Encouraging Research Careers in Stem Cells

It's always nice to read about a young person's start in life, filled with passion and career goals, especially in the area of stem cell research and application (my favorite topic!).

Featured in the local paper the Star recently, was 28 year-old Tan Guak Kim from Kota Tinggi, Johor, who recently qualified with a Masters of Medical Science from University Malaya. She has proudly announced winning a full PhD scholarship from the Australian government to pursue her studies on cartilage regeneration in the University of Queensland.

Her work will be centered on (guess what!) scaffolding and biomaterial influence on stem cell differentiation to form cartilage cells. She says that she would like to perhaps start an institute in future which would teach others about stem cell work and provide arthritic applications.

Guak Kim, you're always welcome to give us a call when you're ready with an application. Or maybe just even when you're back in Malaysia for a vacation.


Well done also to all the other winners of the Endeavour award!


I have friends who studied with me in the UK and pursued their PhD programmes there. Scientific pursuit is a lot about having the community of friendly researchers who support each other and a strong funding program as research equipments and reagent are expensive. My friends have gone on to receive support, encouragement and generous funding from the UK governments to pursue their areas of interest, and I suspect sadly, won't be coming home anytime soon.

Recent Stock Prices For Stem Cell Companies in the US & Malaysia

I haven't written much about the financial status of stem cell companies in this blog (it is dedicated to therapy mostly), but in the light of what I've been reading in some very well-read financial magazines, it is difficult to ignore that the better the company is funded and perceived by investors, the more recognition they are able to get for their products and services. This recognition then translates into greater awareness and acceptance by members of the public, which by using the company's services will generate more revenues and greater returns for investors.


STOCK UP 135% - ADULT STEM CELLS FOR BONES

In this month's Bloomberg Markets publication (February 2007, page 22) the first paragraph pretty much brings home the judgement of which stem cell companies are excelling and which are not. The article starts by praising Osiris Therapeutics*, a company focussing on adult stem cells which provides treatment for broken bones and joint therapies, as having taken the path of least resistance. Shares in Osiris recently rocketed up 135% to USD 25.82 in the space of 5 months after its initial public offering (IPO). I think the reason why investors are keen on this company is due to the generation of USD 2.5 million in revenue in the 3rd quarter.


NOT THERE YET- EMBRYONIC STEM CELL HURDLES

Contrast Osiris's stock performance with Geron -a company that focuses on developing embryonic stem cells for treatment in Alzheimer's- which for the year of 2006 rose only 9%. Geron is still in its product development phase and is planning to commence human clinical trials in 2007. Other companies which have also underperformed in 2006 stock price are Aastrom Biosciences and Cytori Therapeutics. Aastrom has had a few changes in top management since their inception (much as the business model may be sexy, savvy investors also look at leadership and team), whilst Cytori started off as Stemsource in California and is now trying to get its fat stem cell processing machine FDA approved.


ADULT STEM CELLS- NO DISPUTE

Amongst the financial community and medical community, there is no dispute about the rationale behind adult stem cell successes which certainly helps a company working on adult stem cells' stock performance. Firstly, U.S. President George Bush imposed funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research from a moral and ethical perspective. Second, adult stem cells found in umbilical cord blood, bone marrow or peripheral blood has already been proven over the last few decades in medicine. Christopher Thomas Scott, executive director of the Program on Stem Cells in Society at Stanford University was quoted as saying "The companies that will emerge first in the stem cell arena will be those using adult stem cells".


*Osiris Therapeutics is thought to have great potential to perform in the financial arena as it generates mass produced stem cells from one donor for more than 5000 treatments. However, it will be interesting to see if it is possible to overcome all stem cell matching issues and whether the cells respond similarly in all patients. The cells may also be donor dependent and there are always inherent risks when accepting tissue or blood from another person.


FIRST MALAYSIAN STEM CELL COMPANY LISTED ON STOCK EXCHANGE

StemLife recently listed on the Mesdaq board of the Malaysian Stock Exchange. If you'd like to find out how our share price is doing, you can call your broker and ask for stock code 0137 or StemLfe, look in the business news or check out this recent article in the Star.

MEN: Why your AGE and LENGTH matters...

...to your risk of developing heart disease. I'm talking about your telomeres, by the way!


ANTI-AGING / ANTI- HEART DISEASE

Not only do telomeres shorten with age (like a candle burning at both ends- each cell replication shortens the telomeres hence indicating the passage of time) but now it seems that men with short telomeres may also have a higher risk of developing heart disease. Although telomere length has not been confirmed as a predictive marker of heart disease, the study authors believe that this result has its implications.


