Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells is the first ever children's story on
stem cells.
A stem cell named Doris and her stem cell friends must all join forces and work
together to repair an ailing heart and defeat Morbidus the Vile.

100% of the proceeds from sales of
Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells
go to the Repair Stem Cell Institute (RSCI) to help patients.



List Price: $19.95

Add to Cart

Visit the Repair Stem Cell Institute for more books on stem cells.

About the author:
David Granovsky maintains a stem cell blog http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com
and consults and writes for a variety of stem cell companies, including a stem
cell bank and cancer treatment company. David has hundreds of articles and many
websites, brochures and newsletters to his credit. "Super Stemmys" is his first
book.

Don Margolis founded the Repair Stem Cell Institute an institute to educate the
public about the benefits of repair stem cells. http://repairstemcells.org

"Super Stemmys" is published by the Repair Stem Cell Institute.

Super Stemmys
Doris and the Super Cells
By David S Granovsky, Boonie, Colleen O'Donnell

Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells is the first ever children's story on
stem cells. A stem cell named Doris and her stem cell friends must all join
forces and work together to repair an ailing heart and defeat Morbidus the Vile.

100% of the proceeds from sales of Super Stemmys, Doris and the Supercells go to
the Repair Stem Cell Institute (RSCI) to help patients.

RSCI is the only public service institute in the world dedicated to help
patients connect with the top 2% of the world's stem cell treatment centers.
Patients looking to shed the debilitating symptoms of once-untreatable diseases
no longer have to wait.



Published by the Repair Stem Cell Institute
http://repairstemcells.org
+1 (214) 556-6377


Publication Date:
Jul 10 2009
ISBN/EAN13:
1448645166 / 9781448645169
Page Count:
52
Binding Type:
US Trade Paper
Trim Size:
8.25" x 8.25"
Language:
English
Color:
Full Color with Bleed
Related Categories:
Fiction / General


Link to book below;
http://www.repairstemcells.org/Newsletters/NL100909.htm

DO STEM CELL TREATMENTS WORK?


Ask most US doctors if repair stem cell treatments work and they will tell you
"NO!"  You may also get condescending retorts, misinformation and derisive
abuse.  But if you press them on the question, eventually they will give you the
reason why they believe repair stem cells don't work.  The top answer WHY STEM
CELLS DON'T WORK is… (Survey Says!):

There have been no clinical trials to date that prove they do work.

When all is said and done, in the end, there is nothing that will convince a
western doctor of the effectiveness of stem cell treatments besides clinical
trials.  So have there been any stem cell clinical trials? Is all of the
evidence supporting the benefits of stem cell treatments anecdotal as virtually
every western doctor says? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!  Have there been clinical trials? 
The answer is a resounding "YES!"



According to the National Institutes of Health, there were and are ~2600 stem
cell clinical trials around the world - http://www.clinicaltrails.gov/

·         Of those ~2600 trials, there are only nine mentions of embryonic stem
cells.
·         Of those 9, there are no actual embryonic clinical trials.
·         Of those ~2600, there are ~2591 mentions of adult stem cells.
·         Of those ~2591, about half of them (~1300) are actual adult stem cell
clinical trials.
HEART DISEASE CLINICAL TRIALS

via
http://donmargolis.com/Home/Blog/April-2009/A-Brief-History-of-Stem-Cells.aspx
2002 - clinical trial led by Dr. Hans Dohmann plus six colleagues in Brazil took
21 transplant candidates and gave 14 of them bone marrow cells. The results were
so spectacular that the American Heart Association accepted the paper and it was
presented in 2003. Five of the seven in the control group opted in to make a
total of 19 stem cell transplants. The mortality rate for transplant candidates
is about 35% per year. At that rate there would be, of those 19, only 2.2
patients still alive without a transplant after five years. There were, in fact,
12 alive as of Dec. 31, 2007; more than five years down the road.
In 2002, if you did not want or could not get a heart transplant (as is true of
90%+ of dying heart patients in North America) then you had to make a choice
between stem cell treatment or standard Western Cardiology methodology.
1.      Western Cardiology methodology in 2002 kept 12% of
transplant-waiting-patients alive for five years.
2.      Adult/repair Stem cell treatments in 2002 kept 63% of
transplant-waiting-patients alive for five years.  More than 5 times more heart
transplant candidates lived for 5 years with stem cell treatments than the
typical heart transplant recipient!  Btw, stem cell science has made huge
advancements in treating heart disease over the past seven years.
2003 - Dr. Andreas Zeiher of the Goethe Institute in Frankfurt began much larger
trials. As of 2007, he has overseen more ASC implants into hearts than anyone,
both in and out of clinical trials and he was the first to prove that timely
implant of RSC in new heart attack victims improves future mortality and
morbidity -
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/search?journalcode=circulationaha&fulltext=zeihe\
r
2004 - Dr. Amit Patel of Pittsburgh completed two of the most successful trials
ever.  In Uruguay, he proved, on a group of ischemic heart failure patients,
that a bypass plus cells was infinitely better than a bypass only. That same
year, TheraVitae, in Israel, developed a new, powerful blood-derived stem cell
and dared to treat the sickest patients no clinical trial (except Brazil) would
consider.
2004 - One of the Brazilians, Dr. Perin, came to Texas, used the Brazil results
to get the first ASC heart clinical trial approved by the FDA. Over a dozen such
approvals were granted in the next 12-18 months.
Clinical trials at the Mayo Clinic in Florida have seen successes in reversing
and curing pulmonary hypertension using adult stem cells from patients' own
blood.
A timeline of cardiac history/predictions:
http://donmargolis.com/Home/Blog/January-2008/DON-MARGOLIS-ADULT-STEM-CELL-CARDI\
OLOGY-QUOTES-200.aspx
More info on heart disease and stem cells treatment:
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/heart-disease-asc-a-brief-history\
/
DIABETES CLINICAL TRIALS

