TREATMENTS FROM ADULT STEM CELLS
Leukemia
Patrizia Durante
Patrizia was diagnosed with acute leukemia six months into her pregnancy. Her daughter, Victoria Angel, was born healthy, but Durante was given only six months to live. The stem cells from the blood of her daughter’s umbilical cord were used for a transplant. Several years later, Durante is in full remission. “She saved her mommy,” Durante told reporters. “She’s a little miracle. That’s why we named her Victoria Angel. She’s my little angel.”
Spinal Cord Injury
Jacki Rabon
Jacki, 18, suffered an injury to her spine in August, 2003 that left her paralyzed. She was treated in Portugal by Dr. Carlos Lima with her own adult stem cells derived from olfactory mucosa. Dr. Lima's work using adult stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries, such as the treatment Jacki received, will be published this week in the June 24th issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. Jacki is from Waverly, Illinois.
Krabbe’s Leukodystrophy
Gina Rugari
Gina was born with Krabbe’s leukodystrophy. This is a rare, degenerative enzyme disorder of the nervous system, in which the baby shows initial signs of irritability and developmental delay or regression. Seizures and fevers often follow, then blindness and deafness until the baby dies, usually before age 2. Gina was tested for Krabbe’s leukodystrophy shortly after she was born, because she had a brother who had died from the disease. Doctors treated Gina with chemotherapy to destroy her immune system, and introduced new umbilical cord blood stem cells from a closely matched donor. The transplanted cells produced the missing enzyme. Her body accepted the cells, and she is thriving several years after the transplant.
Parkinson’s Disease
Dennis Turner
Dennis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and by early 1991 he suffered extreme shaking of the right side of his body and became unable to use his right arm. Neurosurgeon Dr. Michele Levesque removed a small tissue sample from Mr. Turner’s brain, and isolated adult neural stem cells. He multiplied and matured these cells into nerve cells, and injected them back into the left side of Mr. Turner’s brain, which controls the right side of the body. Soon afterwards, the Parkinson’s symptoms began to improve in his right side. His trembling decreased, until to all appearances it disappeared. Neurological evaluation indicated a marked improvement in his symptoms, which lasted for about 5 years. Because Parkinson’s is a progressive ailment, his condition is continuing to deteriorate, but as Mr. Turner recently testified at a U.S. Senate Committee hearing, “…I have no doubt that because of this treatment I’ve enjoyed five years of quality life that I feared had passed me by.” He enthusiastically expressed a willingness to undergo a repeat surgery of this sort to further slow the progression of his symptoms.
“My name is George.
My son Brian suffered a series of debilitating strokes following a rare infection of his brain in December 2003 at the age of 5, which left him in a comatose state, severely brain damaged. After all the Doctors, including the specialists ran their many tests they told us to discontinue any supportive medical treatment for Brian and “pull the plug”. They said that Brian as we knew him, was no longer inside and that their was absolutely no hope for any recovery and it was just a matter of time before he would die anyway. Hearing this we had a Priest from our local parish perform the sacrament of Confirmation for Brian in lieu of last rights since he was not old enough for Original Sin.
Going against medical advice, WE REFUSED TO TAKE OUR SON OFF OF HIS LIFE SUPPORT.
To the surprise of all his Doctors, Brian slowly began to improve into what is called “a minimally responsive / semi-vegetative state” breathing through a tracheotomy and being fed liquids through a "G-Tube" placed in his stomach. Although he was improving, eventually Brian was left blind, unable to speak, could only minimally move only his right side and appeared to be extremely cognitively impaired.
This continued for three years until I found Dr. Rader who agreed to treat Brian with the Fetal Stem Cells.
Sixty days following his first treatment miraculously Brian began to speak. Initially a few words and then within only a few more weeks, it had progressed to over 500 words.
Slowly but surely Brian's speech continues to improve. He is now initiating as well as carrying on conversations with us, and others. Now his vision is starting to return, his left side which was completely paralyzed has begun to move currently with his much improved right side and all of his extremities are becoming much stronger.
His tracheotomy has been removed because he breathes normally and he is now able to feed himself.
The progress we see in Brian continues to build every day with no regression.
My son Brian calls the Fetal Stem Cells "Miracle Juice".
They say the creation of life is miraculous, well then maybe Brian's right, they should be called MIRACLE JUICE, I know that's what they are called in our house.
I firmly believe that the fetal stem cells have dramatically improved my son's level of function. My family feels they have transformed my son's life, giving our family hope and giving Brian a quality of life we once thought to be impossible for him to achieve.”
"President Obama’s decision today to allow embryonic stem-cell research was especially welcome news to South Florida members of Congress who think it will bring biomedical jobs to their region.
Congressman Ron Klein in particular has long campaigned to lift the federal ban on this form of research.