"The main implication of the findings is perhaps a better understanding of why some people develop heart disease early and some people, despite having similar risk factors, never develop or develop it later," said study author Dr. Nilesh J. Samani, British Heart Foundation chair of cardiology at the University of Leicester, in the United Kingdom.


The article appeared to be promoting the use of statins in the treatment of men at risk of heart disease as the medical journal The Lancet published the paper (Jan 13th) describing a study where the authors compared the telomere lengths of white blood cells in hight risk middle aged men, out of whom 484 subsequently developed coronary heart disease with 1058 who didn't develop the condition. The analysis of the results showed that in the men who were taking statins but had short telomeres, the risk of developing heart disease was considerably lowered. The authors also postulate that the short telomere lengths may lead to the heart disease and that statins may interact with the telomere length, causing the rate of loss to slow.


CAUTIONARY NOTE

Please note that these results are not conclusive and do not take medication not prescribed by your physician. Note that you should also know that every drug has its adverse effects which may affect some individuals more severely than others when consumed over the same period of time.

Stem Cells for Spinal Cord Injury in China: Update on Dr. Hongyun Huang

I've blogged about Dr. Huang's work with stem cells for spinal cord injury patients before, but this is a new release on another patient who flew in from the US for therapy.

A lady by the name of Carmen Paulino from a town called Hazleton in Pennsylvania travelled halfway around the world to China for stem cell injections into her spinal cord. According to the interview, Ms. Paulino was paralyzed in both legs two years ago in an auto accident (it's a pretty tragic story about her boyfriend's estranged wife who in a fit of rage slammed into the car causing the car she was in to slam into two other cars, resulting in her severe injury and disability).

The article does not make clear whether the stem cells injected into Ms. Paulino's spine were obtained from cord blood or from an embryonic origin- Dr. Huang has worked with several sources previously. However, the results are interesting. Before the procedure, Ms. Paulino was able to stand with braces on her legs. But after the procedure, she is now able to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom with the aid of a walker. Additionally, she has also noticed sensation in her legs when she rests a cold drink against her lap and a burning sensation in her left toe.

The cost of the therapy was USD 20,000 and the procedure took place at Xishan Hospital over the course of just 3 days. Ms. Paulino also mentioned that whilst she was there receiving her injections, she met other foreigners from Canada who were also there for the same procedure. She had physiotherapy, massages and acupuncture to assist in the healing process.

Ms. Paulino is keen to return for another round of treatment in China which will cost her USD 30,000, where Dr. Huang intends to remove the screws in her back and inject stem cells into those damaged areas of her spine.


Another report tells of a 23 year old by the name of Kirk Green who was left quadriplegic after a snowmobile accident who is planning to leave for stem cell treatment in China later this month. I suspect he might be going to the same hospital as Ms. Paulino for a cord blood stem cell injection. Let's see if he also experiences the same extent of recovery.


There is a website called Stem Cells China which has information on Dr. Huang's more recent activities and charges. I can't verify its accuracy or validity but you can check it out here.

IMPORTANT NEWS for Parents and Doctors: World's 1st Autologous Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant

I was delighted when I saw this article in the news last week describing how a 3 year old girl diagnosed with leukemia was saved with her own cord blood stem cells 3 years ago (making her a "thriving six-year-old" today).

Despite the article's brevity, there were a few important messages which I feel are important to emphasize:


1. This was the first time in the world where a child used its own cord blood stem cells for treatment

(As the number of bankers increase with time, so will the chances of applications for one condition or another)


2. The pediatric oncologist Dr. Ammar Hayani, commended the foresight of her parents who decided to save the cord blood stem cells in case of a future need.

I wish more doctors in Malaysia felt this way too


3. The doctor had conducted a search for bone marrow matches within the family but was without success.

Upon weighing up the risks of using an unrelated donor's stem cells with the risks of lifelong complications, they decided to use her own cord blood stem cells banked in 1999.


4. The successful transplant also removes the misconception that the collection of cord blood for autologous transplantation in the treatment of childhood leukemia was not possible.

Many doctors have the common misconception that pediatric cases of leukemia should not use their own cord blood stem cells for treatment. However, they often overlook the fact that the risks have to be balanced with its benefits- and if waiting for a matched donor is not feasible or practical, then cord blood stem cells present the best option.

"The results so far suggest they made the right call" said Dr. Hayani.


Her case was published in a prestigious medical journal this year:
The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics released the report, "First Report of Autologous Cord Blood Transplantation in the Treatment of a Child with Leukemia," in Pediatrics 2007; 119: 296-300 on January 3, 2007.

Congratulations to the private cord blood stem cell bank Corcell who has not only saved a life but planted a new flag and milestone in stem cell transplantation!


