Stem Cell Clinic

This Study Could Help Extend the Human Lifespan – Futurism

By Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

In BriefResearchers have identified a single gene deletion in E. colibacteria that influence longevity in C. elegans worms. This pointsto the role of gut bacteria in life extension and points to thepossibility of a life-extending probiotic in the future.

Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine have found the key to longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) worms and maybe, someday, humans. The team noticed that genetically identical worms would occasionally live for much longer, and looked to their gut bacteria to find the answer. They discovered that a strain of E. coli with a single gene deletion might be the reason that its hosts lives were being significantly extended.

This study is one among a number of projects that focus on the influence of the microbiome the community of microbes which share the body of the host organism on longevity. Ultimately, the goal of this kind of research is to develop probiotics that could extend human life. Ive always studied the molecular genetics of aging, Meng Wang, one of the researchers who conducted the study, told The Atlantic. But before, we always looked at the host. This is my first attempt to understand the bacterias side.

Even in cases like this, where it seems fairly obvious that the microbiome is influencing longevity, parsing out the details of how and why this happens among a tremendous variety of chemicals and microbe species is extremely complex. The team, in this case, was successful because they simplified the question and focused on a single relationship.

Genetically engineering bacteria to support and improve human health and even to slow aging and turning it into a usable, life-extending probiotic wont be easy. It is extremely difficult to make bacteria colonize the gut in a stable manner, which is a primary challenge in this field. The team, in this case, is looking to the microbiome, because the organisms used would be relatively safe to use because they would originate in the gut.

Clearly, researchers dont know yet whether these discoveries will be able to be applied to people, though it seems promising. Despite the obvious differences between the tiny C. elegans worm and us, its biology is surprisingly similar; many treatments that work well in mice and primates also work in the worm. The team will begin experiments along these same lines with mice soon.

Other interesting and recent research hoping to stop or slow the march of time includes work with induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, antioxidants that target the mitochondria, and even somewhat strangework with cord blood. It seems very likely that we wont have a single solution offering immortality anytime soon, but instead a range of treatment options that help to incrementally hold back time. And, with an improving quality of life, this kind of life extension sounds promising.

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This Study Could Help Extend the Human Lifespan - Futurism

Private clinics’ peddling of unproven stem cell treatments is unsafe and unethical – Medical Xpress

By Stem Cell Clinics

July 7, 2017 by Megan Munsie And John Rasko, The Conversation Stem cells have saved thousands of lives thanks to their applications in cancer treatments. Many other uses peddled by private clinics are without evidence. Credit: http://www.shutterstock.com

Stem cell science is an area of medical research that continues to offer great promise. But as this week's paper in Science Translational Medicine highlights, a growing number of clinics around the globe, including in Australia, are exploiting regulatory gaps to sell so-called stem cell treatments without evidence that what they offer is effective or even safe.

Such unregulated direct-to-consumer advertising typically of cells obtained using liposuction-like methods not only places the health of individuals at risk, but could also undermine the legitimate development of stem cell-based therapies.

Many academic societies and professional medical organisations have raised concerns about these futile and often expensive cell therapies. Despite this, national regulators have typically been slow or ineffective in curtailing them.

As well as tighter regulations here, international regulators such as the World Health Organisation and the International Council on Harmonisation need to move on ensuring patients desperate for cures aren't sold treatments with limited efficacy and unknown safety.

So what's on offer?

Hundreds of stem cell clinics post online claims that they have been able to treat patients suffering from a wide range of conditions. These include osteoarthritis, pain, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and infertility. The websites are high on rhetoric of science often using various accreditation, awards and other tokens to imply legitimacy but low on proof that they work.

Rather than producing independently verified results, these clinics rely on patient testimonials or unsubstantiated claims of "improvement". In so doing these shonky clinics understate the risks to patient health associated with these unproven stem cell-based interventions.

Properly administered informed consent is often overlooked or ignored, so patients can be misled about the likelihood of success. In addition to heavy financial burdens imposed on patients and their families, there is often an "opportunity cost" because the time wasted in receiving futile stem cells diverts patients away from proven medicines.

The many recent reports of adverse outcomes demonstrate the risks of receiving unproven cell therapies are not trivial. In the USA three women were blinded following experimental "stem cell" treatment for macular degeneration (a degenerative eye disease that can cause blindness). One man was rendered a quadriplegic following a stem cell intervention for stroke. And a woman whose family sought treatment for her dementia died in Australia.

Other notorious cases involving the deaths of patients include the German government shutting down the X-Cell Centre and the Italian government closing the Stamina Foundation it had previously supported.

What's approved?

At present, the only recognised stem cell treatments are those utilising blood stem cells isolated from bone marrow, peripheral blood (the cellular components of blood such as red and white blood cells and platelets) or umbilical cord blood.

Hundreds of thousand of lives have been saved over the last half-century in patients with cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, as well as rare inherited immune and metabolic disorders.

A few types of cancer and autoimmune diseases may also benefit from blood stem cells in the context of chemotherapy. Different stem cells are also successfully used for corneal and skin grafting.

All other applications remain in the preclinical research phase or are just starting to be evaluated in clinical trials.

Often dismissed by for-profit clinics as "red tape" hampering progress, the rigour of clinical trials allows for the collection of impartial evidence. Such information is usually required before a new drug or medical device is released into the marketplace. Unfortunately, in the case of for-profit stem cell clinics, their marketing has gazumped the scientific evidence.

So what can be done?

Action is required on many fronts. Regulators at both an international and national level need to tackle regulatory loopholes and challenge unfounded marketing claims of businesses selling unproven stem cell interventions.

Researchers need to more clearly communicate their findings and the necessary next steps to responsibly take their science from the laboratory to the clinic. And they should acknowledge that this will take time.

Patients and their loved ones must be encouraged to seek advice from a trained reputable health care professional, someone who knows their medical history. They should think twice if someone is offering a treatment outside standards of practice.

The stakes are too high not to have these difficult conversations. If a stem cell treatment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For more information on recognised stem cell treatments visit the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia and Stem Cells Australia, Choice Australia, EuroStemCell, International Society for Stem Cell Research, and International Society for Cellular Therapy.

Explore further: Medical tourism in spotlight as experts call for tighter regulation

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Private clinics' peddling of unproven stem cell treatments is unsafe and unethical - Medical Xpress

Consider risks of unapproved stem cell treatment – Kamloops This … – Kamloops This Week

By Stell Cell Research

Editor:

Re: (Stem cells to stem the wait? June 27):

There is a reason Health Canada has not approved certain stem-cell treatments: they have not been shown to work yet and even ones own minimally manipulated cells can be considered risky.

There is a great deal of research happening in Canada and globally and clinical trials are underway to test and improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of stem-cell therapies because scientists and industry believe they hold great promise.

As the KTW article noted, the federal government committed $20 million to the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine in 2016, but it wasnt to establish a stem-cell therapy development facility in Toronto. Rather, the funding is to find better ways of manufacturing therapeutic cells, including stem cells, in the billions that are required for clinical use.

Not all stem cells are the same and it is crucial to ensure the purity of stem cells before they are injected into people.

There is a lot of support for stem-cell research and manufacturing in Canada and, if the public is patient, treatments will come.

For now, people seeking unapproved treatments should consider the risks (because they exist in the short-term and long-term) and be prepared to throw away their money if the treatment doesnt work.

Stacey Johnsondirector of communications and marketingCentre for Commercialization of Regenerative MedicineToronto

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Consider risks of unapproved stem cell treatment - Kamloops This ... - Kamloops This Week

Colon Cancer-Driven Stem Cells Linked to High-Fat Diet – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

By Stell Cell Research

Scientists in the U.S. have identified a molecular pathway that appears to play a key role in the link between a high-fat diet (HFD) and the development of colorectal cancer. The research, led by the Cleveland Clinics Sheerlarani Karunanithi, and Matthew Kalady, suggests that it may one day be possible to develop drugs that reduce tumor growth associated with obesity and a diet that is high in fat.

Their research is published today, in Stem Cell Reports, in a paper titled, RBP4-STRA6 Pathway Drives Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance and MediatesHigh-Fat Diet-Induced Colon Carcinogenesis.

The Cleveland Clinic teams review of published research indicated that high expression levels of two vitamin A signalling proteinsserum retinol binding protein (RPB4), stimulated by retinoic acid 6 (STRA6)in colorectal cancer tumors is associated with poor prognosis, increased tumor metastasis and recurrence, and resistance to cancer therapy. The RBP4-STRA6 pathway triggers the JAK2-STAT3 signaling cascade.

