Articles from or about Bristol always brings with them a sense of nostalgia for me and its been a while since the last opportunity to visit (StemLife keeps me in Asia, mostly).
Anyway, back to the stem cell news. I was very pleased to see that the Bristol cardiac team based at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and at the University will in August start a stem cell program which involves the injection of autologous (patient's own) bone marrow stem cells into the affected heart during routine coronary bypass surgery. The surgeons, led by Dr. Raimondo Ascione, believe that stem cells can assist in the healing process post surgery, reducing scarring and thereby improving the heart's pumping action. Follow-up time of the patients is stated to be six months, which I think is a perfectly reasonable length of time (based on our experience here).
The work is funded by the British Heart Foundation and amounts to GBP 210,000 (approximately 1,455,070 RM).
The article describes why the surgical team acknowledges the usefulness of stem cells:
In a heart attack, blocked blood vessels starve the heart's muscle of oxygen and cells in that part of the heart die, leaving scarring.
The scarred heart is then less able to pump blood around the body and can lead to heart failure.
While the blood supply to the heart can be improved with coronary bypass surgery or angioplasty (mechanical stretching of the heart blood vessels), these techniques do not restore the viability and function of the area already damaged.
And scarring can cause further complications - a fifth of patients develop a dangerous thinning of the walls of the heart within six months of bypass surgery.
The patients who will be selected are those who suffered a heart attack between 10 days to three months ago, and half of them will receive the stem cells, while the other half will receive a dummy injection.
Are there any ethical issues?
Dr. Ascione says that using the patient's own stem cells will not only avoid the risk of rejection and infection, but also get round any ethical issues sometimes associated with embryonic cells or foetal tissue (which is hotly debated). It was also great that Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, is also looking forward to stem cells being used routinely in the repair of damaged hearts.
At StemLife, we also offer adult-derived stem cell therapies for patients with ischemic heart disease. Not all patients are eligible for the program however, so please check with us to see if you're a suitable candidate.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
1667: First Human Blood Transfusion
Once in a while, an interesting scientific snippet crosses my path and I'll share it with you to increase the number of somewhat weird facts that you may already know (and maybe use it to impress others!).
Did you know that June 15th 1667 was the first time ever that a blood transfusion was given to a human being? (Medical and scientific knowledge of blood was rather primitive back then, people even thought you could stay alive by drinking the blood of others..)
According to this article, the patient was a 15 year-old boy who had been bled so much by the doctor (probably during a procedure) that he required a blood transfusion. The doctor* used sheep's blood and amazingly, the boy managed to recover. Other patients weren't as successful though and the practice was banned. Doctors had no idea back then that interspecies transfusion isn't tolerated by the immune system and that humans have different and sometimes incompatible blood types (humans have 4 types, you inherit your blood types from your parents).
The major blood type groupings were elucidated in 1907, only when a critical piece of the jigsaw puzzle was identified by Viennese physician Karl Landsteiner discovered the presence of agglutinins and iso-agglutinins in the blood. He went on the win a Nobel Prize for his work.
*It seems that the doctor who performed this daring procedure is disputed as either Jean-Baptiste Denys, personal physician to France's King Louis XIV, or Englishman Sir William Lower. While Jean Baptiste is accredited for the transfusion in humans, Sir William Lower was the first to demonstrate blood transfusion from one dog to another in 1665.
You can read about other amusing ancient stories on blood here.
How does this all relate to stem cells?
Well, not much correlation really, except that when we process cord blood and adult peripheral blood, reducing the number of red blood cells is part of the procedure. This is to ensure a smaller volume for infusion and also that the unit can be safely given to a patient with matching stem cell type but a different blood group from the donor.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Surgeons Using Stem Cells for Bone Fractures
I was intrigued when I saw this article, not so much by the actual announcement of the stem cell work performed, but rather exactly where the location of the hospital was and I was surprised that hospitals outside the major cities of England were also conducting stem cell therapeutic trials.
Oswestry, I found out is a small town in the county of Shropshire, off Shrewsbury on route to the Cambrian mountains near Wales. The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry does look like an excellent hospital and has a website which is very detailed. It is clear from the description of the hospital's history that pioneering new techniques and investing in research is a priority, so stem cell clinical application is certainly on their checklist.
The consultant surgeons there have been conducting clinical trials using stem cells obtained from patient's own bone marrow (autologous) to heal bone fractures which could not be successfully healed with conventional techniques using metal pins and plates. According to the report, the research trial plans to take in forty patients. Fifteen patients have since undergone the treatment and 8 out of the first 10 patients followed up are successfully healed (able to drive and return to work).
The procedure:
Surgeons harvest the stem cells from the patient's pelvic bone and multiply the stem cells for a period of 3 weeks.
Consultant surgeon Professor James Richardson said: "Things have worked out quite well. A few patients have needed other procedures, refixation for instance, but the important thing is they're healing."
Surgeons collect the stem cells in a sample of bone marrow, usually from the patient's pelvis. They are purified and then multiplied in a sterile laboratory. 3 weeks later, the surgeons have to re-expose the fracture and place the stem cells at the site. After a few months, the bone appears to regain the strength of its original structure. One of the patients, Sarah Humphreys was one of the first patients to be treated with stem cells and is now able to walk unaided.
She said: "I'm absolutely fine, the leg doesn't give me any problems at all apart from a bit of residual pain if I've been for a long walk, or been a bit more active than I would have been, but not to the extremes it was. I'm basically doing everything I was prior to the accident."
The surgeons aim to treat 40 patients in the clinical trial and due to the autologous nature of the cells, there are no chances of rejection. They are unsure as to how the stem cells transplants work (nature does in deed work in mysterious ways) but speculate that the cells may turn into bone and seal the gap, or play a role in the secretion of chemicals that kick-start the healing process.
The article states: These are experimental treatments for now. But surgeons say the results so far are so promising that stem cells are likely to be widely used on the NHS in a matter of years.
Editor's Note:
I am particularly enthused by these results as StemLife has also been obtaining positive results from patients who have had stem cells in combination with their orthopaedic procedure. We have also been working with a niche and focussed orthopaedic hospital- the Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Center. If you have a cartilage injury that you'd like to discuss and explore stem cells may help in its healing, please give us a call.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Expert Hematologists Say Stem Cell Harvesting is SAFE
If you've been following this blog for a while, this probably isn't news to you, but I thought that this article only lends further credence to those patients concerned about whether stem cells are safe to collect.
Baby umbilical cord blood stem cells certainly are safe to collect, and very apparently so are adult stem cells. The article is so clear in its message that I thought it would be good to excerpt it here for you to read just in case they take it off line.
Experts At Hematologists' Congress In Vienna Say The Procedure For Donating Stem Cells Is Safe EHA Congress 2007
14 Jun 2007
Donating stem cells is almost free of risk for donors and is often the only chance of survival for many patients with certain severe blood or bone marrow diseases. This was the conclusion arrived at in an observation study conducted by the Medical University of Hanover and just presented at the Congress of the European Hematology Association in Vienna.
Stem cell donors can save lives. The only way to fully cure most types of blood cancer (leukemia) is through the transplantation of what are called hematopoetic stem cells, i.e. by transferring healthy blood-building cells from an appropriate donor. Physicians cannot call on cell donors in good conscience unless this procedure is free of danger. There have been isolated cases of donors reported in the past who themselves came down with leukemia several years after making their life-saving gift. Researchers undertook a number of different studies to determine if there was any connection here.
The Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), the leading association of experts on blood and bone-marrow diseases in Europe, is currently being held in Vienna. One of the speakers, Dr. Michael Stadler, senior physician in the Department of Hematology, Hemostaseology and Oncology at the Medical University of Hanover (D), presented the results of a recent study on this subject: "Since March 1994, we have examined nearly 600 donors of bone marrow or peripheral stem cells and determined that the donation of stem cells is a very safe procedure. We have not detected a single case of leukemia to date among our donors and unpleasant side effects occurred for a total of only one percent of these individuals."
The study involved 596 donors aged one to 71 (60% males, 40% females). Both common methods of hematopoetic stem cell transplantation were represented, namely classic bone-marrow transplantation and the modern method of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
"Bone marrow can only be extracted under general anesthesia and requires a one to two-day hospital stay," explained Dr. Stadler. "During this procedure, a half to one liter of a mixture of blood and bone marrow is suctioned from around the donor's iliac crest, not from the spinal cord, as is often falsely reported. This mixture is filtered and then transfused into the recipient by way of intravenous infusion. The intervention itself takes about one hour. The bone-marrow cells that are removed are replenished in the donor within about two weeks by subsequent cell growth."
Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is an even simpler and more comfortable procedure for donors. The reason for the designation is that the stem cells are taken not from bone marrow but from the blood stream at the periphery of the body, e.g. from a vein in the arm. This procedure does require biochemical preparation, however. Dr. Stadler: "For a period of five days beforehand, the donor receives a substance called G-CSF, which stands for Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor. G-CSF is a hormone the body produces itself and is released in the case of inflammations to stimulate the reproduction of white blood corpuscles. If administered as a drug in high doses, it accelerates the overall formation of blood and causes blood stem cells that are not yet fully matured to be detached from their environment in bone marrow, for lack of space you might say. These stem cells make their way to the peripheral blood stream where they can be fished out for the patient using a special separation method called stem cell aphaeresis."
G-CSF stimulation in particular was long suspected of being a possible trigger for leukemia in donors over the long term. In their long-time study, however, Dr. Stadler and his colleagues did not observe a single case of leukemia or a single case of death over a period of more than 12 years.
The risk of anything happening to you in harvesting your own stem cells is really minimal, so please don't be afraid to donate or bank your stem cells for yourself and your family members.
Baby umbilical cord blood stem cells certainly are safe to collect, and very apparently so are adult stem cells. The article is so clear in its message that I thought it would be good to excerpt it here for you to read just in case they take it off line.
Experts At Hematologists' Congress In Vienna Say The Procedure For Donating Stem Cells Is Safe EHA Congress 2007
14 Jun 2007
Donating stem cells is almost free of risk for donors and is often the only chance of survival for many patients with certain severe blood or bone marrow diseases. This was the conclusion arrived at in an observation study conducted by the Medical University of Hanover and just presented at the Congress of the European Hematology Association in Vienna.
Stem cell donors can save lives. The only way to fully cure most types of blood cancer (leukemia) is through the transplantation of what are called hematopoetic stem cells, i.e. by transferring healthy blood-building cells from an appropriate donor. Physicians cannot call on cell donors in good conscience unless this procedure is free of danger. There have been isolated cases of donors reported in the past who themselves came down with leukemia several years after making their life-saving gift. Researchers undertook a number of different studies to determine if there was any connection here.
The Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), the leading association of experts on blood and bone-marrow diseases in Europe, is currently being held in Vienna. One of the speakers, Dr. Michael Stadler, senior physician in the Department of Hematology, Hemostaseology and Oncology at the Medical University of Hanover (D), presented the results of a recent study on this subject: "Since March 1994, we have examined nearly 600 donors of bone marrow or peripheral stem cells and determined that the donation of stem cells is a very safe procedure. We have not detected a single case of leukemia to date among our donors and unpleasant side effects occurred for a total of only one percent of these individuals."
The study involved 596 donors aged one to 71 (60% males, 40% females). Both common methods of hematopoetic stem cell transplantation were represented, namely classic bone-marrow transplantation and the modern method of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
"Bone marrow can only be extracted under general anesthesia and requires a one to two-day hospital stay," explained Dr. Stadler. "During this procedure, a half to one liter of a mixture of blood and bone marrow is suctioned from around the donor's iliac crest, not from the spinal cord, as is often falsely reported. This mixture is filtered and then transfused into the recipient by way of intravenous infusion. The intervention itself takes about one hour. The bone-marrow cells that are removed are replenished in the donor within about two weeks by subsequent cell growth."
Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is an even simpler and more comfortable procedure for donors. The reason for the designation is that the stem cells are taken not from bone marrow but from the blood stream at the periphery of the body, e.g. from a vein in the arm. This procedure does require biochemical preparation, however. Dr. Stadler: "For a period of five days beforehand, the donor receives a substance called G-CSF, which stands for Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor. G-CSF is a hormone the body produces itself and is released in the case of inflammations to stimulate the reproduction of white blood corpuscles. If administered as a drug in high doses, it accelerates the overall formation of blood and causes blood stem cells that are not yet fully matured to be detached from their environment in bone marrow, for lack of space you might say. These stem cells make their way to the peripheral blood stream where they can be fished out for the patient using a special separation method called stem cell aphaeresis."
G-CSF stimulation in particular was long suspected of being a possible trigger for leukemia in donors over the long term. In their long-time study, however, Dr. Stadler and his colleagues did not observe a single case of leukemia or a single case of death over a period of more than 12 years.
The risk of anything happening to you in harvesting your own stem cells is really minimal, so please don't be afraid to donate or bank your stem cells for yourself and your family members.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Stem Cell Transplants for Peri-anal Fistulas
I'd like to nominate this article for one of the top ten most interesting stem cell applications to date.
The background
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease which can cause swelling anywhere along the digestive tract but mostly affects the small intestine. The most common symptom leading to its diagnosis is diarrhea. The most common complication leading to its diagnosis is the blockage of the intestines. Due to the thickening of the intestinal wall, the passage narrows and may also cause sores or ulcers involving surrounding tissues and organs such as the bladder, vagina, and the anus and rectum.
Anal Fistulas
The anal glands which drain into the anal canal can become blocked and infected, resulting in an abscess formed in an abnormal tunnel called a fistula. The fistula can cross the anal sphincter, and if infected, may present the patient with a painful and problematic condition.
Crohn's disease is typically diagnosed in people (males and females) between the ages of 15-35, but can strike at any point in their life.
