Stem Cell Clinic

Fake Brownsville doctor arrested in stem cell scheme

BROWNSVILLE Federal authorities say a man who posed as a doctor was part of a scheme that used stem cells from the umbilical cords of women at a border maternity clinic to prey on the hopes of patients with incurable diseases.

A 19-page indictment unsealed this week accuses Francisco Dr. Frank Morales, 52, of Brownsville and co-defendants including the owner of a maternity clinic in Del Rio and a researcher in South Carolina of netting at least $1.5 million from procedures Morales performed in Mexico on patients he met in the United States.

Birth mothers at the Maternity Care Clinic were told their umbilical cords were being donated to a research facility.

Instead, they were sent to the researcher to extract stem cells that were sold to Global Laboratories, LLC, in Scottsdale, Ariz., which then sold them to Morales for his unauthorized procedures, the indictment alleges.

Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Morales Dec. 22 in Brownsville. He is to be arraigned in Houston, where the case is pending. Court records show he waived his right to a court-appointed attorney.

Clinic owner and licensed midwife Alberto Ramon, 48, of Del Rio, and researcher Vincent Dammai, 40, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., were arrested Tuesday. A warrant was also issued for Lawrence Stowe, 58, of Dallas, who has been charged in relation to the case and is considered a fugitive.

According to the National Institutes on Health, stem cells are unspecialized cells that can renew themselves and as such hold the promise of repairing or replacing worn-out or damaged tissue. But the research is young, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any stem cell therapies.

The indictment demonstrates the commitment of the FDA to protect the American public from the harms inherent in being exposed to unapproved new drugs, FDA Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Holland said in a news release announcing the indictment Wednesday. The FDA will continue to aggressively pursue perpetrators of such acts and ensure they are punished to the full extent of the law.

Morales traveled the United States representing himself as an expert on stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, falsely claiming he was affiliated with stem cell research at Duke, Harvard, and UCLA.

He told one patient, identified in court papers as M.E., that his treatment would drastically improve her symptoms from multiple sclerosis.

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Fake Brownsville doctor arrested in stem cell scheme

Southern California Medical Practice, TeleHealth, Now Offering Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cell Injections

Orange County, CA (PRWEB) September 16, 2013

The premier stem cell clinic in California, TeleHealth, is now offering bone marrow derived stem cell injections for numerous musculoskeletal conditions. The stem cell therapy is typically covered by insurance and is an excellent treatment for conditions such as degenerative arthritis, rotator cuff tendonitis, achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow and much more. For more information and scheduling, call (888) 828-4575.

TeleHealth offers treatment that is cutting edge and revolutionary. When it comes to regenerative medicine, bone marrow stem cell injections are excellent because they are outpatient, low risk and showing effective results. Being covered by insurance makes them additionally on the cutting edge at TeleHealth.

Stem cell therapy is the latest option for degenerative arthritis of the knees, shoulders, hips, ankles and more. Most treatments for arthritis until now have included excellent pain relief methods such as cortisone. However, the treatment has not altered the course of the disease, but simply acted as a "band aid" for pain relief. The bone marrow derived stem cell treatment has the potential to repair and regenerate arthritic joints.

Along with bone marrow derived injections, TeleHealth also offers fat derived stem cell injections along with platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP). These treatments have been revolutionary for pain relief and altering the course of the condition such as with tennis elbow, known as lateral epicondylitis. Most patients are able to avoid surgery and obtain pain relief.

To schedule with TeleHealth for treatments with bone marrow derived stem cell injections, call (888) 828-4575.

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Southern California Medical Practice, TeleHealth, Now Offering Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cell Injections

UC Davis stem cell researcher warns consumers to beware of unproven or dangerous stem cell treatments

In his day job, UC Davis scientist Paul Knoepfler probes the inner workings of stem cells and cancer cells and what makes them behave the way they do.

On the side, the father of three daughters blogs about costly, unproven stem cell treatments and provides guidance for those seeking experimental therapies.

Knoepfler is a rare stem cell researcher who regularly explores the most problematic aspects of stem cell therapies on the Internet in full public gaze. He considers himself an advocate for patients as well as a scientist, having survived an aggressive form of prostate cancer at the age of 42.

