Stem Cell Clinic

How baseball players are trying stem cells to avoid Tommy John – Yahoo Sports

By adminFebruary 22, 2017Stell Cell Research

TEMPE, Ariz. On the day he hoped would save his elbow, Garrett Richards laid face down on a table with his back exposed. A doctor guided a needle into the iliac crest of his pelvic bone and began to extract bone marrow. Richards was wide awake, the blessing of local anesthesia saving him from physical pain but not the anxiety that crept into his head: Is this really going to work?

Within a few minutes, the harvested marrow was hurried to a centrifuge, spun to separate the good stuff, mixed into a slurry of platelet-rich plasma and readied to inject into Richards damaged right elbow. Rather than the standard tear across his ulnar collateral ligament, Richards ran lengthwise along the middle of his UCL, a rare manifestation of an increasingly commonplace injury that almost always ends with Tommy John surgery. Not in this case. While he could have chosen that route, he wanted to explore first the efficacy of the aforementioned good stuff: stem cells.

Today, Garrett Richards is darting 98-mph fastballs again. I feel as good as I ever have throwing a baseball, he said Monday from Tempe Diablo Stadium, where the Los Angeles Angels, perhaps the most Tommy John-addled team in baseball, expect to break camp with Richards as their opening day starter. The 28-year-old is the latest player to turn to orthobiologics, the class of treatments that includes stem cells and PRP, in hopes of healing an injury. While clinical studies have shown great success with those who use orthobiologics, they are not yet a panacea for the pervasive elbow injuries in baseball for two reasons: They work only on partial ligament tears, like Richards, and medical studies have yet to validate their efficacy independent of other treatments run concurrently.

The lack of knowledge as to how orthobiologics work inside the body while the proteins in stem cells and platelets are believed to regrow damaged tissue, doctors have yet to isolate best practices for particular injuries speaks to the difficulties in true medical advances. Still, the desire of Richards and others to avoid surgery lends orthobiologics enough credence to warrant further studies.

I truly think this kind of treatment has significant potential, said Dr. Neal ElAttrache, a longtime orthopedic surgeon at the Kerlan-Jobe clinic in Los Angeles who introduced orthobiologics to Major League Baseball when he injected PRP into the elbow of Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito in 2008. Theres no question biologics are here to stay and biologic manipulation is the frontier of treatment in what were doing. The problem, as I see it, is that the marketing and clinical use has far exceeded the science behind it.

Translation: Once the use of PRP and stem cells found traction in the media, pro athletes and weekend warriors alike sought their use, even if the success stories skewed anecdotal. Bartolo Colon resurrected his career after a stem cell injection in 2010 and is still pitching today at 43. Others did so without the fanfare or publicity. Richards faced a choice after being diagnosed with a partially torn UCL last May: Undergo Tommy John surgery and, at earliest, return following the 2017 All-Star break or follow the advice of Dr. Steve Yoon, a partner of ElAttraches at Kerlan-Jobe, and try to salvage the ligament with stem cells.

Science, bro, Richards said. Im a believer now.

Two weeks before Richards began his treatment, teammate Andrew Heaney had looked to avoid Tommy John via stem cells. Richards figured theyd rehab together every step of the way and be back in time for the fall instructional league. Then at the end of June, a scan showed Heaneys elbow wasnt healing, and he would need reconstructive surgery. Already Tyler Skaggs had taken nearly two years to return from his 2014 surgery, and six weeks after Heaneys, starter Nick Tropeano went down. Like Heaney, he is expected to miss the 2017 season.

It made Richards recovery that much more imperative. His first checkup, six weeks in, showed regrowth in the torn area via ultrasound. By August, he started throwing, and come October, when instructional league was in full bloom, so too was Richards. He didnt hesitate to pump his fastball and rip off one of his spin-heavy breaking balls. As far as pure, raw stuff goes, few in baseball can match Richards.

He was convinced science was working, bro, though the skepticism about orthobiologics generally remains, and understandably so, in the medical community. In May 2013, a paper published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found 30 of 34 overhand throwers with partial UCL tears who used PRP had returned to their previous level of competition. This was reason for celebration. If a player could avoid the 14-month-plus recovery from the surgery, better for him as well as the team.

