Stem Cells for John Plummer's Heart

More and more companies are moving into the US stem cell therapeutic arena, this is probably a good indicator that StemLife is moving in the right direction.

Here's an article that makes a few interesting points, with doctors making positive and strong statements that will lead the industry forward. The exciting thing about the stem cell industry is that it crosses the boundaries between healthcare and science and really seems to have convinced many physicians that this is really the way to go. Stem cell medicine makes gene therapy and other more technical innovations seem not only expensive, but very far away from reality and practicality.

Doctors at Vanderbilt University have led the way in the US to be the first few medical centers to perform stem cell therapy for stimulating regeneration of the heart muscle after heart attacks. Funded by a company called Amorcyte, the trial runs on for five years where the patients enrolled will be monitored on a yearly basis.

I thought the following points were worth noting:

a) Both Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dr. Douglas Vaughan and Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab Dr. David Zhao were very positive about stem cell medicine.

Dr. Douglas Vaughan, had very positive comments to make about stem cell therapy saying that it had the potential to "transform the way we treat people with cardiac disease".

Dr. David Zhao was quoted as saying,"If we treat a patient rapidly, some may not have any damage at all, but for those who, despite all efforts, suffer damage to the heart muscle, we are studying the effects of this treatment in repairing the heart muscle."

b) the article notes that most stem cell work has been conducted in Europe and only recently commenced in the US

c) the patient, a 63 yr old Professor, is delightfully enthusiastic that he's undergoing the treatment

d) the stem cells harvested are delivered in exactly the same way as StemLife's current method

e) preliminary results seen within 3-6 months

f) lastly but certainly not leastly, full support and funding from government body NIH.


Quote from the patient:

"There are no guarantees," said Plummer. "It was the prospect of improvement - any improvement - that made it worth it. There are certain risks, but the prospect of the study proving to be valuable to others as well, all of those considerations made it seem like something I ought to do."

"I look at it this way. This is an improvement you would give almost anything to make. There is nothing more important than your general health."

Adult Stem Cell Education Video

Did you like the animated graphics in the video in the last entry? Here's another one by the same author on adult stem cells and what they can do. It's just as good as the previous video and I think its really worth watching it once or twice just to make sure you don't miss anything..

I particularly liked the depiction of stem cells in the bone marrow, how the stem cells form matured red blood cells and how they move into the bloodstream to perform their function in circulation. The narrator also made a good point about how stem cells are important to the body in replacement of lost tissue either due to wear and tear, or by medical damage (say treatment by radiotherapy or chemotherapy). Essentially, if your stem cells are totally destroyed, all the parts will wear down really fast; And if you have the choice to keep a small bank of replacement cells in the event that it does happen, wouldn't you do it?

Drop us a line if you'd like to get your own stem cell account- StemLife makes the process as pleasurable as possible.

Take it from me... I've already banked mine ;)



Turn your speakers on and press play.......

Video on the Characteristics of Stem Cells

It isn't very often that one finds a good video explaining what stem cells are and what they do. I found this very short one on Youtube and found the graphics animation really quite impressive and visually stimulating. If you're a client of StemLife, I'd really like you to watch this and share this blog with your family and friends so that they can understand stem cells better.

Bill Spence- Heart Patient Improved with Adult Stem Cell Therapy

Given that heart disease is probably the number ONE lifestyle killer in all developed countries, it is thus highly appropriate that a fair number of entries are dedicated to the treatment of this expensive and progressive condition.

I've been following the Gary Schaer trial for a while now and been updating this blog on any new articles detailing the patients' progress. This latest article describes one of the thirty-three patients who has undergone stem cell therapy for his intense chest pain which is so bad that he is confined to his home and has no other viable conventional treatment options to explore (he's had 2 heart attacks, open heart surgery, a pacemaker and several stents inserted and takes more than 25 medications daily).


In the article, the patient tells us of what the pain is like:

Bill Spence, heart disease patient: "The pain starts in the chest, radiates through the back and up over the shoulder and down the arm."


The article also describes what the procedure performed on Mr. Spence, which is almost exactly like what StemLife is providing in Malaysia.

First, patients are injected with a drug that helps the body release stem cells. A special machine isolates the cells from their own blood. Doctors use this mapping system to inject the stem cells back into weak areas of the heart. The idea is to grow new blood vessels.


I was really pleased to see that in the pilot trial, more than 60% of patients reported less chest pain, which is significant as this could help them get back to doing the activities they enjoy independently. Furthermore, it could even mean that their health could take a turn and they could reduce their drug intake, saving healthcare industry funds to reach a wider audience that would otherwise be denied.

This is also StemLife's aim in making it affordable and accessible to all Malaysians and anyone with heart disease. We've also got some very good progress reports from our patients and look forward to helping put more patients back on their feet.

If you have heart disease or know someone who does -and would like to explore stem cell therapy- please don't feel shy to call us for a no obligations consult. Call us at +6012 2050 165 and ask to speak to one of our Adult Stem Cell Therapy team members. :)

Pop! Goes My Heart... Stem Cells for Carrol Payne & Hugh Grant

I have two happy videos to share about hearts today.

The first one is about a firefighter, Carrol Payne, whose heart wasn't quite functioning as well anymore. He describes having a heart attack, being admitted to hospital and enrolling in a study to use stem cells as the treatment.

There were a few notable points in the article. Firstly, the doctor recommends extraction of the bone marrow stem cells between day 6-9 of the heart attack. This probably allows the infarcted area to settle down a little and ensure that the patient hasn't got further complications as a result of the heart attack. Secondly, that the bone marrow is extracted under local anaesthesia but there is no mention of how much in terms of volume. Thirdly, that the stem cells were sent to the lab, separated and re-infused using a catheter. The treating doctor, Dr. Quyyumi believes that the stem cells may help to regenerate the muscles of the heart and heal the blood vessels to recover the edges of the heart.