FIRST USE OF CORD BLOOD TO ALTER COURSE OF TYPE 1 DIABETES, June 25, 2007 –
(I'll bet nobody heard of this one!)…transfusion of stored, autologous (i.e. the
person's own), umbilical cord blood into a group of children newly diagnosed
with type 1 diabetes appears to have reduced their disease severity, possibly
re-setting the immune system and slowing the destruction of their
insulin-producing cells, according to a report presented today at the American
Diabetes Association's 67th Annual Scientific Sessions.
–http://parentsguidecordblood.org/content/media/m_pdf/ADA_T1D_PR-06-25-07.pdf -
(The ADA in 2007 knew stem cells can treat Diabetes type 1 in children!)
Diabetes type 1 stem cell clinical trial – Enrollment 11/2003-4/2008, follow-up
until December 2008 -
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/type-1-diabetes-stem-cells-clinic\
al-trial/
Can stem cells cure Diabetes – type 2? – http://wp.me/prcQV-1cU
Can stem cells cure Diabetes – type 1? – http://wp.me/prcQV-1cJ
Stem cells treats Diabetes type 1 successfully for years –
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/stem-cell-transplants-help-type-1\
-diabetics-skip-insulin-health-reuters/
Stem cells may reverse type 1 diabetes –
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/study-stem-cells-may-reverse-type\
-1-diabetes-time/
Why no diabetes clinical trial s in the US when mice were cured of diabetes type
1 in the 1990's?  -  Weissman, a professor of pathology and developmental
biology at Stanford University, states: "Stem cells are rare, self-renewing, and
can regenerate body tissues." He repeatedly expressed frustration that while
many of his discoveries seemed to hold remarkable potential for life-saving
treatments, commercial or regulatory hurdles have prevented his scientific
research from benefiting human beings.  One example is, his mid-'90s research on
type I diabetes, in which he demonstrated the ability to fully cure type I
diabetes in mice using stem cells.  Even though the experiments avoided
political controversy by using adult/repair stem cells, which do not come from
embryos, Weissman ran into a road block when pharmaceutical companies refused to
sponsor clinical trials. The therapy went nowhere. "The pharmaceutical companies
had put profit over principle, preferring to keep diabetes sufferers dependent
on costly insulin than to cure them once and for all." -
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/research-from-90s-cures-type-1-di\
abetes/

CEREBRAL PALSY CLINICAL TRIALS

Duke U. CLINICAL TRIAL for Cerebral Palsy & other newborn brain injuries -
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00593242?term=hypoxic+ischemic+encepha\
lopathy&rank=3 - for more information -
http://parentsguidecordblood.org/content/usa/medical/autocbt.shtml or for
anecdotal info - Abby , Chloe, Dallas
"Two compounds developed by Northwestern University chemists have been shown to
be effective in pre-clinical trials in protecting against cerebral palsy." Two
compounds show great promise for cerebral palsy
Dallas Hextell, a 2-year-old from Sacramento, California, received an infusion
of his own umbilical cord blood as part of the Duke University clinical trial.
Within five days, he showed improvements in the limitations imposed by the
condition.  video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23569985#23569985
via http://www.youhavealawyer.com/blog/2008/03/26/cerebral-palsy-improvement/
"a toddler with cerebral palsy, who experienced dramatic improvements in his
disability following an experimental procedure involving a stem cell
transplant." - http://pediatrics.duke.edu/modules/dept_peds_annc/index.php?id=79
STROKE CLINICAL TRIALS

"The stem cells had excellent safety profile. After carrying out Pet scans and
MRIs thrice in a year on patients who received stem cells, we found no side
effects. This study shows that stem cells are a safe and feasible therapy in
acute stroke.
http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/stem-cell-research-shows-adult-st\
em-cells-help-stroke-victims-adult-stem-cell-research/
The University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston July 1, 2009      
Several months after becoming the first patient in the United States to undergo
a revolutionary new stroke treatment, Roland "Bud" Henrich continues to improve.
Doctors intravenously injected Henrich, 61, with stem cells taken from his own
bone marrow…"The stem cells, we believe, may help repair the damage to his brain
caused by the stroke," said Sean Savitz, M.D., assistant professor of neurology
at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and the study's lead
investigator. "Animal studies have shown that when you administer stem cells
after stroke, the cells enhance the healing. We know that stem cells have some
kind of guidance system and migrate to the area of injury. They're not making
new brain cells but they may be enhancing the repair processes and reducing
inflammatory damage."
http://www.texmedctr.tmc.edu/root/en/TMCServices/News/2009/07-01/Stem+Cells+Test\
ed+for+Treatment+of+Stroke.htm
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS CLINICAL TRIALS

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis – 2002 clinical
trial based on data collected from TWENTY medical institutes around the world. 
Conclusion: Autologous HSCT suggest positive early results in the management of
progressive MS and is feasible –
http://www.springerlink.com/content/1b19ldgyecqvny3w/
Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Sep 16,
1999  These results appear better than those achieved by any other treatment of
progressive multiple sclerosis, including beta-interferon… -
http://www.springerlink.com/index/H6X0866N90633266.pdf
"Dose of stem cells reverses some MS" - January 31, 2009 – STUDY - "A dose of
their own stem cells "reset" the malfunctioning immune system of patients with
early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their
disability, according to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago.
Three years after being treated, on average, 17 of the 21 patients had improved
on tests, suffering fewer problems with their balance or vision, 16 had
experienced no relapse, and none had deteriorated.  This marks the first
"reversal" of neurologic loss caused by this disease, says Richard Burt of
Northwestern University in Chicago.