Now 46, Knoepfler began his blog in 2010, shortly after his cancer was diagnosed. His blogging has encountered resistance from some colleagues, who are uncomfortable with such public endeavors. But he has polished and expanded the blog to the point that it has received international recognition. He will receive an award in December at the World Stem Cell Summit in San Diego for his advocacy efforts.

This month he moved beyond cyberspace and published Stem Cells: An Insiders Guide (World Scientific Publishing). The book covers stem cells from A to Z and is aimed at the general reader, especially people considering stem cell therapy for themselves, a family member or friend.

The book comes during what has been described by Christopher Scott, a senior research scholar at Stanford University, as an epidemic of transplant clinics offering so-called cures and therapies both here and abroad. The international stem cell medical tourism business, widely promoted on the Internet, is taking in roughly $1 billion annually, according to an estimate in Stanford Medicine, a publication of the Stanford medical school.

Knoepfler is a believer in the potential and power of stem cells. But he says that some of the dubious stem cell treatments now being offered have resulted in deaths and injuries. Other unpleasant issues arise as well in stem cell research, including the tendency of some stem cells to generate cancer cells, and Knoepfler wants to talk about them.

Too often in the academic section of the stem cell field, people pussyfoot around the most important issues or do not even dare talk about them at all, says Knoepfler.

He is not on some crusade to dissuade people from getting risky stem cell procedures, but says safety and training need to be encouraged. Reckless behavior endangers the entire field, he says.

There is no better illustration of the risks of unlicensed stem cell treatments administered by untrained doctors than the recently reported case of a woman who received a stem cell facelift, only to have bone grow in her eye, he said, referring to a Scientific American report involving a Beverly Hills clinic.

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UC Davis stem cell researcher warns consumers to beware of unproven or dangerous stem cell treatments

Orange County Regenerative Medicine Clinic, TeleHealth, Now Offering PRP Therapy Covered by Insurance

Orange, CA (PRWEB) September 11, 2013

The top stem cell therapy clinic in Orange County, TeleHealth, is now offering PRP therapy for degenerative arthritis and soft tissue injuries. The treatment is covered by insurance and represents an excellent method of repairing and regenerating injured tissue rather than simply masking pain. For more information and scheduling, call (888) 828-4575.

PRP therapy has recently become extremely popular in orthopedics and pain management due to multiple studies showing its benefit. One of these studies out of Hospital for Special Surgery showed the treatment relieved knee pain long term from degenerative arthritis and also helped preserve knee cartilage.

TeleHealth offers platelet rich plasma therapy as an outpatient service, and the stem cell therapy clinic accepts most major medical insurances along with Medicare, Workers Compensation and Personal Injury liens. The PRP therapy has very low risk because it involves taking blood from the patient, processing it, and then injecting it into the problem area. The PRP then calls in the body's stem cells for repair and regeneration.

In addition to PRP therapy, TeleHealth also offers stem cell injection therapy with bone marrow derived stem cell injection treatment and fat derived as well. These treatments are also performed as an outpatient and involve utilizing a patient's own tissue so the risks are very low and there are no ethical concerns.

For those interested in receiving platelet rich plasma therapy for degenerative arthritis or soft tissue injury covered by insurance, call (888) 828-4575.

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Orange County Regenerative Medicine Clinic, TeleHealth, Now Offering PRP Therapy Covered by Insurance

Adult Stem Cells Programmed Into Embryonic State

Scientists in Spain said on Wednesday they had made mature cells in living mice revert to their youthful, versatile state, in a step toward the goal of tissue regeneration by stem cells.

Right now, the technique is at its earliest stage and is hedged with safety questions, which makes it impossible to envisage in humans.

But, said the researchers, it opens up a new strategy leading to a beguiling end: that one day damaged tissue will be healed by simply reprogramming nearby adult cells into replacements for the lost or diseased area. A transplant would not be needed.

Stem cells have excited huge interest in medical research.

They are immature cells that differentiate into the specialized cells that comprise and maintain the human body.

In 2006, a team led by Shinya Yamanaka in Japan announced a breakthrough.

A clutch of four genes introduced into adult cells in a lab dish rewound these cells back to their baby state.

These so-called induced pluripotent stem cells -- known by their acronym of iPS -- have since become the most closely-followed innovation in the field.

Despite many hurdles, they are seen by some as being even more promising than embryonic stem cells, the "gold standard" for versatility but a source hotly opposed by moral conservatives.