I am really pleased that the patient is feeling much better, we also see very similar results with StemLife's patients who are symptomatic and undergo peripheral stem cell harvesting and therapy (but with no surgery).

I'm looking to more of the work from Dr. Quyyyumi, although I know it isn't easy to organize as there is a fair amount of coordination required between patient, doctor, lab and every single member of hospital staff in between.


The second video is a one which I really enjoyed (showing my age here) but to truly appreciate it, you'll have to go watch this movie in the theatres called "Music and Lyrics" which stars Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. I won't reveal the story here but felt that the music video was re-creating a heart attack* and has a certain amount of relevance to our topic on stem cells.


Watch this youtube version (its hilarious) and maybe try singing along to the lyrics that I adjusted for this blog entry... but I'm no lyricist so tell me if you can come up with a better stem cell version :)




[VERSE 1]
I never thought that I could be in so much pain,
Everytime that I do a bit of exercise.
A squeeze inside me that words just can't describe,
And there's no explaining.
There's something that's disturbing my sleep, I can't deny,
Every pill to my lips is a lullaby.
Angioplasty makes life worth while,
I feel cold and shiver.

[CHORUS]
I said I wasn't gonna eat the bread, but then
POP! Goes my heart.
I wasn't gonna take my pills again, but then
POP! Goes my heart.
And I just can't live with thick blood flow,
I just don't have the feeling.

[VERSE 2]
These precious moments, I have so few,
Let me go to see StemLife, where they can get your stem cells today.
You show to me that my vessels are new,
And there's no explaining.


*Author's note: Hugh Grant's heart attack in the music video can be classified as a heart break which mimics a heart attack. Ever felt one before? Read more about heart break attacks here.

Amelia Worth has passed away awaiting her Stem Cell Transplant

I blogged about Amelia's condition a while ago and was very sad to see this recent article published saying that she had passed away.

Apparently she won her fight to find a matching donor, but not in time for a the transplant to be performed. She had her chemotherapy, had an infection and succumbed in a coma.

For what its worth, I hope she was not in pain.

And I hope that people will consider banking their stem cells just in case they need it, not because I'm promoting the service but really because when you read stories like hers, you really wish that there was something that you could have done earlier. :(

Read the story here.

A new application for stem cells: FOOD FOR HUMANS

When I was at school in the UK (alas, many many years ago), I used to love writing short stories. Unfortunately, I no longer have the luxury of time to pursue this hobby.

Strange as it might sound, I won a school writing award for a story I submitted about harnessing biotechnology for food and the creation of transgenic animals for human health.

Admittedly at the time, I had read only very little about xenotransplantation or about food production, but my active teenage imagination took care of a lot of the details in the script. Without going into too many details about my short story, it somewhat resembles this article that I found on line, except that it includes my current favorite topic: stem cells.

I really thought the article was marvellous and have posted it here in its entirety. However, you could click on link just to check out the illustration that comes along with it.



Who needs animals? It's only a matter of time before lab-grown meat turns into the oink-less BLT

BY Ian Christe

It sounds like a sci-fi nightmare: giant sheets of grayish meat grown on factory racks for human consumption. But it's for real. Using pig stem cells, scientists have been growing lab meat for years, and it could be hitting deli counters sooner than you think.

Early attempts produced less-than-enticing results. Then, in 2001, scientists at New York's Touro College won funding from NASA to improve in vitro farming. Hoping to serve something, well, beefier than kelp on moon bases and Mars colonies, the scientists successfully grew goldfish muscle in a nutrient broth. And, in 2003, a group of hungry artists from the University of Western Australia grew kidney bean-size steaks from biopsied frogs and prenatal sheep cells. Cooked in herbs and flambéed for eight brave dinner guests, the slimy frog steaks came attached to small strips of fabric — the growth scaffolding. Half the tasters spit out their historic dinner. (Perhaps more significant, half didn't.)

Today, scientists funded by companies such as Stegeman, a Dutch sausage giant, are fine-tuning the process. It takes just two weeks to turn pig stem cells, or myoblasts, into muscle fibers. "It's a scalable process," says Jason Matheny of New Harvest, a meat substitute research group. "It would take the same amount of time to make a kilogram or a ton of meat." One technical challenge: Muscle tissue that has never been flexed is a gooey mass, unlike the grained texture of meat from an animal that once lived. The solution is to stretch the tissue mechanically, growing cells on a scaffold that expands and contracts. This would allow factories to tone the flaccid flesh with a controlled workout.

Lab-grown meat isn't an easy sell, but there could be benefits. Designer meat would theoretically be free of hormones, antibiotics, and the threat of mad cow disease or bird flu. Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins could be blasted into the mixture or dispersed through veins. Revolting? You bet, but have you ever visited a sausage factory? Currently costing around $100,000 per kilogram, a choice cut of lab meat makes Kobe beef seem like a bargain. But meat-processing companies hope to start selling affordable factory-grown pork in under a decade. Bon appétit.


If I can find that story I childishly wrote so long ago, maybe I'll post it and we can do a two decade double-take... strangely it doesn't take a whole generation for technology to catch up and make what you read in a book or saw on TV a reality.

Stem Cell technological application may be a lot wider than we currently know.

Viacell ABANDONS Cord Blood Stem Cell Expansion Program

IS IT ENOUGH?

Whilst many cord blood banks rather unscrupulously hype up the possibilities of stem cell expansion (in order to get clients to store whatever they have and believe in their technology), I've always asked the StemLife team to take a very careful view of the science and the practical realities*.

[As a side note, here in Malaysia cord blood banks claiming to compete with us - operate on the cheap using non-FDA approved storage systems- promote the usage of vials as a storage medium on the pretext that cells can be selectively taken one vial at a time for future expansion. Read on to see why this is a disingenuous marketing ploy...]


