Stem Cell Clinic

How researchers in Vail are pursuing breakthroughs to help injuries heal faster and some day slow down the way … – The Denver Post

By Stem Cell Clinic

VAIL Hallways at the world-famous Steadman Clinic are lined with framed, autographed jerseys of star athletes who have had surgery here, including John Elway, Mario Lemieux and Alex Rodriguez.

The clinic and its associated Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) attract world-class talent from all fields including U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who joined the institutes board after he was a patient here but perhaps its top recruit was a renowned scientist researching ways to help injuries heal faster and slow down the way our bodies age.

Were trying to develop the iPhone 9 of medicine, said Dr. Johnny Huard, chief scientific officer and director of the institutes Center for Regenerative Sports Medicine. Your iPhone 6 and 7 are great, its doing everything you want, but youre looking on the web at what the iPhone 8s going to do. We want to have surgeons here doing surgery on our best football, hockey, basketball players, and instead of losing a year to heal, can we heal them in six months? Three months? Would that be great?

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

The field is called biologics, and its transforming orthopedics by using cells that heal produced in the patients body in concentrated injections that can hasten tissue repair directly at the site of the injury. Huard is leading cutting-edge research into stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy that he believes will some day delay age-related diseases and cut the recovery time from serious injuries, such as to the knee, in half.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can become specialized cells muscle, bone, cartilage to help repair tissue. Platelets carry proteins that help in the healing process. The breakthroughs Huard and his colleagues are pursuing hold exciting promise for weekend warriors as well as for star athletes.

I dont think we can reverse aging, but I think we can age better and recover from injury better, said Dr. Marc Philippon, managing partner of the Steadman Clinic and co-chairman of the research institute. As a surgeon my biggest challenge is, if I cut on you theres always that healing phase. We want to recover faster. But the most important thing is prevention of injury. If your cells are aging better, youll have less injury. The way I look at it, thats going to put us out of business, but thats OK. Its a good way to go out of business.

A world-class scientist, Huard discovered muscle-derived stem cells in 1998. Before joining SPRI two years ago he was the director of the Stem Cell Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh.Researchers here believe injections of stem cells and PRP can help delay or prevent the need for joint replacements, and at the adjacent clinic they can test their theories in clinical trials. They have shown in animal studies that young stem cells can rejuvenate old stem cells.

To that end Huard advocates passionately that when a child is born, stem cells from the umbilical cord should be harvested and frozen at minus-80 degrees Fahrenheit. As bodies age, stem cells diminish in number and vitality, but they can be preserved in suspended animation while frozen. Those cells later can be thawed and reintroduced into the body as younger and more robust stem cells than the ones that have aged in the patient, performing like a fountain of youth.

Thats the best gift you can give to that baby, said Huard, a French Canadian with a playful wit. Its the best gift you can give to that mother, too, because that (umbilical cord) is part of her, too. Its not only part of the baby. Can you believe the impact of that?

Stem cells, aging and exercise

Because stem cells can develop into every cell type in the body, researchers believe they can be used to hasten repair of nerves, bone and muscle. Bone marrow transplants are the most common form of stem cell therapy currently in use, but stem cells may be useful in fighting neurodegenerative diseases and other conditions.

We can use them to repair bone, cartilage, the heart, the bladder, Huard said. We have clinical trials now ongoing for bladder and the heart.

Imagine a Broncos running back blowing out his anterior cruciate ligament in training camp but being able to return to the field during the regular season. Huardforesees that day, as well as a time when patients whose stem cells were harvested and stored at birth will be able to have them injected into their knees decades later after ACL repair, for example, which theoretically could allow the person to recover much faster.

If I harvest stem cells from your muscle today, lets say I find 100 stem cells, but if I do the same thing 30 years ago I may have gotten 10,000, Huard said. Not only that, but the 100 stem cells you have are tired. They have been dividing and trying to repair your muscle.

When one of Huards children was born 17 years ago and it came time for Huard to cut the umbilical cord, he asked the nurse what they were going to do with it.

My wife said, Can you stop being a scientist and be my husband for a minute here? Huard tells the story with amusement, but he is passionate that umbilical cord stem cells should be saved.

I tell people, No more flowers, just freeze the stem cells from that newborn, Huard said. Thats the best gift you can give to that kid.

In the meantime, Huard believes exercise remains the best anti-aging mitigation we have. Beyond the benefits already well known, he is convinced exercise increases the production of stem cells and delays the aging process.Researchers found that mice that run on treadmills heal significantly faster than sedentary mice. Mice who exercised also had a better survival rate after being injected with cancer cells than those that were sedentary.

Huardbelieves exercise helps the brain as well as the heart in ways that might not be fully understood but might have implications for the prevention or delay of dementia and Alzheimers.

Stem cells come from blood vessels, Huard said. What can we do to increase the number of blood vessels? If we can do that, then we can probably improve tissue repair. If you exercise, you increase the number of blood vessels in your tissues.

Platelet-rich plasma therapy

PRP therapy is already in widespread use, not just in elite athletes but in recreational athletes as well. Sometimes it works well, and sometimes it doesnt work at all. Huard is trying to find out why.

Platelets in the blood carry proteins called growth factors that help the body repair injured tissue. In PRP therapy, a patients blood is removed and spun in an centrifuge or filtered to separate platelets. Then the platelet-rich plasma is injected into the site of an injury with hopes of speeding the healing process.

When you injure something, you bleed, Philippon said in his office with a view of Vails ski trails. Some of the first elements going there are your platelets, and theres a reason for that. Platelets have the growth factors, also what we call the chemotactic factors, to attract whats needed (to heal).

Philippon has used PRP to hasten healing of hip tendons in football players, for example.

What we found was that those I injected with PRP early recovered faster, Philippon said. We have that data here. We know, for a tendon injury, PRP is a great therapy.

Huard had elbow surgery last year after snapping a tendon off the bone in a ski accident I like to go fast, he said with a grin and Steadman surgeon Peter Millett asked Huard if he wanted a PRP injection in hopes of hastening recovery.