What is clear is that the overwhelming majority of Repair Stem Cell vs Disease
clinical trials have been successful.
·         The majority of patients treated with stem cells get better.
Not all, but the majority.
·         The majority of patients treated with stem cells get better.
Not cured, but better.

No western doctor in the world can come to matching the statistical success of
stem cell treatments with pill-based "cures" for diseases that they define as
"untreatable" and "incurable."

Umbilical Cord Blood As A Readily Available Source For Off-The-Shelf,
Patient-Specific Stem Cells

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Transplants / Organ Donations
Article Date: 03 Oct 2009 - 0:00 PDT
Umbilical cord blood cells can successfully be reprogrammed to function like
embryonic stem cells, setting the basis for the creation of a comprehensive bank
of tissue-matched, cord blood-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for
off-the-shelf applications, report researchers at the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies and the Center for Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona, Spain.

"Cord blood stem cells could serve as a safe, "ready-to-use" source for the
generation of iPS cells, since they are easily accessible, immunologically
immature and quick to return to an embryonic stem cell-like state," says
Juan-Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, Ph.D., a professor in the Salk's Gene Expression
Laboratory, who led the study published in the October issue of the journal Cell
Stem Cell.

Worldwide, there are already more than 400,000 cord blood units banked along
with immunological information. Due to their early origin, cells found in
umbilical cord blood contain a minimal number of somatic mutations and possess
the immunological immaturity of newborn cells, allowing the HLA donor-recipient
match to be less than perfect without the risk of immune rejection of the
transplant.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing is used to match patients and donors for
bone marrow or cord blood transplants. HLAs are special surface markers found on
most cells in the body and help the immune system to distinguish between "self"
and "non-self." "Selecting common HLA haplotypes from among already banked cord
blood units to create iPS cell would significantly reduce the number of cell
lines needed to provide a HLA match for a large percentage of the population,"
says Izpisúa Belmonte.

Since the first adult cells were converted into iPS cells, they have generated a
lot excitement as an uncontroversial alternative to embryonic stem cells and as
a potential source for patient-specific stem cells. Unfortunately, taking a
patient's cells back in time is not only costly, but could be difficult when
those cells are needed right away to mend injured spinal cords or treat acute
diseases, and outright impossible when the effects of aging or chronic disease
have irrevocably damaged the pool of somatic cells.

"Patient-specific iPS lines have been advocated as a theoretically ideal
clinical option to regenerate tissue but from a practical and cost-benefit
aspect, this approach may not be feasible," says Izpisúa Belmonte. He hopes that
the "large scale production and banking of cord blood-derived iPS lines in a
publically available network could be a viable alternative for future clinical
applications."

With this in mind, Belmonte and his colleagues set out to transform
hematopoietic stem cells isolated from cord blood into iPS cells. They not only
successfully converted them using only two out of the four most commonly used
factors - OCT4 and SOX2 - but also in less time than any other previously
published methodology require. No matter, whether the researchers started with
freshly collected cord blood or previously frozen samples, the resulting iPS
cells were indistinguishable from human embryonic stem cells.

"The population of cord blood cells used for reprogramming express
reprogramming/stem cell factors at higher levels than those found in other adult
somatic cells, which could explain why cord blood cells can be reprogrammed with
less factors and in less time," says Izpisúa Belmonte. "It's almost like they
are already half-way there."

September 22nd, 2009
Private cord blood banking is not cost-effective because it costs an additional
$1,374,246 per life-year gained, according to a new analysis by UCSF
researchers. The research team also concluded that private cord blood banking is
cost-effective only for families with a child with a very high likelihood of
needing a stem cell transplant.
Ads by Google
Umbilical Cord Banking - Learn the Benefits of Banking Your Baby's Cord Blood.
Free Info Here - www.ViaCord.com/Cord-Blood-Experts

The researchers used a technique called decision analysis that tracks
hypothetical groups of people and allows comparison of expected costs and health
benefits of two alternative strategies (in this case, private cord blood banking
versus no cord blood banking). Results of the study appear in the October 2009
issue of the journal "Obstetrics & Gynecology."
Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord shortly after a baby's birth and
has the potential to treat a variety of medical conditions ranging from leukemia
to metabolic disorders to cerebral palsy. Public cord blood banks store cord
blood at no cost and make the blood available to anyone needing treatment, or
for research purposes.
Private cord banks charge a fee to store a baby's cord blood for his/her own
possible future use or for a family member's possible future use.
"While there are plausible medical advantages of umbilical cord blood stem
cells, many of these benefits are primarily theoretical at this point," said
Aaron Caughey, MD, PhD, co-author of the paper, a UCSF associate professor of
obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, and director of the UCSF
Center for Clinical and Policy Perinatal Research. "Expectant parents need to
understand the true likelihood of their family benefitting from private cord
blood banking in order to make an informed decision about this expensive
process."
Private umbilical cord blood banking companies in the United States market
directly to consumers, at times describing cord blood as a "biologic insurance"
for their unborn child, the researchers note. However, a survey of private cord
blood banks by the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation found
that of the approximately 460,000 cord blood units banked, only 99 were
confirmed as being shipped for use in treatment.
The decision-analytic model used by the research team included four baseline
assumptions: a cost of $3,620, the lowest price quoted from major blood banking
company web sites, for umbilical cord blood banking and storage for 20 years; a
.04 percent chance of requiring an autologous (self) or stem cell transplant; a
.07 percent chance of a sibling requiring an allogenic (from another person)
stem cell transplant; and a 50 percent reduction in risk of graft-versus-host
disease if a sibling receives a transplant of banked umbilical cord blood cells.
The UCSF team concluded that if the cost of umbilical cord blood banking is less
than $262 or the likelihood of a child needing a stem cell transplant is greater
than one out of 110, then private umbilical cord blood banking becomes
cost-effective.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages cord blood donation when the
cord blood is stored in a bank for public use and discourages storing cord blood
as "biological insurance" because there currently are no scientific data to
support autologous transplantation. The AAP does encourage private cord blood
banking when there is knowledge of a full sibling in the family with a medical
condition (malignant or genetic) who potentially could benefit from cord blood
transplantation.
"The discrepancy between the benefits of private cord blood banking perceived by
families and the lack of benefit seen in this analysis, and in the opinions of
professional societies, has important implications for how doctors counsel
patients," said Anjali Kaimal, MD, MAS, lead author of the study and a recent
graduate of the UCSF Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship which is directed by
Caughey. Kaimal's work on the study was done while at UCSF; she currently is a
physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Source: University of California - San Francisco