Reporting in the journal Nature, a team led by Manuel Serrano and Maria Abad of the Spanish National Cancer Research Center created genetically-modified mice that carried the four "Yamanaka genes."

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Adult Stem Cells Programmed Into Embryonic State

Stem cell treatment ‘worth it,’ but no cure for Cat Davis – Thu, 12 Sep 2013 PST

Seven months after undergoing a stem cell transplant, Cat Davis sports a short new haircut and a biggrin.

The hairstyle was necessary when all her hair fell out during chemotherapy, but the brilliant smile is her trademark. However, in recent years, she hasnt had much to smileabout.

Four years ago, the 2006 Northwest Christian School graduate was diagnosed with CREST syndrome, a combination of five diseases. The symptoms of CREST are associated with a generalized form of scleroderma, which literally means hard skin. The disease causes the immune system to attack and destroy healthytissue.

Her doctor

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Cat Davis photo

Cat Davis is shown in March after the stem celltransplant. (Full-size photo)(All photos)

Seven months after undergoing a stem cell transplant, Cat Davis sports a short new haircut and a biggrin.

The hairstyle was necessary when all her hair fell out during chemotherapy, but the brilliant smile is her trademark. However, in recent years, she hasnt had much to smileabout.

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Stem cell treatment ‘worth it,’ but no cure for Cat Davis - Thu, 12 Sep 2013 PST

Pluristem shares gain on stem cell therapy patent

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Pluristem shares gain on stem cell therapy patent

Faulty stem cell regulation may contribute to cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome

Sep. 11, 2013 Michael Clarke and his colleagues were the first to discover that Down syndrome may be linked to faulty stem cell regulation.

The learning and physical disabilities that affect people with Down syndrome may be due at least in part to defective stem cell regulation throughout the body, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The defects in stem cell growth and self-renewal observed by the researchers can be alleviated by reducing the expression of just one gene on chromosome 21, they found.

The finding marks the first time Down syndrome has been linked to stem cells, and addresses some long-standing mysteries about the disorder. Although the gene, called Usp16, is unlikely to be the only contributor to the disease, the finding raises the possibility of an eventual therapy based on reducing its expression.

"There appear to be defects in the stem cells in all the tissues that we tested, including the brain," said Michael Clarke, MD, Stanford's Karel H. and Avice N. Beekhuis Professor in Cancer Biology. The researchers conducted their studies in both mouse and human cells. "We believe Usp16 overexpression is a major contributor to the neurological deficits seen in Down syndrome."

Clarke is the senior author of the research, published Sept. 11 in Nature. Postdoctoral scholar Maddalena Adorno, PhD, is the lead author.

"Conceptually, this study suggests that drug-based strategies to slow the rate of stem cell use could have profound effects on cognitive function, aging and risk for Alzheimer's disease in people with Down syndrome," said co-author Craig Garner, PhD, who is the co-director of Stanford's Center for Research and Treatment of Down Syndrome and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

Down syndrome, which is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, affects about 400,000 people in the United States and 6 million worldwide. It causes both physical and cognitive problems. While many of the physical issues, such as vulnerability to heart problems, can now be treated, no treatments exist for poor cognitive function.

The new study's findings suggest answers to many long-standing mysteries about the condition, including why people with Down syndrome appear to age faster and exhibit early Alzheimer's disease.

"This study is the first to provide a possible explanation for these tendencies," said Garner. The fact that people with Down syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21 and the Usp16 gene "accelerates the rate at which stem cells are used during early development, which likely exhausts stem cell pools and impairs tissue regeneration in adults with Down syndrome. As a result, their brains age faster and are susceptible to early onset neurodegenerative disorders."

The researchers didn't confine their studies to laboratory mice. They also investigated the effect of Usp16 overexpression in human cells. Adorno and colleagues in the laboratory of co-author Samuel Cheshier, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery, found that the presence of excess Usp16 caused skin cells from unaffected people to grow more slowly. Furthermore, neural progenitor cells (those self-renewing cellular factories responsible for the development and maintenance of many of the cell types in the brain) were less able to form balls of cells called neurospheres -- a laboratory test that reflects the number and robustness of nerve stem cells in a culture. Conversely, reducing Usp16 expression in skin and nerve-progenitor cells from people with Down syndrome allowed the cells, which usually proliferate slowly, to assume normal growth patterns.

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Faulty stem cell regulation may contribute to cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome