I have full confidence that my stem cells are kicking into overdrive to produce the necessary lymphocytes and leukocytes to do battle, as evidenced by the phlegm (cellular war debris and aftermath). :)
BATTLE AGAINST BREATHLESSNESS & PAIN
Anyway, I had a quick look at the recent news in the stem cell arena and saw another update on the Gary Schaer trial at Rush Medical Center's Cardiac Catheterization Lab using CD34+ cells for heart disease, where the objective is to "stimulate the growth of new blood vessels to bring more blood and oxygen to the heart muscle, so that these patients will have a better quality of life and less chest pain". One of the reasons why I highlight this clinical application is because one of the big brand names, Baxter, is helping to bring together two specialties- cardiology and hematology. No longer are CD34+ a code language for hematologists to use alone, but these cells have been perhaps overlooked or underestimated in their capacity to regenerate. Their results have been like ours, which is good news to reinforce our work- the treatment is well tolerated and patients report having less chest pain and improved exercise capacity.
Many doctors I speak with are afraid of cross specialties, largely because to properly understand it requires an extensive undertaking in time to read up on one's own, or to have to fork out a decent amount of time (+ money) to receive further training in the area. I understand the reluctance and agree somewhat that these are special interest areas and think that it should probably be left up to those who are keenly interested or have been specifically trained so that it can administered safely and ethically.
Having said that, I also believe that it is possible that doctors who are interested in this subject area but neither have the time nor money to pursue it as a specific interest area, are able to garner the expertise through collaborating with a specialist organization like StemLife. Unlike other companies who found the business attractive and believed they could replicate our work after reading our prospectus, it does take more than cash to ensure committment, energy and drive to fuel passion and continuous knowledge assimilation.
MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND?
Whilst we're on the topic of spending wads of cash, I also read about Sir Richard Branson's very PR-driven announcement of initiating a cord blood stem cell bank in the UK. From the BBC news site:
Virgin says its service is unique because it will offer a charitable element, allowing the NHS to use some of stem cells the company stores. Sir Richard explained: "We will take an individual's cord blood and we will divide it in two. "So, part of it will go into a national blood centre that anybody can get access to. And the other half will be put aside for the child." He said this should help particularly high risk ethnic groups who are prone to conditions that can be treated with stem cells but who may have difficulty finding well-matched cord blood.
I found this to be interesting on the ownership and ethical prospect. The idea is marvellous, semi-altruistic (except for the fact that parents still have to pay a fee) but leaves behind quite a number of questions in my mind which I wonder how they will resolve. Here's a few ones that spring immediately to mind:
Parents have to pay 1500 British Pounds or (RM 10,500) to store their stem cells in Virgin's bank.
1. So if it is divided in 2, who owns which half and does the parent have the first right of refusal if someone needs it but they wish not to donate?
2. How will they ensure that the cord blood collected will be sufficient to be divided in half? (volumes are highly variable)
3. Does the NHS have to pay Virgin for the use of the stem cells?
4. With this new company, will the NHS now permit Virgin to collect the cord blood in their trust hospitals or will be specific ones only? (see previous blogs)
5. If the unit is half used and the donor now needs it, can they get a replacement for free?
According to the Virgin press release on this topic, Professor Colin McGuckin and his Newcastle team are involved with Sir Richard on this project and are his advisors. If the cord blood stem cells can also be used for research, it would guarantee their facility an endless supply of cells to work with for stem cell expansion or treatment. I'm not against entrpreneurs wishing to start up stem cell banks, but I do think that if new models are being thought up, I'm keen to know how they are being thought through.
Okay, this is turning out to be a rather long blog entry so bear with me for the last bit which I feel brings everything round and round and round.
STEM CELLS & SPACE TRAVEL: CORD BLOOD INTO A NEW DIMENSION
It turns out that this article mentioned that Prof. Colin McGuckin (yes, him again) has been awarded a USD 1 million grant to determine the potential of growing new body tissues to replace tissue damaged or turned cancerous by space radiation, using his zero-gravity simulator. He plans to put adult stem cells derived from astronaut's blood in a zero-gravity bio-reactor and using a cocktail of stimuli (ie cytokines), instruct the cells to grow into liver or muscle or any other tissue. The aim being to provide NASA with the means for a replacement body part for every astronaut on their travel to another planet (maybe Mars in 2030 or Uranus in 2090?).
This is exciting because it negates the effect of time on the wear and tear of the body. If you are a Star trek fan (and I'm talking The Next Generation here), you'll remember that cool wand that Dr. Beverly Crusher uses whenever one of the crew is injured to stimulate healing in a total of 5 seconds. Must be a stem cell activation factor.
And there weren't too many lives that she couldn't save :)
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