A cure for Type 1 Diabetes - with Peripheral Blood Stem Cells

While researchers battle it out trying to prove the supremacy of various stem cell types (embryonic, mesenchymal etc.), it is worth remembering that so far, blood derived stem cells have been used for a great variety of cures (if you know of any human that has been actually cured with an embryonic stem cell, please let us know).

During my nocturnal, pre-bedtime web surfing (I suspect that I'm not the only one with this habit...), I came across a video describing the way blood stem cells* obtained from the same patient was used to provide a successful treatment for patients with recently diagnosed type 1 diabetes. This work isn't that new -I blogged about it back in 2007- but it is a very significant milestone in the history of stem cell transplantation.

Dr. Richard Burt's work is really quite demonstrative of how our blood and immune system plays a very significant role in whether our tissues and organs break down- and where stem cells obtained non-invasively from the same patient's own blood stream- have a clear role to play. I have yet to meet Dr. Burt in person but know him through his work and this video is the first I've seen of him providing a very clear insight into the trial that he is conducting. He highlights that 14 out of 15 patients were successful in treatment and this is an excellent base number to build on for the next clinical trial.

Dr. Burt published his work in the well renown and respected Journal of American Medical Assocation (JAMA), but instead of reading it I thought this video version sums it up really nicely for the non-medical and patient community.



If watching the video makes you more interested in reading the journal article, click on this link Autologous Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.


*StemLife offers individuals the opportunity to bank their babies' cord blood or stem cells from adult blood for therapeutic use.

Pemindahan/Transplantasi Sel Stem - Hospital, Kos dan Sumbernya

Sumber Sel Stem penderma bukan adik-beradik?

Hospital selain dari PPUM yang boleh membuat pemindahan sel stem?

Kos pemindahan sel stem dan kos pendermaan sel stem?

Assalamualaikum WBK,

Salam Sejahtera kepada rakan-rakan saya sekelian, ibu-bapa, bakal ibu-bapa, pengunjung dan pembaca blog ini.

Kali ini Saya ingin menjawab beberapa soalan yang ditujukan oleh pembaca blog ini.


Pembaca juga boleh menghubungi Persatuan Thalassaemia di malaysiathalassaemia@yahoo.com dan melayari laman web mereka di www.tam.org.my.

Jika Doktor anda telah memutuskan untuk melakukan transplant/pemindahan sel stem menggunakan sel stem yang boleh didapati dari darah tali pusat atau pun dari penderma dewasa (sel stem sum-sum tulang yang mengalir melalui saluran darah) atau terus dari tulang (sel stem sum-sum tulang), pihak Hospital patut boleh membantu mengusahakanya. Mereka boleh berhubung dengan Pusat Darah Negara (PDN) Malaysia. PDN memang ada menyimpan sel stem darah tali pusat, masaalahnya adalah untuk mendapatkan sel stem yang sepadan atau serasi dengan anak anda. Kebarangkalian mendapatkan sumber yang sepadan adalah agak rendah. Ada yang menganggarkan sekadar 1 dalam 20 hingga 30 puloh ribu keatas (kurang dari 1 peratus).

Selain dari itu, pihak hospital patut boleh membantu mencari dari bank-bank sel stem kerajaan atau NGO luar negara. Sekali lagi masaalahnya adalah dalam mencari sel stem yang sepadan/serasi dengan pesakit.

Pembaca juga boleh berhubung dengan pihak Pusat Terapi Sel Stem Hospital UKM. Baru-baru ini Pakar Perunding Kanan Hematologi HUKM Profesor Doktor S. Fadilah Abdul Majid telah ditemuramah oleh Bernama TV. Beliau telah menerangkan bahawa HUKM ada menyimpan sel stem sum-sum tulang sumbernya dari saluran darah. Beliau juga telah menerangkan bahawa kebarangkalian untuk mendapatkan penderma bukan adik-beradik, yang serasi/sepadan dari sumber ini adalah 20 hinga 30 peratus.

Setakat yang saya lihat dalam Laporan Transplant Kebangsaan Malaysia, Hospital yang pernah melakukan transplant/pemindahan sel stem termasuk Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Ampang, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya dan Hospital UKM. Bagi hospital swasta pula saya difahamkan adalah Gleneagles Medical Centre Pulau Pinang, Lam Wah Ee Hospital Pulau Pinang, Sime Darby Medical Center Subang, dan Ampang Puteri KL.