I said, Of course! You know what? I never wore a sling, Huard said. The week after, I was running. Three weeks after, I was back skiing.

But did the PRP help?

I dont know, Huard said.

So Huard is studying the success rate of PRP therapy in patients who receive it after surgery at the Steadman Clinic. When Philippon uses PRP on a patient, for example, he will set aside a fraction of that PRP and give it to Huard to analyze in the lab. Huard will catalog the different growth factors in each sample and then wait to see how the patients respond.

After this Im going to go back to Marc and say: Which patient worked? Which one was your best patient? Huard said. If he tells me patient No. 24 and 32 and 48, Im going to go back and try to see what those three patients PRP had in common in terms of growth factors.

Then Huard will be able to better advise surgeons before using PRP.

Lets say we find when IGF1 (insulin growth factor one) is high in your blood, PRP always works, Huard said. You know what Im going to give to those surgeons? Im going to say, Before you give PRP, take a blood draw, we go in the lab, test for IGF1, and if IGF1 is high, 95 percent chance PRP is going to help. But another patient, if IGF1 is not high, Based on our tests, I dont think PRP is going to help.

Another thing we found in PRP, it is a mixed bag. You have good things in PRP but you have bad things, too. So were doing science where Im going to take PRP, Im going to take out the bad guys.

As with stem cells, Huard foresees a day when a young patients PRP can be frozen and used decades later to delay aging, administered in conjunction with stem cell injections to work in synergy.

I think the two can be combined somehow, Huard said. They are different, but the stem-cell therapy and the PRP somehow can be together. If I have your PRP from 20 years ago and I have your stem cells from 20 years ago, I can make a very nice mixture, inject this into you. Sometimes adding one thing to another, biologically, it equals not two but three.

Having his laboratory in the same building as the Steadman Clinic, which has eight surgeons on staff, is a boon for Huard in his research. He takes ideas to them and vice versa.

I dont do science just to do science, he said. I do science to improve quality of life, and I think I can make a major contribution in the field. If you delay aging by 10 years, you delay all those age-related disorders by 10 years. The implications for health care is amazing.

Biologics: Using tools produced by a patients body such as stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to help the patient heal faster and better.

Regenerative medicine: This and tissue engineering are promising treatment approaches that can enhance or promote musculoskeletal tissue healing and regeneration following surgery or injection therapy. Biological treatments such as growth factor supplementation, PRP and bone marrow concentrate have been shown to improve patient function and quality of life.

Platelet-rich plasma: A biologic treatment that is produced by concentrating the patients own blood to yield a high platelet count. Platelets are important blood components that secrete hundreds to thousands of biological factors that initiate musculoskeletal tissue healing and regeneration.

Stem cells: Stem cells have the ability to transform into specific musculoskeletal tissue cells. These types of cells also secrete biological factors that initiate musculoskeletal tissue healing and regeneration. There are several forms of stem cells, such as muscle-derived stem cells, bone marrow-derived stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells and others.

John Meyer, The Denver Post

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How researchers in Vail are pursuing breakthroughs to help injuries heal faster and some day slow down the way ... - The Denver Post

Types of Stem Cell Transplants for Cancer Treatment …

By Stem Cell Treatment

In a typical stem cell transplant for cancer very high doses of chemo are used, sometimes along with radiation therapy, to try to kill all the cancer cells. This treatment also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow. Soon after treatment, stem cells are given to replace those that were destroyed. These stem cells are given into a vein, much like a blood transfusion. Over time they settle in the bone marrow and begin to grow and make healthy blood cells. This process is called engraftment.

There are 2 main types of transplants. They are named based on who gives the stem cells.

In this type of transplant, your own stem cells are removed, or harvested, from your blood before you get treatment that destroys them. Your stem cells are removed from either your bone marrow or your blood, and then frozen. (You can learn more about this process at Whats It Like to Donate Stem Cells?) After you get high doses of chemo and/or radiation, the stem cells are thawed and given back to you.

One advantage of autologous stem cell transplant is that youre getting your own cells back. You dont have to worry about the new stem cells (called the engrafted cells or the graft) attacking your body (graft-versus-host disease) or about getting a new infection from another person. But there can still be graft failure, which means the cells dont go into the bone marrow and make blood cells like they should. Also, autologous transplants cant produce the graft-versus-cancer effect.

This kind of transplant is mainly used to treat certain leukemias, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. Its sometimes used for other cancers, like testicular cancer and neuroblastoma, and certain cancers in children. Doctors are looking at how autologous transplants might be used to treat other diseases, too, like systemic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn's disease, and systemic lupus erythematosis (lupus).

A possible disadvantage of an autologous transplant is that cancer cells may be collected along with the stem cells and then later put back into your body. Another disadvantage is that your immune system is the same as it was before your transplant. This means the cancer cells were able to escape attack from your immune system before, and may be able to do so again.

To help prevent this, some centers treat the stem cells before theyre given back to the patient to try to kill any remaining cancer cells. This may be called purging. It isnt clear that this really helps, as it has not yet been proven to reduce the risk of cancer coming back. A possible downside of purging is that some normal stem cells can be lost during this process. This may cause your body to take longer to start making normal blood cells, and you might have very low and unsafe levels of white blood cells or platelets for a longer time. This could increase the risk of infections or bleeding problems.

Another treatment to help kill cancer cells that might be in the returned stem cells involves giving anti-cancer drugs after transplant. The stem cells are not treated. After transplant, the patient gets anti-cancer drugs to get rid of any cancer cells that may be in the body. This is called in vivo purging. For instance, rituximab (Rituxan), a monoclonal antibody drug, may be used this way in certain lymphomas and leukemias; lenalidomide (Revlimid) may be used for multiple myeloma. The need to remove cancer cells from transplanted stem cells or transplant patients and the best way to do it is being researched.