Another study arrived in 2016 that didnt cast doubt on the value of orthobiologics so much as offer a different avenue: rest. The 28 players used everything from electrical stimulation, ultrasound, laser therapy, massage and other soft-tissue work. And when paired with rest, their return to previous level came in at 84 percent. It was almost exactly as effective as PRP.

This reinforced ElAttraches concern: Neither of those studies had a control group against which to measure, so the numbers, while impressive, could not isolate what helped and what didnt. This chicken-or-egg question struck ElAttrache just the same when Saito returned and went on to pitch five seasons.

Maybe it was the injection, ElAttrache said. Or maybe it was that we shut him down and let him heal.

Garrett Richards is darting 98-mph fastballs again after turning to orthobiologics. (Getty Images)

He doesnt know, and thats an important distinction as orthobiologics grows exponentially. In 2004, voters in California pledged to provide $3 billion for stem-cell research and create the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. It remains a benefactor for an industry trying to find its place in the United States.

Across the world, stem cells have far greater potency. U.S. law prevents doctors from manipulating the cells in any way. They are extracted and put back into patients bodies as is. In Switzerland, for example, doctors will harvest stem cells, manipulate them to promote greater healing capacity and then inject them. At least one star pitcher this offseason sought a stem cell injection in the United States, according to sources, while another veteran traveled halfway across the world to Zurich, seeking the comparative lack of regulations just as Peyton Manning did in 2011 to help heal a neck injury that eventually needed surgery.

The future of orthobiologics domestically doesnt end with the FDA loosening rules on stem cell usage. Doctors see significant promise in stem cells from a babys umbilical cord or a mothers placenta, both of which can be frozen. Already theyre capable of harvesting stem cells from old patients and engineering the cells into an immature state. The possibilities going forward are endless.

For right now, theyre going to play themselves out in Anaheim. The danger zone for re-injury after using orthobiologics tends to fall between April and June, though Richards cant imagine falling prey again. In addition to the 13-week break from throwing he took over the summer, Richards spent 10 more weeks in the offseason letting it heal further.

During his down time, Richards studied his own delivery to find even the slightest inefficiencies. He had three numbers in mind. The first was 85. Thats the percent at which he said hell throw his fastball, though because of improved mechanics he expects it wont hinder his velocity. The second is 100. Thats the pitch limit the Angels will foist on Richards, and hes not one to fight. The third is 200. Thats the number of innings Richards wants to pitch this season. He did it in 2015 and sees no reason he cant again.

If he can throw 85 percent, keep his pitch count below 100 and get those 200 innings, it will play publicly as another validation of orthobiologics. Just the same, if Richards elbow gives out eventually, his association with stem cells could perhaps give those considering it pause. Richards pays no mind to this. He just wants to be great.

So much so, in fact, that its going to cost him. Inside the Angels clubhouse, a chart, labeled 1 through 13, is taped to the side of a locker. Its a list of shame with the price buying lunch for the entire team. Players, coaches, P.R. directors, even manager Mike Scioscia are on there. Next to No. 6, it read: G. Rich Ace. He had made the mistake of saying aloud what he believed to be true: that hes the ace of the Angels.

Fulfilling that depends on plenty of things, none as important as his elbow, and Richards knows that. Hell do everything he can to take care of it, to nurture it, to fight against its natural gift of velocity that puts him at such risk. To make sure that next time hes on a table in the doctors office, its not with his elbow opened up and another season lost.

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How baseball players are trying stem cells to avoid Tommy John - Yahoo Sports

Blast off: Stem cells from Mayo Clinic physician’s lab launch into space – Medical Xpress

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Stem Cell Medical Center

February 19, 2017

Consider it one physician's giant leap for mankind. Today, the latest rocket launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, included a payload of several samples of donated adult stem cells from a research laboratory at Mayo Clinic's Florida campus. The launch by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, is part of NASA's commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station.

The biological cells come from the laboratory of Abba Zubair, M.D., Ph.D., who says he has eagerly awaited the launch following several delays over the past couple of years. Dr. Zubair, who specializes in cellular treatments for disease and regenerative medicine, hopes to find out how the stem cells hold up in space. He says he's eager to know whether these special cells, which are derived from the body's bone marrow, can be more quickly mass-produced in microgravity and used to treat strokes. Microgravity is the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless. The effects of microgravity can be seen when astronauts and objects float in space. Microgravity refers to the condition where gravity seems to be very small.