Hospital-hospital ini pernah melakukan pemindahan sel stem. Pembaca perlu bertanya sama ada kesemuanya masih ada pakar yang berkhidmat dan mampu melakukanya. Apa yang berlainan adalah jenis penyakit yang dirawat. Ada yang pakar dalam penyakit dewasa dan ada yang pakar penyakit kanak-kanak. Ada juga yang pakar Talasemia dan ada pula yang pakar Lukimia.

Kosnya juga berbeza dan terpulang kepada jenis penyakit dan jenis rawatan. Apa yang telah diterbitkan adalah sekitar RM60,000 bagi Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya. Harga untuk mendapatkan sel stem darah tali pusat dari luar Negara adalah sekitar RM100,000.

Sekian buat masa ini.. Wslm.

Rawatan Sel Stem Penyakit Talasemia di Malaysia

Bolehkah Rawatan Sel Stem untuk Penyakit Talasemia didapati di Malaysia?

Berapakah Kos Rawatanya?

Jawapan Profesor Doktor Aw Tar Choon ........
..............Sudah ada di Malaysia................RM60,000+


Assalamualaikum WBK,

Salam Sejahtera kepada rakan-rakan saya sekelian, ibu-bapa, bakal ibu-bapa, pengunjung dan pembaca blog ini.

Kali ini Saya ingin menterjemahkan jawapan kepada soalan pembaca blog ini, daripada Profesor Doktor Aw Tar Choon, Profesor dan Doktor Pakar dalam bidang Perubatan Dalaman serta Pakar Patologi.


1. Transplantasi atau Rawatan mengunakan Sel Stem sum-sum tulang untuk penyakit Talasemia major telah dilakukan untuk kali pertama di dunia pada tahun 1981.

2. Kali Pertama Rawatan mengunakan Sel Stem sum-sum tulang di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, adalah pada tahun 1987.

3. Kali Pertama Rawatan mengunakan Sel Stem Darah Tali Pusat di Thailand adalah pada tahun 1995.

4. Kali Pertama Rawatan mengunakan Sel Stem Darah Tali Pusat di Malaysia adalah pada tahun 1997.

5. Kini Rawatan ini boleh dilakukan di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya, Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Hospital Besar Kuala Lumpur serta beberapa Hospital Swasta.

6. Empat (4) pelanggan StemLife Berhad telah berjaya mengunakkan Darah Tali Pusat dan lebih Seratus Lima Puloh (150+) pelanggan Dewasa kami telah mengunakkan Sel Stem Dewasa mereka.

7. Antara empat (4) pelanggan itu, dua (2) adalah untuk penyakit Lukemia dan dua (2) lagi untuk penyakit Talasemia. Rawatan Lukemia pertama pelanggan StemLife telah dilakukan di Hospital Besar Kuala Lumpur pada tahun 2004 dan yang kedua pada tahun 2007 di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya. Rawatan Talasemia pelanggan StemLife adalah pada tahun 2005 dan 2008 di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya.

8. Sepertimana dilapurkan dalam akhbar-akhbar tempatan bagi kes-kes yang tertentu, anggaran Kos untuk pesakit bayaran penuh di Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya adalah RM60,000 dan di Hospital Swasta pula kosnya telah dilapurkan sekitar RM200,000.

Sekian buat masa ini......Wslm..WBK

The IMPORTANCE of YOUR FAMILY'S STEM CELLS

Haemopoietic stem cell transplantation for children in Australia and New Zealand, 1998–2006:a report on behalf of the Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient Registry and the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology Oncology Group.

This above study is an important milestone epidemiological study in CHILDREN published in the Medical Journal of Australia in February 2009. It gives us invaluable information and insight on the source of stem cells used (from bone marrow, peripheral blood or cord blood), their origin (autologous: own; related allogeneic: matched siblings; unrelated allogeneic: matched strangers) and on the indications for which a bone marrow transplantation has been performed. Moreover, it studies the important aspect of Transplant Related Mortality (TRM). Few of us actually have insight in those issues and understanding them will aid in deciding whether to keep your own stem cells or not.

Let's have a look!

