StemCell Therapy

Twiga, a 14-year-old female giraffe with advanced arthritis and osteoporosis in her feet, was fitted with custom shoes. (Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.)

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo appears to have made medical history with its innovative giraffe treatments.

Mahali, a 14-year-old male giraffe who suffered from chronic lameness, is believed to be the first in the world to be injected with stem cells grown from giraffe blood, according to a news release from the zoo.

Stem cell therapy was chosen in the treatments led by Dr. Liza Dadone, the zoo's head veterinarian, because it has proven to repair damaged tissue. Staff at Colorado State University's James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins helped with the treatment.

Nearly a month after the procedure, when Mahali was injected with about 100 million stem cells, thermographic images of the giraffe's front legs show "a considerable decline" in inflammation in his front left leg, the leg that had been giving him trouble, the zoo said.

"This is meaningful to us not only because it is the first time a giraffe has been treated with stem cells, but especially because it is bringing Mahali some arthritis relief and could help other giraffes in the near future," Dadone said in a written statement.

Dadone said it's not clear whether the successful results are due only to the stem cell treatment or a combination of treatments.

"Prior to the procedure, he was favoring his left front leg and would lift that foot off the ground almost once per minute," she said in the statement. "During the immobilization, we did multiple treatments that included hoof trims, stem cell therapy and other medications. "Since then, Mahali is no longer constantly lifting his left front leg off the ground and has resumed cooperating for hoof care. A few weeks ago, he returned to life with his herd, including yard access. On the thermogram, the marked inflammation up the leg has mostly resolved."

Twiga, a 14-year-old female giraffe with advanced arthritis and osteoporosis in her feet, was fitted with custom shoes with the help of farriers Steve Foxworth and Chris Niclas of the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization.

"We've had Twiga on medicine to help reverse her osteoporosis, but we wanted to do more to protect her feet. So with the help of the farriers, we gave her 'giraffe sneakers' to help give her some extra cushion," Dadone said in a written statement.

The giraffe's behavior was immediately changed - "Twiga instantly shifted her weight off of her right foot, indicating she was comfortable and her pain had considerably lessened" - but she will likely wear the shoes for about six more weeks, the zoo said.

Giraffes' size can make them more susceptible to issues like arthritis and osteoporosis. "Like all animals, these issues are exacerbated as they age," according to the zoo news release.

The zoo has a herd of 17 giraffes, including a newborn in April. The calf, a girl, was the 199th to be born in the 63-year history of the zoo's breeding program.

Giraffes' status was recently changed from "least concern" to "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because the population in the wild has decreased by 40 percent in the last 30 years, the zoo said.

-

Contact Ellie Mulder: 636-0198

Twitter: @lemarie

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo makes medical history with 'giraffe sneakers,' stem cell treatments - Colorado Springs Gazette

May 25, 2017 by Kristin Samuelson Killer T cells surround a cancer cell. Credit: NIH

A first-of-a-kind neural stem cell therapy that works with a common cold virus to seek out and attack a lethal and aggressive brain cancer is being tested at Northwestern Medicine in a Phase I clinical trial for patients newly diagnosed with malignant glioma.

The novel drug to treat malignant glioma, notorious for recurring after typical bouts of standard cancer treatment, was developed by a Northwestern scientist and has been approved as an investigational drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is only the second time the University has supported and filed an investigational new drug as a sponsor.

"We have discovered that combining stem cells with a virus causes the new drug to react like a cancer-seeking missile targeting cancerous cells in the brain" said principal investigator, Dr. Maciej Lesniak, the Michael J. Marchese Professor and chair of neurological surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a neuro-oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. "If it works in humans, it could be a powerful weapon against brain cancer and an option that our patients are desperate for."

One reason malignant glioma recurs so often is because a small subpopulation of cancer cells, often deep in the brain tissue, is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiation.

The pre-clinical work done by Lesniak and his team has shown that the approach being tested at Northwestern Medicine can target this population of therapy resistant cells, further delaying and sometimes even preventing tumor recurrence.

The stem cells used in the research came from a collaboration of researchers from City of Hope.

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"We haven't seen significant progress in the last decade for patients with a brain tumor, and that is why it's crucial to do everything we can to find a better treatment for brain tumors," said Dr. Roger Stupp, a co-investigator who is working alongside Lesniak on this clinical trial. "Combining novel therapy with medical expertise, we are able to get one step closer to eradicating this lethal disease."

Stupp, a world-renowned neuro-oncologist, recently joined Northwestern Medicine as director of neuro-oncology and associate director for strategic initiatives at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. He is best known for developing temozolomide in combination with radiation as the standard-of-care chemotherapy for patients with glioblastoma.

Lesniak and his team of scientists are starting to test the safety and dosage of the treatment in patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Lesniak began the research more than a decade ago while at the University of Chicago and completed it when he moved to Northwestern in 2015.

This investigational new drug contains neural stem cells to deliver a potent virus responsible for the common cold, oncolyotic adenovirus, which is engineered to kill brain cancer cells. The novel treatment works synergistically with chemotherapy and radiation to enhance the standard cancer treatments effectiveness.

Malignant gliomas are the most aggressive forms of cancer and are predicted to affect nearly 20,000 new patients this year, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. Sometimes called the "grow-and-go" tumors, gliomas can make their own blood supply, which fuels the tumors' rapid growth and helps them hatch satellite tumors. Each tumor sends out tentacles that infiltrate and dig deep into normal brain tissue, making complete removal of cancerous cells impossible. Any cancerous cells in the brain left over from standard of care can cause the tumor to recur.

Lesniak plans to enroll up to 36 newly diagnosed patients with glioma. These patients will be divided into two groups: those with tumors that can be removed and those where the tumors are not removable by surgery.

Next step, Northwestern Memorial will extend this research to the collaborating partners at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.

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Cold virus, stem cells tested to destroy deadly brain cancer - Medical Xpress

Twiga, a 14-year-old female giraffe with advanced arthritis and osteoporosis in her feet, was fitted with custom shoes. (Photo courtesy of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.)

Two medical breakthroughs have helped heal two giraffes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in recent weeks, the zoo announced Wednesday.

Mahali, a 14-year-old male giraffe who suffered from chronic lameness and had not been moving well, is believed to be the first in the world to be injected with stem cells grown from giraffe blood, according to a news release from the zoo.

Stem cell therapy was chosen in the efforts led by Dr. Liza Dadone, the zoo's head veterinarian, because it has proven to repair damaged tissue. Staff at Colorado State University's James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins helped with the treatment.