Obama’s action ``will open the door for groundbreaking discoveries at research facilities like Scripps Florida,’’ said Klein, a Democrat from Boca Raton. Klein was one of many Florida lawmakers who encouraged the biomedical firm to open a major research lab in Palm Beach County.
Klein exploited this issue in his 2006 campaign to unseat 13-term Republican Clay Shaw.
Shaw supported embryonic research, but inevitably he was associated in voters’ minds with former President George W. Bush and other Republican leaders who successfully blocked it for many years.
It was one of several examples of Shaw being trapped by his party while trying to take a moderate and independent course. "
“Bio-Printing Technology to Produce Functional Human Organs”
clipped from: www.newkast.or.jp
Creation of living biological tissues by bioprinting technology
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Proiect Leader : Makoto Nakamura |
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Fig. 1
Characteristics of biological tissues |
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Fig. 2
Resolution of inkjet printer |
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Stem Cell Treatments
Embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into virtually any cell in the body, and may have the potential to treat medical conditions such as diabetes, Brain damage, Cancer, Spinal cord injury, Heart damage, Baldness, Missing teeth, Deafness, and Blindness and vision impairment.
“Stem Cell Research and Treatment in China”
“Stem cell research and treatment is actively practiced in China. State funded Chinese Companies based in the Shenzhen Hi-Tech Industrial Zone claim to treat the symptoms of numerous disorders with adult stem cell therapy. Hospitals throughout eastern China provide numerous therapies to patients in coordination with the stem cell providers. These companies' therapies are currently focused on the treatment of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders.
Chinese stem cell research has not been restricted by the ethical dilemmas and legislative gridlock surrounding the procurement and use of human embryonic stem cells in other developed nations such as the US, UK, and Australia. These issues have also hampered the development of adult stem cell research and therapy, as unrelated a cellular origin as they may have. Most stem cell therapies provided in China utilize umbilical cord stem cells (drawn from Wharton's jelly) donated from live births. The stem cells are then expanded in centralized blood banks. Cells are delivered to patients via IV, spinal epidural, subcutaneous injection or transplantation.
While anecdotal evidence of secondary adult stem cell activity has existed for several decades alongside bone marrow transplant therapies, "off-label" uses for stem cells are strictly forbidden in the USA. There, protocols for proposed treatments are described and enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In America, the period between laboratory experimentation and clinical treatment can be decades long. Researchers actively treating patients with experimental therapies outside of carefully monitored clinical trials can be subject to harsh disciplinary action by their institutions. The Chinese Ministry of Health has already accepted the use of stem cell therapy for many disorders. After years of practice, stem cell therapy is no longer considered new or dangerous in China and is regularly used by the Chinese in the treatment of the degenerative effects of Multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. International "Medical Tourists" are among the thousands of patients treated in China every year for disorders the patients' home country's medical professionals offer no treatment.”
"By packing a printer full of cells instead of ink, Japanese scientist Makoto Nakamura wants to construct a human heart. But don’t skip a beat just yet: Nakamura needs another 20 years to make what sounds like a science fiction dream into a reality."
"The secret, he thinks, is bioprinting, a process that is used to create 3-D structures in the same way a printer uses ink to create words and images on a page. The process works like this: First the cells clump together and flow like liquid, then a printer drops the cells down onto a surface, layering the cells on top of each other until the desired object is created."
"Stem-cell move has little impact on state"
by Ken Alltucker - Mar. 10, 2009 12:00 AM
“The Arizona Republic”
“President Obama's decision to ease restrictions on funding of embryonic stem-cell research will have little impact on Arizona's universities because the state has its own limits on such controversial research methods.
Arizona university researchers cannot use state funds to manipulate embryonic stem cells in pursuit of treatment or potential cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's or heart disease. What's more, an Arizona law dating back more than a quarter century prohibits Arizona scientists from experimenting with any type of human embryo or fetus.
Some Arizona scientists say the ban handicaps a state that has made a big push this decade to foster bioscience research.
"It prevents us from having access to the (research) money that is now available," said David Harris, a University of Arizona professor. "It is a hindrance, particularly in these tough, tough economic times."
Tom Doetschman, a University of Arizona professor of cell biology and anatomy, predicts the state's ban on embryonic stem-cell research may prompt scientists to leave for friendlier states such as California.
"Those are the kinds of things that cause people to move and go elsewhere," Doetschman said.
Arizona's ban does not apply to other forms of stem-cell research, including stem cells derived from a newborn's cord blood or adult stem cells.
Stem cells arethe basis of human tissue and organs, and stem cells that come from human embryos are considered valuable because they potentially can be manipulated into any type of organ or tissue. But they come from discarded embryos, which opponents say equals killing human life.”
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