THE CHALLENGES OF EXPANSION

The reason why StemLife has taken a cautious approach towards the expansion technology are three fold.

Firstly, in order to expand stem cells, you'll need enough cells -the more the better- in the first place. As a crude analogy, you'll need enough lactobacilli to make yoghurt (too little and it will take too long, allowing other bacteria to destroy the process).

Secondly, sterile technique is absolutely critical; when you're growing the cells, you have to make sure that it contains only the cells that you're growing and nothing else. This requires not only human precision, expensive facilities and sterile reagents, but most importantly, the money to maintain everything in exactly this pristine sterile condition (many, many zeros in any currency).

Thirdly, knowledge of cellular morphology and function is also very important. No one I know would like to risk having cells injected into the heart forming liver or kidney tissue instead. This means identifying the cells and providing the assurance that the cells are indeed stem cells and nothing else.

Hence, any organization, private or public has to be prepared to have deep pockets and a lot of patience when venturing into this technology.


HOW DEEP ARE YOUR POCKETS?

I've been following Viacell's (VIAC) progress in this area for some time, not only because they were one of the first stem cell companies to announce their sincere interest and demonstrate their financial committment in this area, but also because I was kindly shown around their big and beautiful facilities two years ago in Boston.

It is unfortunate therefore to see this press release by Viacell on their decision to terminate the cord blood stem cell expansion project CB001 despite its apparent reported success but on the grounds that the process and product was unaffordable and commercially inviable due to other alternatives.

"What's the alternative?" I hear you ask. The reason why Viacell made the tough commercial decision to cut their losses was that the preferred methodology by transplanters in the US is a dual cord stem cell transplant (using 2 cord blood stem cell units instead of just 1). The results of the expanded product were as good as and in some ways slightly better in the initial trial, but I suspect that the cost did not justify only small improved outcomes. I would say that it was a wise commercial decision by Viacell, and an acknowledgement that what scientists dream and love to do, is not always feasible for clinical practice.

I learned this a long time ago when I was still in research, that what looks good on paper does not necessarily transform into a money spinner despite the winning ideas and long hours of toil.


A GOOD CEO KNOWS WHEN TO QUIT

By cutting the budget for this research and focusing on service improvements, Viacell expects to finally achieve profitability in 2008 for the first time since their listing a few years ago (this is probably also true of many of the other cord blood banks which have committed much of their funding to very costly research, sacrificing their bottom line).


"Given these results and the shift in the treatment paradigm in transplant medicine from single cord to two cord transplants, ViaCell has made the decision not to advance CB001 in future clinical trials. As a result of the reduced clinical and development costs related to CB001, along with anticipated continued growth in its operating business, ViaCell expects to become cash flow positive in the first half of 2008."


Now, Viacell intend to focus on cord blood stem cells for cardiac applications, which I think is probably more interesting and may pose less life-threatening consequences for patients.


"We are committed to continuing to grow our operating business, advancing ViaCyte(SM) through a pivotal clinical trial, which, if successfully developed, will leverage our sales and marketing infrastructure, and working to advance our cord blood-derived cardiac program," said Mr. Beer. "We are already generating cash flow within our ViaCord business and we anticipate continued growth in 2007. As a result, given our reduction in clinical and development costs related to CB001, we expect ViaCord's contributions to the overall operation will allow us to turn cash flow positive in the first half of 2008."


So if you are specifically told by any stem cell company that stem cell expansion technology is available today, they aren't lying, but don't forget to ASK them whether:

1. Your unit baby's cord blood unit has sufficient stem cells to be expanded,

2. Who's offering the service (full due diligence here) and how successful the treatments outcomes have been and what assurances they provide otherwise;

3. And, specifically at what cost.


STEMLIFE BELIEVES IN CHOICES

The way I read the cord blood stem cell tea leaves, if you banked a unit of stem cells and it is not enough, seek other matching units to combine with your own or consider joining StemLife's adult stem cell banking program.

We believe in continually providing affordable and accessible options to our clients... and making stem cell banking a more than once in a lifetime opportunity. :)



*We do not turn away clients who express their wish to proceed but provide them with a cautious advisory to indicate if the stem cell counts are below what we would normally expect. StemLife also provides a full refund for those clients who decide not to proceed to store, and we usually ask them to let us know when they'll be having the next baby (success second time round).

StemLife has a joint research project with the National University of Singapore at very initial stages which differs from Viacell's approach, you can read more about it here.

StemLife wishes our chinese readers Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone!

Happy New Year to all our chinese readers who celebrate the festival! Its the 3rd day of Chinese New Year (CNY has 15 days) and the StemLife office is back in full force (we're open for clients 24 by 7 but our staff do celebrate certain festivities:)).

The team has decorated the office beautifully whilst I've been away. Here's a sample picture of how the team has decorated the plants in the office.

I've got some new entries I'd like to post and will get round to writing them this weekend. So check back for new information in a day or two.

Cord Blood Stem Cells Verdict: Same and Better than Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplants from Other Sources

In my conversation with many doctors, there is often a disbelief that cord blood stem cells can be used for successful transplantation. Although, I've been doing my very best to inform them that many adults have also been treated with cord blood stem cells, and that the applications are not limited to pediatric leukemias, I guess the detractors always get more attention for their comments than the published evidence.

Now, I'm happy to see this news published in the prestigious medical journal BLOOD* which states the results of a study conducted by researchers in Japan who compared the outcomes of patients with leukemia or lymphoma who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplants from either cord blood, peripheral blood or bone marrow.

The results were succinctly stated as follows:

At three years mortality related to treatment was 9% for those treated with umbilical cord transplants and 13% for those treated with bone marrow or peripheral blood transplants.