Doing 2 autologous transplants in a row is known as a tandem transplant or a double autologous transplant. In this type of transplant, the patient gets 2 courses of high-dose chemo, each followed by a transplant of their own stem cells. All of the stem cells needed are collected before the first high-dose chemo treatment, and half of them are used for each transplant. Usually, the 2 courses of chemo are given within 6 months. The second one is given after the patient recovers from the first one.

Tandem transplants are most often used to treat multiple myeloma and advanced testicular cancer. But doctors dont always agree that these are really better than a single transplant for certain cancers. Because this involves 2 transplants, the risk of serious outcomes is higher than for a single transplant. Tandem transplants are still being studied to find out when they might be best used.

Sometimes an autologous transplant followed by an allogeneic transplant might also be called a tandem transplant. (See Mini-transplants below.)

Allogeneic stem cell transplants use cells from a donor. In the most common type of allogeneic transplant, the stem cells come from a donor whose tissue type closely matches the patients. (This is discussed later in Matching patients and donors.) The best donor is a close family member, usually a brother or sister. If you dont have a good match in your family, a donor might be found in the general public through a national registry. This is sometimes called a MUD (matched unrelated donor) transplant. Transplants with a MUD are usually riskier than those with a relative who is a good match.

Blood taken from the placenta and umbilical cord of newborns is a newer source of stem cells for allogeneic transplant. Called cord blood, this small volume of blood has a high number of stem cells that tend to multiply quickly. But there are often not enough stem cells in a unit of cord blood for large adults, so most cord blood transplants done so far have been in children and smaller adults. Researchers are now looking for ways to use cord blood for transplants in larger adults. One approach is to find ways to increase the numbers of these cells in the lab before the transplant. Another approach is the use of the cord blood from 2 infants for one adult transplant, called a dual-cord-blood transplant. A third way cord blood is being used is in a mini-transplant (see below). Other strategies to better use cord blood transplants are being actively studied.

Pros of allogeneic stem cell transplant: The donor stem cells make their own immune cells, which could help kill any cancer cells that remain after high-dose treatment. This is called the graft-versus-cancer effect. Other advantages are that the donor can often be asked to donate more stem cells or even white blood cells if needed, and stem cells from healthy donors are free of cancer cells.

Cons to allogeneic stem cell transplants: The transplant, or graft, might not take that is, the transplanted donor stem cells could die or be destroyed by the patients body before settling in the bone marrow. Another risk is that the immune cells from the donor may not just attack the cancer cells they could attack healthy cells in the patients body. This is called graft-versus-host disease. There is also a very small risk of certain infections from the donor cells, even though donors are tested before they donate. A higher risk comes from infections you had previously, and which your immune system has had under control. These infections may surface after allogeneic transplant because your immune system is held in check (suppressed) by medicines called immunosuppressive drugs. Such infections can cause serious problems and even death.

Allogeneic transplant is most often used to treat certain types of leukemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and other bone marrow disorders such as aplastic anemia.

For some people, age or certain health conditions make it more risky to wipe out all of their bone marrow before a transplant. For those people, doctors can use a type of allogeneic transplant thats sometimes called a mini-transplant. Your doctor might refer to it as a non-myeloablative transplant or mention reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC). Patients getting a mini transplant get less chemo and/or radiation than if they were getting a standard transplant. The goal is to kill some of the cancer cells (which will also kill some of the bone marrow), and suppress the immune system just enough to allow donor stem cells to settle in the bone marrow.

Unlike the standard allogeneic transplant, cells from both the donor and the patient exist together in the patients body for some time after a mini-transplant. But slowly, over the course of months, the donor cells take over the bone marrow and replace the patients own bone marrow cells. These new cells can then develop an immune response to the cancer and help kill off the patients cancer cells the graft-versus-cancer effect.

One advantage of a mini-transplant is that it uses lower doses of chemo and/or radiation. And because the stem cells arent all killed, blood cell counts dont drop as low while waiting for the new stem cells to start making normal blood cells. This makes it especially useful for older patients and those with other health problems. Rarely, it may be used in patients who have already had a transplant.

Mini-transplants treat some diseases better than others. They may not work well for patients with a lot of cancer in their body or people with fast-growing cancers. Also, although side effects from chemo and radiation may be less than those from a standard allogeneic transplant, the risk of graft-versus-host disease is the same.

This procedure has only been used since the late 1990s and long-term patient outcomes are not yet clear. There are lower risks of some complications, but the cancer may be more likely to come back. Ways to improve outcomes are still being studied.

Studies have looked at using an allogeneic mini-transplant after an autologous transplant. This is another type of tandem transplant being tested in certain types of cancer, such as multiple myeloma and some types of lymphoma. The autologous transplant can help decrease the amount of cancer present so that the lower doses of chemo given before the mini-transplant can work better. And the recipient still gets the benefit of the graft-versus-cancer effect of the allogeneic transplant.

This is a special kind of allogeneic transplant that can only be used when the patient has an identical sibling (twin or triplet) someone who has the exact same tissue type. An advantage of syngeneic stem cell transplant is that graft-versus-host disease will not be a problem. Also, there are no cancer cells in the transplanted stem cells, as there might be in an autologous transplant.

A disadvantage is that because the new immune system is so much like the recipients immune system, theres no graft-versus-cancer effect. Every effort must be made to destroy all the cancer cells before the transplant is done to help keep the cancer from coming back.

Some centers are doing half-match (haploidentical) transplants for people who dont have closely matching family members. This technique is most often used in children, usually with a parent as the donor, though a child can also donate to a parent. Half of the HLA factors will match perfectly, and the other half typically dont match at all, so the procedure requires a special way to get rid of a certain white blood cells that can cause graft-versus-host disease. Its still rarely done, but its being studied in a few centers in the US. Researchers are continuing to learn new ways to make haploidentical transplants more successful.