"At Mayo Clinic, research drives everything we do for patients," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., vice president, Mayo Clinic, and CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida. "This space cargo carries important material for research that could hold the key for developing future treatments for strokea debilitating health issue. Research such as this accelerates scientific discoveries into breakthrough therapies and critical advances in patient care."

Dr. Zubair says he has dreamed of this moment all his life, with a passion for space that goes back to his childhood in the northern city of Kano, Nigeria. There, he says he came across a book about the first moon launch and became instantly enthralled. In high school, he recruited other physics students to build a model rocket prototype using corrugated metal and rudimentary materials from the local blacksmith. When it came time to apply for college, however, the school adviser steered him from becoming an astronaut. "He said it may be a long time before Nigeria sends rockets and astronauts into space, so I should consider something more practical," Dr. Zubair recalls.

With the goal of being useful to patients and helping cure disease, he headed to medical school in Nigeria. His training took him to the University of Sheffield, in Sheffield, England; the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as he specialized in bone marrow transplants and stem cell research. He came to Mayo Clinic's Florida campus to treat cancer patients and others whose conditions could be helped by regenerative medicineall the while running a research lab that studies adult stem cells.

Dr. Zubair came across a request for research proposals that involved medicine and outer space four years ago. His mother had died of stroke in 1997, and he had been thinking about stem cells as a treatment for stroke-related brain injury. Collaborating with Mayo Clinic neurologists James Meschia, M.D., and William D. Freeman, M.D., he studied mouse models of stroke.

"Stem cells are known to reduce inflammation," he explains. "We've shown that an infusion of stem cells at the site of stroke improves the inflammation and also secretes factors for the regeneration of neurons and blood vessels."

One big problem is that it may take as many as 200 million cells to treat a human being, and developing vast numbers of stem cells on Earth can take weeks.

"It's further complicated, because some patients are unable to donate cells for themselves, and, sometimes, there aren't enough donors who are a good match, as sometimes occurs for minorities," he says.

Studies in simulators on Earth have shown that adult stem cellsthe undifferentiated cells that exist in the body to replace damaged or dying cellsreproduce quickly and reliably in microgravity. While it's not known why microgravity works better than a petri dish, some researchers speculate the conditions may be similar to the floating environment of developing cells in the body. With funding from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, a nonprofit organization, Dr. Zubair hopes to find that, in space, stem cells can be reproduced safely in large quantities, providing new opportunities for patients.

He'll gather real-time information about the cells as astronauts conduct experiments measuring molecular changes.

"We'll be looking to see if there are genes activated in microgravity and analyzing the stages of the cell cycle," he says.

"We may discover proteins or compounds that are produced that we can synthesize on Earth to encourage stem cell growth without having to go to microgravity." Over the last three years of planning, he says he's been tickled to learn about the challenges of space-based research, such as the need for techniques to handle fluids that don't mix in microgravity.

Most importantly, experiments will continue after the expanded stem cells return to Earth.

"We'll study them to make sure they're normal, functional and safe for patients with stroke," he says. "My work in regenerative medicine has always been intentionally translationalnot just to study what the cells do and what can be done with them but to make a difference for patients. That's what makes our project unique."

For the launch, Mayo Clinic is collaborating with the Center for Applied Space Technology (CAST) in Cape Canaveral, and BioServe Space Technologies in Boulder, Colorado. CAST supported Dr. Zubair's research by providing strategic mission planning, proposal development, spaceflight technical support and served as an interface between the research team and various space activities and agencies. BioServe provided space flight hardware, on orbit research protocol and scheduling interface.

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Blast off: Stem cells from Mayo Clinic physician's lab launch into space - Medical Xpress

R3 Stem Cell Now Offering Regenerative Medicine Treatment in … – PR Web (press release)

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Stem Cell Clinic

Top Stem Cell Therapy in Oklahoma City (844) GET-STEM

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (PRWEB) February 20, 2017

R3 Stem Cell is now offering regenerative medicine treatment in Oklahoma City with a new Center of Excellence. R3 has partnered with Venturis Clinic, who offers stem cell and PRP therapy along with prolozone treatment by the Board Certified doctors. Call (844) GET-STEM for more information and scheduling.