Phase II Clinical Trials
The article described a clinical study conducted in Madrid, where patients with Crohn's disease (or a similar glandular condition) and symptomatic anal fistulas were treated with and without stem cells complementing the existing therapeutic strategy.
Previously, patients with perianal fistulas were provided with the option of surgery. However, while this cures the fistula, it leaves behind a scar which can cause incontinence problems. What they were performing in Madrid, were fibrin glue injections which involves the injection of a biodegradable glue into the fistula to close the tunnel and prevent any bacteria from entering to form an abscess. This procedure provides minimal risk of incontinence (no surgery to damage muscle tissue) and also much less stress for the patient.
Disappointingly, fibrin glue treatment only cures 16% of conditions and this prompted the doctors to explore a more definitive method of curing the fistula internally and externally (closing the fistula completely).
Plus Stem Cells
In this phase II clinical trial led by Prof. Damian Garcia-Olmo of La Paz Hospital, patients were treated with fibrin glue and stem cells derived by liposuction from their own fatty tissue. The cells were grown in the lab to an order of 20 million and re-injected into the internal opening of the fistula 3 months later. Control patients only got the fibrin glue.
The patients were monitored for 8 weeks and if the fistula still was not healed, the patients got a second dose of 40 million stem cells + fibrin glue or fibrin glue alone depending on which group they were in (note that the second dose of stem cells was also a double dose).
The stem cell treatment was apparently effective and recorded a significant difference and the patients are now leading a better quality of life with no further fistulas.
I wonder if Prof. Garcia-Olmo will try this procedure with stem cells from other sources which may be able to avoid surgical intervention for extraction of stem cells altogether. I'm not sure what the incidence of Crohn's disease is in Malaysia, but as it seems to be a condition which might be related to urban lifestyle (and possibly poor diet) there might be an undiagnosed population out there who are too embarrassed to seek help unless its very severe. Well, at least now there is way to improve the chances of removing an uncomfortable part of the problem altogether with stem cells.
There is no cure for Crohn's disease at this time and treatment involved medication and/or surgery.
The background
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease which can cause swelling anywhere along the digestive tract but mostly affects the small intestine. The most common symptom leading to its diagnosis is diarrhea. The most common complication leading to its diagnosis is the blockage of the intestines. Due to the thickening of the intestinal wall, the passage narrows and may also cause sores or ulcers involving surrounding tissues and organs such as the bladder, vagina, and the anus and rectum.
Anal Fistulas
The anal glands which drain into the anal canal can become blocked and infected, resulting in an abscess formed in an abnormal tunnel called a fistula. The fistula can cross the anal sphincter, and if infected, may present the patient with a painful and problematic condition.
Crohn's disease is typically diagnosed in people (males and females) between the ages of 15-35, but can strike at any point in their life.
Phase II Clinical Trials
The article described a clinical study conducted in Madrid, where patients with Crohn's disease (or a similar glandular condition) and symptomatic anal fistulas were treated with and without stem cells complementing the existing therapeutic strategy.
Previously, patients with perianal fistulas were provided with the option of surgery. However, while this cures the fistula, it leaves behind a scar which can cause incontinence problems. What they were performing in Madrid, were fibrin glue injections which involves the injection of a biodegradable glue into the fistula to close the tunnel and prevent any bacteria from entering to form an abscess. This procedure provides minimal risk of incontinence (no surgery to damage muscle tissue) and also much less stress for the patient.
Disappointingly, fibrin glue treatment only cures 16% of conditions and this prompted the doctors to explore a more definitive method of curing the fistula internally and externally (closing the fistula completely).
Plus Stem Cells
In this phase II clinical trial led by Prof. Damian Garcia-Olmo of La Paz Hospital, patients were treated with fibrin glue and stem cells derived by liposuction from their own fatty tissue. The cells were grown in the lab to an order of 20 million and re-injected into the internal opening of the fistula 3 months later. Control patients only got the fibrin glue.
The patients were monitored for 8 weeks and if the fistula still was not healed, the patients got a second dose of 40 million stem cells + fibrin glue or fibrin glue alone depending on which group they were in (note that the second dose of stem cells was also a double dose).
The stem cell treatment was apparently effective and recorded a significant difference and the patients are now leading a better quality of life with no further fistulas.
I wonder if Prof. Garcia-Olmo will try this procedure with stem cells from other sources which may be able to avoid surgical intervention for extraction of stem cells altogether. I'm not sure what the incidence of Crohn's disease is in Malaysia, but as it seems to be a condition which might be related to urban lifestyle (and possibly poor diet) there might be an undiagnosed population out there who are too embarrassed to seek help unless its very severe. Well, at least now there is way to improve the chances of removing an uncomfortable part of the problem altogether with stem cells.
