Stem Cell Clinic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Italian court OKs stem cell cure for toddler

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

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

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

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

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

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Italian court OKs stem cell cure for toddler

Stem cell research may have application to treat autism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Stem cell research may have application to treat autism

Stem Cell Study to Enroll 30 Autistic Children

Lonnie Wong FOX40 News

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

SACRAMENTO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Stem Cell Study to Enroll 30 Autistic Children

Doctors to study newborn stem cells as treatment for autism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Doctors to study newborn stem cells as treatment for autism

CSU vets seeking cats with chronic kidney disease

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CSU vets seeking cats with chronic kidney disease

Saving a penny: Stem cell therapy shows promise in repairing stress urinary incontinence

ScienceDaily (Aug. 17, 2012) Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can occur due to sneezing, coughing, exercising or even laughing and happens because the pelvic floor muscles are too weak causing leakage when the bladder is put under pressure. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that a new technique, using stem cells isolated from amniotic fluid, can regenerate damaged urethral sphincter muscles and prevent pressure incontinence in mice.

Although SUI is more common during and after pregnancy, and after the age of 40, one in three women will experience it at some point in their lives. Men can also be affected, especially after prostate surgery. SUI is treatable and in many cases losing weight, reducing caffeine intake, pelvic floor exercises, and bladder training can have very beneficial effects. If this does not work more invasive treatments are necessary, however there can be serious side effects associated with surgery.

Using stem cells to regenerate the damaged or weak muscles has been proposed as an alternative to surgery. But most protocols for harvesting stem cells also require invasive procedures, and often produce very low numbers of viable cells. In contrast amniotic stem cells can be collected easily, and have very low immunogenicity, reducing chances of rejection. Researchers from Kyungpook National University, Korea, investigated the ability of stem cells isolated from human amniotic fluid obtained during routine amniocentesis to regenerate damaged urethral sphincter muscles in mice.

James Yoo and Tae Gyun Kwon, who led this research, explained, "These stem cells are mesenchymal and consequently have the ability to become muscle cells when grown under the right conditions. We found that the stem cells were able to survive for seven days inside the mice but by 14 days they had all disappeared. Nevertheless they were able to induce regeneration of the mouse's own urethral sphincter muscle."

Quite how stem cells are able to retrain the body's own cells is still not fully understood. Not only was muscle regenerated, but this muscle had proper connections to nerves, and was able to improve the pressure required in the bladder before incontinence begins and stops. Humans are already being treated with stem cell therapy for diseases, including diabetes, and since Since amniotic stem cells appeared to cause no immune response or tumour formation, these cells may provide an avenue for future stem cell therapy for humans.

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Saving a penny: Stem cell therapy shows promise in repairing stress urinary incontinence

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

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

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

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

(Logo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120216/AQ54476LOGO)

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

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

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

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

Study Rationale

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

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

Autism Stem-Cell Therapy to Be Tested in Kids in Trials

By Ryan Flinn - 2012-08-21T04:01:00Z

Researchers are recruiting autistic children for a study that will test whether injecting stem cells banked from their umbilical cords can lessen symptoms and provide insights into the nature of the disorder.

While stem cells have been promoted, and sold, as a treatment for autism, few clinical trials have been conducted to see whether theyre effective. The study, which begins enrolling patients today, is the first of its kind approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to assess the use of stem cells as a potential autism therapy, said Michael Chez, director of pediatric neurology at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, California, and the principal investigator.

About 1 in 88 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with an autism-related condition. The disorder hurts brain development and is linked to poor social interaction and communication skills, repeated body movements, and unusual attachments to objects.

With this study well be able to answer in a firm way that this is truly an observed effect, or we didnt get an observed effect, Chez said in a phone interview.

Thirty children with autism, ages 2 to 7, will be divided in two groups, with one getting the stem cell injection and the other receiving a placebo shot. After six months, the groups will switch. Patients will be monitored for improvement in language as well as irritability and other autism rating scales.

Ricardo Dolmetsch, a neurobiologist at Stanford University in California whose laboratory is studying autism, said he doesnt think the trial will yield much in usable results, though hes glad the idea of using stem cells is being testing.

I commend them for having the guts to actually do it, given that there are all kinds of people out there trying to sell it, he said. On the other hand I dont think its big enough to provide an answer.

Chez theorizes that autism, which has no known cause or cure, may be spurred on by damaged nerve cells. Stem cells, the building blocks of life that can grow into any type of tissue in the body, could repair the damage or create new cells, he said. Such a mechanism would yield results in six to 12 months, the time it takes to create new cells.

Another possibility may be that autism is related to a signaling issue, where cells in the body arent connecting properly. Stem cells may help repair that problem, he said, and would be evident if results are seen within weeks of the injection. A third and more exploratory possibility is the disorder is related to inflammation, an immune system response.

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Autism Stem-Cell Therapy to Be Tested in Kids in Trials