Stem cell therapy is now mainstream, and helps individuals every day avoid the need for possibly risky surgery. It's helping athletes get back on the field faster, avoid joint replacement and finally achieve pain relief with chronic tendonitis conditions. The regenerative treatments are offered by a Board Certified provider in a contemporary setting.

The stem cell and PRP therapy in Oklahoma City are all outpatient with absolutely minimal risk. Unlike cortisone injections, these treatments actually repair and regenerate cartilage, muscle, bone, tendon, ligament and other damaged tissue.

Minimal down time is necessary after the stem cell therapy in Oklahoma City, which is the opposite of traditional surgery. The treatments contain stem cells, growth factors, concentrated platelets, cytokines and hyaluronic acid. The combination makes for an amazing regenerative environment once injected.

To receive cutting edge regenerative treatment, call Venturis Clinic in Oklahoma City which is now an R3 Stem Cell Center of Excellence at (844) GET-STEM. Also visit https://r3stemcell.com for more information.

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Iowa GOP takes aim at research – The Daily Iowan

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Embryonic Stem Cells

By Sarah Stortz

sarah-stortz@uiowa.edu

Fetal-tissue research could be at risk of being outlawed in Iowa if a bill proposed in the Iowa Senate passes. The human-resource subcommittee of the Iowa Senate, led by Republicans, approved a piece of legislation last week that would prohibit the use of fetal tissue in medical research. This bill would ban receiving or transporting any type of fetal tissue in the state and provide penalties.

It would apply to the University of Iowa medical investigations, one of dozens of universities in the United States using fetal-tissue research.

Iowa City pulmonologist Alan Moy said he supported the bill during its initial hearing because of his opposition to using fetal tissues in research.

I feel that the use is in conflict with medical research and that it defies human research, he said. Federal law doesnt support trafficking on fetal tissue. I disagree with the opponents that this has led to remarkable treatment. Thats wrong. There are more ethical and more superior treatment methods.

Moy said the bills passing should have no effect on the research at the UI.

The law does not prevent buying commercial venues; the abortion clinics just wouldnt be a source, Moy said. There have been a number of cell lines, and they have been created decades ago. You dont need to replenish cell lines with fresh fetal.

On the contrary, Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, opposed the bill, saying it would do huge damage to the research at universities in Iowa.

Our universities are doing great research with [fetal tissues], but whatever research would have to stop, he said. It could end research for cures and treatments.

Bolkcom said passing the bill passing would be an economically bad decision as well.

Institutions would be put out of business, he said. We cant track the researchers, so they would have to go to other states.

UI immunology Professor Nicholas Zavazava, a researcher, had a mixed opinion.

There are people doing great research with it, but its also a very sensitive issue, he said.

Zavazava works with stem cells at the university and reported that while some work with fetal tissue, its not used often in the research at the UI. Researchers typically use embryonic stem cells.

He said that fetal tissues are distinct from embryonic stem cells, with fetal tissues coming specifically from aborted fetuses.

Alternatively, Zavazava said he wished the school would use different types of methods to avoid controversy, one such being stem-cell transplant.

You can create embryonic stem cells by drawing your own blood. There would be no fetus involved, he said. Unfortunately, this costs a lot of money, and Iowa just never invested in it. I really hope that Iowa would embrace it more.

This is the second time members of the Senate have tried to pass a bill that would restrict fetal tissue used in medical research, with a very similar bill proposed last year that passed in the Iowa House.

Bolkcom said he urges anyone who doesnt want this bill to pass, follow through by calling their senators.

Now that Republicans are in charge, theres a pretty decent chance of this passing, he said.

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Iowa GOP takes aim at research - The Daily Iowan

Stem Cell Transplants May Help Some With Multiple Sclerosis – The Tand D.com

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Uncategorized

MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Stem cell transplants may halt the progression of aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in nearly half of those with the debilitating disease, but picking the right patients for the treatment is key, a new study suggests.

Specifically, younger patients with a relapsing form of MS who were not severely disabled and who hadn't found relief with other treatments fared better than others over five years, the international team of researchers found.

However, in some cases the treatment proved fatal, the researchers reported.