The researchers engineered STRA6- or RBP4-knockdown cancer cells to demonstrate that the RBP4-STRA6 pathway is important for promoting cancer cell proliferation and survival and for maintaining the expression of core stem cell transcription factors. They also found that the RBP4-STRA6 pathway plays a key role in maintaining colon cancer stem cells (CSCs), both in cell lines and in patient-derived xenografts.

The teams previous work had shown that knocking down STRA6 in a xenograft cancer model decreased tumor growth. In a new round of studies, they injected RBP4-knockdown cancer cells into experimental mice, and found that RBP4 deficiency resulted in the development of fewer tumors, and slower tumor growth and progression.

With evidence building for the role of RBPA4-STRA6 pathway in colorectal cancer development and progression, the team turned to look at diet-related cancer. A prior study had already suggested that HFDinduced obesity leads to increased intestinal stem cells and may impact colorectal cancer risk. This finding, combined with independent research establishing a role for the RBPA4-STRA6 pathway in diet-induced metabolic syndrome, prompted the Cleveland Clinic team to look at the relationship between HFD, cancer development, and the RBPA4-STRA6 pathway.

They injected either STRA6-deficient colorectal cancer cells or unmodified cancer cells into obesity-resistant mice fed either a normal diet or an HFD. HFD mice injected with unmodified cancer cells exhibited significantly increased tumor growth compared with mice fed a normal diet. In contrast, there was no relative increase in tumor growth among HFD animals receiving the STRA6-deficient tumor cells.

Our data clearly indicate that RBP4-STRA6 pathway is necessary for the optimal expression of stem cell markers such as NANOG, SOX2, and LGR5, and thereby for maintaining the colon CSC pool, the authors conclude in their published paper. "We have known the influence of diet on colorectal cancer, commented Matthew Kalady, M.D., colorectal surgeon, and co-director of the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Colorectal Cancer Program. However, these new findings are the first to show the connection between high-fat intake and colon cancer via a specific molecular pathway. We can now build upon this knowledge to develop new treatments aimed at blocking this pathway and reducing the negative impact of a high-fat diet on colon cancer risk."

The interesting finding here is that the high fat diet-induced effects appear to also involve the stem cell program, which is interesting for tumor growth and has implications on therapies, as tumor stem cells are also therapeutically resistant, the authors told GEN. In terms of treatments, what we might envision is targeting a new component of the signaling axis we identified to reduce cancer growth. The pathways we have identified are known to control many aspects of cell behavior, but the input to these signaling programs is new and may represent a possible target. In terms of next steps, one would be to see whether this can be applied to other obesity-driven tumors. Can lessons from colon cancer be leveraged to other tumor types? We also are interested in inhibiting this new signaling axis as well as trying to understand more about this signaling program, as we may be able to identify signaling nodes that can be efficiently targeted.

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Colon Cancer-Driven Stem Cells Linked to High-Fat Diet - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Alternative Cancer Clinics – Immunotherapy for Cancer

By Gene Therapy Clinics

The state-of-the art, non-toxic immunotherapy cancer protocols used by the Issels Immunotherapy Centers are designed to restore the bodys own complex immune and defense mechanisms to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

These unique medical protocols are highly personalized and can be combined with gene-targeted and special standard cancer therapies.

Personalized Non-Toxic Cancer Treatment

Cancer Vaccine Treatment Programs

Cytokine, LAK Cell, NK Cell, Stem Cell Cancer Treatment

Advanced Gene-Targeted Cancer Treatment

Systemic Hyperthermia Cancer Treatment

The Issels immunotherapy for cancer is the result of extensive clinical and scientific research and hasbecome internationally known for itsremarkable rate of long-term remissions of advanced and standard therapy-resistant cancers.

Issels Cancer Immunotherapy is based on and an expansion of the comprehensive strategy developed in Germany at the worlds first hospital specializing in the treatment of advanced and standard-therapy resistant cancers with 120 beds solely dedicated to immunotherapy based cancer treatment.

In North America, the Issels Immunotherapy for cancer programs have continued to achieve cancer remissions, even before mainstream medicine embraced its use. Today, immunotherapy is considered the most advanced of all cancer treatments.

Read what Government Authorities andEminent Scientistssay about Issels.

Issels immunotherapy for cancer focuses with equal importance on the tumor and the tumor microenvironment. The microenvironment plays a pivotal role in cancer progression or remission.