Nearly a month after the procedure, when Mahali was injected with about 100 million stem cells, thermographic images of the giraffe's front legs show "a considerable decline" in inflammation in his front left leg, the leg that had been giving him trouble, the zoo said.

"This is meaningful to us not only because it is the first time a giraffe has been treated with stem cells, but especially because it is bringing Mahali some arthritis relief and could help other giraffes in the near future," Dadone said in a written statement.

Dadone said it's not clear whether the successful results are due only to the stem cell treatment or a combination of treatments.

"Prior to the procedure, he was favoring his left front leg and would lift that foot off the ground almost once per minute," she said in the statement. "During the immobilization, we did multiple treatments that included hoof trims, stem cell therapy and other medications. Since then, Mahali is no longer constantly lifting his left front leg off the ground and has resumed cooperating for hoof care. A few weeks ago, he returned to life with his herd, including yard access. On the thermogram, the marked inflammation up the leg has mostly resolved."

Twiga, a 14-year-old female giraffe with advanced arthritis and osteoporosis in her feet, was fitted with custom shoes with the help of farriers Steve Foxworth and Chris Niclas of the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization.

"We've had Twiga on medicine to help reverse her osteoporosis, but we wanted to do more to protect her feet. So with the help of the farriers, we gave her 'giraffe sneakers' to help give her some extra cushion," Dadone said in a written statement.

The giraffe's behavior was immediately changed - "Twiga instantly shifted her weight off of her right foot, indicating she was comfortable and her pain had considerably lessened" - but she will likely wear the shoes for about six more weeks, the zoo said.

Giraffes' size can make them more susceptible to issues like arthritis and osteoporosis. "Like all animals, these issues are exacerbated as they age," according to the zoo news release.

The zoo has a herd of 17 giraffes, including a newborn in April. The calf, a girl, was the 199th to be born in the 63-year history of the zoo's breeding program.

Giraffes' status was recently changed from "least concern" to "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because the population in the wild has decreased by 40 percent in the last 30 years, the zoo said.

-

Contact Ellie Mulder: 636-0198

Twitter: @lemarie

More here:
'Sneakers,' stem cells help heal Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's giraffes - Colorado Springs Gazette

NC

Yet today the 59-year-old father of two is planning a dream family trip to South Africa, something that would have been unthinkable a mere nine months ago.

The reason for this remarkable transformation is that last September Gordon, who suffered from severe heart failure after a series of heart attacks, underwent revolutionary stem cell therapy to repair the diseased muscle tissue in his heart.

I couldnt walk up the stairs without having stabbing pains in my heart and burning in my lungs. Sometimes I had to crawl for the last few steps.

I felt so low and helpless, says Gordon, who is married to Joanne, 50, and lives in Thorneholme, East Yorkshire.

Within a week of the operation I could climb the stairs again. Small things like that have made a huge difference to my life.

More than a million people in the UK suffer from heart disease. The general term for heart disease is cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the walls of the heart chambers have become stretched, thickened or stiff.

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This affects the hearts ability to pump blood around the body. Some types of cardiomyopathy are inherited and it can affect children and younger people.

I couldnt walk up the stairs without having stabbing pains

Gordon Foster

In others, lifestyle factors such as smoking, an unhealthy diet or a sedentary lifestyle can be to blame. There is no cure and although it can be treated with drugs such as ACE inhibitors, they often have side effects and arent a permanent solution.

In Gordons case his condition was the result of a series of heart attacks, the first of which struck when he was 30.

I woke up one morning feeling horribly sick so I ran to the bathroom. I was banging my head on the floor to try to get rid of the pain in my chest, he recalls. Everybody thought I was a goner because it was such a massive heart attack.

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10 Step plan to eliminate your risk of heart disease

Joanne and I got married two months later because she was worried I might not live until our wedding date.

However he did survive and he and Joanne went on to have two children, James, now 26, and Rebekah, 24. Then when James was just a year old Gordon had another heart attack and three years later, aged 37, he suffered a third.

He was diagnosed as suffering from heart failure which most commonly occurs following a heart attack when the heart muscle suffers irreparable damage.

Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling. In severe cases people with heart failure are left unable to perform ordinary, day-to-day activities such as walking upstairs or are left breathless even when resting.

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By 2012 Gordons heart was functioning at just 17 per cent and he had been forced to retire on heart attack and three years later, aged 37, he suffered a third. from heart failure which most commonly occurs following a heart attack when the heart muscle suffers irreparable damage.

Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling. failure are left unable to perform ordinary, day-to-day activities such as walking upstairs or are left breathless even when resting.

Functioning at just 17 per cent and he had been forced to retire on medical grounds from his job overseeing welding and fabricating sites.

For severely affected patients a heart transplant can be the only option but the chances of failure are high. Around 10 per cent of transplant patients die within a year of the operation and 25 per cent die within five years.

The need for treatment in this field has never been greater, says Professor Anthony Mathur, consultant cardiologist at St Bartholomews Hospital, London.

Now stem cell therapy is offering new hope to desperate patients and their families. The procedure involves extracting stem cells from bone marrow in the spine and injecting them into the heart.

Researchers hope that the stem cells, which are unique because they can grow into any type of body tissue, will grow into healthy heart cells and take over the work of the diseased or damaged ones.

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The procedure takes about 20 minutes and patients can usually go home the following day. Gordon became the first man in the UK to be offered the operation under the Compassionate Treatment Programme funded by the Heart Cells Foundation charity at St Bartholomews Hospital after his doctor put him forward to take part in a trial.

The charity has so far raised more than 6.5million to fund the Stem Cell Research Programme and is campaigning to raise further cash to treat thousands more patients.

Stem cell therapy is still in the development and research stage and the Compassionate Treatment Programme is funded purely by the Heart Cells Foundation charity, says its chairman Jenifer Rosenberg.

To treat one person costs 10,000 so we need the continued support of our donors to save lives.

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Queen Elizabeth II visits a ward during a tour of Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children, 23rd July 1952

The treatment is currently in the second phase of clinical trials and phase three will start once funding is secured. If this is successful it is hoped that the treatment could eventually be offered on the NHS.

Gordon says he and his family will be forever thankful to the Heart Cells Foundation and his medical team at St Bartholemews for saving his life.

Without them, I believe I wouldnt be here today, he says. Im now able to lead a near-normal life and Im enjoying every moment I spend with my wife and children. I now live every day with hope.

Visit heartcellsfoundation.com

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How a revolutionary stem cell treatment could save your heart - Express.co.uk

May 24, 2017

An innovative method for treating type 1 diabetes based on the transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells taken from the patient's own bone marrow began undergoing testing in Brazil 13 years ago. The results were highly variable. While some of the volunteers were able to stop self-injecting insulin for more than a decade, others had to resume use of the medication only a few months after receiving the experimental treatment.