David Rose, Health Correspondent
RECOMMEND? (1)
A British surgeon has saved a dying heart patient by giving him an artificial
heart and injecting him with stem cells to rebuild the damaged muscle in a
procedure believed to be a world first.

Professor Stephen Westaby, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, led
the team that operated on Ioannis Manolopoulos in Thessaloniki, Greece, to fit
him with the mechanical pump.

Surgeons then injected his failing heart muscle with six million of his own stem
cells in the hope that they would repair the damage.

Artificial hearts — devices used when someone's heart becomes too weak to push
blood around the body — are used in only a handful of patients in Britain and
surgeons say that the use of the patient's own cells extracted from his bone
marrow represents the first time the two treatments have ever been combined.

RELATED LINKS
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Mr Manolopoulos, who is recovering after the operation two weeks ago, told Sky
News: "If things go well, I must go to church and pray because I feel very lucky
to get this device and have the chance of a normal life."

He had been in hospital for four months after at least two heart attacks and
other treatment had failed to improve his condition.

Existing pneumatic heart implants are intended only to be used as a stop-gap
during transplant operations or while patients await a donor organ.

Professor Westaby has pioneered the use of mechanical pumps in patients
suffering from heart failure, but the NHS does not typically fund the Ł60,000
devices in these cases. Instead surgeons rely on charity funding — or travel
abroad to implant pumps in countries where governments are prepared to fund the
treatment.

The Jarvik mechanical device will divert blood away from the damaged pumping
chamber to allow his heart to repair itself.Professor Westaby said that heart
pumps, with or without stem cells, could save the lives of 12,000 patients with
serious heart failure each year.

He added: "I am very frustrated that all the work that I have done back home in
the UK has to be translated into patient care in other countries. We have helped
to develop implantation programmes in France, Greece and Japan. It's time we did
it in the UK.

"The economics in the health service are the problem. So many patients could
benefit that the costs would be substantial."

The stem cells — often called "master cells" due to their ability to grow into
different types of tissue — kick-start a recovery by building new muscle and
releasing chemicals that attract new blood vessels into the damaged areas.

Professor Christos Papakonstantinou, heart surgeon at the Ahepa University
Hospital in Thessaloniki, who helped carry out the operation, added: "We hope
the combination of stem cells and pumps will enable patients to enjoy life for
many years."

The Department of Health said: "Before making such technology more widely
available as an indefinite long-term treatment in end-stage heart failure, the
NHS needs to ensure there is clear evidence of benefit.

"We will carefully consider all new evidence on heart pumps which is published."

link below to film clip;
ttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6847210.ece

Article Date: 18 Sep 2009 - 5:00 PDT
Bone Marrow Transplant
Most Experience, Best Outcomes Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Ctr
www.SeattleCCA.org

A recent study by Scripps Research Institute scientists offers good news for
families of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, cystinosis. In
research that holds out hope for one day developing a potential therapy to treat
the fatal disorder, the study shows that the genetic defect in mice can be
corrected with stem cell transplantation.

"After meeting the children who suffer from this disease, like an 18-year-old
who has already had three kidney transplants, and the families who are
desperately searching for help, our team is committed to moving toward a cure
for cystinosis, a lysosomal storage disorder," says principal investigator
Stephanie Cherqui, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and
Experimental Medicine. "This study is an important step toward that goal."

In the study, which is published in the September 17, 2009 print edition of the
journal Blood, the Scripps Research team used bone marrow stem cell
transplantation to address symptoms of cystinosis in a mouse model. The
procedure virtually halted the cystine accumulation responsible for the disease
and the cascade of cell death that follows.

Cystine is a byproduct of the break down of cellular components the body no
longer needs in the cell's "housekeeping" organelles, called lysosomes.
Normally, cystine is shunted out of cells, but in cystinosis a gene defect of
the lysosomal cystine transporter causes it to build up, forming crystals that
are especially damaging to the kidneys and eyes.

A Rare But Devastating Disease

While cystinosis is rare - affecting an estimated 500 people in the United
States and 2,000 worldwide - it is devastating. Three types of cystinosis have
been described based on the age at diagnosis and the amount of cystine in cells:
infantile onset, adolescent onset, and adult onset. Children as young as six
months can begin to suffer renal dysfunction, which grows progressively worse
with time. Other symptoms include diabetes, muscular disease, neurological
dysfunction, and retinopathy. Infantile onset is the most common, as well as the
most severe, form of the disease.

The only available drug to treat cystinosis, cysteamine, while slowing the
progression of kidney degradation, does not prevent it, and end-stage kidney
failure is inevitable.

"Cysteamine must be given every six hours, so children have to be woken up each
night to take this drug, which has unpleasant side effects, and many others to
treat various symptoms," Cherqui says. "So although there is treatment, it is
difficult treatment that does not cure the disease."