Depending on the type of transplant thats done, there are 3 possible sources of stem cells to use for transplants:

Bone marrow is the spongy liquid tissue in the center of some bones. It has a rich supply of stem cells, and its main job is to make blood cells that circulate in your body. The bones of the pelvis (hip) have the most marrow and contain large numbers of stem cells. For this reason, cells from the pelvic bone are used most often for a bone marrow transplant. Enough marrow must be removed to collect a large number of healthy stem cells.

The bone marrow is harvested (removed) while the donor is under general anesthesia (drugs are used to put the patient into a deep sleep so they dont feel pain). A large needle is put through the skin on the lower back and into the back of the hip bone. The thick liquid marrow is pulled out through the needle. This is repeated until enough marrow has been taken out. (For more on this, see Whats It Like to Donate Stem Cells?)

The harvested marrow is filtered, stored in a special solution in bags, and then frozen. When the marrow is to be used, its thawed and then put into the patients blood through a vein, just like a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel to the bone marrow, where they engraft or take and start to make blood cells. Signs of the new blood cells usually can be measured in the patients blood tests in about 2 to 4 weeks.

Normally, not many stem cells are found in the blood. But giving shots of hormone-like substances called growth factors to stem cell donors a few days before the harvest causes their stem cells to grow faster and move from the bone marrow into the blood.

For a peripheral blood stem cell transplant, the stem cells are taken from blood. A special thin flexible tube (called a catheter) is put into a large vein in the donor and attached to tubing that carries the blood to a special machine. The machine separates the stem cells from the rest of the blood, which is returned to the donor during the same procedure. This takes several hours, and may need to be repeated for a few days to get enough stem cells. The stem cells are filtered, stored in bags, and frozen until the patient is ready for them. (For more on this, see Whats It Like to Donate Stem Cells?)

When theyre given to the patient, the stem cells are put into a vein, much like a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel to the bone marrow, engraft, and then start making new, normal blood cells. The new cells are usually found in the patients blood in about 10 to 20 days.

A large number of stem cells are normally found in the blood of newborn babies. After birth, the blood thats left behind in the placenta and umbilical cord (known as cord blood) can be taken and stored for later use in a stem cell transplant. The cord blood is frozen until needed. A cord blood transplant uses blood that normally is thrown out after a baby is born. More information on donating cord blood can be found in Whats It Like to Donate Stem Cells?

A possible drawback of cord blood is the smaller number of stem cells in it. But this is partly balanced by the fact that each cord blood stem cell can form more blood cells than a stem cell from adult bone marrow. Still, cord blood transplants can take longer to take hold and start working. Cord blood is given into the patients blood just like a blood transfusion.

It is very important that the donor and recipient are a close tissue match to avoid graft rejection. Graft rejection happens when the recipients immune system recognizes the donor cells as foreign and tries to destroy them as it would a bacteria or virus. Graft rejection can lead to graft failure, but its rare when the donor and recipient are well matched.

A more common problem is that when the donor stem cells make their own immune cells, the new cells may see the patients cells as foreign and attack their new home. This is called graft-versus-host disease. (See Stem Cell Transplant Side Effects for more on this). The new, grafted stem cells attack the body of the person who got the transplant. This is another reason its so important to find the closest match possible.

Many factors play a role in how the immune system knows the difference between self and non-self, but the most important for transplants is the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system. Human leukocyte antigens are proteins found on the surface of most cells. They make up a persons tissue type, which is different from a persons blood type.

Each person has a number of pairs of HLA antigens. We inherit them from both of our parents and, in turn, and pass them on to our children. Doctors try to match these antigens when finding a donor for a person getting a stem cell transplant.

How well the donors and recipients HLA tissue types match plays a large part in whether the transplant will work. A match is best when all 6 of the known major HLA antigens are the same a 6 out of 6 match. People with these matches have a lower chance of graft-versus-host disease, graft rejection, having a weak immune system, and getting serious infections. For bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants, sometimes a donor with a single mismatched antigen is used a 5 out of 6 match. For cord blood transplants a perfect HLA match doesnt seem to be as important, and even a sample with a couple of mismatched antigens may be OK.

Doctors keep learning more about better ways to match donors. Today, fewer tests may be needed for siblings, since their cells vary less than an unrelated donor. But to reduce the risks of mismatched types between unrelated donors, more than the basic 6 HLA antigens may be tested. For example, sometimes doctors to try and get a 10 out of 10 match. Certain transplant centers now require high-resolution matching, which looks more deeply into tissue types and allow more specific HLA matching.

There are thousands of different combinations of possible HLA tissue types. This can make it hard to find an exact match. HLA antigens are inherited from both parents. If possible, the search for a donor usually starts with the patients brothers and sisters (siblings), who have the same parents as the patient. The chance that any one sibling would be a perfect match (that is, that you both received the same set of HLA antigens from each of your parents) is 1 out of 4.

If a sibling is not a good match, the search could then move on to relatives who are less likely to be a good match parents, half siblings, and extended family, such as aunts, uncles, or cousins. (Spouses are no more likely to be good matches than other people who are not related.) If no relatives are found to be a close match, the transplant team will widen the search to the general public.

As unlikely as it seems, its possible to find a good match with a stranger. To help with this process, the team will use transplant registries, like those listed here. Registries serve as matchmakers between patients and volunteer donors. They can search for and access millions of possible donors and hundreds of thousands of cord blood units.

Be the Match (formerly the National Marrow Donor Program) Toll-free number: 1-800-MARROW-2 (1-800-627-7692) Website: http://www.bethematch.org

Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network Toll-free number: 1-888-597-7674 Website: http://www.bmtinfonet.org

The chances of finding an unrelated donor match improve each year, as more volunteers sign up. Today, about half of white people who need a stem cell transplant may find a perfect match among unrelated donors. This drops to about 1 out of 10 people in other ethnic groups, mostly because their HLA types are more diverse and in the past they were less likely to take part in donor registries. Depending on a persons tissue typing, several other international registries also are available. Sometimes the best matches are found in people with a similar racial or ethnic background. Finding an unrelated donor can take months, though cord blood may be a little faster. A single match can require going through millions of records.