A possible explanation for this discrepancy in the clinical outcome for the 25 patients included in the study was presented in an article published recently in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. According to the authors, the duration of the therapeutic effect was shorter in the patients whose immune systems had attacked the pancreatic cells more aggressively in the pre-transplantation period.

This research was conducted at the Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) in Brazil. Initially led by immunologist Julio Voltarelli, who died in March 2012, it is proceeding under the coordination of researchers Maria Carolina de Oliveira Rodrigues and Belinda Pinto Simes.

"Because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, the aim of the treatment is to 'switch off' the immune system temporarily using chemotherapy drugs and 'restart' it by means of the transplantation of autologous hematopoietic stem cells, which can differentiate into every kind of blood cell," Rodrigues explained.

By the time the symptoms of type 1 diabetes appear, she added, around 80 percent of the patient's pancreatic islets have already been damaged. If the autoimmune aggression is interrupted at this point, and the remaining cells are protected, the patient can produce an amount of insulin that is small but nevertheless important.

"Studies with animals and diabetic humans suggest the percentage of insulin-producing cells declines sharply, reaching almost zero between six and eight weeks after diagnosis. Our center has therefore set a six-week limit for patients to start the transplantation process," Rodrigues said.

Twenty-five volunteers aged between 12 and 35 were initially included in the study. The therapeutic effect has lasted an average of 42 months (3.5 years) but ranges overall from six months to 12 years, the longest follow-up period so far. Three patients remain completely insulin-free. One has been insulin-free for ten years, another for 11, and the third for 12.

"In this more recent study, we compared the profiles of the volunteers who remained insulin-free for less than and more than 42 months, which was our cutoff point," Rodrigues said.

The variables considered included age, time between diagnosis and transplantation, pre-treatment insulin dose, and post-transplant recovery of defense cells.

"We observed no significant differences between the groups for any of these factors," Rodrigues said. "The only exception was the degree of pancreatic inflammation before the transplant, which did vary significantly."

This discovery was made possible by collaboration with Dutch researcher Bart Roep at the Leiden University Medical Center. Roep's analysis of blood samples taken from all 25 patients before treatment and once per year after the transplant enabled him to quantify their autoreactive T-lymphocytes, white cells that recognize and specifically attack proteins secreted by pancreatic islets.

"This method enabled us to evaluate the extent to which the immune system was attacking the pancreas," Rodrigues said. "We observed a clear association between a larger number of autoreactive lymphocytes before transplantation and a worse response to treatment."

In the group of patients who responded well, Rodrigues went on, stem cell therapy rebalanced the immune system thanks to an increase in the proportion of regulatory T-cells (Tregs), a type of white cell with immunosuppressive action that helps combat autoimmunity.

"In patients with more autoreactive lymphocytes before transplantation, this balance didn't occur," she said. "Despite the increase in the number of Tregs due to the treatment, they were still outnumbered by autoreactive lymphocytes. What we don't yet know is whether these were new cells that differentiated from transplanted stem cells or were a remnant of the autoreactive lymphocytes that weren't destroyed by chemotherapy and resumed multiplication."

Data from the scientific literature show that the latter hypothesis is more plausible, so the group at CTC has begun a second study in which patients are being subjected to more aggressive chemotherapy with the aim of ensuring that no vestiges of autoreactive T-lymphocytes remain.

Explore further: Novel tissue-engineered islet transplant achieves insulin independence in type 1 diabetes

More information: Kelen C. R. Malmegrim et al. Immunological Balance Is Associated with Clinical Outcome after Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Type 1 Diabetes, Frontiers in Immunology (2017). DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00167

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Success of stem cell therapy for diabetes depends on pre-transplant immune condition - Medical Xpress

"At StemGenex, we are committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells," said Alexander. "Specifically, we use adipose-derived adult stem cell therapy for patients battling conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, COPD, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis. We are also committed to the science of stem cell therapy and sponsor five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institute of Health (NIH) for these diseases."

"What I personally witnessed before the start of StemGenex were patients who had exhausted conventional medical treatments but wanted to try alternative therapies. I was one of them, suffering from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Ihad only three options; I could seek a clinical trial, travel to outside of the U.S. to try alternative therapies such as stem cell treatment or petition the FDA for access to drugs under the agency's "expanded access," or "compassionate use" program. Now, new state laws, built on model legislation from the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, will potentially allow doctors and patients to make their own informed decisions on treatments that have cleared the safety phase of FDA testing."

Last year, in a move that was seen by some as a response to "Right to Try" laws, the 21st Century Cures Act, a landmark piece of legislation focused on medical innovation and medical research, was signed into law by President Obama. This Act provides the FDA with the flexibility to accelerate how it evaluates regenerative medicine treatments, such as stem cell therapies, while maintaining its high standards of safety and efficacy.

"We're on the cusp of a major change on how patients can access stem cell therapy," saidAlexander. "Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by a wide range of autoimmune and degenerative illnesses," said Alexander. "StemGenex Medical Group is proud to offer the highest quality of care and to potentially help those with unmet clinical needs improve their quality of life."

ABOUT StemGenex Medical Group StemGenex Medical Group is committed to helping people achieve optimum health and better quality of life through the healing benefits of their own stem cells. StemGenex provides stem cell therapy options for individuals suffering with inflammatory and degenerative illnesses. Committed to the science and innovation of stem cell treatment,StemGenex sponsors five clinical outcome studiesregistered with theNational Institutes of Health ("NIH") for Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ("COPD") and Osteoarthritis. These have been established to formally document and evaluate the quality of life changes in individuals following adipose-derived stem cell treatment.

Contact: Jamie Schubert, Director of Media & Community Relations jschubert@StemGenex.com, (858) 242-4243

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stem-cell-therapy-is-one-step-closer-to-becoming-law-in-texas-300461859.html

SOURCE StemGenex

http://www.stemgenex.com

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Stem Cell Therapy is One Step Closer to Becoming Law in Texas - PR Newswire (press release)

Animation of stem cell therapy attacking malignant glioma. (Northwestern Medicine)

CHICAGO - A first-of-a-kind neural stem cell therapy that works with a common cold virus to seek out and attack a lethal and aggressive brain cancer is being tested at Northwestern Medicine in a Phase I clinical trial for patients newly diagnosed with malignant glioma.

The novel drug to treat malignant glioma, notorious for recurring after typical bouts of standard cancer treatment, was developed by a Northwestern scientist and has been approved as an investigational drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is only the second time the University has supported and filed an investigational new drug as a sponsor.

We have discovered that combining stem cells with a virus causes the new drug to react like a cancer-seeking missile targeting cancerous cells in the brain said principal investigator, Dr. Maciej Lesniak, the Michael J. Marchese Professor and chair of neurological surgery atNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicineand a neuro-oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. If it works in humans, it could be a powerful weapon against brain cancer and an option that our patients are desperate for.

One reason malignant glioma recurs so often is because a small subpopulation of cancer cells, often deep in the brain tissue, is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiation.

We havent seen significant progress in the last decade for patients with a brain tumor, and that is why its crucial to do everything we can to find a better treatment for brain tumors.

The pre-clinical work done by Lesniak and his team has shown that the approach being tested at Northwestern Medicine can target this population of therapy resistant cells, further delaying and sometimes even preventing tumor recurrence.

The stem cells used in the research came from a collaboration of researchers from City of Hope.

We havent seen significant progress in the last decade for patients with a brain tumor, and that is why its crucial to do everything we can to find a better treatment for brain tumors, said Dr. Roger Stupp, a co-investigator who is working alongside Lesniak on this clinical trial. Combining novel therapy with medical expertise, we are able to get one step closer to eradicating this lethal disease.

Stupp, a world-renowned neuro-oncologist, recently joined Northwestern Medicine as director of neuro-oncology and associate director for strategic initiatives at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. He is best known for developing temozolomide in combination with radiation as the standard-of-care chemotherapy for patients with glioblastoma.

Lesniak and his team of scientists are starting to test the safety and dosage of the treatment in patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Lesniak began the research more than a decade ago while at the University of Chicago and completed it when he moved to Northwestern in 2015.

This investigational new drug contains neural stem cells to deliver a potent virus responsible for the common cold, oncolyotic adenovirus, which is engineered to kill brain cancer cells. The novel treatment works synergistically with chemotherapy and radiation to enhance the standard cancer treatments effectiveness.

Malignant gliomas are the most aggressive forms of cancer and are predicted to affect nearly 20,000 new patients this year, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. Sometimes called the grow-and-go tumors, gliomas can make their own blood supply, which fuels the tumors rapid growth and helps them hatch satellite tumors. Each tumor sends out tentacles that infiltrate and dig deep into normal brain tissue, making complete removal of cancerous cells impossible. Any cancerous cells in the brain left over from standard of care can cause the tumor to recur.

Lesniak plans to enroll up to 36 newly diagnosed patients with glioma. These patients will be divided into two groups: those with tumors that can be removed and those where the tumors are not removable by surgery.

Next step, Northwestern Memorial will extend this research to the collaborating partners at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant U01NS069997.

Link:
New investigational drug acts like a cancer-seeking missile in brain - Northwestern University NewsCenter

Mouse study looks at safety of stem cell therapy for early ... Science Daily Now that we know that egg-making stem cells exist in adults and that these cells can be transplanted into mice with premature ovarian failure to produce ... and more »

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Mouse study looks at safety of stem cell therapy for early ... - Science Daily

NEW ORLEANS, LADespite new data showing that stem cell therapy has the potential to improve exercise time and reduce mortality in patients with refractory angina, researchers said at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2017 Scientific Sessions last week that the option is all but dead due to withdrawal of financial support, resulting in patients being denied access to a promising treatment.

Presenting a summation of all the data that have been collected over the last decade on the use of autologous CD34+ cells to treat patients with class III or IV angina despite optimal medical therapy, Thomas Povsic, MD, PhD (Duke Clinical Research Institute, Chapel Hill, NC), said this group of patients is in dire need of new treatment options, and maintained that it is imperative to explore methods to bring this therapy to patients.

He and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis from the only three trials of CD34+ therapy in refractory angina patients: a phase I study (n = 24); ACT-34 CMI and its 24-month extension study (n = 168); and the RENEW study (n = 112). All three were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. However, RENEW was terminated early by the sponsor due to financial reasons.

Taken together, the trials showed that among the 187 patients who received the therapy, total exercise time improved by 90.5 seconds at 12 months compared with an improvement of just 39.5 seconds in those who received a placebo.

Additionally, patients who received CD34+ treatment had more than a fourfold lower rate of mortality by 24 months (2.6% vs 11.8%; P = 0.003) and fewer instances of MACE (29.8% vs 40.0%; P = 0.08).

A Cloudy Future

Povsic said the CD34+ trials are extremely expensive to run, resulting in the only sponsor, Baxter Healthcare, divesting itself of all further research in this area.

I personally believe that this therapy has more data associated with it for efficacy and safety than any other cell therapy thats been investigated in the cardiovascular disease space, he observed. The passage of the 21st Century Cures Act may hold some hope for the future, Povsic added, since it allows for a therapy that fulfills a specific medical need to undergo expedited approval.

Its challenging because this patient population has no options, Povsics co-author Timothy Henry, MD (Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, CA), said in a press briefing prior to the presentation. This is by far the strongest data for any therapy for refractory angina. Its also the . . . strongest data for cell therapy, and its a shame that its not available to patients.

Henry added that hes hopeful the data from the meta-analysis may be well received by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Povsic noted that although other companies have expressed interest in the therapy, its future is cloudy. Referencing the termination of RENEW for financial reasons, he added that it shows the ramifications that early cessation of a clinical trial can have, because its truly a disservice to the patients that were enrolled in the trial, the investigators that invested time, and the fact that this therapy . . . seemed so close to the finish line, but [now] the path forward is unclear.

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Access Denied: Stem Cell Therapy Shows Some Promise in Refractory Angina, but Patients Can't Get It - TCTMD

May 18, 2017

Now that we know that egg-making stem cells exist in adult rodents and humans and that these cells can be transplanted into mice with premature ovarian failure to produce offspring, the next question is to assess whether the offspring from the egg-making stem cells of a single adult mouse are biologically normal compared to natural births. On May 18 in the journal Molecular Therapy, researchers in China show that female mice with early menopause that receive egg-making stem cells from another mouse are capable of producing healthy pups 2 months later with no observable genetic malfunctions.

"One of our aims is to cure the disease of premature ovarian failure using female germline stem cells," says senior author Ji Wu, a reproductive biologist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. "Before this treatment can be applied to humans, we need to know the mechanism of female germline stem cell development and safety after transplantation of single mouse female germline stem cells."

Premature ovarian failure, also called early menopause, is the loss of normal ovarian function, and thereby the release of eggs, before the age of 40. The condition is rare, affecting 200,000 women in the United States per year, and is incurable, although it can be treated with hormone supplements. Multiple groups are now looking at whether stimulating tissue regeneration or using stem cell transplants could help.