This integrative strategyhas been shown to improve outcomes of all cancer types and stages. It distinguishes the Issels Cancer Immunotherapy programs fundamentally from themere administration of a vaccine, of a cell therapy or another monotherapy.

Our many years of experience with non-toxic and personalized immunotherapy for cancer and our results make the decisive difference for your treatment.

We invite you to find out more about our individualized Cancer Immunotherapy protocols, use of effective alternative cancer treatments, and our extensive history in helping cancer patients achieve long-term remission over years, and evendecades. We encourage you to watch Video Testimonials or watch videos from patients and cancer survivors at YouTube.

Adenocarcinoma, Bone Cancer, Brain Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Colon Cancer, Embryonal Teratoma, Kidney Cancer, Liver Cancer, Lung Cancer, Lymphoma, Mediastinal Cancer, Melanoma, Optic Nerve Cancer, Osteoclastoma, Osteosarcoma, Ovarian Cancer, Rhabdomyosarcoma, Sarcoma, Squamous Cell Cancer, Stomach Cancer, Teratoma, Testicular Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Uterine Cancer, and many other early and late stage cancers.

During the last two decades, manycancer patients on a global basishave been facingincreasing difficulties regarding insurance coverage, rising co-pay, especially for the newly approved immunotherapy drugs, loss of precious time due to lengthy approval procedures for clinical trials, the risk of being placed into the placebo group, and many other problems.

In our endeavors to help cancer patients receive effective treatment, Issels Immunotherapy has devised a geo-logistical structure that makes cutting-edge cancer treatments considerably more affordable and availablein a timely manner,withoutpatientsrunning the risk of being placed into the placebo group, norhaving to forego the quality of a first class internationally accredited hospital and US based treatment facilities.

The Issels non-toxic immunotherapy with vaccineand cell therapies, as well as advanced gene-targeted cancer therapies,are administered by our experienced doctors whose expertise is reflected in the results you can witness by visiting our extensive library of patient video testimonials.

* DISCLAIMER: The extent of the response to treatment varies from patient to patient, even with a similar diagnosis, as the internal bodily environment is unique to each individual patient.

Originally posted here:
Alternative Cancer Clinics - Immunotherapy for Cancer

Advanced Gene-Targeted Therapies – Alternative Cancer Clinics

By Gene Therapy Clinics

The comprehensive strategy of Issels Integrative Immuno-Oncology includes advanced gene-targeted cancer therapies when indicated and always tailored to the individual patients needs.

Gene-targeted cancer therapies are medications that block the growth and spread of cancerous cells by interfering with specific molecules needed for tumor growth and progression.

These gene-targeted therapies are designed to inhibit only cancerous cell replication and tumor growth, whereas traditional chemotherapy-based treatments destroy rapidly dividing cancerous as well as healthy non-cancerous cells alike.

Gene-targeted therapies, although chemical drugs, are not only less harmful to normal cells and less toxic than traditional chemotherapy, but they have also been shown to improve outcomes in patients who qualify for these treatments.

Targeted therapies are generally well tolerated and have less toxic side effects, but also have limitations. The main limitation is the potential of cells to develop resistance.

1. Most gene-targeted therapies recommended are oral, which allow patients relatively independent control over dosage and dosing schedule. Patients can continue treatment at home without the need for frequent return office visits, but rather with regular distant follow-up care.

2. Financial coverage and support of these expensive medications are usually available depending on insurance status and through manufacturer assistance programs based on certain qualifications.

3. We work with a specialized laboratory in the United States to determine the right targeted therapy for patients whose condition warrants the integration of these specialized therapies into their comprehensive immunotherapy treatment program.

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Advanced Gene-Targeted Therapies - Alternative Cancer Clinics

Photo-responsive protein hydrogels as agent for controlled stem cell/protein release – Phys.Org

By Stell Cell Research

July 6, 2017 Material design empowered by protein sequence space. Credit: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, HKUST

Hydrogels, noted for their biomimetic properties, are the leading materials for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery and stem cell therapy. Traditional hydrogels made up of either synthetic polymers or natural biomolecules often serve as passive scaffolds for molecular or cellular species, which render these materials unable to fully recapitulate the dynamic signaling involved in biological processes, such as cell/tissue development.