"Surprised and Encouraged"

In the new study, the researchers found that transplanted bone marrow stem cells
carrying the normal lysosomal cystine transporter gene abundantly engrafted into
every tissue of the experimental mice. This led to an average drop in cystine
levels of about 80 percent in every organ. In addition to preventing kidney
dysfunction, there was less deposition of cystine crystals in the cornea, less
bone demineralization, and an improvement in motor function.

"The results really surprised and encouraged us," says Cherqui, who as a
doctoral student in France in 1998 helped discover the gene involved in
cystinosis. "Because the defect is present in every cell of the body, we did not
expect a bone marrow stem cell transplant to be so widespread and effective."

Cherqui, who generated the mouse model in 2000 that is currently used to study
cystinosis, says that adult bone marrow stem cell therapy is particularly well
suited as a potential treatment for cystinosis because these cells target all
types of tissues. In addition, stem cells reside in the bone marrow for the
duration of a patient's life, becoming active as needed, a particular benefit
for a progressive disease like cystinosis.

The work of Cherqui and her colleagues may have wider applications for other
genetic diseases, providing proof of principle that adult stem cell transplants
may be successful in humans for genetic diseases with systemic defects,
especially those of a progressive nature.

Cherqui expects to spend the next several years analyzing the safety of
genetically modified autologous (obtained from the same individual) bone marrow
transplants in the cystinosis mouse and other models before moving on to human
clinical trials.

In addition to Cherqui, authors of the study "Successful treatment of the murine
model of cystinosis using bone marrow cell transplantation" include first author
Kimberly Syres of Scripps Research; Frank Harrison, Matthew Tadlock, and Daniel
R. Salomon of Scripps Research; James V. Jester and Jennifer Simpson of the
University of California, Irvine; and Subhojit Roy of the University of
California, San Diego.

This work was funded by the Cystinosis Research Foundation.

Source:
Keith McKeown
Scripps Research Institute

This has nothing to do with stem cells but I found it very interesting.
K


Buzz up!2 votes
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AFP/File – A rat walks through a pipe. Paralysed rats whose spinal cords had
been severed from their brains were …
by Marlowe Hood – Sun Sep 20, 3:20 pm ET
PARIS (AFP) – Paralysed rats whose spinal cords had been severed from their
brains were made to run again using a technique that scientists say can work for
people, according to a study released Sunday.
Consistent electrical stimulation and drugs enabled the rats to walk on their
hind legs on a treadmill -- bearing the full weight of the body -- within a week
of being paralysed.
With the addition of physical therapy, the rodents were able after several weeks
to walk and run without stumbling for up to 30 minutes, reported the study,
published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Remarkably, the animals could adjust their movements in response to stimuli
despite the lack of signals to and from the brain: when the treadmill was
reversed, for example, the rats walked backwards.
"This means that the spinal network is almost capable of cognitive processing,"
explained Gregoire Courtine, a professor at Zurich University.
"It can understand that the external world is changing, and interpret this
information to modify the way it activates muscle," he told AFP by phone.
Earlier studies had shown that nerve networks in the spinal cord can produce
limited motion in the muscles independent of the brain or sensory organs.
But this is the first time that researchers have been able to restore normal or
nearly normal functions.
"We can optimise the use of the circuitry in the spinal cord to the point where
the animals can sustain full weight-bearing locomotion," said Courtine.
"In some cases they actually walked with more consistent locomotive patterns
than non-injured animals."
The next step is to develop devices that can be implanted inside the body.
"We are now designing neuro-prostheses, arrays of electrodes that fit like a
second skin between the vertebrae and the spinal cord," Courtine explained.
A strip measuring three centimetres (1.2 inches) long and one hundredth of a
centimetre thick, the device is described as "minimally invasive" because it
does not penetrate into the spinal cord.
Courtine and colleagues are currently testing the neuro-prostheses on rats, and
expect to have an interface for humans within four years.
The new technique is designed to help patients with incomplete but severe
injuries, such as those who cannot walk independently.
"For these people, it is highly likely that this approach will improve their
function," he said.
The mix of electrical stimulation and physical therapy may be enough to restore
significant mobility in many patients, but the addition of drugs "would be
extremely beneficial," he added.
In the rat experiments, the researchers injected so-called serotonergic
agonists, a compound that mimics the effect of the neurotransmitter serotonin
and activates receptors in the central and peripheral nervous system.
There are approximately a quarter of a million persons with serious spinal cord
injuries in the United States, according to the Foundation for Spinal Cord
Injury, Prevention, Care and Cure. Other sources estimate the total worldwide at
2.5 million.
Nearly half of all spinal cord injuries are caused by automobile accidents, and
more than half occur among young people between 16 and 30 years old.

snorting stem cells for neurological conditions


STEM cells show promise for treating a range of neurological conditions,
including Parkinson's, strokes and Alzheimer's, but it is tricky getting them
into the brain. Perhaps inhaling stem cells might be the answer - if mice are
anything to go by.

Other options all have their drawbacks. Drilling through the skull and injecting
the stem cells is painful and carries some risks. You can also inject them into
the bloodstream but only a fraction reach their target due to the blood-brain
barrier.

The nose, however, might be a viable alternative. In the upper reaches of the
nasal cavity lies the cribriform plate, a bony roof that separates the nose from
the brain. It is perforated with pin-size holes, which are plugged with nerve
fibres and other connective tissue. Since proteins, bacteria and viruses can
enter the brain this way, Lusine Danielyan at the University Hospital of
Tübingen in Germany, and her colleagues, wondered if stem cells would also
migrate into the brain through the cribriform plate.

To test their idea, they dripped a suspension of fluorescently labelled stem
cells into the noses of mice. The mice snorted them high into their noses, and
the cells migrated through the cribriform plate. Then they travelled either into
the olfactory bulb - the part of the brain that detects and deciphers odours -
or into the cerebrospinal fluid lining the skull, migrating across the brain.
The stem cells then moved deeper into the brain.