Now that transplant centers are more often using high-resolution tests, matching is becoming more complex. Perfect 10 out of 10 matches at that level are much harder to find. But transplant teams are also getting better at figuring out what kinds of mismatches can be tolerated in which particular situations that is, which mismatched antigens are less likely to affect transplant success and survival.

Keep in mind that there are stages to this process there may be several matches that look promising but dont work out as hoped. The team and registry will keep looking for the best possible match for you. If your team finds an adult donor through a transplant registry, the registry will contact the donor to set up the final testing and donation. If your team finds matching cord blood, the registry will have the cord blood sent to your transplant center.

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Types of Stem Cell Transplants for Cancer Treatment ...

Local vet taking part in stem cell therapy study for dogs – Story … – ABC Action News

By Stem Cell Treatment

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - Cosby just doesnt get around like he used to.

We have six dogs and hes always the one thats the last to get up. The last to get out, said his owner Brian Cirillo.

And for Cirillo, its sad to see.

I hate it. Its always like he always on his tippy topes on his back legs. So its heartbreaking.

But a new trial study that is about to start at the St. Francis Pet Care Center in Tarpon Springs, could be just what Cosby needs.

Veterinarian Mike Amsberry is offering stem cell therapy for dogs.

They are seeing that its very, very safe. And very effective.

This study is focused specifically on four-legged friends with arthritis.

But in the past hes seen stem cell treatments work wonders for other ailments.

Its cells treating the body, rather than then some foreign substance. Some medication.

In this trial, the stem cells come from umbilical cords of donor dogs.

Not only can qualified pets get the treatment for free, but owners are paid too.

Cosby seems like the perfect candidate.

I think thats where everything seems to be going with regard to medicine. So to be on the leading edge of that to potential help him without having to put him on a bunch of medicine is definitely a plus, said Cirillo.

The hope is one day Cosby will be able to keep up with the rest.

And lead the way to help thousands of other dogs.

For more information on the trial study go to petstemcells.org.

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Local vet taking part in stem cell therapy study for dogs - Story ... - ABC Action News

Treating Cerebral Palsy With Stem Cells – Financial Tribune

By Stem Cell Medical Center

The biggest national project to treat patients with Cerebral Palsy (CP) through injection of stems cells from umbilical cord blood into the brain will be trialed in the country by the end of the current year in March, said Dr. Morteza Zarrabi, head of Royan Institute. The plan will be implemented jointly by Royan Institute, Childrens Medical Center (affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences), and Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization. In the first phase, it would provide treatment to 130 children with CP between the ages 5-13, IRNA quoted him as saying, on the sidelines of the conference Stem Cells and Their Potentials for Clinical Application, held at Kashan University of Medical Sciences Thursday. In September 2016, the treatment was tried out in a few children with CP in some hospitals, and the results were satisfactory, he said. Many questions must be answered before stem cell treatment becomes a success in the medical field such as: which of the various types of stem cells would be the best to use; what is the best way in which to use these cells and how will they affect the body; when does the treatment need to be given to achieve the best result; and should the cells be injected directly into the damaged area of the brain or into the bloodstream. So far, 27 cord blood banks have been launched across the country. Around 75,000 samples have been stored in private banks and 5,000 in public banks, Zarrabi said. Approximately four in every 1,000 children in Iran have CP while in the developed countries the rate is 2 to 2.5 per 1000 live births. Cerebral palsy is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people. Symptoms usually include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles and tremors. There may be problem with sensation, hearing and vision, swallowing, and speaking. Babies with CP dont roll over, sit or walk as early as other children of their age. Difficulty with ability to think or reason and seizures occur in about one-third of people with CP. CP is caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture. Most often the problems occur during pregnancy; however they may also occur during childbirth or shortly after birth. While the cause is unknown, risk factors such as preterm birth, being a twin, certain infections during pregnancy such as rubella, exposure to methyl-mercury during pregnancy, difficult delivery, head trauma during the first years of life, and inherited genetic disorders, are some of the causes.

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Treating Cerebral Palsy With Stem Cells - Financial Tribune

Transplanted Human Embryonic Stem Retinal Pigment Cells Survive 22 months in a Human Recipient – MedicalResearch.com (blog)

By Embryonic Stem Cells

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Won Kyung Song MD.PhD Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal service, Department of Ophthalmology CHA Bundang Medical Center CHA University Republic of Korea

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The retina is a light-sensitive neural tissue lining the inner surface of the human eye. The center of this retina is calledthe macula, which is responsible for high quality vision and central visual field. Retinal pigment epithelium is a layer of cells in the outer layer of the retina which has a critical role in maintaining and supporting the retina, especially the macula.

Age-related macular degeneration(AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly in Western countries. There are two types of AMD, wet (neovascular or exudative) and dry (atrophic).The retinal pigment epithelium and choroid, are closely related with the pathophysiology of AMD. In dry AMD,age-relateddegeneration ofRPE cellsleads to the loss of photoreceptor cells and visual deficit. Currently, some therapies are available for amelioratingthe wet AMD. However, there are no effective therapy available for dry AMD.

Previous studies have shown that healthy RPE cells can be implanted to replace unhealthy RPE cells in lesion areas where RPE cells have been lost.Allogenic RPEs resulted in graft rejection and autologous RPEs are difficult to harvest leading to surgery related complications. Now, abundant RPEs with stable genotype and phenotyemay be generated from embryonic stem cells. Therefore, we have undergone subretinal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell derived RPE cells. (Clinicaltrials.govNCT 01674829)Among the patients enrolled for

this clinical trial, we noted epiretinal membrane(ERM) with pigmentations over the retina in a proportion of patients as an adverse event. One patientwithdry AMD and an epiretinal membrane after the hES-RPE transplantationundergoneremoval of this ERM. The histologic examination of this ERM with pigmentations showed that the pigmented cellsoriginatedfrom thetransplantedhES-RPE cells which survived in the recipient for 22 months without anaplasia.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: The main concerns of clinical application of hES derived cellsaretumorigenesisand immune rejection.

