“Latest Stem Cells News”

Neurodegenerative conditions are, at this point, diseases that cannot be treated, and that progress until they finally claim the lives of their victims. They include such awful disorders as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s, whose effects on the human brain can, at this point, only be postponed and alleviated, but not prevented or treated. Now, a new type of treatment, relying heavily on the power of stem cells, may offer a ray of hope to people suffering from these diseases.

In lab tests, researchers injected stem cells into the brain of animal models. The cells were harvested from the animals’ own spinal cords, and only the mesenchymal variety was used. Once inside, the cells proved to be able to identify the damaged neural tissue, move to it, and then started acting locally to repair the damage. While the experts recognize the fact that further studies to test the effects of this treatment are still in order, they are happy to announce that the stem cells managed to halt neural deterioration, and also that they showed signs of trying to revert the affected tissue back to its original function.

“By monitoring the motion of these cells, you get information about how viable they are, and how they can benefit the tissue. We have been able to prove that these stem cells travel within the brain, and only travel where they are needed. They read the chemical signaling of the tissue, which indicate[s] areas of stress. And then they go and try to repair the situation,” Tel Aviv university School of Chemistry Professor Dr. Yoram Cohen explains. He has been the leader of the team that made the discovery, and also an author of a paper detailing the finds, published in the latest issue of the journal Stem Cells.

After injecting the animals with the cells, the team watched their effects via Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), where the stem cells appeared as little, black dots. Each of the cells was individually tagged with iron oxide nanoparticles, so as to show up on the monitors. “Cells that go toward a certain position that needs to be rescued are the best indirect proof that they are live and viable. If they can migrate towards the target, they are alive and can read chemical signaling,” Cohen says, quoted by e! Science News.

from Softpedia

Two stem cell-based plastic surgery operations were successfully performed in Rome. The operations, a face-lift and a mastoplastic additive were performed at the Nuova Villa Claudia Clinic in Rome by Roberto Scalco, who is specialized in reconstructive plastic surgery and the president of the “Advanced esthetic surgery” medical association.

“This is the first face-lift performed in Europe with this method, the only previous operation like this was done in Tel Aviv,” was written in a statement.

Scalco, assisted by his team, used fat stem cells removed from the same patient treated with the ‘Celution’ system, a machine that is able to specifically select a colony of fat stem cells and concentrate them. Once an adequate amount of cells were treated, a very high concentration of stem cells was reinserted to increase breast size without making any incisions. The same procedure was performed also for a face-lift, with the insertion of treated stem cells into the neck, face, and on scars. The result was a minimally invasive operation.

The operation required few, very small cuts for the face-lift, and no cuts or incisions for the breast augmentation. The two patients were sedated for the operation and are currently well with no pain or excessive swelling.

In the operating room, concluded the statement, Claudio Calabrese, a surgeon of the Breast Unit at the Careggi Hospital in Florence and head of the multi-centre trial (Florence, Madrid, and Glasgow) who has treated at least 70 patients with adult autologous stem cell injections to reconstruct breast tissue after mastectomies, assisted the operation.

“This is an innovative operation,” explained Scalco, “not due to the lifting technique, but rather since it was the first time that adult stem cells from fat tissue were used in the same patient in a facial operation. The results, both for the increase in breast volume and for the face-lift, have proven to be practically permanent, since using the Celution System doubles the amount of stem cells that are normally contained in the fat, which are then reabsorbed.”

This first face-lift with stem cells represents the future of esthetic surgery and opens new and interesting scenarios for the use of new technology with maximum respect for the patient’s body, where cuts and scars will be increasingly less invasive.

“We are entering into a new era of natural plastic surgery and natural esthetic treatments,” he added, pointing out “Italy is at the cutting edge in terms of esthetic surgery. The technology used is extremely promising, its potential is not clear, and there will be many more positive surprises.”

“It is necessary to add,” continued Calabrese, “that in the mastectomies and esthetic procedures performed until now using the old methods, one of the problems was loss of feeling. With the augmentation technique used here using the patient’s fat, which contains a high concentration of stem cells, in over 80% of the cases, a substantial sense of feeling was recovered.”

Canadian native, Arndt Roehlig is the latest Multiple Sclerosis patient to be helped by stem cell research. Arndt was injected with his own adult stem cells back on March 6, 2009 and since then has seen improvements in his quality of life.