"Stem cell transplantation cannot be considered a cure for MS. However, it can be considered a concrete option for patients showing aggressive MS who have not responded to approved treatments," said study co-author Dr. Riccardo Saccardi. He's from the cell therapy and transfusion medicine unit at Careggi University Hospital in Florence, Italy.

Using patients' own stem cells to reboot the immune system is a way to halt the advance of the disease. But the treatment can be risky because the patient's immune system has to be wiped out before the stem cells are transplanted, the researchers said.

In fact, nearly 3 percent of the patients died shortly after receiving the transplant, and those deaths were directly related to the transplant, the researchers reported.

Those deaths are a major concern, one neurologist said, because MS is not in itself life-threatening.

In effect, those patients gambled with a treatment that could be fatal for a disease that isn't, said Dr. Michael Racke, a professor in the department of neurology at Ohio State University.

Racke pointed out that stem cell transplants were first used to treat deadly diseases, such as leukemia, lymphoma and other cancers.

"There may be a population of MS patients that could be identified that might do well with transplant," he said. "It's important to select patients in such a way that they actually get well with the transplant."

A trial that compares stem cell transplants with other therapies to see whether stem cell transplants can become a treatment for patients who have progressive MS is about to start, added Racke, who co-authored an editorial that accompanied the study.

More than 2 million people in the world suffer from MS, in which the body attacks the central nervous system, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

MS can cause many symptoms, including blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis and blindness.

These symptoms can come and go, or persist and worsen over time. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed the disease, the society says.

Medications can slow the progression of MS and help patients manage symptoms, but there's no cure.

To see how patients did over the long term after stem cell transplants, Saccardi and colleagues followed 281 patients from 13 countries who received stem cell transplants between 1995 and 2006.

The researchers found that 46 percent of the patients experienced progression-free survival at five years after transplant.

Within 100 days of transplant, however, eight patients died (nearly 3 percent). Those deaths were related to the transplants, Saccardi said.

The researchers think these deaths were most likely due to the transplant technology used before 2006, which has since improved.

The report was published online Feb. 20 in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Dr. Paul Wright is chair of neurology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, in New Hyde Park, N.Y. He said, "As neurologists battle with current therapies that are limited for progressive MS in younger patients, this study provides a possible new avenue for treatment."

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Stem Cell Transplants May Help Some With Multiple Sclerosis - The Tand D.com

Here’s Why Organoids Are a Game Changer in Medical Research – Newsweek

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Uncategorized

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

Most of the research behind new medical advances is carried out using either animal tissues or cancer cells. Both tools have their problems: results from animals and humans do not always match up and cancer cells grown for years in laboratories often do not mimic the tissues they originally came from very well. Bridging the gap between whole animals and simple cells can be a challenge during the development of new treatments, but this is beginning to change since scientists have learned how to grow organoids.

Organoids are clusters of cells that organize themselves into mini versions of our organs. They are grown from stem cells, and their use has only become possible with the discovery of the precise conditions needed to keep stem cells alive outside the body. Organoids were first made from intestines but have since been made using many other tissues, including liver, breast and even brain cells. This will allow scientists to better study the development and diseases of these organs.

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An engineer from CNRS (French Reseach Institut Center) introduces embryonic stem cells in a mouse embryo to set a genetically modified line, Marseille, France, February 9, 2012. Organoidslab-grown miniature versions of organsare proving to be a game changer in the field of medical research. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images

They are grown in a gel that allows them to develop three-dimensionally, so they mimic the architecture of our organs much more realistically than a simple layer of cells. Stem cells from the intestine multiply to form a ball, in which the hollow centeris like the space inside the intestine. The surface of these balls then buds outwardat various points to form pocket-like extensions. This is similar to the intensely folded surface of the gut wall.

Organoids have several advantages over existing approaches. Stem cells are taken from animals or patients and continually multiply so the organoids can be maintained for months. They provide an unlimited supply of material for study, meaning fewer animal studies are required. Making organoids from patients also raises intriguing possibilities for personalized medicine.

In traditional cell cultures every cell is identical but stem cells can form many different cell types, so organoids contain a much more realistic mixture of cells. For example, M cells are specialized cells in the gut wall that act as surveillance posts, capturing bacteria from the gut and showing them to the immune system so it can monitor for danger. Some harmful bacteria exploit this to invade the gut wall. It was previously tricky to grow M cells in the lab for study, but they can be grown in organoids. When added to organoids, Salmonella, a bacterium that causes food poisoning, infected M cells more often than other cell types, suggesting this may be a route of infection in humans.

