was not available in the US.

Then one day a stranger rolled up in a nondescript car.

"He was lost and needed directions, Ms Vasilakos blogged. "I often get asked by random strangers for directions. Not one to miss an opportunity, I handed him my flyer and he made a fifty dollar donation. As he drove off, I thought that was the end of our encounter."

But an hour later he came back and introduced himself as Ty Warner, the billionaire founder of the company that made the hit 1990s stuffed toys called Beanie Babies.

He said her "fundraising was done", went back to his office and sent her a cheque for $US20,000 ($19,200), to cover the operation, travel and accommodation.

Ms Vasilakos said the cheque arrived in a cream envelope with a handwritten letter she described as "genuine and heartfelt - the kind of letter you keep forever".

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Beanie Baby billionaire's stem cell gift

The Post published Bristol hospital to carry out world stem cell first

PATIENTS are due to undergo a pioneering stem cell treatment to repair knee cartilage as a world first is trialled at a Bristol hospital.

The "bandage" which uses patients' own stem cells has been developed by a Bristol University spin-out company, Azellon Ltd, and will be implanted in their knee in a procedure at Southmead Hospital.

Professor Anthony Hollander with an appliance used to insert the pioneering stem cell 'bandage' into damaged knee cartilage; left, a close-up of how the knee operation is carried out

Patients with torn meniscal cartilage are now being recruited as part of the study.

In the initial phase ten patients will undergo the procedure.

Researchers have already established in laboratory tests that stem cells can be used to repair tears in cartilage, which is a common sports injury.

Anthony Hollander, who has led the research, was involved in the world's first windpipe transplant in 2008 and has used similar technology to create the stem cell bandage for patients with torn knee cartilage.

Patients who have been diagnosed with torn meniscal cartilage following an MRI scan will have a small operation to take the bone marrow from their hip.

The stem cells taken from the bone marrow will then be sent to the lab to grow them on the membrane, called a bio-scaffold, which forms the basis of the bandage. Two weeks later the bandage would be sent back to Southmead for an arthroscopy operation, using a small camera, to implant the bandage into the site of the injury.

Patients will be advised not to stand for a few weeks after the procedure. They will then be followed up on a regular basis for seven years.

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The Post published Bristol hospital to carry out world stem cell first

Undetectable stem cell treatment could be the wave of the performance-enhancement future

It was a good week for the drug police. Lance Armstrong dropped his fight against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and Oakland Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon was banned 50 games by Major League Baseball for a positive testosterone test.

Bartolo Coln credits stem cell treatment for his return to Major League Baseball. (Getty)The enforcers should enjoy this moment while it lasts, because sports science is on the precipice of a potentially new era of performance enhancement: stem cell therapy, which could soon make testosterone injections as ancient as the typewriter and press enforcement agencies like USADA to play catch up once again.

"Sports medicine will definitely see a revolution in the next 10 to 50 years," says Allston Stubbs, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Health. "We'll go from traditional scalpel surgery to biologic surgery. Now we operate with a knife, but we'll move to cells or growth factors."

This is both thrilling and daunting in the performance-enhancement realm, because stem cell therapy is potentially both an avenue to better performance and a doorway to undetectable enhancement.

Colon is an example of how both, if the science advances as some in the field of stem cell research believe it will, are inevitable.

First, a short primer: Stem cell therapy is where fat and/or bone marrow (both of which contain stem cells) are drawn from the body. The stem cells are then separated out from the extracted fluid and re-injected into an injured area (i.e. Colon's elbow) to help stimulate the re-growth of healthy tissue.

In 2010, Colon underwent stem cell therapy for his injured elbow and shoulder. He credited the procedure for saving his career. And even more recently, Peyton Manning reportedly traveled to Germany for a stem cell procedure on his injured neck. He's gone from the brink of retirement to the new starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

Certain stem cell treatments are allowed in the Unites States (usage of embryonic stem cells is not legal in the U.S.). But the science here in the States is far behind the rest of the world, which has been dabbling in stem cell therapy for years. For this reason, athletes tend to travel abroad. Colon, 38, was one of them.

[Related: Bartolo Colon suspended 50 games for testing positive for synthetic testosterone]

But there was a murky side to the story: Colon worked with a Florida-based doctor named Joseph R. Purita, who told the New York Times he has used Human Growth Hormone (banned by Major League Baseball) for the procedure in the past. Purita insisted to the Times he did not use HGH in Colon's procedure, which was conducted in the Dominican Republic. MLB investigators questioned Purita, but nothing came of it.

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Undetectable stem cell treatment could be the wave of the performance-enhancement future

BIOTECH: Fate Therapeutics raises $9.2M for stem cell treatments

LA JOLLA ---- Fate Therapeutics Inc., a company developing stem-cell treatments, has raised $9.2 million in equity. The disclosure was made Tuesday ina regulatory filingwith the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Fate's technology uses chemicals calledstem-cell modulators that guide the path, or "fate" of non-embryonic stem cells as they mature. Left to themselves, stem cells grow unpredictably. So methods to increase the efficiency of "reprogramming" the cells into the desired kind are much in demand.