The mice snorted stem cells high into their noses and large numbers of them
migrated into the brain
"We found that the cells could squeeze through these holes, which are far below
their own diameter and into the brain," says Danielyan, who presented her
findings at the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence meeting in
Cambridge, UK, this week.

When the researchers pre-treated the nasal membrane of the mice with an enzyme
called hyaluronidase to loosen the junctions between epithelial cells, even more
stem cells entered the brain through the nose.

Other researchers have shown that you can also deliver therapeutic proteins such
as neural growth factor into the brain in this way. If the results of this study
can be repeated in humans, snorting stem cells might be a way of getting large
numbers of cells into the brain without surgery. Repeated doses could also be
given in the form of nasal drops.


http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327254.300-snort-stem-cells-to-get-them-\
to-brain.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

My huband suffered a moderate anoxic brain injury in March of 2009. He had
cardiac arrest in the hospital after heart bypass surgury. They were performing
CPR on him for about 45-50 mins before the surgon re-opened his chest to massage
his heart. I have been trying to research and discover any treatments that may
help him. His memory is severly impaired, he has a hard time remembering that he
has had a brain injury, and does not comprehend the affect of it, both for him
and his family. (We have thre small children, ages 1, 4 and 12.)He often thinks
his parents are still alive, however, his mother died seven years ago, and his
father passed away almost thirty years ago.

  Can anyone share with me their experience with stem cells, good or bad? Where
did you go for treatment, how was the experience and how much did it cost and
how much did it help? Do you know of other treatments that have helped? Or can
you simply share your story about anoxic, or hypoxic-ischemic brain injury?
There is precious little information on it. You can email me at
eknkq@..., if you like. One doctor said something that gave me hope:
"a partical recovery has the potential for a full recovery." Maybe I am just
being impatient?
Thank you!

Kimberly

An Oasis in the Desert of ALS
Dear Kirshner ,
Earlier this month, you received a brief overview of the autologous stem cell
procedure specifically for ALS developed by Tecnologico de Monterrey, the
internationally acclaimed health sciences, education and biotechnology
institution.  You can now examine, in depth, the many and varied aspects of this
procedure.  The following topics are included in this detailed document:
A DISCUSSION OF STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION INTO
THE FRONTAL MOTOR CORTEX IN ALS PATIENTS
TECNOLOGICO DE MONTERREY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, MONTERREY, MEXICO
Background Information of the Stem Cell Transplantation for ALS Patients
Primary Physician Co-Authors of the Clinical Test Study
Description of the Procedure
Safety of the Procedure
Justification for Usage of CD133(+) Stem Cells
Duration of Hospitalizastion
Funding of Research
Extra Expenses for those seeking this treatment
Standard Tests Performed
Anticipated Results from the Procedure
Description and Standards of Hospital
Measurement of Pre- and Post-Procedure Results
Further Stem Cell Procedure(s)
Major Protocol Modifications Following Phase I and II Clinical Test Studies
The City and Tecnologico de Monterrey
Research Subject Scheduling
Additional Information
Please go to Discussion of Stem Cell Transplantation for complete information.

The first two international ALS research subjects, both from the US, traveled to
Hosptial San Jose Tecnologico (photo shown) in Monterrey, Mexico in early June
to participate in this important study. They both returned home in mid-June and
are following the recommended physical therapy guidelines to encourage neuronal
development.  In six months, both will return to Monterrey for the followup
cranial MRI tractography.  Several other international patients have already
been scheduled during the months of July and August.

While in Monterrey,Stephen appeared on the television program "Opcion Multiple",
the Mexican version of 60 Minutes.  Participating in the discussion entitled
'Cellular Therapy and Biotechnology' was Dr. Hector Ramon Martinez, Neurologist
and Main Researcher of ALS Stem Cells Transplantaion, Dr. Jorge Moreno Cuevas,
Coordinator, Stem Cells therapy Cahir and Dr. Mario Moises Alvarez, Director of
the Biotechnology.  Excerpts are currently being prepared for viewing on the ALS
WORLDWIDE website.

In our son Ben Byer's name and spirit, we mark the anniversary of his death by
keeping the flame of his magnificent efforts alive.


Barb and Steve
July 3, 2009






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Hello Kirshner,
A very interesting patent was issued last week, #7,553,661, covering the use of
mesenchymal stem cells as antigen presenting cells.  In order to induce antigen
presenting function the cells are stimulated with interferon gamma.  Uses for
this patent may include tolerogenic vaccines.
Patent #7,553,663 granted to Blasticon covers the treatment of liver failure
using hepatocytes generated from dedifferentiated monocytes.  This IP seems a
little related to with Opexa is working on.  It will be interesting to see
whether there will be any interactions between these companies.
Noteworthy publications last week included a paper by Herr et al demonstrating
that apoptotic bodies induce macrophages to secrete angiogenic factors...this
makes us wonder...could we simply just use extracorporeal ozonization or
photopheresis to achieve angiogenesis clinically?  People in the alternative
medicine community have been saying this for decades now.



Stromal antigen-presenting cells and use thereof


 	 Patent Number: 7,553,661
Assignee | Inventor
Mesenchymal stem cells are known to possess a variety of immune modulatory
activities such as suppression of allogeneic responses, as well as induction of
T regulatory cells.  Mechanisms include expression of IDO and HLA-G. 
Mesenchymal stem cells...[Read More]
Ask a question OR leave your comments.




