“Latest Stem Cells News”

After the decision of the United States to remove the ban preventing stem cell researchers from using public funding for experiments, legislators in South Korea have been put under pressure by scientists who have been aspiring to do experiments on stem cells from cloned human embryos.

Up until a few weeks ago the National Bioethics Committee continued to postpone a decision on the matter, but now thanks to the American president, it is increasingly probable that at most, by the end of April, researchers of the Cha Medical Institute of Seoul will be able to resume experiments on stem cells generated by cloned human embryos.

For the first time in the United States, stem cells have been directly injected into the spinal cord of a patient, researchers announced Thursday.

Doctors injected stem cells from 8-week-old fetal tissue into the spine of a man in his early 60s who has advanced ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It was part of a clinical trial designed to determine whether it is safe to inject stem cells into the spinal cord and whether the cells themselves are safe (…)

Researchers from the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and the Department of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University claim that a gene shown to play a role in the aging process appears to play a role in the regulation of the differentiation of embryonic stem cells.

In the study, published online in the journal Aging Cell, the researchers identified a protein interaction that controls the silencing of Oct4, a key transcription factor that is critical to ensuring that embryonic stem cells remain pluripotent. The protein, WRNp, is the product of a gene associated with Werner syndrome, an autosomal recessive disorder hallmarked by premature aging. The gene expression in Werner syndrome closely resembles that of normal aging, and as a result, Werner syndrome is an accepted model of aging.

Alan Lewis of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation distinguishes type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and continues to explain how stem cells are being used today to develop new treatments for type 1 diabetes (a.k.a. juvenile diabetes). Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) are being differentiated to the beta (insulin producing) cells that type 1 diabetics lack, and are being transplanted , in animal models. Since type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease, the transplanted cells must be protect from destruction by the immune system. Currently, researchers are working towards that goal with encapsulating technologies and a “gentle” immuno-modulation. In order to treat a diabetic patient, access to an unlimited number of cells is necessary. Alan compares embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and iPS as source of cells. And finally, in a future outlook, Alan comments on the FDA’s concern for safety, the risk of creating a tumor, artificial pancreas (as an alternative approach), and cell therapy‘s potential to CURE diseases

from http://biobusiness.tv/videos/223

Incoming search terms:

The Waldensian community in Italy has decided that next year, it will double its so-called “eight per thousand” allocation from the Italian government to embryonic stem cell research projects, increasing funds from 50,000 euros in 2007 (declared in 2004) to 100,000 euros in 2008 (declared in 2005), said Maria Bonafede, the moderator of the Waldensian executive committee, presenting the group’s 2009 campaign to allocate “eight per thousand” funds. “Eight per thousand” is an Italian law in which 0.8% of the personal income tax collected is redistributed to the Italian government and various religious groups.

With this mechanism, the Waldensian and Methodist churches received 1.6% of the total funds in 2008, totaling 6.9 million euros. Two stem cell projects are sponsored by the Waldensians, out of the 250 projects financed abroad and in Italy thanks to their “eight per thousand” revenue. The first is a study at the University of Bologna to which the Waldensian church destined 50,000 euros in 2007, which increased to 100,000 euros in 2008. The other project is an embryonic stem cell study at the University of Milan. “In Italy, this type of research is very expensive,” explained Paolo Naso, the head of advertising for the Waldensian community’s eight per thousand funding program, “and money is needed to buy stocks of embryonic cells from abroad”.

Dr. Amit Patel of the University of Utah is reporting that 3 out of 3 heart disease patients have improved in the initial stages of his stem cell research trial in which the cardiomyopathy patients had their own Adult Stem Cells injected back into their heart in a minimally invasive surgical procedure.

Dr. Patel presented the initial data at the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) annual meeting in San Diego, California.  The clinical research trial is treating heart patients with both ischemic cardiomyopathy and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and then injecting them with their own Adult Stem Cells.  There is a control group in the study as well. Translation-  some patients are not getting the benefit of the stem cells and receive a placebo.

Initial Data of Patients Treated with Adult Stem Cells

Here are the results so far (from the stem cell article)-

• 3 cardiomyopathy patients who received their own stem cells were followed up at 3 months.  They all improved on their New York Heart Failure Classes- all 3 going from a Class III to a Class II.  In contrast 2 out of the 3 who didn’t get stem cells , did NOT improve.
• Overall quality of life scores (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire) improved in all 3 patients who received the stem cell therapy.  The physical and emotional well-being of all the patients who received the treatment also improved.  There was no consistent trend in the control group (the group that didn’t get the stem cells)

Millions Would Benefit With Use of Own Stem Cells

While these are positive results and I am happy for these patients, there are thousands of cardiomyopathy patients who are not able to receive this stem cell treatment.  Dr. Kit Arom of Vescell in Thailand, a former associate of Dr. Patel, is now treating these exact same patients with their own stem cells and none of these dilated cardiomyopathy and heart attack patients are in a “control” group ie. they are getting the exact same procedure and getting their own Adult Stem Cells that Dr. Patel’s trial is doing (sucessfully).

Dr. Kit Arom has been treating heart disease patients in Thailand since 2005 with this exact same procedure- and the USA has just done 3??? Is something wrong here?

The Debate on Stem Cell Research – A Smokescreen?

While there is the endless debate on Embryonic Stem Cell research vs. Adult Stem Cell research, is the debate just some  clever smokescreen thrown up by the drug companies, FDA, and cardiologists, none of whom will benefit from heart (or name your disease)  patients using their own Adult Stem Cells to help themselves?  Is this stem cell debate just a means to slow down the use of the patient’s own cells?  Remember, there are no side effects from using your own stem cells, either they help (most of the time) or they don’t (no harm done).

Are people getting so caught up on the stem cell research issue that we are ignoring the patients who are in need of help right now?  Are we so intent on 100% “cures” that we ignore stem cell treatments that are not “cures”, but do indeed help improve the quality of lives of the majority of patients right NOW.   I’m sure the patients who improved in the stem cell heart study above are very happy with their results.  Are their hearts 100% perfect now?  No,  it wasn’t a “cure”.  Does that mean it isn’t good enough?

Why do we have to go for the homerun on every at bat, when a patient would be grateful for a single or double?  Would Michael J Fox be happy if his Parkinson’s symptoms subsided for 5 years like this gentleman?  Or, I’m sure the heart patients are pleased that instead of getting short of breath from getting the mail, that they are probably now able to walk around their local mall with their loved ones.

I see endless articles and letters to the editor that support this research or that research, but rarely do I see an article or letter promoting USING the only treatment that works now- Adult Stem Cells.  In the end, with all this hoopla, we end up forgetting about what should be the reasons for the debates and research in the first place- the patients.

Incoming search terms: