I've had some enquiries before about the use of stem cells to help patients with muscular dystrophy, but never as able to tell them very much. Now I've read that italian scientists from the Stem Cell Research Institute in Rome, have taken human adult stem cells from the bloodstream (much like what StemLife does presumably) and injected the stem cells into mice with muscular dystrophy.
What's interesting is that the scientists injected the cells intravenously into the dogs (young golden retreivers) and the cells circulated to regenerate the muscles of these dogs. Even more interesting was that the researchers proceeded further to obtain the blood cells of patients with muscular dystrophy, insert the correct gene (thereby sliencing the defective gene) and injected them into the mice. The result was that the cells made their way to the skeletal muscle and were able to partly regenerate the muscles.
This is really very interesting work and raises a few possibilities in my mind.
a) Can a muscular dystrophy patient use a younger patient's healthy stem cells and inject intravenously for the same effect?
b) How many cells might they need and would they need a really large stem cell dose to exhibit regeneration of the muscles?
c) Do the cells need to be autologous for effectivity in humans?
d) Any supplementary treatment to be administered?
The only way to really know -as in all research- is to give it a go because muscular dystrophy patients (depending on the severity) don't have time to wait.
I watched a movie entitled "Rory O'Shea was here" the other night (on satellite quite late) about two boys -one with cerebral palsy and the other with muscular dystrophy- about how they form a symbiotic relationship and eventually friendship. It was a moving and touching portrayal of people with the condition, their limitations, frustrations and will. I really enjoyed it and thought that it was well worth watching. Get your tissues ready.
If you'd like to know more about muscular dystrophy and how to recognize it, have a look at this site.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sports and Stem Cells
My cousin and I used to love wakeboarding and we did it every weekend off the coast of Singapore for almost a year when I lived there. The thing about wakeboarding which makes it a real impact sport, is the pull of the speedboat cutting through seawater, sliding out away from the wake at a sharp angle and slicing back in to use the wake as a ramp for a jump.
Depending on how you've positioned yourself before and during the jump, your landing could be very elegant and soft, or very, very hard and bruising. The worst is probably what's called a "face-plant" where you slam face first onto the surface of the water, and you would be lucky if all you got was the wind knocked out of you without too much injury.
Many of the wakeboarders (well, not so many 11 years ago...) used to sport some injury or another, and I recall my boat driver and instructor whose knee injury was so bad that he had to wear a brace permanently and stop wakeboarding, which he loved so much.
If I had his number now, I'd certainly convince him to store his own stem cells to treat his injured knee.
I believe that applications of stem cells in sports injuries will take centerstage in the near future, simply because there isn't that much out there which assures patients that they'll really be able to get back their full range of motion after serious damage. Apart from the excruciating pain and lengthy recovery period (my cousin hurt her knee once on the board and was out of action for months), injuries are often severe enough that full form is never quite regained and the sport loses its lustre.
ENOUGH ABOUT WAKEBOARDING WHAT ABOUT THE STEM CELLS?
I read this interesting article in the International Herald Tribune about how doctors and researchers are now promoting the storage of stem cells from the umbilical cord to use in tendon, ligament, muscle and ligament repair in the few years.
Estimated timeline?
"It's not a pie in the sky notion," said Dr. Scott Rodeo, an orthopedist and research scientist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. "Maybe it's not going to happen next year, but a three-to-five year horizon is not unreasonable."
Dr. Rodeo, who is the doctor for the New York Giants football team and former US Olympic team doctor, has apparently been conducting common injury trials which do not mend easily on rats, reconstructing knees, ligament and shoulder cuffs with stem cells.
Another strong endorsement for stem cell banking:
"If you have a child who has exceptional athletic talent at the age of 5 or 6, you might want to get a muscle or fat biopsy to draw and freeze some young stem cells," said Dr. Johnny Huard, director of the Stem Cell Research Center of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and a leading gene therapy researcher. "To have a pool of stem cells already removed would be enormously valuable. The practical use might be years away, but that's the future of sports medicine."
Of course there are detractors to using stem cells as a treatment option, but frankly, if you've every played futsal or even fallen down the stairs and sprained your ankle in a life-limiting way, to me having an option is better then no option at all.
If you're a weekend athlete with an injury and would like to consider stem cell banking and therapy, please give us a call (603-2163 8800) and we'll be happy to make the arrangements for you*.
*No, you do not have to be pregnant to store your stem cells, StemLife offers Adult Stem Cell Banking for individuals who wish to use their own stem cells for their own treatment.
Depending on how you've positioned yourself before and during the jump, your landing could be very elegant and soft, or very, very hard and bruising. The worst is probably what's called a "face-plant" where you slam face first onto the surface of the water, and you would be lucky if all you got was the wind knocked out of you without too much injury.
Many of the wakeboarders (well, not so many 11 years ago...) used to sport some injury or another, and I recall my boat driver and instructor whose knee injury was so bad that he had to wear a brace permanently and stop wakeboarding, which he loved so much.
If I had his number now, I'd certainly convince him to store his own stem cells to treat his injured knee.
I believe that applications of stem cells in sports injuries will take centerstage in the near future, simply because there isn't that much out there which assures patients that they'll really be able to get back their full range of motion after serious damage. Apart from the excruciating pain and lengthy recovery period (my cousin hurt her knee once on the board and was out of action for months), injuries are often severe enough that full form is never quite regained and the sport loses its lustre.
ENOUGH ABOUT WAKEBOARDING WHAT ABOUT THE STEM CELLS?
I read this interesting article in the International Herald Tribune about how doctors and researchers are now promoting the storage of stem cells from the umbilical cord to use in tendon, ligament, muscle and ligament repair in the few years.
Estimated timeline?
"It's not a pie in the sky notion," said Dr. Scott Rodeo, an orthopedist and research scientist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. "Maybe it's not going to happen next year, but a three-to-five year horizon is not unreasonable."
Dr. Rodeo, who is the doctor for the New York Giants football team and former US Olympic team doctor, has apparently been conducting common injury trials which do not mend easily on rats, reconstructing knees, ligament and shoulder cuffs with stem cells.
Another strong endorsement for stem cell banking:
"If you have a child who has exceptional athletic talent at the age of 5 or 6, you might want to get a muscle or fat biopsy to draw and freeze some young stem cells," said Dr. Johnny Huard, director of the Stem Cell Research Center of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and a leading gene therapy researcher. "To have a pool of stem cells already removed would be enormously valuable. The practical use might be years away, but that's the future of sports medicine."
Of course there are detractors to using stem cells as a treatment option, but frankly, if you've every played futsal or even fallen down the stairs and sprained your ankle in a life-limiting way, to me having an option is better then no option at all.
If you're a weekend athlete with an injury and would like to consider stem cell banking and therapy, please give us a call (603-2163 8800) and we'll be happy to make the arrangements for you*.
*No, you do not have to be pregnant to store your stem cells, StemLife offers Adult Stem Cell Banking for individuals who wish to use their own stem cells for their own treatment.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
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."
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."
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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.......
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.......
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
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.
Monday, March 12, 2007
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. :)
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. :)
Monday, March 05, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
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.
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.
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