Photo-responsive hydrogels are of particular interest to material scientists, because light is regarded as an ideal tool to control molecules or cell behavior with high spatiotemporal precision and little invasiveness. The major challenge for scientist is how to assemble these complex globular proteins into supramolecular architectures efficiently while preserving their function.

In a recent research, a group of scientists from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology created a B12-dependent light-sensing hydrogel by covalently stitching together the photoreceptor C-terminal adenosylcobalamin binding domain (CarHC) proteins under mild conditions. This direct assembly of stimuli-responsive proteins into hydrogels represents a versatile solution for designing "smart" materials and opens up enormous opportunities for future material biology.

The findings were published in the journal PNAS on June 6, 2017.

"In our research, we were able to create an entirely recombinant protein-based light-sensitive hydrogels by covalently assembling the CarHC photoreceptor proteins using genetically encoded SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry," said Fei Sun, author of the paper and assistant professor at HKUST's department of chemical and biomolecular engineering. "The AdoB12-dependent CarHC tetramerization has been shown to be essential for the formation of an elastic hydrogel in the dark, which can undergo a rapid gel-sol transition caused by light-induced CarHC disassembly."

"The resulting hydrogel composed of physically self-assembled CarHC polymers exhibited a rapid gel-sol transition on light exposure, which enabled the facile release/recovery of 3T3 fibroblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) from 3D cultures while maintaining their viability." Sun added. "Given the growing demand for creating stimuli-responsive "smart" hydrogels, the direct assembly of stimuli-responsive proteins into hydrogels represents a versatile strategy for designing dynamically tunable materials."

Explore further: Investigating folding stability and dynamics of proteins

More information: Ri Wang et al, B12-dependent photoresponsive protein hydrogels for controlled stem cell/protein release, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1621350114

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Provided by: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Hydrogels are polymer materials that can absorb a large amount of water, making them flexible like human tissue. They are used in a number of medical applications, including contact lenses, wound dressings, and facial reconstruction.

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Photo-responsive protein hydrogels as agent for controlled stem cell/protein release - Phys.Org

Stem cell therapies: medical experts call for strict international rules – The Guardian

By Uncategorized

Stem cells have long been used to treat blood cancers and some immune diseases. But some doctors are offering stem cell treatments for diseases still under clinical trial. Photograph: Mauricio Lima/AFP/Getty Images

Medical and legal experts from around the world have united to call for more stringent regulation of stem cell therapies to prevent people pursuing unproven and potentially deadly treatments overseas.

In a perspective piece for the US journal Science Translational Medicine, 15 experts from countries including the UK, the US, Canada, Belgium, Italy and Japan wrote that national efforts alone would not be enough to counter an industry offering unproven treatments to vulnerable patients.

Stem cell-based interventions are classified under diverse and potentially incompatible national regulatory frameworks, the authors wrote.

Approaches for international regulation not only need to develop consistent rules over the commercialisation of medical practices and products but also need to give them teeth by developing cross-border partnerships for compliance.

Stem cells found in bone marrow and umbilical cord blood have long been used to successfully treat blood cancers including leukaemia and some immune diseases. But those are among the few proven treatments. Legitimate and ethics-approved clinical trials by academic centres are also occurring, exploring the potential of stem cells to treat a wider range of diseases.

But some doctors are directly offering to the general public stem cell treatments for diseases still under clinical trial or for which no evidence exists and for which the safety and efficacy is as yet unproven.

Deaths as a result of stem cell treatments have already occurred. In 2013 Sheila Drysdale died in a New South Wales nursing home after undergoing an unproven liposuction stem-cell therapy at a western Sydney clinic. Following Drysldales death, her doctor, Ralph Bright, gave a statement to police in which he claimed that stem-cell treatment could improve comorbidities and that stem cells could move from joints to other parts of the body to improve disease in distant sites including lungs and brain, vision, mentation and pain.

In his report into Drysdales death, the coroner Hugh Dillon wrote that he could not say what motivated Dr Bright to perform this unproven, dubious procedure on Sheila Drysdale.

But regardless of his motivation, Dr Brights performance as a medical practitioner was, for the reasons outlined above, poor and resulted in Sheila Drysdales death.

The Medical Council of NSW investigated Bright and placed a number of restrictions on his right to practice. Bright is still authorised to practise stem cell therapy for patients with osteoarthritis or who are taking part in research studies approved by an ethics committee. He is also still allowed to treat patients returning for remaining injections of stored cells.