There is no cure for Crohn's disease at this time and treatment involved medication and/or surgery.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant Saves Singapore Baby
It's always nice to have good news, and children who have had successful outcomes with stem cell therapy is always good news to me.
Last night, Singapore's Channel News Asia announced that a 2 year-old baby boy has recovered from a fatal disease (exactly what wasn't named) after fighting against viral and fungal infections, which are often associated with poor immune systems in transplantation.
The transplant was performed by A/Prof. Dr. Tan Ah Moy, head of KK Women's and Children's Paediatric Haematology Unit in May last year.
The little boy's name and nationality has been withheld for now -probably for privacy reasons- but I hope we'll get to hear more about his condition, whether it was genetic or spontaneous and the factors that led to the successful transplant.
We have transplant facilities in Kuala Lumpur at the University Hospital and also at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, but I have to admit that Singapore's hospitals do a much better job at marketing themselves online. KK states on its website that the paediatric haematology team has performed 35 transplants to date, and I'm sure that with a fairly homogenous population and the Singapore cord blood bank in its basement, there will be many more babies that can be saved.
If you need a transplantation specialist, here's a short who's who list:
Clin A/Prof Tan Ah Moy
Head & Senior Consultant
Appt. tel: +65 6294 4050
Prof. Chan Lee Lee
Head and Senior Consultant
Appt. tel: +603-79502275
Last night, Singapore's Channel News Asia announced that a 2 year-old baby boy has recovered from a fatal disease (exactly what wasn't named) after fighting against viral and fungal infections, which are often associated with poor immune systems in transplantation.
The transplant was performed by A/Prof. Dr. Tan Ah Moy, head of KK Women's and Children's Paediatric Haematology Unit in May last year.
The little boy's name and nationality has been withheld for now -probably for privacy reasons- but I hope we'll get to hear more about his condition, whether it was genetic or spontaneous and the factors that led to the successful transplant.
We have transplant facilities in Kuala Lumpur at the University Hospital and also at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, but I have to admit that Singapore's hospitals do a much better job at marketing themselves online. KK states on its website that the paediatric haematology team has performed 35 transplants to date, and I'm sure that with a fairly homogenous population and the Singapore cord blood bank in its basement, there will be many more babies that can be saved.
If you need a transplantation specialist, here's a short who's who list:
Clin A/Prof Tan Ah Moy
Head & Senior Consultant
Appt. tel: +65 6294 4050
Prof. Chan Lee Lee
Head and Senior Consultant
Appt. tel: +603-79502275
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Cord Blood Stem Cells for Broad Range of Medical Conditions
This news is interesting and reveals what cord blood stem cells are being used for on the other side of our planet. Cord Blood Registry (CBR), one of America's top 3 (or perhaps the top) cord blood stem cell storage companies has just announced the release of five units in the first quarter of this year for autologous infusions/ transplantation.
WHAT ARE THE STEM CELLS BEING USED TO TREAT?
3 of the infusions are for autologous use, namely Cerebral Palsy, Type 1 Diabetes, Auto-immune disorder related Autism.
2 of the infusions are for family members to treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Diamond Blackfan Anemia.
Statement from CBR's Scientific Director and Transplanter at University of Arizona
"The growing number of requests CBR is receiving for release of samples to the families who stored them is an important indication that the medical community is increasingly using autologous and genetically-related cord blood stem cells to help save lives," said David Harris, Ph.D., CBR scientific director and professor of immunology at the University of Arizona. "It is particularly encouraging to see the benefits of cord blood stem cells extend to patients with diverse unmet medical needs. This includes a number of regenerative medicine therapies which require a patient's own cells."
Interesting? Given the conventional options available, I'm certainly keen on knowing the patient outcomes.
WHAT ARE THE STEM CELLS BEING USED TO TREAT?
3 of the infusions are for autologous use, namely Cerebral Palsy, Type 1 Diabetes, Auto-immune disorder related Autism.
2 of the infusions are for family members to treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Diamond Blackfan Anemia.
Statement from CBR's Scientific Director and Transplanter at University of Arizona
"The growing number of requests CBR is receiving for release of samples to the families who stored them is an important indication that the medical community is increasingly using autologous and genetically-related cord blood stem cells to help save lives," said David Harris, Ph.D., CBR scientific director and professor of immunology at the University of Arizona. "It is particularly encouraging to see the benefits of cord blood stem cells extend to patients with diverse unmet medical needs. This includes a number of regenerative medicine therapies which require a patient's own cells."