In the Molecular Therapy study, Wu and her colleagues isolated and characterized female germline stem cells from a single transgenic mouse with cells that show green fluorescence when activated by a blue laser. This allowed the researchers to observe and analyze the development of the transplanted stem cells, which were introduced to the ovaries of other mice using a fine glass needle.

Wu and colleagues found that the transplanted egg-producing stem cells exhibited a homing ability and began to differentiate into early-stage oocytes when they reached the edge of the ovary. The oocytes spent a few weeks maturing and yielded offspring within 2 months. The researchers then demonstrated that the developmental mechanisms of eggs derived from transplanted germline stem cells were similar to that of normal eggs.

"The results are exciting because it's not easy to get offspring from female germline stem cells derived from a single mouse," Wu says.

Wu's lab is also working to establish female egg-producing stem cell lines from scarce ovarian tissues derived from follicular aspiratesthe leftover cells gathered when a clinician searches a patient for oocytesthat are produced and discarded in in vitro fertilization centers worldwide. These aspirates can yield stem cells that differentiate into eggs in the lab, with the potential to be transplanted. The study not only provides a new approach to obtain human female germline stem cells for medical treatment, but also opens several avenues to investigate human oogenesis in vitro.

Explore further: Making sperm from stem cells in a dish

More information: Molecular Therapy, Wu et al.: "Tracing and characterizing the development of transplanted female germline stem cells in vivo" http://www.cell.com/molecular-therapy-family/molecular-therapy/fulltext/S1525-0016(17)30180-6 , DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.04.019

Journal reference: Molecular Therapy

Provided by: Cell Press

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Mouse study looks at safety of stem cell therapy for early menopause - Medical Xpress

May 17, 2017 This illustration shows the bone-tissue engineering technique developed by Cedars-Sinai investigators. 'Endogenous MSCs' refers to stem cells from a patient's bone. The 'BMP gene' is a gene that promotes bone repair. Credit: Gazit Group/Cedars-Sinai

A Cedars-Sinai-led team of investigators has successfully repaired severe limb fractures in laboratory animals with an innovative technique that cues bone to regrow its own tissue. If found to be safe and effective in humans, the pioneering method of combining ultrasound, stem cell and gene therapies could eventually replace grafting as a way to mend severely broken bones.

"We are just at the beginning of a revolution in orthopedics," said Dan Gazit, PhD, DMD, co-director of the Skeletal Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy Program in the Department of Surgery and the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute. "We're combining an engineering approach with a biological approach to advance regenerative engineering, which we believe is the future of medicine."

Gazit was the principal investigator and co-senior author of the research study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

More than 2 million bone grafts, frequently necessitated by severe injuries involving traffic accidents, war or tumor removal, are performed worldwide each year. Such injuries can create gaps between the edges of a fracture that are too large for the bone to bridge on its own. The grafts require implanting pieces from either the patient's or a donor's bone into the gap.

"Unfortunately, bone grafts carry disadvantages," said Gazit, a professor of surgery at Cedars-Sinai. "There are huge unmet needs in skeleton repair."

One problem is that enough healthy bone is not always available for repairs. Surgeries to remove a bone piece, typically from the pelvis, and implant it can lead to prolonged pain and expensive, lengthy hospitalizations. Further, grafts from donors may not integrate or grow properly, causing the repair to fail.

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The new technique developed by the Cedars-Sinai-led team could provide a much-needed alternative to bone grafts.

In their experiment, the investigators constructed a matrix of collagen, a protein the body uses to build bones, and implanted it in the gap between the two sides of a fractured leg bone in laboratory animals. This matrix recruited the fractured leg's own stem cells into the gap over a period of two weeks. To initiate the bone repair process, the team delivered a bone-inducing gene directly into the stem cells, using an ultrasound pulse and microbubbles that facilitated the entry of the gene into the cells.

Eight weeks after the surgery, the bone gap was closed and the leg fracture was healed in all the laboratory animals that received the treatment. Tests showed that the bone grown in the gap was as strong as that produced by surgical bone grafts, said Gadi Pelled, PhD, DMD, assistant professor of surgery at Cedars-Sinai and the study's co-senior author.

"This study is the first to demonstrate that ultrasound-mediated gene delivery to an animal's own stem cells can effectively be used to treat nonhealing bone fractures," Pelled said. "It addresses a major orthopedic unmet need and offers new possibilities for clinical translation."

The study involved six departments at Cedars-Sinai, plus investigators from Hebrew University in Jerusalem; the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York; and the University of California, Davis.

"Our project demonstrates how scientists from diverse disciplines can combine forces to find solutions to today's medical challenges and help develop treatments for the patients of tomorrow," said Bruce Gewertz, MD, surgeon-in-chief and chair of the Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai.

Explore further: Combining adult stem cells with hormone may speed bone fracture healing

More information: DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aal3128 "In situ bone tissue engineering via ultrasound-mediated gene delivery to endogenous progenitor cells in mini-pigs," Science Translational Medicine (2017). http://stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aal3128

A combination of adult stem cells and parathyroid hormone significantly increased new bone formation in laboratory animals and may speed the healing process for human bone fractures caused by osteoporosis, a new study shows.

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Injured bones reconstructed by gene and stem cell therapies - Medical Xpress

LEXINGTON, Ky (LEX 18) A retired canine with the Lexington Police Department is still a big goofy dog that acts like a puppy, thanks to stem cell transplants, Garik can continue to do so with less pain.

The City of Lexington featured the dog's story on their website.

Officer Brian Burnette said that he is living the dream by getting to be an officer in the canine unit. He told the City of Lexington that after a couple of years of not connecting with one dog, he was switched to Garik the German Shepherd.

As soon as I got him, we could hit the street together. His drive, we just matched perfectly together, he said.

He described the now seven-year-old dog as a big goofy dog that acts like a puppy and enjoys sniffing for little sticks or twigs in the grass.

While Garik is an active, playful dog, in 2016, Burnette began to notice that something was different. Garik was in a lot of pain. His legs would shake while they were out and he would trip. The department thought that Garik might have hip dysplasia, but Garik had developed a degenerative bone spur on his spine, causing him much pain.

Garik retired and Burnette took him home to live a relaxed life, but Burnette was still concerned about the dog's pain.

That's when a Nicholasville-based company came to the rescue.

Dr. Jeff Baker, President and COO of MediVet Biologics offered a free stem cell kit for Garik.

My mom's a cancer survivor. And she's had stem cell transplants. But I had no idea they even did this for dogs, Burnette told the City of Lexington.

During the treatment, stem cells are extracted from Garik's fat tissue and then re-injected into his body. The procedure is done at Woodford Animal Hospital.