In 2013 a Queensland woman, Kellie van Meurs, died when she travelled to Russia to undergo stem-cell treatment for a rare neurological disorder. She died of a heart attack as a result.

Australias drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, last year sought feedback on the regulation of autologous stem-cell therapies but is yet to publish those submissions. A TGA spokeswoman said the Administration was still examining the options for changes to the legislation to reflect public and industry views. The TGA currently considers autologous treatments, which involve treating someone with their own tissue or cells, to be a therapeutic good and, therefore, does not regulate them. Stem cells used for medical practice and therapeutic purposes are covered by different regulatory frameworks.

Associate Professor Megan Munsie, a University of Melbourne stem cell scientist and a co-author of the paper, said: The idea that stem cells are magical holds court in the community, along with this idea the advances in treatment are being held up by red tape.

Unethical health practitioners exploited this, she said, along with the vulnerability of patients with difficult-to-treat or incurable conditions.

There is a precedent for international regulation of this industry because regulations already exist around drugs the way they are manufactured, she said.

This could be extended to the regulation to the stem cell and tissue-based therapies. This international stance would then force or encourage stronger local regulations.

There have been successful efforts by scientists to push back against unscrupulous doctors. In Italy scientists and regulators highlighted the unproven yet government-subsidised treatments being offered by the entrepreneur Davide Vannoni and fought to stop him. He was convicted of criminal charges but the sentence was later suspended.

Excerpt from:
Stem cell therapies: medical experts call for strict international rules - The Guardian

Private clinics’ peddling of unproven stem cell treatments is unsafe and unethical – The Conversation AU

By Uncategorized

Stem cells have saved thousands of lives thanks to their applications in cancer treatments. Many other uses peddled by private clinics are without evidence.

Stem cell science is an area of medical research that continues to offer great promise. But as this weeks paper in Science Translational Medicine highlights, a growing number of clinics around the globe, including in Australia, are exploiting regulatory gaps to sell so-called stem cell treatments without evidence that what they offer is effective or even safe.

Such unregulated direct-to-consumer advertising typically of cells obtained using liposuction-like methods not only places the health of individuals at risk, but could also undermine the legitimate development of stem cell-based therapies.

Many academic societies and professional medical organisations have raised concerns about these futile and often expensive cell therapies. Despite this, national regulators have typically been slow or ineffective in curtailing them.

As well as tighter regulations here, international regulators such as the World Health Organisation and the International Council on Harmonisation need to move on ensuring patients desperate for cures arent sold treatments with limited efficacy and unknown safety.

Hundreds of stem cell clinics post online claims that they have been able to treat patients suffering from a wide range of conditions. These include osteoarthritis, pain, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and infertility. The websites are high on rhetoric of science often using various accreditation, awards and other tokens to imply legitimacy but low on proof that they work.

Rather than producing independently verified results, these clinics rely on patient testimonials or unsubstantiated claims of improvement. In so doing these shonky clinics understate the risks to patient health associated with these unproven stem cell-based interventions.

Properly administered informed consent is often overlooked or ignored, so patients can be misled about the likelihood of success. In addition to heavy financial burdens imposed on patients and their families, there is often an opportunity cost because the time wasted in receiving futile stem cells diverts patients away from proven medicines.

The many recent reports of adverse outcomes demonstrate the risks of receiving unproven cell therapies are not trivial. In the USA three women were blinded following experimental stem cell treatment for macular degeneration (a degenerative eye disease that can cause blindness). One man was rendered a quadriplegic following a stem cell intervention for stroke. And a woman whose family sought treatment for her dementia died in Australia.

Other notorious cases involving the deaths of patients include the German government shutting down the X-Cell Centre and the Italian government closing the Stamina Foundation it had previously supported.

At present, the only recognised stem cell treatments are those utilising blood stem cells isolated from bone marrow, peripheral blood (the cellular components of blood such as red and white blood cells and platelets) or umbilical cord blood.

Hundreds of thousand of lives have been saved over the last half-century in patients with cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, as well as rare inherited immune and metabolic disorders.

A few types of cancer and autoimmune diseases may also benefit from blood stem cells in the context of chemotherapy. Different stem cells are also successfully used for corneal and skin grafting.

All other applications remain in the preclinical research phase or are just starting to be evaluated in clinical trials.