At three years relapses occurred in 17% for those treated with umbilical cord transplants and 26% for those treated with bone marrow or peripheral blood transplants.

At three years cancer-free survival was 70% for those treated with umbilical cord transplants and 60% for those treated with bone marrow or peripheral blood transplants.

For patients who were at a standard risk of developing a recurrence, cancer-free survival at three years was 93% for those treated with umbilical cord transplants and 85% for those treated with bone marrow or peripheral blood transplants.

For patients who were at a high risk of developing a recurrence, cancer-free survival at three years was 56% for those treated with umbilical cord transplants, compared with 45% for those treated with bone marrow or peripheral blood transplants.

GVHD was less frequent after umbilical cord transplants compared with bone marrow or peripheral blood transplants.
The researchers concluded that umbilical cord transplants provide results that are comparable to or better than those achieved with standard allogeneic stem cell transplants utilizing peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cells from a related donor.


These results provide additional evidence that the use of umbilical cord stem cells may be an effective alternative to an allogeneic stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.


With these results, I'm hoping that haematologists will be considering cord blood stem cells as a source and option for patients equivalent terms, not just as a last resort as it is often currently viewed today. And, if all babies bank their own cord blood stem cells, this will avail them to those units as adults in the future**.



*Reference: Takahashi S, Ooi J, Tomonari A, et al. Comparative single-institute analysis of cord blood transplantation from unrelated donors with bone marrow or peripheral blood stem-cell transplants from related donors in adult patients with hematologic malignancies after myeloablative conditioning regimen. Blood. 2007;109:1322-1330.


**StemLife provides cord blood and adult stem cell banking services for individuals and families. If you've missed the cord blood stem cell banking service for your child, you can consider enrolling in our adult stem cell banking service. Do contact us if you'd like more information.

Giant Cartilage Weaving Stem Cell Machine

If you're into the whole bio-engineering scene or are planning to work in labs which create polymers for human regenerative use, this machine might interest you. Check out this cool photo of a giant stem cell scaffold weaving loom.


Our collaborators in the National University of Singapore have something like this in Prof. Seeram Ramakrishna's lab but I haven't had the privilege of seeing at work. Right now, they use it to spin the polymers made of gelatin and other organic substances but I don't think its for commercial application just yet.

Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center

Congratulations to the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center headed by Ms. Maha on the launch of the new logo yesterday!

I was kindly invited as a fellow scientific advisor to attend the launch yesterday morning at MARDI in Serdang and was delighted to see that there was a huge turnout for the event. There is no doubt in my mind that under Maha's leadership, that MABIC will make many in-roads where other larger organizations may find it difficult due to their affiliations.

If you'd like to know what's happening in the Biotechnology field from a non-governmental perspective, do check out MABIC's website.

Stem Cell News Updates- Hearts & Virgin & Astronauts...

I came back into the office this morning sporting a new flu bug and trying not to speak to anyone for fear that it might spread. Two bottles of anti-tussive Robitussin (manufactured locally by pharmaceutical manufacturer Pharmaniaga) and a whole tube of fizzy Redoxon later, the fever has fortunately been reduced to phlegmy obstruction in my eustachian tubes, nose and throat.

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 :)

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).

News & Progress from Thai StemLife

Some of our avid readers have noticed that Dr. Kostas, Thai StemLife's Chief Operating Officer is featured as a new contributor to this blog. He's been very busy with the company lately and I've been reading some of their accomplishments online.

Thought it might be nice to share the news with you here, if you're interested to know how our Thai company is coming along.

Stem cells can effectively heal patients with diabetes
Thai StemLife has already been actively treating patients with diabetic foot ulcers successfully.

Stem -cell research wins prize
Undoubtedly one of the most innovative business services of the year :)

Stem cell bank bullish on Thailand
Thai StemLife looks to do well next year!


Congratulations to Thai StemLife on winning the top award in the "Top 10 Innovative Business 2006" from the National Innovation Agency (NIA) of the Ministry of Science and Technology!

The Importance of Intricate Scaffolds for Adult Stem Cell Culture and Expansion

A while ago, StemLife recognized the importance of 3-D scaffolding for cellular expansion and this led to the research project collaboration with Singapore National University's Department of Engineering, specifically the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Department. Advances in nano-engineering technology and increased understanding of the cell's structural needs are evolving the way that scientists from different specialties work together towards a common goal of potentially reconstructing parts of the body. I'll keep you updated on our work as we go along.

It was therefore exciting to read this latest release from MIT regarding their research in 3-D scaffolds for the growth of stem cells. Researchers Zhang Shu guang and Fabrizio Gelain from Milan have created a scaffold made of protein nanofibers (made of amino acid fragments) which has successfully provided the growth bed for adult stem cells obtained from mice.

A 3-D system would not only better mimic the body's natural environment for the cells and the researchers expect that this aspect would assist in obtaining an accurate picture of how cells grow and behave in the body, but also allow the cells which have engrafted onto the scaffold to be transplanted directly into the body.

More interestingly, scaffolds will allow scientists to try seeding different cell types (such as teeth, bone, skin and other important excreting organs such as liver and pancreas cells) and maybe enable these cells to form the important supporting cell types which enable the organ to function biochemically as well as structurally.


MORE INFO:

If you'd like to know a bit more about Prof. Zhang, click here for his CV and contact details.

If you'd like to know more about the nanofiber scaffolds by Prof. Zhang's group, you can view the MIT presentation here. It would be better to listen to him in a presentation and some of the pictures in the slides are missing but you'll get the general idea.


If you're interested in seeing your own body's scaffolding ability, have a close look at your nails with its multiple layers and if you happen to take some of the skin off your lips- you'll also be able to see the intricate layers of protein which give the sheets its tensile strength and patterns. :)

Part 4: Bangkok Conference on Stem Cell Therapy for the Failing Heart

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Thought I'd share with you how we've decorated the office for the season. After a short break yesterday and a hearty dinner, I'm back to the blog...