Garik has received two stem cell injections so far.

While the therapy won't cure Garik's condition, they say it will relieve his pain significantly.

This isn't the first time MediVet has helped service dogs, they also donated stem cell therapy kits to the dogs that searched Ground Zero and the Pentagon after 9/11.

Read more:
Retired Lexington Police Department Canine Undergoes Stem Cell Treatment - LEX18 Lexington KY News

Stem Cell Therapy Can Help.

At the Lung Institute, we recognize that all patients have their own stories. While they have chronic lung conditions in common, our patients have had all kinds of careers and hobbies. Whether they enjoy growing plants in the garden, playing a round of golf or creating delicious meals, our patients are unique and deserve treatments unique to them.

At the Lung Institute, we screen each patient thoroughly, focusing on medical history and current condition to encourage only the best-possible treatment results.

Using the natural maintenance capabilities of stem cells, we first withdraw and separate the patients stem cells from their blood or bone marrow. We then reintroduce the stem cells into the body where they come to rest inside the lungs, promoting both natural healing and inflammation reduction.

To learn more about how stem cells work, review our Stem Cell Treatment Basics and discover how stem cell therapy can work to affect your quality of life. Click on the links below to read more about the two treatments we offer.

* All treatments performed at Lung Institute utilize autologous stem cells, meaning those derived from a patient's own body. No fetal or embryonic stem cells are utilized in Lung Institute's procedures. Lung Institute aims to improve patients' quality of life and help them breathe easier through the use of autologous stem cell therapy. To learn more about how stem cells work for lung disease, click here.

All claims made regarding the efficacy of Lung Institute's treatments as they pertain to pulmonary conditions are based solely on anecdotal support collected by Lung Institute. Individual conditions, treatment and outcomes may vary and are not necessarily indicative of future results. Testimonial participation is voluntary. Lung Institute does not pay for or script patient testimonials.

Under current FDA guidelines and regulations 1271.10 and 1271.15, the Lung Institute complies with all necessary requirements for operation. Any individual who accesses Lung Institute's website for information is encouraged to speak with his or her primary physician for treatment suggestions and conclusive evidence. All information on this site should be used for educational and informational use only.

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Lung Institute | Stem Cell Treatment for COPD & Emphysema

It is the "shock absorber" between the vertebrae of the spine, cushioning every step, bend and jump: the intervertebral disc. If the fibrocartilage tissue in the spine degenerates over time, an intervertebral disc can "slip" -- pinching the medulla or nerves. The consequences include intense pain or even paralysis. Not only people, but also dogs are often susceptible to this disease. Since intervertebral discs themselves cannot regenerate, the affected disc material is removed in an operation that can be performed on both people and animals. The pressure on the nerves and medulla disappears, but the degeneration of the disc remains.

Great hope has thus been placed on stem cell therapy as practiced by Frank Steffen, neurologist at the Clinic for Small Animal Surgery at the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich. Stem cells are multipotent cells that can be differentiated into various cell types. Steffen hopes that the stem cells will possibly form new disc cartilage once injected into a damaged disc. His study on three sick German shepherds demonstrate that a treatment with the body's own stem cells are well tolerated -- an important first step.

Gaining knowledge directly from the afflicted animal

Research on intervertebral disc regeneration is frequently performed using animal testing. At the Clinic for Small Animal Surgery in Zurich, researchers have taken another path: "Since we treat numerous dogs who spontaneously sustain a slipped disc every year, we have been able to gain important knowledge directly from animals that are actually afflicted with this disease," Frank Steffen explains. "Due to the similarity in pathology and the course of the illness, conclusions can presumably be drawn for the treatment of affected persons as well." The project for the development of stem cell therapy in dogs is being conducted in cooperation with Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPR) in Nottwil, Switzerland.

The study on the sick German shepherds was organized as follows: With the permission of the dog owners, neurologist Frank Steffen and his team removed stem cells from the marrow of the pelvic bone of the affected animals. After the cleaning and preparation of the cell material in the laboratory, the stem cells were injected into the degenerated intervertebral disc during a disc operation that had become necessary for the animal in question. "Our objective is for the stem cells to trigger cellular and molecular repair processes and, ideally, to form new intervertebral disc cells in order to contribute to the regeneration of the tissue," Steffen says.

After tolerability, check effectiveness

The results are pleasing: The three dogs well tolerated the injections of their own stem cells and the researchers have determined no negative effects. However, later X-rays and magnetic resonance tomographies did not show clear indications that the damaged discs have already regenerated in comparison with the control group.

Not yet -- of that, Steffen is confident. "Proving the tolerability of the therapy was our first important step." Now he is working on the effectiveness of the stem cell injections, for example, with the targeted addition of growth factors. "If our method proves successful one day, it would be a pioneering step -- for human medicine as well," the neurologist says.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Zurich. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Read more from the original source:
New intervertebral discs from stem cells - Science Daily

May 12, 2017

Researchers have pinpointed a key enzyme that is vital for the production of fresh blood cells in the body. The enzyme is essential for the survival of specialised stem cells that give rise to new blood cells, the study found. Experts say the findings could help to improve the success of stem cell therapies that are being developed to treat some blood cancers and disorders of the immune system.

Enzyme

Scientists focused on an enzyme called fumarase, which is known to play a key role in the generation of energy inside cells. Children with gene mutations that affect fumarase have blood defects, which prompted researchers to investigate its function.

The mouse study found that deletion of fumarase from blood cells causes major defects in new blood cell production. These defects could be traced back to defects in the specialised stem cells that give rise to new blood cells. Blocking the enzyme causes a molecule called fumarate to build up inside the cells, which has wide-ranging toxic effects.

Stem cells

The study sheds new light on the conditions that blood stem cells need to survive, which could help to boost the success of stem cell therapies, the researchers say. Stem cell metabolism is an emerging field of research with an immense therapeutic potential. In future, we hope to identify the biochemical pathways affected by fumarate in stem cells and, by manipulating these pathways, improve the success of stem cell transplant therapies.

Professor Kamil Kranc says, "The research was prompted when researchers noticed that children with genetic mutations in the fumarase gene have blood defects."

The research was prompted when researchers noticed that children with genetic mutations in the fumarase gene have blood defects.

Scientists from the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh led the study.

The research is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine and was funded by The Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund, Cancer Research UK, Bloodwise, Tenovus Scotland and Wellcome.

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Blood study insight could improve stem cell therapy success - Medical Xpress

The Indy 500 legend has been through several highs and lows recently. Clark Wade/IndyStar

Indianapolis 500 legend A.J. Foyt.(Photo: Clark Wade/IndyStar)Buy Photo

Its been a long and wild ride, and A.J. Foyt has enjoyed nearly every second of it.