The company's most advanced treatment, ProHema, guides development of hematopoietic, or blood-forming stem cells. It's in clinical trials for blood cancer patients who are getting stem-cell transplants.

Fate has attracted notable executive and scientific talent. Biotech and venture capital veteran William Rastetter serves as chairman and interim CEO. Scientific founders include stem-cell pioneers Sheng Ding of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiac Disease, formerly of The Scripps Research Institute, and Rudolf Jaenischof the Whitehead Institute.

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BIOTECH: Fate Therapeutics raises $9.2M for stem cell treatments

Italian court OKs stem cell cure for toddler

(AP) MILAN - Doctors are preparing an emergency one-off stem cell treatment for 2-year-old Venetian girl suffering a severe muscular disease after a judge revoked an order blocking the cure.

Brescia hospital officials said Thursday the treatment for Celeste Carrer would begin within days. Carrer suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, which has a life expectancy of about two years. Her family reported marked improvement after beginning the experimental treatment this winter.

But the stem cell lab was shut down in May after Italy's drug agency determined it was not hygienic and had violated procedures. A judge in Venice has allowed one treatment pending a final ruling, expected next week, on the family's appeal.

Besides reactivating the lab, doctors must determine if the stem cells from the girl's mother remain viable.

Stem cells in tumors may fuel cancer regrowth, new studies suggest Timothy Ray Brown, man thought to be first "cured" of AIDS, says he's still cured 10-year-old girl gets new vein made from her own stem cells in medical first

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Italian court OKs stem cell cure for toddler

Stem cell research may have application to treat autism

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Rydr Rudgers suffers from cerebral palsy. He couldnt move or talk before a cord blood stem cell treatment undertaken during a Duke University study.

His doctor, Michael Chez, M.D. is medical director of Pediatric Neurology at Sutter Neuroscience Institute. He is now heading up the first stem cell clinical trial on autism and hopes for similar results.

Dr. Chez says autism shares some of the same symptoms as cerebral palsy and that there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that using cord blood stem cells from the patients own umbilical cord can regenerate brain cells. The study which will employ placebos will determine scientifically whether such treatments make improvements in young autism patients.

Sutter Neuroscience Institute got FDA approval for the landmark study and will enroll 30 kids with autism age 2 to 7 to receive injections of their own stem cells. Most parents are given the option of saving their childrens ubilical cords after birth.

Elisa Rudgers is glas she did. Now four years old, Rydr is walking, talking and eating on his own. That wasnt possible without three stem cell therapy injections over several years. After each injection he made a marked improvement in motor skills.

Its amazing from where he started and we believe it has t do with the cord blood and all therapy hes gone thorugh since birth, said Rudgers.

Dr. Chez says such therapy is much safer than using randomly donated stem cells and has the potential to evolve into an effective autism treatment. Autism now strikes one in every 88 children born in the Unitied States, one in every 52 boys who are born.

Chez says its not known exactly how stem cells regenerate brain cell functions and that eventually a smaller portion of the stem material will be injected to fight the symtoms of autism.

Probably this will be looked back on as a crude first step but if we see progress it will lead to more progress, said Chez.

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Stem cell research may have application to treat autism

Stem Cell Study to Enroll 30 Autistic Children

Lonnie Wong FOX40 News

1:53 p.m. PDT, August 21, 2012

SACRAMENTO

Rydr Rudgers suffers from cerebral palsy. He couldnt move or talk before a cord blood stem cell treatment undertaken during a Duke University study.

His doctor, Michael Chez, M.D. is medical director of Pediatric Neurology at Sutter Neuroscience Institute. He is now heading up the first stem cell clinical trial on autism and hopes for similar results.

Dr. Chez says autism shares some of the same symptoms as cerebral palsy and that there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that using cord blood stem cells from the patients' own umbilical cord can regenerate brain cells. The study which will employ placebos will determine scientifically whether such treatments make improvements in young autism patients.

Sutter Neuroscience Institute got FDA approval for the landmark study and will enroll 30 kids with autism age 2 to 7 to receive injections of their own stem cells. Most parents are given the option of saving their childrens' ubilical cords after birth.

Elisa Rudgers is glas she did. Now four years old, Rydr is walking, talking and eating on his own. That wasn't possible without three stem cell therapy injections over several years. After each injection he made a marked improvement in motor skills.

"It's amazing from where he started and we believe it has t do with the cord blood and all therapy he's gone thorugh since birth," said Rudgers.

Dr. Chez says such therapy is much safer than using randomly donated stem cells and has the potential to evolve into an effective autism treatment. Autism now strikes one in every 88 children born in the Unitied States, one in every 52 boys who are born.

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Stem Cell Study to Enroll 30 Autistic Children

Doctors to study newborn stem cells as treatment for autism

SACRAMENTO, CA - At 4-years-old Rydr Rudgers is able to eat, speak, and walk --all thingshis family wasn't sure he'd ever do after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant.