Let's plunge right into it, the review of the last talk by a Tv representative. The CEO of Tv, Dr. Valentin Fulga didn't give away too much of the company's information or much on himself, except to review the cases done to date and also that he had some experience with the FDA and planned on getting approvals relatively soon. Much of the information he had was already mentioned in other talks and he used his time to credit them for their participation and active work.

THE QUESTION

I promised an answer to DTR's question and essentially I did pose this question at the very end of the symposium to Dr. Valentin Fulga, the CEO of Tv. Firstly, I commended him on successfully having Tv's stem cell technology effectively marketed the treatment to 180 patients to date. Logistics and coordination in itself is a real feat (flying the patient to Bangkok, flying the cells to Israel and back to Bangkok- wouldn't like to know their costs..), not to mention marketing the concept to doctors, hospitals and the patients from all over America. I noted also that almost all the patients were treated in Thailand, and curiously, none in Israel. I asked him why was this not the case as most lab services are derived out of its own community's requirements initially and then to serve a greater regional need.

THE ANSWER

He sort of woffled on for a few minutes and basically said that they were in the process of doing so but didn't really answer my question. I tried to assist by asking if perhaps it was a political issue in Israel that prevented them from doing any clinical work there; and his answer to that was that if there was a political problem he certainly didn't know about it as he hadn't been there in the last 2 months. Essentially, as Dr. Itescu pointed out to me later, there may similarly be many questions and queries on the validity of the work by Tv posed by Israeli doctors which is why they've taken their work to wherever they can.

I also spoke briefly to the president of their company in Thailand and the Asian region, a young trendy thirtysomething who goes by the name of Jimmy, he eluded to a fairly complex ownership structure of subsidiary companies and I wasn't entirely sure how he ended up in this business.

Anyway, since the cells are autologous and the treatments don't seem to be more risky than standard heart bypass procedures, I wish them well in their business as they may set an interesting price and model to shape how people in the US perceive stem cell therapy... preferably, with a vacation in Amazing Thailand. :)


StemLife also offers stem cell harvesting, processing and therapeutic services with renown Malaysian doctors for patients with heart failure and ischemic heart disease. If you're interested to learn how your stem cells can help your failing heart, please feel free to call us at +603 2163 8800 during office hours or ask your doctor to contact us at info@stemlife.com.


ps. If you missed the other parts of the conference entries, click on the label for "conference"

Multiple Myeloma Stem Cell Transplant for Beth Morgan

A lady by the name of Beth Morgan was reported to be raising funds for the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), her reason for doing so was because she was diagnosed with myeloma and given a 10 year survival rate of 1%.

The only procedure that will help her improve her chances is a stem cell tranplant and she has already undergone the harvesting of her own stem cells for a transplant in the near future.

Interestingly, she believes that her cancer arose from her work in the semiconductor industry for four years, handling radioactive materials. I wonder if others in her workplace have also reported a higher than usual incidence of myeloma. Ms. Morgan went to have her stem cells harvested from her peripheral blood at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and is undergoing chemotherapy to remove most if not all the cancer cells, before the stem cells are transplanted back into her body. Unfortunately, the chemotherapy has affected her nerves, not only leaving her permanently numb in her hands and feet but also affecting her mind.


I really hope her stem cell transplant goes well and that she gets her wish- which is to live to 80.


You can read about Beth's fund raising campaign here.

Part 3: Bangkok Conference on Stem Cell Therapy for the Failing Heart

In this entry, I will briefly discuss the one other Theravitae (Tv from now on) talks from the heart conference. Sorry to stretch out the entries on this particular event, but it is much easier for me to write bite-sized pieces rather than a really long one.



The next speaker from Tv was Don Margolis who is known as one of the founders of the company. I didn't get a chance to speak with him personally nor ask him his background but his speech was a deviation off the scientific road and took on a more political slant. He didn't have any slides but spoke sort of 'off-the-cuff' or maybe just from the heart (no pun intended). He spoke about the policies in the US for stem cell research and lamented slightly about how embryonic stem cells always seems to get much more attention than adult stem cells which he vigorously supports. He cited Tv patients such as Don Ho and how he has benefitted from stem cell therapy, but unfortunately not in the US. He touched lightly on how he started the company, in the search of doing something worthwhile to help sick people all over the world.

Who is Don Margolis?

I didn't see much stirring in the audience. Despite his rousing speech, he was speaking to a group of doctors and scientists who shared similar opinions and have vested interest in stem cells for therapy. Anyway, I searched google for a picture of him but couldn't find any- so I'm posting the one I took here. If anyone reading this has any comments on Tv or its founders, please feel free to post.

Next one up is the CEO of Tv- Dr. Valentin Fulga's talk.

Part 2: Bangkok Conference on Stem Cell Therapy for the Failing Heart

Thanks DTR, for prompting me to write another entry on the heart conference I attended in Bangkok. These next few entries will hopefully answer your questions, which are pretty much my own as well.

As the main sponsor of the conference, alongside Bangkok Heart Hospital, it was Theravitae's aim to showcase their technology and data to impress doctors from all over the world. Notably, the speeches were delivered by three company respresentatives. Namely Yael Porat (who is the chief scientist at Theravitae's lab in Israel), Dr. Valentin Fulga (CEO of Theravitae Ltd in Israel and Bangkok) and one of the founders by the name of Don Margolis.


Review of Theravitae talk by Yael Porat, Neiss Ziona, Israel

Yael Porat's talk was more "technically" based, giving some simple parameters by which they qualified their work. Essentially, they take a bag of blood (250 ml) from a potential heart patient, fly it over to Israel and leave it in Yael Porat's lab. In simple terms, she plates in out into cell culture flasks and lets the cells known as ACP's (angiogenic circulating progenitors) grow in the presence of growth factors such as EGF, VEGF, IGF and b-FGF. She stresses that no animal serum is used, only patient's autologous serum and some heparin (as an anti-coagulating factor).