I had a lot of fun, the 82-year-old racing legend told IndyStar on Wednesday at his racing garage in Speedway. If I passed out talking to you right now and fell on the floor, at least I made good money, had a happy life and what else can you ask for? So many people are so miserable with their jobs and that. I had a wonderful job doing what was fun.

Foyts job driving into racing's history books provided him with a lifetimes worth of close friends, amazing stories and thrilling adventures. But it also often required him to put his life on the line.

"I guess I was a little bit crazy back in those days,"Foyt, who walks with a limp but without assistance, said with a smile.

But being crazy was part of the job, he said. He needed it to overcome his fears.

"A lot of race drivers you talk to these days say they've never been scared in racing," Foyt said. "Well, they're lying to you and they're lying to themselves. I cannot name you one race at one time or another thatI didn'tscare the hellout of myself. Honestly. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I'm just being honest with you."

Read more from Jim: Alexander Rossi is starting to feel at home in Indy

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Despite thosehealthy fears, his long and prestigious racing career resulted ina laundry list of injuries and eventual ailments that would and have horrifieddoctors.

The four-time Indianapolis 500 champion has stared death and dismemberment in the face more times than hed care to count, dealing withcar wrecks, killer bees, a bulldozer accident, heart ailments and two staph infections. As a result, hes nearly had his feet amputated,broken his back two or three times, has two false knees and a false hip, a titanium plate in his chest from open heart surgeryand said hell be on antibiotics for the rest of his life because of the amount of metal he has inside of him.

But he's far from discouraged and fightsto keep going with the same vigor and courage the colored his youth. One way he's done so recently is by undergoing stem cell therapy.Foyt said his wife, Lucy, who suffers from diabetes and arthritis, suggested that they both take on the treatment in order to try and find "the fountain of youth."

I mainly did it for her, Foyt said. She got sugar diabetes real bad, and (is) pretty sick, but, of course, I did it for myself too, dont get me wrong. But shes really been suffering the last five or six years. So we just thought wed try it.

A.J. and Lucy Foyt spent seven days in Cancun, Mexico the treatment is not performed in the United States undergoing a therapy he said likely wont take effect for another month at least. A.J. Foyt had adult stem cells injected into each shoulder and ankle, as well as into his blood.

Theres no guarantees the treatment will help either of them, but the uncertainty doesnt bother him.

I figure if we gain something, fine, and if we dont, well, Ive lost before," Foyt said.

But giving Foyt an edge in his fight against injury, ailment and Father Timeis a competitive fire that has burned within him his whole life.

A little more than a month ago, Foyt and fellow driving legend Dan Gurney were honored in Long Beach, Calif., for the 50th anniversary of their all-American victory at 24 Hours of Le Mans. Many racing greats attended the event, and Foyt was happy to see them, but he couldn't help but stackhimself up one more time against his old rivals.

I guess Im doing better than them, Foyt said with a smile. Poor Parnelli (Jones) has a lot of back trouble. Dan was in a wheelchair. Last three or four years Ive been going in and out of them, but Im still going pretty strong. So far Im hanging in there pretty good. ...Every days a good day. And Iguess thats good when youre getting ready to kick."

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter and Instagram: @jimayello.

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AJ Foyt on fear, his stem cell therapy and more - Indianapolis Star

May 9, 2017 Credit: Vetsuisse Faculty, UZH

The intervertebral disc is the "shock absorber" between the vertebrae of the spine, cushioning every step, bend and jump. If the fibrocartilage tissue in the spine degenerates over time, an intervertebral disc can "slip" pinching the medulla or nerves. The consequences include intense pain or even paralysis. Dogs and people are often susceptible to this disease. Since intervertebral discs themselves cannot regenerate, the affected disc material is removed in an operation that can be performed on both people and animals. The pressure on the nerves and medulla disappears, but the degeneration of the disc remains.

Frank Steffen, neurologist at the Clinic for Small Animal Surgery at the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich, has developed a stem cell therapy for the condition. Stem cells are multipotent cells that can be differentiated into various cell types. Steffen hopes that the stem cells will possibly form new disc cartilage once injected into a damaged disc. His study on three sick German shepherds demonstrate that treatment with the body's own stem cells is well tolerated an important first step.

Gaining knowledge directly from the afflicted animal

Research on intervertebral disc regeneration is frequently performed using animal testing. At the Clinic for Small Animal Surgery in Zurich, researchers have taken another path: "Since we treat numerous dogs who spontaneously sustain a slipped disc every year, we have been able to gain important knowledge directly from animals that are actually afflicted with this disease," Steffen explains. "Due to the similarity in pathology and the course of the illness, conclusions can presumably be drawn for the treatment of affected persons as well." The project for the development of stem cell therapy in dogs is being conducted in cooperation with Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPR) in Nottwil, Switzerland.

With the permission of the dog owners, Steffen and his team removed stem cells from the marrow of the pelvic bone of the affected animals. After the cleaning and preparation of the cell material in the laboratory, the stem cells were injected into the degenerated intervertebral disc during an operation. "Our objective is for the stem cells to trigger cellular and molecular repair processes and, ideally, to form new intervertebral disc cells in order to contribute to the regeneration of the tissue," Steffen says.

After tolerability, check effectiveness

The results are promising: The three dogs tolerated the injections of their own stem cells and the researchers have determined no negative effects. However, later X-rays and magnetic resonance tomographies did not show clear indications that the damaged discs have regenerated in comparison with the control group.

Steffen says, "Proving the tolerability of the therapy was our first important step." Now, he is working on the effectiveness of the stem cell injections with the targeted addition of growth factors. "If our method proves successful one day, it would be a pioneering step for human medicine as well," the neurologist says.

Explore further: MRI can visualize effects of traction on herniated discs

More information: Frank Steffen et al. Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Autologous Therapy in Dogs with Naturally Occurring Intervertebral Disc Disease: Feasibility, Safety and Preliminary Results, Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods (2017). DOI: 10.1089/ten.TEC.2017.0033

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Stem cells therapy for naturally occurring intervertebral disc disease - Medical Xpress

Its our goal for this to be a normal NHS procedure, so everyone who has a heart problem [and could benefit from this] will be able to. There are few downsides because theres no rejection as theyre your own stem cells, and every patient who has successfully had this treatment ends up taking less medication.

Jenifer is overjoyed with the progress already made, and knows that Ian would be, too, had he lived to tell his story.

For Ian, the treatment gave him an extra three years of life, but in 2006 he died from heart failure, at the age of 70.