Some common disease-causing bacteria are surprisingly difficult to grow in the lab, making them hard to study. Clostridium difficile causes numerous cases of diarrhoea every year, a serious condition in frail patients. It has been difficult to grow C. difficile because it requires conditions without oxygen, but researchers in the U.S. have shown that the bug can survive inside intestinal organoids. Bacteria were injected into the centerof intestinal organoids and produced a toxin that made the organoid wall leakier, damaging its ability to act as a barrier.

Organoids made from patient biopsies are allowing us to investigate differences between individuals. Patients with cystic fibrosis show varied responses to treatments. One group of researchers grew organoids from patient biopsies and tested their response to different combinations of drugs. In the future this may be used to quickly find the best treatment for each individual.

Tumors also vary hugely between individuals. Dutch researchers grew organoids from patients with colorectal tumors and identified genetic changes that had occurred in the tumour cells compared to the patients healthy tissue. They were then able to see how these altered the way the cells behaved. They tested anti-cancer drugs on the organoids and could tell which drugs did and did not kill the tumor cells.

Imagine if organoids were routinely made from tumor biopsies and used to identify the best chemotherapy combination for each patient. This is certainly plausible, but the process will first need to be made quicker and cheaper.

All this makes organoids an exciting new tool for researchers. Most work currently focuses on the stomach and intestine, but the technique is quickly expanding to other tissues, such as liver, breast and brain. Organoids will transform the way we conduct medical research, from basic understanding to drug development and personalized therapies. Expect to hear much more about them in the future.

Louise ThompsonisPhD candidate in Molecular and Cellular Physiology at theUniversity of Liverpool.

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Here's Why Organoids Are a Game Changer in Medical Research - Newsweek

Mayo doc’s stem cell experiment blasts into space – Post-Bulletin

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Uncategorized

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. As a boy growing up in Kano, Nigeria, Dr. Abba Zubair dreamed of going to space.

On Sunday, his work hitched a ride with a private rocket blasting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a trip to the International Space Station.

Dr. Zubair, an associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at the Mayo Clinic's Florida campus, prepared a science package involving stem cells as part of a resupply mission to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

"It was my first rocket launch view," said Dr. Zubair, who was on hand to watch and listen to the deafening sound as his experiment rode into space. "It was incredible."

The stem cells -- specialized cells derived from bone marrow come from Dr. Zubair's lab. Dr. Zubair, according to a report from the Mayo Clinic, specializes in cellular treatments for disease and regenerative medicine. He hopes to find out how the stem cells hold up in space and if they can be more quickly produced in microgravity.

More specifically, Zubair said, he is hoping the research can help in treatment of patients who have suffered a stroke-related brain injury.

"Stem cells are known to reduce inflammation," he said in a press release. "We've shown that an infusion of stem cells at the site of stroke improves the inflammation and also secretes factors for the regeneration of neurons and blood vessels."

The problem with such a treatment and studying the treatment is generating enough stem cells for the job. Based on current regenerative medicine studies, patients need at least 100 million stem cells for an effective dose. However, reproducing stem cells can be time consuming since the cells naturally limit their numbers.

"Scalability is a big issue," Dr. Zubair said. "I've been interested in a faster way to make them divide."

And on earth, everything is impacted by gravity, from how high we grow to our bone size and other physiological traits. "So, how can we use the effect of gravity to impact how the cells divide?" he asked.

Experiments that simulate stem cell growth in microgravity, thus far, have shown cells do grow more quickly than experimental controls, he said. So he began working toward getting an experiment into space. The experiment needed to be designed so the crew onboard the space station could run the experiment with some simple training, and Dr. Zubair will be able to watch the experiment in real time via a video connection. "We'll get some data as early as next week," he said.

If all goes well, growing stem cells in space something Dr. Zubair admits sounds like a dream of the distant future might become a reality more quickly than many people think.

"There are some companies interested in floating labs," he said. "I think the future is bright. There are a lot of possibilities in the area of regenerative medicine."