After growing the cells several rounds in a GMP/ clean room type facility and achieving as much growth as they can without damaging the cell line, Yael resuspends the cells in medium (not sure what medium it is but it looks like serum), packages the cells in syringes and sends it to the hospital in sterile, bubble wrapped pouches and shhipped at 2-8 degrees Celsius. This final product is known as Vescell and is applied to the patient either via angioplasty or by direct intramyocardial injection.

She couldn't give much away in terms of information apart from showing how they labelled the cells and assuring the audience that the lab in Israel was par excellence. Her slides were mostly text based with just one picture of a biosafety cabinet in a clean room and the cells in syringes and a few staining images. The questions which followed her talk mostly pertained to the manipulation of the cells and its logistics. Manipulation* wise, it seemed like pretty standard cell culture techniques without much selection (although without further disclosure from them, I really wouldn't be able to confirm this) but in the US, FDA does not permit the use of any manipulated cells at this time.


QUESTIONS & ANSWERS


Dr. Doris Taylor asked about the logistics of the cells which have to travel from Bangkok to Israel and back, how would the cells be transported and how would they ensure quality without deterioration or even that they remained the same cells during the journey?

PACKAGING:
In a cooler bag with temperature logger throughout journey to ensure the cells are kept between 2-8 degrees C.

CELL IDENTIFICATION:
The answer that Yael gave was that Theravitae would check the cell numbers and their identity prior to shipment, but there would not be any necessary checking at the hospital when the cells arrive. (ie assumption that cells stay the same)

TRANSPORT:
Next flight out policy, and they have already checked how the cells in the collected blood (at the beginning) can still be viably used after 24 hours as Yael used to work on old/ expiring bags of blood obtained from the blood bank. As for bringing the cells back to the hospital, she says that the cells have to be packaged right and be shipped to the site within 24 hours by special courier.

Next was a question by Dr. Sujit Banyatpiyaphod, cardiac surgeon from Bangkok Heart Hospital. He asked if the cells could be frozen down? Reason being that some of the heart patients were in critical condition and if the patient needs to wait another 2-3 days after the cells arrive for the injection procedure, would the cells still be ok to use or can it be kept frozen for application at a later date.

Yael replied with a NO, the cells cannot currently be frozen down although they are trying to work on it. Right now, if the patient is unable to use the cells, then she would prefer if the doctor collected another round of blood and send it over to her again for culturing so that it is prepared fresh.


PRACTICAL & LIMITING CONSIDERATIONS


It seems to me that there are some practical considerations to this sort of cell therapy where time limitations and cell viability all play a sizeable role in the economic costs to patient, planning costs to the doctor and hospital. One thing Yael didn't volunteer, was whether this situation has arisen before and whether there is a company guarantee for another round due to unexpected circumstances.

Even if Theravitae builds a lab in Bangkok and shortens the logistics time, it is clear from this they will still need to overcome the issue of storage or of affordable 2nd time therapies. The way to understand this is to really understand cellular biology- cells are alive, metabolism keeps going and prolonged exposure to a different or manipulated environment has its own way of changing cellular fate. Obtaining fresh blood from the patient may not be difficult, but re-culturing them in time for the procedure (if its urgent) is a present challenge.


I'll be writing about what the CEO said in the next entry- and answering DTR's question posed in the last blog. :)


*Manipulation in this context means the alteration of the cells' environment, or selecting for certain cells in a mixture, or the addition of factors which may induce changes in the cell's composition or identity.

Part 1: Bangkok Conference on Stem Cell Therapy for the Failing Heart

I returned from a heart conference in Bangkok last weekend organized jointly by the Bangkok Heart Hospital and a company providing stem cell therapeutic services in Thailand to American patients known as Theravitae.

There were several interesting presentations, from Thai doctors in academic institutions and also several renowned doctors who were also associated in some form with private enterprises. One of the companies presenting their work was BioHeart. The speaker Kristin Comella gave a talk on how it was their company's belief that Myoblasts (ie muscle stem cells, obtained from the thigh) were the way forward in treating heart disease.

They presented a lot of animal data, which look very convincing, except that the company was asked to stop their trials in the US after several of their patients required the surgical insertion of a pacemaker after the procedure. I admit that their theory sounds attractive, take 10 grams of muscle from the thigh (not that I would want a scar on my thigh), culture the cells and place it in the heart by way of an angioplasty or direct intra-myocardial injection.

Interestingly, Bioheart revealed that they are in the process of manufacturing a machine which separates stem cells from fat. I stood up to ask if it was the same as what Cytori Therapeutics offers and Ms. Comella said YES. I suppose myoblasts from thighs are taking too long to get into commercial application and it would be easier to work with plastic surgeons instead.

I'll review a few other presentations in later entries of the blog as I'm a little tired tonight. Going to catch some sleep... zzz.

Young Blood. Muscle Repair. Count Dracula links Immortality, Youth & Rapid Healing

I came across this very interesting article describing what some Stanford researchers have been working on earlier this year. In an interesting experiment designed to examine aging and stem cell research, the researchers drew blood from young mice and injected them into genetically identical older mice (imagine storing your young blood and injecting it when you're older).

The result was exciting in that the young blood activated stem cells in the old mice's muscles, allowing them to recover from injury much fast than they used to.

"It's not so much about making people live longer," said Dr. Thomas Rando, associate professor of neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine. "But if some older person gets a broken bone or skin wound, maybe we could improve their recovery rate. Maybe there's a chance to enhance the potential of old tissues."