Further reading: Yes theres hope, but treating spinal injuries with stem cells is not a reality yet

Often dismissed by for-profit clinics as red tape hampering progress, the rigour of clinical trials allows for the collection of impartial evidence. Such information is usually required before a new drug or medical device is released into the marketplace. Unfortunately, in the case of for-profit stem cell clinics, their marketing has gazumped the scientific evidence.

Action is required on many fronts. Regulators at both an international and national level need to tackle regulatory loopholes and challenge unfounded marketing claims of businesses selling unproven stem cell interventions.

Researchers need to more clearly communicate their findings and the necessary next steps to responsibly take their science from the laboratory to the clinic. And they should acknowledge that this will take time.

Patients and their loved ones must be encouraged to seek advice from a trained reputable health care professional, someone who knows their medical history. They should think twice if someone is offering a treatment outside standards of practice.

The stakes are too high not to have these difficult conversations. If a stem cell treatment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For more information on recognised stem cell treatments visit the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia and Stem Cells Australia, Choice Australia, EuroStemCell, International Society for Stem Cell Research, and International Society for Cellular Therapy.

More:
Private clinics' peddling of unproven stem cell treatments is unsafe and unethical - The Conversation AU

Mariners shut down Hisashi Iwakuma’s throwing program – The Seattle Times

By Platelet Rich Plasma Injections

Hisashi Iwakuma received injections into his ailing right shoulder and won't throw for at least a week. He's been out since early May.

Hisashi Iwakumas return to the mound for the Mariners is looking less and less likely with each setback in his recovery from shoulder inflammation.

The veteran right-hander experienced more discomfort in his right shoulder following a bullpen session this past weekend in Anaheim. After meeting with team orthopedist Dr. Edward Khalfayan on Monday, Iwakuma has been shut down from throwing for at least a week. Iwakuma confirmed that he received a cortisone injection and a platelet rich plasma injection in his shoulder to help calmthe inflammation and speed up the recovery.

Its not feeling well yet, Iwakuma said through interpreter Antony Suzuki. Its just inflammation in my shoulder in general.

It was yet another setback in his recovery from an injury that placed him on the disabled list on May 17.

Its a lot longer than I was expecting, he said of the recovery. Its very disappointing and frustrating. But it is what it is and you just have to take it day by day.

Iwakumalast pitched in a game on May 3, throwing five innings against the Angels. After that outing, he felt discomfort in the shoulder during his midweek throwing routine. Hes made six starts this season, posting an 0-2 record with a 4.35 ERA.

This isnt the first time Iwakuma has dealt with shoulder injuries in his career. Its been an issue dating back to his time pitching in Japan. Hes had multiple disabled list stints with the Mariners because of shoulder issues and concerns over the shoulders healthduring his physical with the Dodgers led to them to scuttle athree-year contract as a free agentafter the 2015 season.

Given the nature of the injury and having to start his throwing program from the basics in a week at the earliest, a conservative expectation for his return to the rotation barring any setbacks would be in mid-August.

You just have to be patient with the situation, he said. You have to believe that things are going to get better and take it one day a time with rehab and treatment and any kind of training I can do in the weight room, just keeping my body shape.

Some people within the Mariners organization think he might not pitch again for Seattle this season, which isnt an unfair assessmentof thesituation. The Mariners are certainly at the point where theyve stopped expecting him to return and contribute. Unlike with Drew Smyly, who is scheduled to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery in the coming days, there is no immediate closure for the situation.

Iwakuma will continue to rehab and try to return and help the Mariners in the final month of the season.If he is able to return and help, it will be a bonus.

Asked if hes confident that it will get better, Iwakuma replied: Yes, of course.

The injuries this season have insured that Iwakumas optionfor 2018 wont vest. If he had reached a total of 324 innings pitched combined from 2016 and 2017, Iwakumas option for $15 million in 2018 would have kicked in. But hes thrown just 230 innings (199 in 2017, 31 this season).

Still, this only furthers the idea that general manager Jerry Dipoto needs to add starting pitching help for this season and possibly next season at the trade deadline. After the starting rotation of James Paxton, Felix Hernandez, Ariel Miranda, Sam Gaviglio and Andrew Moore, only Christian Bergman and Chase De Jong remain in Class AAA Tacoma as options for depth.

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Mariners shut down Hisashi Iwakuma's throwing program - The Seattle Times

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