 	 Apoptotic Cells Secrete Angiogenic Factors
Saturday June 27th, 2009 @ 03:54:59 EST
It is a medical mystery why approaches such as extracorporeal ozone therapy or
even photopheresis seem to have therapeutic effects in certain situations.  One
possibility is that stressing of cells outside of the body causes formation of
apoptotic bodies, with the apoptotic bodies having a therapeutic...[Read More]
Ask a question OR leave your comments.
Read more StemCellPatents.com News


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 	 Dedifferentiated, programmable stem cells of monocytic origin, and their
production and use (7,553,663)
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 	 Directed in vitro differentiation of marrow stromal cells into neural cell
progenitors (7,547,545)
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 	 Progenitor cells from wharton's jelly of human umbilical cord (7,547,546)
Assignee | Inventor | Ask a question OR leave your comments


 	 Methods for identifying factors for differentiating definitive endoderm
(7,541,185)
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 	 Method of generating human retinal progenitors from embryonic stem cells
(7,541,186)
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 	 Growth and differentiation of adult muscle stem cells with activators or
inhibitors of Wnt signaling (7,541,183)
Assignee | Inventor | Ask a question OR leave your comments


 	 Angiogenically effective unit dose of FGF-2 and method of use (7,541,333)
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 	 Stem cells and their use in transplantation (7,537,756)
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what are the results for spinal cord injury.David

Ex-Pro-Wrestler


-----Original Message-----
From: kirshvaden
Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 10:28 AM
To: stemcellsafety@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [stemcellsafety] Treat Multiple Sclerosis: Study May Be Key To
Unlocking A Cure

United Spinal Association Reports Positive Results Of Stem Cell Transplantation
To Treat Multiple Sclerosis: Study May Be Key To Unlocking A Cure
Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 09 May 2009 - 1:00 PDT

  email to a friend    printer friendly    view / write opinions    rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:  4.11 (9 votes)

Health Professional:

Article Opinions:  0 posts

In article published in the Summer 2009 edition of Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly
Report, a joint publication of United Spinal Association and the North American
Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS), highlights the positive
initial results of patients who have improving neurologic function after
receiving a stem cell transplant, despite no longer taking any MS medications.

The results are reported in a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored
study called HALT-MS to confirm whether high-dose immunosuppression followed by
autologous stem cell transplantation will prevent MS attacks in patients who are
not responding to available treatment options and ultimately protect against the
degeneration of nerve fibers.

The article, written by George H. Kraft, MD, MS, director of the Western MS
Center in Seattle, Washington, and colleagues, reveals the promising outcomes of
the first three patients entered into the HALT-MS Study, including a 27-year-old
woman with an 8-year history of relapsing MS who was treated with five different
MS drugs, but continued to have relapses.

The study involves wiping out the patient's immune system through high-dose
chemotherapy or other means, such as radiation, to destroy most blood cells and
bone marrow. Blood "stem cells" with the capacity to generate new blood and
immune cells are then transplanted into the patient. These stem cells can either
be the patient's own or those from a matched donor. Once the cells are
transplanted, they repopulate the bone marrow and restart building all the cell
types found in the blood, a process called "engraftment". After transplantation,
the patient would effectively have a "new" immune system that would not attack
nerves in the brain and spinal cord as seen in MS.

Currently, there are approximately 400 patients with MS worldwide who have been
treated with stem cell transplantation. Research demonstrates that patients with
highly active forms of relapsing-remitting MS have responded best to treatment.

The Halt-MS Study is taking place at four centers in the US: The Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center/University of Washington Western MS Center; Ohio State
University; Baylor College of Medicine; and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and is
currently open to participants with severe relapsing forms of MS.

United Spinal is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization formed
in 1946 by paralyzed veterans and is dedicated to improving the quality of life
for all Americans with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida,
ALS and post polio. It has played a significant role in writing the Americans
with Disabilities Act, made important contributions to the Fair Housing
Amendments Act and the Air Carrier Access Act. Membership is free and is open to
all individuals with spinal cord disorders.

Source: United Spinal Association



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

United Spinal Association Reports Positive Results Of Stem Cell Transplantation
To Treat Multiple Sclerosis: Study May Be Key To Unlocking A Cure
Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 09 May 2009 - 1:00 PDT

  email to a friend    printer friendly    view / write opinions    rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:  4.11 (9 votes)

Health Professional:

Article Opinions:  0 posts

In article published in the Summer 2009 edition of Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly
Report, a joint publication of United Spinal Association and the North American
Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS), highlights the positive
initial results of patients who have improving neurologic function after
receiving a stem cell transplant, despite no longer taking any MS medications.

The results are reported in a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored
study called HALT-MS to confirm whether high-dose immunosuppression followed by
autologous stem cell transplantation will prevent MS attacks in patients who are
not responding to available treatment options and ultimately protect against the
degeneration of nerve fibers.

The article, written by George H. Kraft, MD, MS, director of the Western MS
Center in Seattle, Washington, and colleagues, reveals the promising outcomes of
the first three patients entered into the HALT-MS Study, including a 27-year-old
woman with an 8-year history of relapsing MS who was treated with five different
MS drugs, but continued to have relapses.

The study involves wiping out the patient's immune system through high-dose
chemotherapy or other means, such as radiation, to destroy most blood cells and
bone marrow. Blood "stem cells" with the capacity to generate new blood and
immune cells are then transplanted into the patient. These stem cells can either
be the patient's own or those from a matched donor. Once the cells are
transplanted, they repopulate the bone marrow and restart building all the cell
types found in the blood, a process called "engraftment". After transplantation,
the patient would effectively have a "new" immune system that would not attack
nerves in the brain and spinal cord as seen in MS.

Currently, there are approximately 400 patients with MS worldwide who have been
treated with stem cell transplantation. Research demonstrates that patients with
highly active forms of relapsing-remitting MS have responded best to treatment.

The Halt-MS Study is taking place at four centers in the US: The Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center/University of Washington Western MS Center; Ohio State
University; Baylor College of Medicine; and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and is
currently open to participants with severe relapsing forms of MS.