However, the blood supply was over a lengthy period of six weeks and wasn't as straightforward as a simple blood transfusion. But what the researchers also discovered was that there are "youth-inducing" molecules in the young blood that are responsible for switching on stem cell capabilities in old muscles, which will be the next project. Essentially, injecting stem cells alone may not be the only way to get muscles to repair, and it may be a combination of the right growth factors that also help to get the stem cells to work faster or better.

An excerpt from the article:
Rando and his colleagues studied muscle stem cells called satellite cells, which in young mice and humans induce repair when injury strikes. Rando found in previous work that satellite cells exist in older muscle, but they don't respond to a muscle's cry for help after injury. In the new study, the presence of younger blood helped the satellite cells work more like they do in young mice.


According to Dr. Rando, "Many stem-cell applications in people include diseases of old people," he said. "So if the environment of the heart, brain, liver (and) pancreas is less conducive (to healing) than that of a young person, it would be important to know that in advance."

It was thought that Bram Stoker was writing about patients with the genetic condition porphyria, where they are symptomatically anaemic and have hypersensitive skin, making them averse to sunlight (Vampires burning in sunlight- check out the movie Blade for some very cool effects). In the previous centuries, those with these condition thought that drinking blood of others would ensure their survival, and systematically robbed fresh graves seeking their cure. Now, those diagnosed with this condition congenitally may undergo a stem cell transplant for a cure.

But for immortality, Count Dracula recognized that only the young that provided this elixir (hence pursuing Mina). So was Count Dracula after the young blood or the growth factors in young maidens? I suspect that it was probably both.

Count Dracula Blood Quote on Blood and Immortality:
"Blood... Blood... Life... Years of life."

Count Dracula Blood Quote on Blood as a Food:
"We must survive, all of us. The blood of a human for me, a cooked bird for you. Where is the difference?"



If you'd like to contact Dr. Rando, you can find him here.

If you'd like to contact StemLife about storing your youthful blood, you can contact us at (6012) 2050 165. :)

StemLife Blog now in Beta mode!

Hi Everyone!

I'm delighted to mention that Google has finally offered me the option of upgrading StemLife's Blog to Blogger beta version which I'm quite pleased about. The main feature which I was really after was the "label" and "tag" feature which allows me to categorize the entries. So if you are looking for something specific cited on stem cells, you can try clicking on the label which will call up any relevant articles.

I'm in the process of labelling, it might take me a bit to get it all done. So if all fails, use the search blog function available at the top of the page. :)

Concerns over Indian Cord Blood Bank Life Cell

I saw this blog entry which was pretty interesting. Essentially, the author describes the controversies of running a cord blood bank, even a "public-access" one, which create perceptions of charity or public responsibility, but may have its own consequences of ethics and points of controversy*.

I'll provide you with the start of the article and maybe you'll find it interesting enough to read the whole entry (which isn't long) and think through its perspectives... The first 3 lines were very provoking.


Cord blood banks are a lot like real ones. The more people participate, the better the value for everyone.

It's free to make a deposit, but withdrawals come with all kinds of fees.

US banks are pretty well regulated. The rest of the world has its colorful outliers.
People fear that India, which is coming into the cord banking world now with LifeCell, may not be too stringent on who gets to buy their blood -- and people may be dying to donate. Wired has the story:

Most experts agree that public cord-blood banking is a good idea. Stem cells from both cord blood and bone marrow treat many blood diseases, but cord blood is easier to obtain. Cord blood is also less likely to be rejected than bone marrow, which requires an exact match, usually from a family member. Similar to a blood bank, a cord-blood bank relies on donations to cover a broad range of immune types. The more donors, the more likely patients in need will find a match.
But in India, where female infanticide and body-organ sales are not uncommon, watchdog groups worry that a massive cord-blood bank like LifeCell's could create a dangerous demand for umbilical cords.



I believe that if good quality stem cell banking can be made available for a reasonable price, expectant parents would have no qualms about making the decision to store their babies's stem cells. Whilst greater popularity amongst investors should be a good thing, one of the challenges facing cord blood banks in many countries today is posed by ruthless competition, where price slashing may lead to a consequential cutting corners in a service which confuses the public and gives the entire industry a bad name.

At StemLife, we believe in providing value added services to our clients at an affordable cost and going the extra mile to make sure that the stem cell banking service is available to anyone who enquires. Our committment to our clients is that we care about their babies' stem cells and prudent management of the company with proven credibility also enables us to survive and excel in this new but exciting industry.



*Private banks are often accused of making parents feel bad for not banking their babies' cord blood stem cells, but forget that public banks are faced with difficult choices too in order to meet their respective targets.

Growing New Arteries - Brains, Legs and maybe even Erections

Its been known for a while now that cytokine stimulated stem cells typically used in bone marrow transplantation can be harnessed for vascular regeneration. This particular capacity has been demonstrated in the heart and also in diabetic patients with peripheral vascular disease (PVD). However, due to poor circulation in the area of interest, stem cells need to be "transplanted" from the source of stem cells to the site of the problem.

This latest article mentions the use of GCSF in the regeneration of blood vessels in patients with vascular disease. Citing the administration of this cytokine as a "new treatment", a farmer by the name of Tom Reynolds who was 77 years of age had poor circulation and leg pain. Concerned and afraid about possible gangene infection and limb amputation, Mr. Reynolds tried GCSF injections.

Administered by Dr. Arshed Quyyumi, a cardiologist, Mr. Reynolds has since experienced improved circulation and less pain.


Extracted from emedicine.com:

"Vascular disease may manifest acutely when thrombi, emboli, or acute trauma compromises perfusion. Thromboses are often of an atheromatous nature and occur in the lower extremities more frequently than in the upper extremities. Multiple factors predispose patients for thrombosis. These factors include sepsis, hypotension, low cardiac output, aneurysms, aortic dissection, bypass grafts, and underlying atherosclerotic narrowing of the arterial lumen.