Arndt, a Vancouver resident,  first became interested in stem cell therapy for his multiple sclerosis when he read a story about fellow Canadian Louis Zylstra, a professional golfer who was able to return to the golf course after her multiple sclerosis had forced her to give it up.

Adult Stem Cell Treatment in Israel

Zylstra was helped after seeking stem cell research in Israel where Dr. Shimon Slavin was treating patients with their own Adult Stem Cells.  Arndt saw the stem cell success story and was inspired to seek out the same stem cell treatment as his multiple sclerosis was getting worse.

Stem Cells for Multiple Sclerosis Experience

Here is the whole stem cell experience  in Arndt’s own words–

“I wouldn’t call it success just yet, as I am careful not to report a reversal when it is still early.

I had a bone marrow extraction performed on me in Tel Aviv in late December, 2008. This procedure was quick and I suffered no side effects at all after my butt healed. Dr. Slavin’s team then did their magic which took approx. 2.5 months to grow the needed stem cells from my bone marrow donation. The experience then really started in Istanbul, as non Israeli citizens are not allowed to receive stem cell treatment in Israel as of yet.

I arrived in Istanbul on Friday afternoon on March 6th 2009. As I was advised to stay an additional day after my planned procedure, which was booked for Saturday, I was booked to fly home on Monday morning, thinking this would leave me plenty of time to recover from the stem cell infusion. As it turned out, it is very common to feel nauseous, have headaches and be vomiting for several days after the infusion. I experienced all three symptoms, which felt like a really terrible case of food poisoning. As I arrived, the service that picked me up stated I will be receiving the stem cells that evening, so a day early. Sure enough, as soon as I checked in to the Florence Nightingale Hospital there, I was wheeled into the radio room where the Spinal surgeon quickly administered the anesthesia into my spine, about half way up my back. Within minutes following, I received the stem cells. The whole procedure was about 15 minutes long and involved no serious pain. I was wheeled back into my room and ate dinner. That was the last food for three days, as I felt very nauseous and vomited without sleep for three days. I did hear however, another patient that received the same treatment that day never vomited, just had a terrible headache for three days, so everyone reacts differently to the treatment in terms of side effects.

Monday morning came by and I was still feeling terrible, so after another visit across the street to the hospital, I received some more IV help so I could get on the plane. As I had a layover in London for 3.5 hours, I found a couch where I actually slept for two hours for the first time in three days. When I awoke, I felt a sensation I never have had before. It felt like the whole pressure from my MS dissipated and almost like a massive weight off my shoulders, wow. Then as I got home and slept in my bed, I noticed that my usual cramps that I have at night time also went away completely. Although, I must say that the cramps did come back since then, however not as strong as they once were. My experience since then has been quite good, to date (~2.5 months since infusion), I have recorded MS attacks, however, they are no where near as overwhelming as opposed to my continuous attack prior to infusion. My masseuse (once a week treatment) reports my back, which used to be riddled full of knots and tension is now normal and soft.

As for the progression of my disease, I think the disease is still affecting me, especially I notice symptoms on my left leg may have gotten a bit worse. However, I am just as of late feeling some potential improvement in my ability to walk a straight line without dragging my right leg behind me. Also, some parts have gotten better for example, I can get my right leg into my pants while standing again. This could just be a calm part before the disease progresses, or it could be the potential of nerves growing back and hence ability is better. It is obviously still too early to say for certain, but so far I am feeling very positive and according to the stem cell specialist Dr Slavin in Tel Aviv, I am not to feel much potential in the first three months anyway.

This experience so far has given me back my life as I was suffering a dramatic downward shift in mobility just before the infusion and thus can plan my life a little bit better as compared to before the infusion.

I would so far definitely endorse my treatment and advise people to try it. There is no downside risk except for lost money. There is no chemo therapy.

I hope I explained my experience well enough and will update my experiences again in the near future.”

Best regards,

Arndt Roehlig
Email: arndt@trivello.com

If you want more details on Arndt’s stem cell research experience with his own Adult Stem Cells, please email him at the above email address.

Arndt is just the latest Multiple Sclerosis patient to be helped by stem cell research using his own stem cells. See other stem cell success stories for Multiple Sclerosis here

Researchers using stem cells must work to make their treatments safer after a 17 year-old boy with a rare genetic disease in 2001 was cured with an embryonic stem cell transplant in Moscow, but then developed benign brain and spinal tumors four years later. According to ‘Plos Medicine’ magazine, Israeli doctors removed cancer from the boy, the tumors developed due to a stem cell treatment that he received.