Thereare limitations of these trials lackingconfirmative measurements of engraftment of the transplanted cells. Because biopsy of the retina results in focal loss of nurosensory retina and labelling the cells may cause additional clinical harm.

This is the first report showing that hES derived cells has survived upto 22 months in human organwithout anaplasia and may form an ERM.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Objective measurement of engraftment is necessary, together with advancement of an objective visual function measurements.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: The case reported in thisjournalis a finding froma patient enrolled in the clinical trial sponsored byCHAbiotech.Co,Ltd.

HI12C1794(A121941)

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Shim SH, Kim G, Lee DR, Lee JE, Kwon HJ, Song WK. Survival of Transplanted Human Embryonic Stem CellDerived Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells in a Human Recipient for 22 Months. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online February 09, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2016.5824

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Henrietta Lacks family calls for inquiry into Johns Hopkins’ use of her cells – Baltimore Sun

By Uncategorized

The eldest son of Henrietta Lacks doubled down Friday on his efforts to reclaim his mother's legacy, calling for a congressional inquiry into Johns Hopkins Medicine's unauthorized use of her cells and the suspension of nearly $2 billion in National Institutes of Health funding.

Lawrence Lacks, the executor of his mother's estate, said the years of research using his mother's cells helped the medical institution build its reputation and led to scores of studies and medical breakthroughs. All of this in turn contributed to the funding Johns Hopkins received and continues to get, Lacks and other family members said.

In a statement, Lacks said he wanted a congressional inquiry into the money the medical institution made from Henrietta Lacks' cells, known as the HeLa cells, and called for the NIH to suspend $1.89 billion in research funding allocated to Johns Hopkins for 2017 during any investigation.

The cells, collected from the 31-year-old Turners Station woman during a diagnostic procedure before she died of an aggressive form of cervical cancer in 1951, were the first to live outside the body in a glass tube. They have become the most widely used human cells that exist today in scientific research.

Vaccines, cancer treatments and in vitro fertilization are among the many medical techniques derived from her cells.

Lawrence Lacks, 82, was not available for a phone interview Friday, but his son, Ron Lacks, and nephew Alfred Lacks Carter spoke on his behalf.

"The HeLa cells put Johns Hopkins at the top of the research chain worldwide," Ron Lacks said. "And we're thinking that we need Congress to step in and stop Johns Hopkins until we find out what is going on."

Lawrence Lacks asserted Monday that the family wanted compensation from Johns Hopkins for its use of his mother's cells. His statements come as an HBO movie about his mother's life starring Oprah Winfrey is scheduled for release in April. Lacks' story garnered national attention after Rebecca Skloot wrote a best-selling book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."

Hopkins declined to comment Friday, referring to a statement it released Monday that said it had not made money from the cells.

"Johns Hopkins never patented HeLa cells, and therefore does not own the rights to the HeLa cell line," the statement said. "Johns Hopkins also did not sell or profit from the discovery or distribution of HeLa cells." It also said there was no established practice for informing or obtaining consent from cell or tissue donors when the cells were taken, nor were there any regulations on the use of cells in research.

NIH spokesman John Burklow disagreed with Lacks' belief that NIH funding is based on research of the HeLa cells.

"The assertion that NIH funding to Hopkins is given in large part due to the HeLa cell discovery is not correct," Burklow said in a written statement. "NIH provides funding support to Hopkins and other research institutions for a broad array of projects that are peer reviewed for scientific merit, public health needs, and scientific opportunity, among many other considerations."

Lawrence Lacks also criticized an agreement NIH reached with other family members in 2013 that required scientists to get permission from the government agency to use her genetic blueprint. The agreement also required researchers who get NIH funding to use a database of Lacks' genome that they can only access by applying through the federal agency. Two family members were appointed to a working group to help make the decisions.

While NIH officials said they would ask biomedical researchers not funded by the agency to abide by the agreement, they acknowledged at the time that the new restrictions were limited and scientists could create a map of her genome using already available data on HeLa cells.

Lawrence Lacks said that as executor of her estate he never signed off on that agreement and told NIH he didn't want the database created. He said the relatives on the board were not legally allowed to make decision on behalf of his mother's estate. Jerri Lacks, one of the family members on the board, said earlier this week that she did not agree with many of Lawrence Lacks' assertions, but she and other family members declined to comment further.

Ron Lacks said his father would like to see that agreement renegotiated.

Burklow said in his statement that the NIH was trying to help the family have more control over use of the HeLa cells.

"Without those discussions, initiated by NIH and facilitated by Rebecca Skloot and Dan Ford, the HeLa sequence would have been available without restriction to anyone," Burklow said. "Our desire was to respect the family's interest in confidentiality and privacy, and to recognize the contributions of Henrietta Lacks and her descendants."

Lawrence Lacks said Skloot represented the family before the NIH without his permission and also raised questions about a foundation she created to help the family. He and other family members also said she didn't accurately portray the family in the book.

Skloot could not be reached for comment Friday.

Crown Publishing Group, which published the book, said Skloot provided the manuscript to members of the Lacks family for comment and corrections that were put into the book. The statement didn't specify which members saw the book, but said that Lawrence Lacks participated in meetings and interviews with Skloot. Lawrence Lack's son Ron said Skloot spent only an hour with his father and late mother.

"The veracity of the book, which has brought heightened awareness to the important contributions of HeLa cells to medicine and modern science, has not been challenged in the seven years since its initial publication in February 2010," the Crown Publishing statement said. "In the subsequent years, numerous members of the Lacks family have participated in interviews and public events in support of the book and of the need to tell the story of Henrietta Lacks."