Emboli, the most common cause of sudden ischemia, usually are of cardiac origin (80%); they also can originate from proximal atheroma, tumor, or foreign objects. Emboli tend to lodge at artery bifurcations or in areas where vessels abruptly narrow. The femoral artery bifurcation is the most common site (43%), followed by the iliac arteries (18%), the aorta (15%), and the popliteal arteries (15%)."

I learned from a renown urologist in Malaysia that erectile dysfunction is one of the most common indicators of heart disease and vessel occlusion (small vessel involvement). Diabetics often are unable to enjoy intimacies because of this physical obstruction in blood vessels. I wonder if the doctors will follow up on other aspects of Mr. Reynold's quality of life...? :) That would be an interesting anecdote indeed.

Another Cord Blood Stem Cell Application: McGuckin's Hope for Livers

Recent news from the UK has led me to think that stem cell research is beginning to yield some fruits. Prof. Colin McGuckin (blogged about him here) and Dr. Nico Forraz have been able to generate small sections of liver-like cells from cord blood derived stem cells.

Though the cells are not in sufficient quantities to provide tissue for organ replacement now (apparently penny-like sizes), the doctors have set up a company called Conostem which plans to market the cells to pharmaceutical companies for drug testing. The aim is to permit the application of drugs to the cells in order to assess toxicity to liver cells prior to human trials (animal cells may behave differently to pharmaceuticals than human cells).

Interestingly, the cells are grown in a Nasa designed "microgravity bioreactor" which mimicks weightlessness which is said to aid in its creation. Their work has won a local business award but as it has not yet been published, many other scientists and doctors have voiced their opinions that it is still too early to consider it for therapeutic use which may be a decade away. Nonetheless, it may just be a matter of time and sufficient effort in understanding the cells and their behaviour when implanted into the context of the body.

I am wondering how long it took them to grow the penny-sized cells and how many cells they required as a seed culture. It must be expensive, if not the cytokines that are involved then the bioreactor can't be cheap to run. But, this is exciting news because it may open up the realm of tailored therapy for autologous cord blood stem cell use (for all those babies who may grow up to be drinkers*?!) if it becomes commercially applicable and affordable.

Compared to adult stem cell infusions which they are trying in London, this might still be an expensive proposition.


Note that until today, drug companies are purchasing excess human liver cells (from surgical procedures or biopsy) for diagnostic research and pharmaceutical testing. It doesn't happen in every country but generally where the healthcare rules are more relaxed and perhaps surgeons are drafted in to provide the tissue for clinical trials.


*It is estimated that up to 10% of the UK population have problems with their liver - most are linked to lifestyle factors, such as heavy drinking and obesity.

STEM CELLS for Parkinson's Disease: Michael J Fox check out China

While Michael J Fox has been campaigning fervently in the US for the Democratic vote on the issue of embryonic stem cell research, out pops an article so perfectly timed that reveals the potential of NON-embryonic stem cells for Parkinson's disease.


HOSPITAL PROVIDES SURGICAL OPTION FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Apparently, a hospital -co-owned by a company known as the American Pacific Medical Group*- known as Tiantan Puhua Neurosurgical Hospital located in Beijing is able to procure donor retinal stem cells from the Stem Cell Research Center at Beijing University for transplantation.


FIRST AMERICAN PATIENT OUT OF THIRTEEN

53 year-old Penny Thomas from Captain Cook (Big Island, Hawaii) suffered from Parkinson's disease for almost ten years. She had surgery on May 16 and had 3 million stem cells stereotactically implanted via a 12-inch needle into the center of her brain. The procedure performed by Dr. Xiaodi Han, costed her USD 26,000 (RM 98,800) and took one and a half hours. She had to stay in China for 2 months and seems to have recovered significantly from her previous symptoms.


"I TRIED MEDICATIONS. THEY WEREN'T WORKING FOR ME"

Her doctor, Dr. Cliff Arrington from Kealakekua, vouches for her progressive worsening tremors and encouraged her to explore treatment options available overseas. Her husband and 15 year-old daughter had to do almost everything for her including cutting up her food, getting dressed and showering.

She said: "Getting ready for bed would take almost an hour every night. I tried everything holistically possible and finally went to different doctors. I tried medications. They weren't working for me."

The hospital's vice-president Sherwood Yang released a statement to say that although stem cell treatment is unable to eliminate all symptoms of Parkinson's disease, Penny Thomas' shaking is reportedly reduced, has significantly less muscle tension, increased strength and no freeze-ups. Since then she reports regularly to the hospital and is slowly reducing her medication under the guidance of the Chinese neurological team and Dr. Arrington. She is supposed to have a follow up check up in May next year to see what has happened to the implanted stem cells.

Due to the reduction in medication, her tremors returned but the doctors seem optimistic that the stem cells will do their work. I'm not sure what medication she is on but if its able to put her back on the track of normal life without too much side effect, that might already be a boon to many Parkinson's sufferers out there.

About 6 years ago, I met my friend's grandmother residing in Sydney who had Parkinson's. She would shake in waves so much that she couldn't get out of her wheelchair nor hug her grandson properly. It was my first time meeting a Parkinson's patient and it affected me greatly.


It has been postulated that stem cells obtained from the retina may be able to transform into brain cells, but although several surgical procedures have been conducted, I have yet to see the follow up articles reporting their recovery rates and long term success. I await the final verdict on the engraftment of the stem cells next May and hope that the program may shed some light on how this condition may be treated. But in the meantime, maybe MJ Fox might want to take a closer look.


*The American Pacific Medical Group may sound like an American company but is really one which was set up in 1992 by a group of 35 enterprising doctors who were trained in the US. You can read about them on their website here.