Over a period of 9 years (1998-2006) 1,259 BMTs were performed in children in Australia and New Zealand, of which 41% were autologous (used the child's own stem cells from bone marrow or peripheral blood) while 59% were allogeneic (someone else's stem cells). Of the latter 40% were from a matched sibling (23.6% of the total) and 60% from matched strangers. That brings the total number of children ultimately finding stem cells from themselves or within their immediate family up to 65% while the remaining 35% had to depend on matched strangers to donate or on donated cord blood. It means that at the end of the day when a child was ill and in need of stem cells for BMT, then those were found in 65% of the cases from the child or the immediate family. More important is that the stem cells used were bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells and that means that in that perilous period of a family's and a child's life an extra burden in collecting stem cells from the bone marrow or peripheral blood is added on top of all stress that is already evident. One can also speculate how this additional psychological stress and wait may impact on disease progression. If those families had been informed about cord blood stem cells and had kept their children's cord blood stem cells then those little frozen bags would have been stored and waiting to be used at any given time! Furthermore, the importance of using your own or those of a matched immediate relative is reflected in the TRM; Transplant Related Mortality is 22-28% when one receives a matched stranger's stem cells and only 5-7% if one receives their own or a matched sibling's stem cells.

The other important issue is that the matched stranger stem cells come nowadays more from donated cord blood stem cells than bone marrow/peripheral blood. In the latest years more than half, almost 2/3, come from donated cord blood and subsequently since cord blood stem cells are immunologically naïve and cause 30% less rejections, more mismatched transplants have been performed. One can speculate if this is the reason for the difference in Transplant Related Mortality that is higher in mismatched stem cells from strangers. So, if one would not keep for own use one should definitely donate for public use!

In the words of the authors of the study “Autologous BMT has an important role in a range of childhood cancers, including neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, Ewing sarcoma/PNET, Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma” while “allogeneic (matched siblings or strangers) transplantation is most frequently offered to children with high-risk and relapsed leukaemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, aplastic anaemia, congenital bone marrow failure syndromes, thalassaemia major, sickle cell anaemia and various inborn errors of metabolism”.

The results of this study are similar to a previous one published in the Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation in 2007, entitled “Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Australia and New Zealand, 1992-2004”. In this study that encompasses all transplantations in Australia and New Zealand both in adults and children, the same trend is evident and even more pronounced. That is, when you need stem cells you find them in you or in your immediate family! In2004 alone, 68% of the patients used their own stem cells (889/1,313) while another 19% received stem cells from matched siblings and only 13% managed to find stem cells from matched strangers. That means that a total of 87% found the needed stem cells in themselves or within the immediate family! Importantly, Transplant Related Mortality was 8.1% for stem cells from strangers compared 1.1% for own stem cells! One can also in the adult cases speculate how the effect of the additional psychological stress of stem cell collection and/or wait to find stem cells from strangers may impact on disease progression. If those families had kept their own peripheral blood stem cells then those little frozen bags would then have been stored and waiting to be used at any given time!

Cord blood stem cells and peripheral blood stem cells have an immense importance be it for a family's own use or for complete strangers where anyone can offer the hope of life. Regardless the use or the intention, those stem cells must be kept for their purpose to be fulfilled! Do not let them go wasted!

References

1. Moore AS, Shaw PJ, Hallahan AR, Carter TL, Kilo T, Nivison-Smith I, O'Brien TA, 
Tapp H, Teague L, Wilson SR, Tiedemann K. Haemopoietic stem cell transplantation
for children in Australia and New Zealand, 1998-2006: a report on behalf of the
Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient Registry and the Australian and
New Zealand Children's Haematology Oncology Group. Med J Aust 2009; 190(3): 121-5  

2. Nivison-Smith I, Bradstock KF, Dodds AJ, Hawkins PA, Ma DD, Moore JJ,
Simpson JM, Szer J.Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Australia and New Zealand,
1992-2004. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2007; 13(8): 905-12 

Autologous PBSC bone marrow transplantation for MS

Fantastic NEWS for MS patients. New hope in the horizon with OWN Peripheral Blood Stem Cells the way StemLife companies around SE Asia have been collecting and storing for the past 9 years. This novel phase US II/III study (click on the title to see the study) confirms what European scientists have been investigating in the past few years with dr Fassas in Northern Greece as one of them. So this study provides one more proof that in Patients with MS, their OWN Stem Cells can be their chance to live a normal life again!

If you wish a comprehensive list on MS, a presentation in pdf form is available after emailing to info@thaistemlife.co.th