"He was born without any brain stem functions; no sucking, no swallowing, no breathing," said Rydr's mother Elisa.

When Rydr was 15-months-old, he began stem cell infusions from his cord blood that was saved in a stem cell bank.Rydris making great progress after three infusionsand can even feed himself.

"These are like huge milestones that people don't think about, but actually being able to hold a fork and eat a sandwich is, in our world, an unanticipated milestone and it's amazing," Elisa Rudgers explained.

"Like autism, cerebral palsy or brain injuries of that nature are a diffused population, it's not one cause,"said Dr. Michael Chez, who is the Medical Director of Pediatric Neurology at the Sutter Neuroscience Institute.

Doctors at the Sutter Neuroscience Institute are now beginning research to evaluate cord blood stem cells to help improve language and behavior in autism patients.

The announcement was made on Tuesday morning at Sutter Medical Plaza.It's the first FDA-approved clinical trial that uses a newborn's stem cells from cord blood to treat autism patients.

Doctors will infuse umbilical cord stem cells into the bloodstreams of 30 children diagnosed with autism.

"We feel it will offer a safe and effective answer to the question of whether the cord blood is an effective intervention as a way to introduce stem cell therapy for autism," Chez said.

Autism impacts one in 88 children and one in 54 boys. According to Sutter doctors, a newborn's umbilical cord blood contains a unique population of stem cells that have been used for more than 20 years in medical practice.

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Doctors to study newborn stem cells as treatment for autism

CSU vets seeking cats with chronic kidney disease

Colorado State University veterinarians are looking for cats with chronic kidney disease to participate in a clinical trial involving stem cell therapy.

Felines with chronic kidney disease may benefit from the clinical trial. Kidney disease, or renal failure, is a highly common ailment particularly in older cats.

Currently, other than kidney transplantation, only supportive care home treatments are available to try and slow the progression of the disease. Recent studies have shown that stem cell therapy has the potential to improve kidney function in rodents with kidney failure. In laboratories, stem cells improve renal function, decrease inflammation and scarring in the kidney and improve levels of excess protein in the urine.

What the study involves: Stem cells that have been grown from the fat of young healthy specific-pathogen free cats (the cats are not harmed during the collection process) will be slowly injected intravenously every two weeks for three treatments. A small group of cats will receive a placebo treatment during the trial, but have the option to receive stem cell treatment after finishing the trial. The study involves a minimum of five visits to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, so cats that are stressed or become agitated during veterinary visits, or are not local to the CSU area, are not ideal candidates.

Cats with stable chronic kidney disease can participate in the stem cell study. Those with other illnesses or heart disease, kidney infection, stones or other renal complications cannot be enrolled in the study.

All visits, lab work, stem cell treatments and a $200 stipend for the owner's expenses are funded by CSU's Frankie's Fund for Feline Stem Cell Research and the Morris Animal Foundation.

For more information about enrolling a cat in this study, contact Dr. Jessica Quimby at jquimby@colostate.edu.

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CSU vets seeking cats with chronic kidney disease

Autism and Cord Blood Stem Cells: FDA Gives Green Light for Groundbreaking Clinical Trial

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug.21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sutter Neuroscience Institute, a recognized Center of Excellence, and CBR (Cord Blood Registry), the world's largest stem cell bank, are launching the first FDA-approved clinical trial to assess the use of a child's own cord blood stem cells to treat select patients with autism. This first-of-its-kind placebo controlled study will evaluate the ability of an infusion of cord blood stem cells to help improve language and behavior. The study is in conjunction with the Sutter Institute for Medical Research.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/57707-cord-blood-registry-stem-cell-trials-child-autism

(Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120821/MM59477)

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum disorders impact one in 88 children in the U.S., and one in 54 boys.1 The condition is thought to have multiple risk factors including genetic, environmental and immunological components.

"This is the start of a new age of research in stem cell therapies for chronic diseases such as autism, and a natural step to determine whether patients receive some benefit from an infusion of their own cord blood stem cells," said Michael Chez, M.D., director of Pediatric Neurology with the Sutter Neuroscience and principal study investigator. "I will focus on a select portion of children diagnosed with autism who have no obvious cause for the condition, such as known genetic syndromes or brain injury."

The study will enroll 30 children between the ages of two and seven, with a diagnosis of autism who meet the inclusion criteria for the study. Enrolled participants will receive two infusionsone of the child's own cord blood stem cells and one of a placeboover the course of 13 months. Both the participants and the lead investigators will be blinded from knowing the content of each infusion. To ensure the highest quality and consistency in cord blood stem cell processing, storage and release for infusion, CBR is the only family stem cell bank providing units from clients for the study.

For information on study, visit http://www.cordblood.com/autism.

Study Rationale

A newborn's umbilical cord blood contains a unique population of stem cells that have been used for more than 20 years in medical practice to treat certain cancers, blood diseases and immune disorders. When patients undergo a stem cell transplant for these conditions, the stem cells effectively rebuild the blood and immune systems.

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Autism and Cord Blood Stem Cells: FDA Gives Green Light for Groundbreaking Clinical Trial