Members of the Lacks family said they would like compensation for the use of Henrietta Lacks' cells. Two of her sons have debilitating illnesses and can't afford proper care, said Alfred Lacks Carter, Henrietta Lacks' grandson and Lawrence Lacks' nephew. They would like to set up a foundation to start a school for kids who want to study science and math.

They don't want to disrupt research, they said, but they want more say in it as well as compensation for Henrietta Lacks' contributions.

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Stem Cells Treat Baldness with PRP | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

By Stem Cell Treatment

Americans spend between one and four billion dollars a year treating hair loss.

Now, four surgeons in the U.S. are testing a stem cell treatment in a non-surgical procedure.

Overseas trials in Japan and Egypt are already showing some success.

Its been 30 years of concern, Roy Woelke said.

Woelke knows how overwhelming hair loss can be.

I noticed thinning in my late twenties, and it never stops. It seems like it just goes on and on, Woelke detailed.

Hes had three hair replacement surgeries, but thats really just moving hair around the head, and as he says, you run out of supply.

Kenneth Williams, D.O., a hair restoration surgeon at Orange County Hair Restoration in Los Angeles, California, may have new hope for Woelke and millions of others.

Hes running a clinical trial that uses stem cells and platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, to treat baldness.

The study is taking cells that are in our body that help to regenerate or stimulate inactive or dormant hair follicles," Williams explained. "That is the theory behind what were doing this procedure on.

Williams takes fat from the abdomen, emulsifies it and separates the stem cells, mixes it with the patients own plasma which has been spun down to be super concentrated. Then with 300 shots, injects the mixture into the scalp, twice over a three-month period.

Woelke hopes to get into the trial, which has five participants so far.

Williams already does the procedure for paying patients whove had promising results.

Those patients are seeing some differences in the density of the hair," Williams said. "Were waiting for the final results, which take nine to 12 months after the administration. We look to see the final results of what were doing.

He hopes to publish results in two years.

Williams trial is supported by NIH, but not by a major pharmaceutical company yet. That means his trial is patient-funded, meaning theyll pay a reduced cost of the $2,500 to $5,800 procedure, depending on which arm of the trial is chosen.

Contact the Irvine Institute of Medicine and Cosmetic Surgery at (949) 333-2999 or visit http://www.straandstudy.com for more information.

Published at 5:46 PM CST on Feb 17, 2017 | Updated at 5:50 PM CST on Feb 17, 2017

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Stem cell therapy adds pep to pets – Columbus Telegram

By Stem Cell Treatment

COLUMBUS For the past year, Dr. Todd Paczosa has been practicing what he calls the future of medicine.

The veterinarian treats his four-legged patients through stem cell therapy.

Im not anti-antibiotic, anti-medicine. I just believe that even in the future of cancer treatment that it is going to come down to your body healing itself, Paczosa said.

The process involves removing fatty tissue from a patient, extracting stem cells, then injecting the cells back into the animal's joints to promote healing.

Paczosa said he researched the treatment for about a decade before deciding to offer it at Redstone Veterinary Hospital in Columbus.

Our body is full of cells that heal. You get cut, your body heals. What we are doing is taking those cells, waking them up and saying, Hey, lets go to work, he said.

Since he started offering stem cell therapy last March, 17 dogs, horses and cattle have used the treatment. One of those patients is Butch, a 9-year-old schnauzer owned by Marge Biester of Columbus that was suffering from a strained ligament and achy joints.

He was really hurting. I had to do something for him, Biester said, adding that Butch wasnt putting much weight on his back leg when he walked.

The treatment was done in January. Butch was put under anesthesia to retrieve the fat tissue. Using equipment in-house, the stem cells were extracted and injected back into the dog that same day.

Paczosa, who has been a veterinarian for 23 years, said the entire process can be done in a day.

Biester noticed results in about two weeks.Butch wasnt doing his three-legged walk anymore and began acting like a more-active, younger version of himself.

Im amazed at how quickly he recovered, she said.

Paczosa said all of the animals he has treated so far have shown improvement.

One of these days, we will have one that doesnt work. Thats just medicine, but we havent had one yet, he said.

The possibility of the stem cell therapy not working can be a turnoff for some pet owners who might find it difficult to spend $1,900 to $2,400 for the treatment at Redstone. If it does work, Paczosa said the therapy is less expensive in the long run than putting an animal on medication for extended periods of time to ease the pain from arthritis.

Other pluses, he said, are that the regenerative therapy isnt as invasive as surgery and anti-rejection drugs don't have to be used since the cells come from the same animal.More than one joint can also be treated at a time and it can eliminate the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The biggest risks are putting the animal under anesthesia and infection of the surgical site where the fatty tissue is removed, typically from the shoulder area or abdomen.

Stem cell therapy is practiced at a few hundred veterinary clinics in the country. Redstone works with the animal stem cell company MediVet Biologics and uses that companys in-house technology.

Paczosa said owners have come from other states to use the therapy at his Columbus clinic.

Initial results from the procedure lasts about two years. An option to bank stem cells from a pet is available. A portion of what is taken can be stored in a lab and used again in the future.

For Paczosa's patients, results have been quick and ongoing.

Most owners have seen a dramatic improvement in two weeks. Our first patient is still seeing improvements, he said.

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Upstate Opens Cord Blood Bank, Only the Second Public Cord Blood Bank in New York and One of Only 32 in the US – Newswise (press release)

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Newswise Upstate Medical University opens the Upstate Cord Blood Bank, only the second public cord blood bank in New York and one of only 32 in the US.

The $15 million, 20,000 square foot facility features a state of the art processing laboratory and cryogenic storage containers that can store nearly 14,500 units of cord blood. The building is located on Upstates Community Campus, 4910 Broad Road in Syracuse, home to Upstates obstetric services. The cord blood bank opened Feb. 9.

The bank will collect, test, process, store and distribute umbilical cord blood donated by families throughout central and northern New York to be used by those in need of life-saving medical treatments and for medical research.