StemLife's Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplants in Malaysia

StemLife has released 2 cord blood stem cell units successfully for transplantation for leukemia and thalassemia major. Both have been for sibling use thus far.

While we certainly hope that stem cell units remain in our tanks for a lifetime, as time goes by and more applications become available, the chances and opportunities for life-improving uses may also increase. StemLife Parents you have the vision and foresight to bank your babies' stem cells at birth, please help us make sure your friends also "make the right call".

Call StemLife of course :)
+603 2163 8800 or +6012 2050 165

Celebrating 2007, 25th Stem Cell Anniversary & Life-saving Siblings

Happy 2007 to all Stem Cell bankers and StemLife blog readers!I wrote this entry just before midnight asian time and thought it would be nice to end the year of 2006 with a happy stem cell update and another one of hope to start 2007. I would like to start this entry by acknowledging the importance of siblings in enabling successful stem cell transplants.

SIBLINGS ARE SO IMPORTANT

The first story is a lovely one about a sister who donated her bone marrow stem cells to her brother 25 years ago, which saved his life from leukemia. The procedure was performed as one of the pioneering transplants at Hammersmith hospital in London, to think that transplant procedures are considered almost standard at most major hospitals offering cancer therapy today.

Paul Rosen who is now 51 now has 2 grown up children and a successful career as a accountant. His sister Helen, who is six years older than he is, are now sharing their success story to encourage others to also help their siblings if the need should arise.

Unfortunately, at the same time as Paul was in hospital, his friend who was also warded in for the same condition refused to ask his sister to donate (presumably they were told that the procedure was experimental) and they held off the procedure for 2 years. However, in the 2 years, his condition deteriorated and by the time he agreed to undergo the transplant, he passed on.

While there are public registries of bone marrow donors and umbilical cord blood stem cell units, there are many people who are still unable to find a match. StemLife is offering to provide a practical solution to this through stem cell banking for individuals who can store their stem cells for later use.

I found an interesting blog from a leukemia transplant patient who underwent a similar procedure to Paul Rosen at Hammersmith hospital. Check out Sandy Craine's blog.


In a separate story, a little girl of 4, Kayla Smith is searching for matching stem cells which will allow her to undergo a stem cell transplant for her congenital condition- sickle cell anemia (have a look at this site to see what nasty symptoms result from sickle cell anemia). She's already suffered 2 strokes due to the condition which puts her at risk of a potential major stroke. She receives monthly blood transfusions which take several hours, but recently, the blood transfusions have lost their effectiveness and she needs a stem cell transplant to really bring about a cure.

Kayla has a brother but his stem cells were not a match.

Kayla's doctor is a paediatric hematologist and oncologist by the name of Julie Panepinto, and she said that the transient ischemic attacks that her patient has been experiencing since the age of two indicates that the blood transfusions are no longer effective. Her most recent stroke and seizure was when she was nearly three. As a result of these ischemic attacks, a large part of her brain has been affected and Dr. Panepinto suspects that Kayla's learning ability may have been severely compromised.

Initially, the doctors thought that they had found a good bone marrow match, but upon more detailed tests, the match was found to be too imperfect for the transplant. Kayla is still waiting for that perfect match... but in the meantime, I'm wondering if the parents are game to try what others in the same position have done before- concieve another child with a perfect HLA match to Kayla, but without the disease. The UK courts permitted it, probably on grounds that the parents would be able to care and love the child without any economic or emotional problem. This may be an option to explore, so that a stem cell transplant can be performed, before another more severe stroke happens.


StemLife provides stem cell banking services from cord blood and adult peripheral blood. While sickle cell anemia is not common genetically within the Malaysian population, another genetic blood disorder which results in similar symptoms and has a wide prevalence is Thalassemia beta major. Palliative care, as in the case of Kayla, is blood transfusion and chelation therapy but not without its side effects on other organ functions. A stem cell transplant currently provides the only means for a cure and a chance at life without continuous daily medication.

With a view to benefit a diverse Malaysian community and provide accessible services to those who need it most, StemLife takes every unit banked very seriously and endeavors to make a real difference in making stem cell transplantation a reality for StemLife family bankers today.


ps. If you'd like to read a short overview of stem cell transplantation for blood disorders, have a look at this site.


pps. Interestingly, the article on Kayla also mentions little Kailee Wells, a 9 year old adopted chinese girl who suffered from severe aplastic anemia. The update on her case is that she required a second transplant after the first one was unsuccessful. However, despite the second transplant, Kailee's cell counts continued to decline, but fortunately, her donor from China has agreed to donate more marrow to provide a boost via a straightforward stem cell infusion without chemotherapy (chemo is required only to kill cancerous cells or defective stem cells).