He would be so thrilled, says Jenifer. His concern would be were not doing it quick enough, because for him everything had to be done immediately. But to have achieved this much well, the medical world says weve done it all in a very short space of time.

The couple spent their final years together alternating between their family home in St Johns Wood, north London, and a holiday home in Miami.

They were both each others second spouses, having married in 1980 after a whirlwind romance in Cannes Jenifers first husband had died, while Ian had divorced his wife and did not have children together. But Ian had two children from his first marriage, as well as two young grandchildren who he was able to spend those extra three years with.

Read more from the original source:
My husband's heart failure inspired a life-saving stem cell therapy - Telegraph.co.uk

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stem cell therapy is revolutionizing medicine and now has come to the rescue once again, this time, to help those who suffer from a debilitating, auto-immune skin disease called Lichen Sclerosus (LS). For most patients, this condition attacks the genitalia causing unbearable burning and itching, as well as making sexual intercourse very painful and impossible for some. Severe symptoms can interfere with activities such as exercising, sitting for extended periods of time, or even wearing tight clothing. Previously reported that LS only occurs in post-menopausal women, recent reports, however, state that as many as one in 30 people may suffer from LS and yet, the information on this disease is sparse and relief is hard to find. To date, there is no known cure for this painful disease, which can also affect men and children.

The tragedy of Lichen Sclerosus, says Board Certified Dermatologist, Nathan Newman, M.D. of Beverly Hills, CA is that it often goes unrecognized for years and is frequently misdiagnosed as a post-menopausal change, a yeast infection, urinary tract infection or even a venereal disease, such as herpes. Until now, the main treatment for LS has been topical potent steroids to alleviate the symptoms. However, many patients report no symptomatic relief from conventional treatments and some even experience an exacerbation of symptoms.

Now, with the Stem Cell Lift developed by Dr. Newman, there is hope for these patients for not only relief of their symptoms, but also to help prevent disease progression. Dr. Newman, a well-known pioneer in stem cell therapy, developed his proprietary Stem Cell Lift over 16 years ago for post-cancer reconstruction, wound healing and the innovative, natural, scar-free, knife-free rejuvenating face lift. During this procedure, fat is removed from your own body and the stem cells found in this fat are concentrated and injected back into the treatment area. Stem cells are specialized cells that are genetically programmed to help repair, restore and replenish damaged cells and tissues in our body. Through my experience and knowledge of stem cell therapy, explains Dr. Newman, I knew that stem cells have been able to positively affect the immune response and put other auto-immune diseases in remission.

He applied his knowledge of stem cell therapy to treating patients suffering from LS with the Stem Cell Lift and is finding success in helping to alleviate the symptoms of Lichen Sclerosus. In fact, the first patient he treated for LS with the Stem Cell Lift has been in remission for almost four years.

Anna, a 56-year-old woman diagnosed two years ago with LS says, The fusing, burning and tearing were so painful, I couldnt sit down. Topical steroids were not providing her relief from her painful symptoms. After her first Stem Cell Lift treatment, Anna is thrilled to report she is experiencing 91-100% relief from her debilitating symptoms. ANNA VIDEO

To date, I have treated more than 150 patients with Lichen Sclerosus with the Stem Cell Lift, states Dr. Newman. Remarkably, 25% of these patients are in complete remission; meaning they have no symptoms and no disease progression. Most describe significant improvement in symptoms, are no longer using any topical steroids and do not have any anatomical changes. Patients report they can resume their normal activities, such as exercising, wearing jeans or underwear and are able to have intercourse without discomfort.

He adds, My staff and I are in constant contact with our Lichen Sclerosus patients to monitor their progress and to study the effectiveness of the Stem Cell Lift. Although all of his patients have reported significant overall improvement in their symptoms, most patients require 2-3 treatments to achieve optimal benefits. Dr. Newman continues, The Stem Cell Lift is showing very promising results in bringing relief to Lichen Sclerosus sufferers. Our hope is it will continue to result in remission of LS.

After discovering how little information is available to those who suffer from LS, Dr. Newman is dedicated to raising more awareness about it and is determined to help those suffering from this horrible disease. To achieve this personal mission, he is launching a campaign called #LS HOPE: Helping Open Peoples Eyes to Lichen Sclerosus in May 2017. His dream is to create an annual LS HOPE month every May.

For more information on Dr. Nathan Newman and his treatment of Lichen Sclerosus, please visit his website http://stem-cell-lift.com/ and LS link http://stem-cell-lift.com/lichen-sclerosus/ that includes videos of patient testimonials. Dr. Newman is located at 9301 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA and can be reached at 310-273-3344.

Links to patient testimonials TRACI VIDEO LAURIE VIDEO

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Dr. Nathan Newman's Stem Cell Lift Helps Women Get Their Sex Life Back! - Business Wire (press release)

Lucknow: In what may come as a relief to over 1 lakh patients of thalassemia in India, a public sector stem cell bank is set to come up at UP's King George's Medical University here. A project of the university's transfusion medicine department, the stem cell bank would roll out stem cell therapy to patients of thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia. The proposal is awaiting clearance from state department of medical education.

Stem cells are omnipotent and can take shape of any cell inside the body. If infused in the pancreas, stem cells will become pancreatic while in the liver, they will become liver cells.

These are found in human bone marrow and can be derived from the umbilical cord which contains blood vessels that connect baby in the womb to the mother to ingest nutrition required for development.

Research on the therapeutic use of stem cells is underway in US, Europe, China, South East Asia besides India. In UP, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) and KGMU are both trying to explore the potential of stem cells to treat various health problems. SGPGI has, so far, restricted itself to use of allogenic (stem cells derived from bone marrow of a person), while KGMU has used stem cells derived from the umbilical cord.

Head of transfusion medicine department of KGMU, Prof Tulika Chandra said, "Several private sector stem cell banks like Life Cell and Cord Life India are operating in India but they serve only those who have deposited the baby's cord, while our bank will help everyone."

KGMU has sustained access to umbilical cord because of a very developed obstetrics and gynaecology department. The cord is gathered from the placenta in the uterus of pregnant women which nourishes and maintains the baby through the umbilical cord.

Sources in medical education department said the proposal is worth Rs 9 crore including infrastructure cost. "Stem cell bank promises to become financially self-sustaining within 2-3 years of inception," said a directorate officer.

Talking about why children with thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia were chosen, Chandra said, "Global literature shows umbilical cord stem cells can induce extraordinary results on such children. In fact, success rate is around 70-75% and higher score can be achieved if therapy is provided at an earlier age."

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First public sector stem cell bank to come up at KGMU - Times of India