The bank is currently accepting cord blood donations from families who give birth at Upstates Community Campus. Cord blood donations will be accepted from families who give birth at Syracuse's Crouse Hospital and St. Josephs Hospital Health Center as early as summer 2017. Agreements with other area hospitals will be forthcoming.

Umbilical cord blood is blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after childbirth. Cord blood that is not donated is discarded as medical waste. It is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells that have the potential of being used in the treatment of dozens of diseases, like blood cancers and bone marrow diseases such as sickle cell anemia.

State Sen. John DeFrancisco played a key role in securing the $15 million funding for the building, enabling Syracuse to have one of only two public cord blood banks in New York and one of only 32 in the United States.

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank responds directly to the mission of our academic medical center, said Upstate President Danielle Laraque-Arena, MD, FAAP. It is a community resource that will improve the health of individuals here, throughout our region and beyond. Whether the cord blood is used for transplantation or research, we are providing hope of better health and new treatments.

Laraque-Arena said she was grateful for the support of New York State Sen. John DeFrancisco. I applaud Senator DeFranciscos efforts to move this project forward and to enable Upstate to be at the forefront of this impactful initiative, Laraque-Arena said.

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank is a project near and dear to my heart, said DeFrancisco. Its a project that has been a long time coming, and I am absolutely ecstatic that the public bank is now open and receiving donations of umbilical cord blood. I look forward to witnessing the many cures that will result from having the use of cord blood available right here in Upstate.

Upstates Robert Corona, DO, MBA, professor and chair of the Department of Pathology, said the Upstate Cord Blood Bank would put to good use what is often referred to as medical waste.The blood from the umbilical cord and placenta, cord blood, contains hematopoietic stem cells that have potential to treat many diseases including cancer, genetic disorders and blood disorders, he said. What was once medical waste becomes a source of life saving cells and a significant contribution to the field of regenerative medicine. Stem cells show great potential in treating all sorts of neurologic disorders including metabolic disorders, spastic cerebral palsy and autism. We are truly fortunate to have a new Cord Blood Bank in our community as a cutting-edge patient care and research resource.

Nicholas Greco, PhD, executive director and tissue bank director of the Upstate Cord Blood Bank, said the use of cord blood in treatment for various diseases has expanded. Historically, cord blood from public banks in transplantation has focused on the safety and use in regenerating dysfunctional or damaged bone marrow. But, within the last decade, family banks have focused on using cord blood- and cord tissue-derived stem cells to replace or regenerate human cells, tissue or organs, to restore or establish normal function (regenerative medicine). These emerging uses, extend patient options for treatment and cures.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher applauded the opening of the Upstate Cord Blood Bank. New Yorks ongoing investment in medical research and education provides far reaching benefits for our students and faculty as well as communities not only in New York state but around the globe, Zimpher said. Congratulations to President Laraque-Arena and the entire SUNY Upstate community on the opening of this new facility, which is certain to advance research in a vital field of study, enhance patient care, and provide new educational opportunities for students.

Designation as a public cord blood bank The designation of Upstate Cord Blood Bank as a public blood bank is important in that there is no cost to donate and donated cord blood is available to anyone who needs it. Once donated, the cord blood will be stored in the bank and made available to transplant centers in the United States and throughout the world for patients needing life-saving transplants. The cord blood units will be listed initially on the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide registry and on the Be The Match registry maintained by the National Marrow Donor Program, which maintains a large listing of cord blood units available for transplant. Those units that are not suitable for transplantation will be made available to researchers, both at Upstate Medical University and around the country.

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank will in the near future open a family cord blood bank that will collect, test, process, store, and distribute a babys umbilical cord blood only for use by families who have a need for future use. An initial fee and annual fee will be charged for collection, processing and storage of umbilical cord blood in the family bank.

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank will operate under strict guidelines and protocols, established by state and federal health organizations, including the state Health Department, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), AABB and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

As is currently under way at Crouse Hospital and St. Josephs Hospital Health Center, Upstate will work with regional hospitals to develop guidelines and agreements to enable mothers who deliver in these facilities the ability to donate their cord blood for free.

Upstate officials hope the cord blood bank will ultimately receive donations from 10,000 births a year, which would represent 50 percent of the approximately 20,000 births in Central New York annually.

How is cord blood donated Once a mother has delivered her baby and after the umbilical cord is clamped and cut as is done with all deliveries, a medical provider will insert a needle into the umbilical vein that is still attached to the placenta. The process, which takes less than 10 minutes, yields about 3 to 5 ounces of cord blood, which is then sent to the Upstate Cord Blood Bank for testing, processing and storage. There is no pain for the mother or baby nor is their safety compromised during the delivery.

Treatments with cord blood Stem cell transplants from umbilical cord blood, researchers say, may be more suitable for transplants than the more common stem cells taken from bone marrow as treatment for various cancers. Umbilical cord blood has an underdeveloped immune cell system providing less of a chance that the transplanted cells will attack the recipients immune system. Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of forming all different types of blood forming cells in the human body. They are used to treat some cancers, metabolic disorders and immunodeficiency diseases, and bone marrow disorders, such as sickle cell anemia. Cord blood is rich in these hematopoietic stem cells.

Research with cord blood Umbilical cord blood stem cells will be valuable for medical research, in studies seeking to advance new treatments for cancer and using cord blood to treat and cure diseases that are not cancers, that is, in regenerative medicine applications. These latter applications may regenerate new tissues such as heart, muscle, skin, and neuronal tissues. Some Upstate researchers have expressed an interest in working with stem cells from umbilical cord blood. An available supply of cord blood would enhance and expedite research studies on finding new treatments for various diseases.

Upstate Cord Blood Bank credits: Architect: Francis Cauffman, New York, N.Y. Engineer: Buro Happold Engineers, New York, N.Y., Project Management: Pike Construction Company, Rochester, N.Y.; General Contractor: Murnane Building Contractors, East Syracuse, N.Y.

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