Interesting? Given the conventional options available, I'm certainly keen on knowing the patient outcomes.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Adult Patient gets Cord Blood Stem Cells for Transplant
I found this video pretty interesting as the interviewee highlights the plight of many patients today who aren't told or advised about the uses of cord blood stem cells. Eric Drew was only told about bone marrow transplantation (but didn't have any full siblings) and wasn't informed of any other options. It was on his own initiative that he found out about cord blood stem cells and followed up with a successful transplant. So, another adult has been successfully cured with cord blood stem cells... don't let anyone tell you that cord blood stem cells aren't useful for adults.
At StemLife, we do advise parents that while their children may not need it within the first few years of their life (touch wood), it is affordable and reasonable to bank the stem cells so that the resource is available for possible later use.
The video is a little bit heavy to download but its worth hearing his optimism and it's good listening to a patient who has been through the procedure.
"Don't take NO for an answer"
At StemLife, we do advise parents that while their children may not need it within the first few years of their life (touch wood), it is affordable and reasonable to bank the stem cells so that the resource is available for possible later use.
The video is a little bit heavy to download but its worth hearing his optimism and it's good listening to a patient who has been through the procedure.
"Don't take NO for an answer"
Friday, May 04, 2007
Installation of Malaysia's 13th King & Launch of StemLife's New Services
Malaysia's new king from Terengganu, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was installed last week on the 26th of April and it was declared a bank holiday. There are beautiful yellow posters all over Kuala Lumpur paying tribute to the new King, with words "Daulat Tuanku", which I think means "Long live the King" in Malay.
The King and the Queen look really resplendent in their royal gold outfits and as my colleagues and I drove by the signs, we were commenting on how complementary they were in terms of their looks and how attractive the Queen is.
A GOOD DAY FOR A LAUNCH
It was also a good day for StemLife as we launched our new services in the presence of our guest of honor -Malaysian jazz singer, mother and StemLife client- Sheila Majid. She rang us to ask about StemLife's newborn umbilical cord blood stem cell banking service for her newest addition to her family and we asked her if she would kindly grace our event as a client and guest-of-honor. She said to us: " I am happy to do it because it's a good thing, doesn't hurt anyone and certainly important that other parents should know about it" (she missed the previous baby's stem cells as she delivered early).
If you're a StemLife client already or a mum-to-be who's considering stem cell banking, I'm really excited to share news on our latest stem cell services with you.
StemGuard
Parent Question: " Can I afford transplantation if it comes to pass?"
StemLife Answer: Yes, you can with StemGuard. A specially designed transplant insurance policy that allows parents to cover the costs of transplantation should it be required in the future. Parents are offered very affordable rates (from 20 cents per day) for transplantation costs in Malaysian hospitals. It covers most major transplantable disorders todate.
StemAssured
Parent Question: " Will my baby's stem cells be alright after years of storage?"
StemLife Answer: "Yes, StemLife is confident that your baby's stem cells are safe with us and we're willing to provide a money back guarantee."
Stem21
Parent Question: "What will happen to my baby's stem cells if we're not around?"
StemLife Answer: "Not to worry, we'll still take care of them for you. Some of StemLife's parents have asked us what will happen to their babies' stem cell unit should they no longer be around and the minor be unable to pay . StemLife takes a compassionate stance and offers to bank the unit at no further costs to the child until they are 21."
The news was reported in several papers, Business Times carried an article, as did the Star newspaper.
If you're already a StemLife Parent, you'll be receiving a mailer pretty soon explaining how the programs work. Please bear with us, but we're working on making our services better.
As for everyone else, look out for StemLife's new service logos and let me know if you think they're nice :).
The King and the Queen look really resplendent in their royal gold outfits and as my colleagues and I drove by the signs, we were commenting on how complementary they were in terms of their looks and how attractive the Queen is.
A GOOD DAY FOR A LAUNCH
It was also a good day for StemLife as we launched our new services in the presence of our guest of honor -Malaysian jazz singer, mother and StemLife client- Sheila Majid. She rang us to ask about StemLife's newborn umbilical cord blood stem cell banking service for her newest addition to her family and we asked her if she would kindly grace our event as a client and guest-of-honor. She said to us: " I am happy to do it because it's a good thing, doesn't hurt anyone and certainly important that other parents should know about it" (she missed the previous baby's stem cells as she delivered early).If you're a StemLife client already or a mum-to-be who's considering stem cell banking, I'm really excited to share news on our latest stem cell services with you.
StemGuard
Parent Question: " Can I afford transplantation if it comes to pass?"
StemLife Answer: Yes, you can with StemGuard. A specially designed transplant insurance policy that allows parents to cover the costs of transplantation should it be required in the future. Parents are offered very affordable rates (from 20 cents per day) for transplantation costs in Malaysian hospitals. It covers most major transplantable disorders todate.
StemAssured
Parent Question: " Will my baby's stem cells be alright after years of storage?"