United Spinal is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization formed
in 1946 by paralyzed veterans and is dedicated to improving the quality of life
for all Americans with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida,
ALS and post polio. It has played a significant role in writing the Americans
with Disabilities Act, made important contributions to the Fair Housing
Amendments Act and the Air Carrier Access Act. Membership is free and is open to
all individuals with spinal cord disorders.

Source: United Spinal Association

Baker PS, Brown GC.

Retina Service, Wills Eye Institute, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19107, USA. pbakerny@...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Stem-cell research is being investigated for the treatment of
retina diseases. Cell replacement strategies have the potential to improve
vision in patients who were previously considered to be untreatable. This review
summarizes progress within the field and obstacles which must be overcome to
make stem-cell therapy a viable treatment for select retinal disease. RECENT
FINDINGS: Researchers have demonstrated that stem-cell transplants can survive,
migrate, differentiate, and integrate within the retina. Stem cells from various
developmental stages have been used in these experiments, including embryonic
stem cells, neural stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, retinal stem cells, and
adult stem cells from the ciliary margin. Not only can these transplants adopt
retina-like morphologies and phenotypes, but they have also shown evidence of
synaptic reconnection and visual recovery in both animal and human studies.
Still, work must be done to achieve higher yields of functioning retinal neurons
and to promote better integration within the host retina. SUMMARY: Although many
obstacles remain, stem-cell-based therapy is a promising treatment to restore
vision in patients with retina disease.

PMID: 19425203 [PubMed - in process]

SCI  C5/C6

1.  Since having 7 treatments a year ago, I have had several serious "pressure
type" sores develop on my legs and feet.  They are not due to "pressure points".
I did not have any such problems in the 7 years prior to treatment. Has anyone
else had a comparable experience ?

2.  Again, since having 7 treatments a year ago, I have been diagnosed with
Crohns Disease.  Have fought loose bowel problems since treatments. Finally had
a clostemy bag installed this week.  Related to treatments ??

Stem cell therapy could cure blindness, claim scientists
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:55 PM on 09th April 2009
Comments (0) Add to My Stories
  In sight: Stem cells could offer a cure for blindness after clouding of the
cornea
People who face blindness after developing cloudy corneas could be cured with
stem cell therapy.
Scientists who successfully tested the treatment in mice believe it has enormous
potential for humans, especially in developing countries.
The cornea is the outer layer that shields the eye and also works with the lens
to focus light on the retina.
Infections, injuries, inherited diseases and poor nutrition can lead to scarring
of the cornea, causing it to cloud over.
In poorer parts of the world damage to the cornea is a major cause of impaired
vision and blindness. River blindness, an African disease spread by a parasitic
worm, leads to corneal damage and affects 17 million people.
The US scientists took stem cells from human corneas and implanted them into the
eyes of partially blind mice.
The animals had opaque patches on their corneas due to the lack of a structural
protein.
Three months after treatment with the stem cells, the cloudiness was gone and
their corneas were as transparent as those of normal mice.
Stem cells are immature cells that can develop along a number of different
pathways.
Previously the same team identified a population of stem cells in a layer of the
cornea called the stroma.

CD34 to iPS: A New Look at Banking?
Monday March 30th, 2009 @ 05:11:20 EST

Boston, MA -

The generation of inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPS) has allowed creation of
embryonic-like cells that appear to have similar degree of pluripotency and gene
expression.  Originally iPS cells were made from skin cells.  A more recent
paper (Loh et al. Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from human blood.
Blood 2009 Mar 18) described the use of adult peripheral blood CD34 cells as a
starting population for generation of iPS cells.

The investigators used mobilization of healthy adults to collect CD34 cells,
which were then retrovirally transfected with OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and MYC.  They
found that the artificial iPS cells were identical to embryonic stem cells when
assessing:
a) morphology,
b) expression of surface antigens and pluripotency-associated transcription
factors,
c) DNA methylation status at pluripotent cell-specific genes,
d) capacity to differentiate in vitro and in teratomas

So now the question comes...how long will it be before a service is set up for
people to make and bank their own "individual specific" iPS cells?

LONDON (Reuters) - Stem cells may help deaf people hear again, according to
early stage research by British scientists.

A team at the University of Sheffield said on Thursday they had discovered how
to turn stem cells into ones that behave like sensory hair cells or auditory
neurons, which could then be surgically inserted into the ear to restore lost
hearing.

Lead researcher Marcelo Rivolta said the approach, which is being tested on
animals, held significant potential but was a long way from being offered to
patients.

"It will take several years before we are in a position to start doing human
trials," he said in a telephone interview.

The cells in the ear that detect sound are created only in the womb, which means
there is no way to repair them once they have been damaged, resulting in
permanent hearing loss.

Using stem cells -- master cells that produce all the body's tissues and organs
-- to generate these cell types in the laboratory could change that
dramatically.

Rivolta's research parallels more advanced work on the eye by another group of
British-based scientists, who plan to use stem cells to treat age-related
macular degeneration, a common cause of blindness, in clinical tests starting in
2010 or 2011.

Doctors hope one day to use stem cells to treat a wide range of diseases such as
Parkinson's, diabetes and cancer. But localized approaches in the eye or ear may
be a promising first step, since fewer cells are involved.

Rivolta and colleagues used foetal stem cells in their work, although they are
also investigating the potential of both embryonic and adult stem cells.

Laboratory studies showed that the new cells derived from foetal tissue behaved
and functioned just like their normal ones in developing ears.

"This research is incredibly promising and opens up exciting possibilities by
bringing us closer to restoring hearing in the future," said Ralph Holme,
director of biomedical research at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People,
which helped fund the work.

Details of their research were published in the journal Stem Cells and are due
to be presented at a stem cells conference in Oxford next week.