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Mayo doc's stem cell experiment blasts into space - Post-Bulletin

New stem cell treatment ‘freezes’ multiple sclerosis – Telegraph.co.uk

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Stem Cell Treatment

The disease is caused by the immune system malfunctioning and mistakenly attacking nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

It leads to problems with movement, vision, balance and speech.

The treatment, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT), was given to patients with advanced forms of the disease who had failed to respond to other medications.

A similar approach has been trialed on people with certain forms of cancer, with encouraging early results.

Dr Paolo Muraro, the new study's lead author, said: "We previously knew this treatment reboots or resets the immune system but we didn't know how long the benefits lasted.

"In this study, which is the largest long-term follow-up study of this procedure, we've shown we can 'freeze' a patient's disease - and stop it from becoming worse, for up to five years."

The researchers noted, however, that the nature of the treatment, which involves aggressive chemotherapy, carried significant risks.

The chemotherapy deactivates the immune system for a short period of time, which can lead to greater risk of infection - of the 281 patients who received AHSCT, eight died in the 100 days after treatment.

The treatment works by destroying the immune cells responsible for attacking the nervous system.

Patients were given a drug which encourages stem cells to move from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, where they were removed from the body.

High-dose chemotherapy was then administered to kill all immune cells, before the patient's own stem cells were put back into the body to "reset" the immune system.

Nearly three in four (73%) patients with relapsing MS - where the disease flares up before symptoms improve - found their symptoms did not worsen for five years after having AHSCT, compared with one in three patients with progressive MS, the more severe variant of the disease.

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New stem cell treatment 'freezes' multiple sclerosis - Telegraph.co.uk

Stem cell treatment may halt spread of multiple sclerosis – The Times (subscription)

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Stem Cell Treatment

Read the full article

Just register a few details.

Kat Lay, HealthCorrespondent

A treatment for multiple sclerosis that works by resetting the immune system appears to halt progression of the disease in almost half of patients and reverse the symptoms in some.

A new study found the use of aggressive chemotherapy and a stem cell injection prevented symptoms from worsening for five years in 46 per cent of patients.

MS is caused by the immune system malfunctioning and attacking nerves in the brain and spinal cord. While there is no cure, certain medications can slow the diseases progression. About 100,000 people in the UK and 2.3 million worldwide have MS.

Last year the results of a smaller, 24-patient trial of the treatment in Canada were hailed as remarkable. Seventy per cent of patients experienced a complete stop

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Stem Cell Company Combining Stem Cell Therapy with Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment – PR Newswire (press release)

By adminFebruary 21, 2017Stem Cell Treatment

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- StemedixInc., a U.S. based stem cell therapy group that specializesin the use of stem cells to treat patients with degenerative conditions, announced today that they are offering their patients a powerful treatment combination; Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and Stem Cell Therapy. According to research, the benefit of having HBOT treatments in conjunction with stem cell therapy is increasing the synthesis of nitric oxide, which signals the release of stem cells.

A recentstudyby researchers fromNeural Regeneration Researchfound results showing test subjects that underwent bothmesenchymalstem cell transplantation and HBOT had better neurological outcomes and better cognitive performance scores than subjects that endured only one type of treatment. Anotherstudyat the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, led by researcher StephenThom, MD, PhD, found that HBOT increases stem cell activity. After one treatment, the stem cell concentration doubled and after 20 treatments, they increasedeightfold.

Based on the growing interest and success, Fred Palmer, director of operations, at Stemedixsaid, "We are very proud to be working with the most recent and advanced technologies in the industry today. This combination of hyperbaric oxygen and stem cell therapies is progressively becoming the recommended treatment from our physicians and the selected treatment of our patients. Studies coupled with our own results we have seen thus far have been very impressive and supportive to our decision to offer this adjoining treatment."

Stemedix is now combining their stem cell therapy treatments with HBOT which allows for healing to occur that enables fibroblasts (tissue cells), capillaries (circulatory), osteoblasts (bone cells) andstem cellsto be stimulated. Without appropriate levels of oxygen in the tissue, healing cannot take place. With HBOT, oxygen is dissolved into all of the body's fluids, plasma, central nervous system fluids, lymph, and bone. In addition, the areas of the body that are lacking oxygen will begin to receive oxygen again.

To learn more about StemedixHBOT and stem cell therapy, contact Stemedixat 800-531-0831.

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