StemLife Answer: "Yes, StemLife is confident that your baby's stem cells are safe with us and we're willing to provide a money back guarantee."
Stem21
Parent Question: "What will happen to my baby's stem cells if we're not around?"
StemLife Answer: "Not to worry, we'll still take care of them for you. Some of StemLife's parents have asked us what will happen to their babies' stem cell unit should they no longer be around and the minor be unable to pay . StemLife takes a compassionate stance and offers to bank the unit at no further costs to the child until they are 21."
The news was reported in several papers, Business Times carried an article, as did the Star newspaper.
If you're already a StemLife Parent, you'll be receiving a mailer pretty soon explaining how the programs work. Please bear with us, but we're working on making our services better.
As for everyone else, look out for StemLife's new service logos and let me know if you think they're nice :).
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Type 1 Diabetics benefit from Stem Cell Transplantation
If you or one of your family members has diabetes, I'm pretty sure that the recent news on stem cell transplantation providing a cure for Type 1 Diabetes (Type 1 DM) has you sitting upright and your full attention. I've had a lot of positive feedback on this news which has appeared in our newspapers here, from clients asking if this would be a cure resulting in an insulin independent life.
REASON FOR OPTIMISM
I think that the news is very positive and certainly its a start to demonstrating that it may be possible to modulate diseases originating from a malfunctioned immune system through a patient's autologous (own) stem cell transplant. This concept has been tested before, systemic lupus erythmatoses for example is a case which has resulted in patients remaining SLE free after stem cell transplantation. In the case of Type 1 DM, experimental stem cell transplantation conducted previously on mice yielded results which indicated the prevention of the disease.
STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION
It was based on these results* that the doctors Julio Voltarelli and colleagues from the Regional Blood Center, at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil decided to initiate the study on how stem cell transplantation might assist in halting the deterioration of pancreatic beta cell function in newly diagnosed patients (patients who have had the disease for a long time may not have any pancreatic beta cells left as the immune system would have destroyed them all).
SOURCE: PATIENT'S OWN ADULT STEM CELLS
The stem cells were the patient's own stem cells, mobilized from their bone marrow to the blood stream where they were collected. Then, they were prepared for transplantation by suppressing their immune system (a form of chemotherapy) and wiping out their existing circulating immune cells. The stem cells were then administered back into their bloodstream. The patients stayed in isolation for 2 weeks, which is a typical length of time for the immune system to kick start (using stem cells from others would have taken more than 2 months to have the same result, barring no rejection issues).
SELECTION IS KEY
I have to tell you that patient selection is key in every trial, as not any one procedure will benefit everyone. Disease, timing and response varies from patient to patient and the trick is trying to find patients with similar symptoms and baseline measurements, but yet with no other organ complications. 15 patients were selected out of 100 initally screened, and took place over almost 3 years between November 2003 and July 2006, with observation up til February this year at the Bone marrow transplantation unit of the School of Medicine at Ribeirao Preto(otherwise known as Brazil's California... nice!).
The patients were monitored and gradually reduced their need for injectable insulin. The interesting and exciting results were that 14 out of 15 patients were insulin-independent for lengths from 1 to 36 months, where the insulin free period was nearly 19 months.
The doctors are wondering whether the effect was due to a reprieve of the immune system on the pancreas (hence allowing the remaining beta cells to regenerate) or whether it was truly due to the immune system modulation, which allowed the pancreas cells to work, but eventually give up (organ under stress).
WHAT IF YOU HAD TO HAVE INJECTIONS EVERY DAY?
Whilst there have been those who have pointed out the lack of a control group, it is clear that at least for a short while, these type 1 DM patients experienced a time when insulin injections weren't a mealtime affair**.
*"Autologous Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus."
Júlio C. Voltarelli, Carlos E. B. Couri, Ana B. P. L. Stracieri, Maria C. Oliveira, Daniela A. Moraes, Fabiano Pieroni, Marina Coutinho,Kelen C. R. Malmegrim, Maria C. Foss-Freitas, Belinda P. Simões, Milton C. Foss, Elizabeth Squiers, Richard K. Burt. JAMA. 2007;297:1568-1576. Vol. 297 No. 14, April 11, 2007.
** Quite a lot of us can't bear injections once a year, so compare that to several injections per day. Transplant specialists, get ready for the phonecalls.
ps. I do apologise that I haven't posted for a while... yes it has been really busy here at StemLife (in a good way) :)
REASON FOR OPTIMISM
I think that the news is very positive and certainly its a start to demonstrating that it may be possible to modulate diseases originating from a malfunctioned immune system through a patient's autologous (own) stem cell transplant. This concept has been tested before, systemic lupus erythmatoses for example is a case which has resulted in patients remaining SLE free after stem cell transplantation. In the case of Type 1 DM, experimental stem cell transplantation conducted previously on mice yielded results which indicated the prevention of the disease.
STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION
It was based on these results* that the doctors Julio Voltarelli and colleagues from the Regional Blood Center, at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil decided to initiate the study on how stem cell transplantation might assist in halting the deterioration of pancreatic beta cell function in newly diagnosed patients (patients who have had the disease for a long time may not have any pancreatic beta cells left as the immune system would have destroyed them all).
SOURCE: PATIENT'S OWN ADULT STEM CELLS
The stem cells were the patient's own stem cells, mobilized from their bone marrow to the blood stream where they were collected. Then, they were prepared for transplantation by suppressing their immune system (a form of chemotherapy) and wiping out their existing circulating immune cells. The stem cells were then administered back into their bloodstream. The patients stayed in isolation for 2 weeks, which is a typical length of time for the immune system to kick start (using stem cells from others would have taken more than 2 months to have the same result, barring no rejection issues).
SELECTION IS KEY
I have to tell you that patient selection is key in every trial, as not any one procedure will benefit everyone. Disease, timing and response varies from patient to patient and the trick is trying to find patients with similar symptoms and baseline measurements, but yet with no other organ complications. 15 patients were selected out of 100 initally screened, and took place over almost 3 years between November 2003 and July 2006, with observation up til February this year at the Bone marrow transplantation unit of the School of Medicine at Ribeirao Preto(otherwise known as Brazil's California... nice!).
The patients were monitored and gradually reduced their need for injectable insulin. The interesting and exciting results were that 14 out of 15 patients were insulin-independent for lengths from 1 to 36 months, where the insulin free period was nearly 19 months.
The doctors are wondering whether the effect was due to a reprieve of the immune system on the pancreas (hence allowing the remaining beta cells to regenerate) or whether it was truly due to the immune system modulation, which allowed the pancreas cells to work, but eventually give up (organ under stress).
WHAT IF YOU HAD TO HAVE INJECTIONS EVERY DAY?
Whilst there have been those who have pointed out the lack of a control group, it is clear that at least for a short while, these type 1 DM patients experienced a time when insulin injections weren't a mealtime affair**.
*"Autologous Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus."
Júlio C. Voltarelli, Carlos E. B. Couri, Ana B. P. L. Stracieri, Maria C. Oliveira, Daniela A. Moraes, Fabiano Pieroni, Marina Coutinho,Kelen C. R. Malmegrim, Maria C. Foss-Freitas, Belinda P. Simões, Milton C. Foss, Elizabeth Squiers, Richard K. Burt. JAMA. 2007;297:1568-1576. Vol. 297 No. 14, April 11, 2007.
** Quite a lot of us can't bear injections once a year, so compare that to several injections per day. Transplant specialists, get ready for the phonecalls.
ps. I do apologise that I haven't posted for a while... yes it has been really busy here at StemLife (in a good way) :)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
StemLife's New Website and Good News For Women who have stored their Stem Cells
First and foremostly, I'd like to share with everyone that StemLife has recently launched a new website. Our web team has opted to refresh and update both pictures and information to enable company news and services to be accessed more easily. I'm sure that they'll be changing the photos and features from time to time, so please share it with all your friends and family.
StemLife- Malaysia's First Stem Cell Bank and Therapeutics Company for Babies and Adults
Access the site at www.StemLife.com
What about the WOMEN and their Stem Cells?
Well, I thought you might be interested in this article that I read in the Herald today. Apparently, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh have been studying the regenerative potential of stem cells obtained from females versus that from males. While they were investigating muscular dystrophy models in mice, the scientists noticed that the implantation of female stem cells led to significantly better recovery in the muscles than the male stem cells.
The scientist who made the finding, Dr. Bridget Deasy, postulates that the difference may be due to the different ways male and female cells respond to oxidative stress during the process of transplantation. Female cells may just survive the process better. This has a particular relevance to Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy because this genetic condition mainly affects boys and 1 in 3500 are born with the lifelong degenerative disease.
Further, this study might also provide some insights into the differences between men and women with regards to how either sex responds to ageing or disease. If female stem cells are more tolerant in transplant conditions, any stem cell company trying to grow them for mass use had better obtain female donors. And if a patient has a choice to obtain stem cells from a brother or a sister... well, it might be another good reason for Asian families to have girls too. Stronger stem cells :)
I'm wondering if anyone has done a study on all human transplants to date and found any correlation that might corroborate this finding in mice.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Adult Blood Stem Cells for Muscular Dystrophy
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.
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.
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.
Monday, February 26, 2007
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.
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