StemCell Therapy

Details Last Updated: March 04 2011 March 04 2011 Hits: 14479 14479

In February 2010, I met with one of my doctors to determine what path to take next. In that appointment, it was suggested that we had gotten the majority of the benefit I would get from further antimicrobial or detoxification therapies. It wasn't that I wouldn't continue to need to address both infections and toxicity on an ongoing basis, but we seemed to be in "maintenance mode" with these aspects of my condition. I had done quite a bit of work on the emotional aspects of illness along the way as well. So, what next?

It was suggested to me that it was time to look for ways to reverse the 14 years of damage that had taken place as a result of having had Lyme disease; untreated for almost 9 years before it was diagnosed. In looking at regenerative therapies, stem cell therapy is one of the emerging options that appears to be quite promising. So, over the next several months, I started to do research on the various options.

Stem Cell Therapy Options

The first option was embryonic stem cell therapy in India. I had at least half a dozen friends that had already gone to India for therapy and the results were quite impressive overall. It was not a miracle for all of them, but it was probably the closest thing to a miracle I had seen from any one intervention. However, I never seriously considered this option as it would have required several months away from work which wasn't a viable arrangement for me at the time. For those that are interested in the India option, one of the best sources of information is available here.

The second option that I considered was autologous stem cell therapy which is available in the United States. This is a procedure where your own stem cells are obtained via a blood draw, activated, and then reintroduced into your body. One benefit is that they are your own cells so they should in theory not provoke any kind of a negative immune response. At the time I started my research, I only knew of one clinic doing this work with Lyme disease patients, and it was far too early for me to feel ready to take the leap. I knew a few people that were doing the therapy with unclear results so I crossed this option off the list. (Interestingly, I'm more open to it now and will discuss that later.)

The third option that I was aware of was umbilical stem cell therapy in Panama. The Stem Cell Institute was the same clinic where Dr. Paul Cheney had been sending his CFS patients with reportedly good results. The stem cells are taken from donated umbilical cords of healthy babies born in Panama or Costa Rica. About this time, I met a lady that had already gone once prior and had very promising results. She was a CFS patient but also had Lyme and related tick-borne infections.

I asked several different doctors for their thoughts on the Panama option and other than cost/potential benefit ratio, I got very positive feedback, including from one doctor that had personally toured the Costa Rican facility that had previously been run by the same company. So, after months of researching and weighing the options, I decided to proceed with umbilical stem cell therapy in Panama.

The Trip

In late August 2010, I went to Panama to have stem cell therapy. I decided at the time that I wasn't ready to talk about it publicly and that I needed to have my own experience with the millions of new friends that would soon be running around within me. I also felt like I didn't really have anything to say early on in the process and honestly, I'm still forming my opinion on the benefits of the stem cell therapy.

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Panama Stem Cell Therapy - BetterHealthGuy.com

COMPARE CORD BLOOD BANKS

Choosing the right stem cell bank for your family is rarely a quick decision. But when you review the facts, you may find it much easier than you expected. Keep Reading >

1. The collection of cord blood can only take place at the time of delivery, and advanced arrangements must be made.

Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord immediately after a babys birth, but generally before the placenta has been delivered. The moment of delivery is the only opportunity to harvest a newborns stem cells.

2. There is no risk and no pain for the mother or the baby.

The cord blood is taken from the cord once it has been clamped and cut. Collection is safe for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. 3. The body often accepts cord blood stem cells better than those from bone marrow.

Cord blood stem cells have a high rate of engraftment, are more tolerant of HLA mismatches, result in a reduced rate of graft-versus-host disease, and are rarely contaminated with latent viruses.

4. Banked cord blood is readily accessible, and there when you need it.

Matched stem cells, which are necessary for transplant, are difficult to obtain due to strict matching requirements. If your childs cord blood is banked, no time is wasted in the search and matching process required when a transplant is needed. 5. Cells taken from your newborn are collected just once, and last for his or her lifetime.

For example, in the event your child contracts a disease, which must be treated with chemotherapy or radiation, there is a probability of a negative impact on the immune system. While an autologous (self) transplant may not be appropriate for every disease, there could be a benefit in using the preserved stem cells to bolster and repopulate your childs blood and immune system as a result of complications from other treatments.

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Stem Cell Research - Stem Cell Treatments - Treatments ...

Inbred redirects here. For the 2011 British film, see Inbred (film).

Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically, in contrast to outcrossing, which refers to mating unrelated individuals.[1] By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and other consequences that may arise from incestuous sexual relationships and consanguinity.

Inbreeding results in homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits.[2] This generally leads to a decreased biological fitness of a population[3][4] (called inbreeding depression), which is its ability to survive and reproduce. An individual who inherits such deleterious traits is referred to as inbred. The avoidance of such deleterious recessive alleles caused by inbreeding, via inbreeding avoidance mechanisms, is the main selective reason for outcrossing.[5][6] Crossbreeding between populations also often has positive effects on fitness-related traits.[7]

Inbreeding is a technique used in selective breeding. In livestock breeding, breeders may use inbreeding when, for example, trying to establish a new and desirable trait in the stock, but will need to watch for undesirable characteristics in offspring, which can then be eliminated through further selective breeding or culling. Inbreeding is used to reveal deleterious recessive alleles, which can then be eliminated through assortative breeding or through culling. In plant breeding, inbred lines are used as stocks for the creation of hybrid lines to make use of the effects of heterosis. Inbreeding in plants also occurs naturally in the form of self-pollination.

Offspring of biologically related persons are subject to the possible impact of inbreeding, such as congenital birth defects. The chances of such disorders is increased the closer the relationship of the biological parents. (See coefficient of inbreeding.) This is because such pairings increase the proportion of homozygous zygotes in the offspring, in particular deleterious recessive alleles, which produce such disorders.[8] (See inbreeding depression.) Because most recessive alleles are rare in populations, it is unlikely that two unrelated marriage partners will both be carriers of the alleles. However, because close relatives share a large fraction of their alleles, the probability that any such deleterious allele is inherited from the common ancestor through both parents is increased dramatically. Contrary to common belief, inbreeding does not in itself alter allele frequencies, but rather increases the relative proportion of homozygotes to heterozygotes. However, because the increased proportion of deleterious homozygotes exposes the allele to natural selection, in the long run its frequency decreases more rapidly in inbred population. In the short term, incestuous reproduction is expected to produce increases in spontaneous abortions of zygotes, perinatal deaths, and postnatal offspring with birth defects.[9] The advantages of inbreeding may be the result of a tendency to preserve the structures of alleles interacting at different loci that have been adapted together by a common selective history.[10]

Malformations or harmful traits can stay within a population due to a high homozygosity rate and it will cause a population to become fixed for certain traits, like having too many bones in an area, like the vertebral column in wolves on Isle Royale or having cranial abnormalities in Northern elephant seals, where their cranial bone length in the lower mandibular tooth row has changed. Having a high homozygosity rate is bad for a population because it will unmask recessive deleterious alleles generated by mutations, reduce heterozygote advantage, and it is detrimental to the survival of small, endangered animal populations.[11] When there are deleterious recessive alleles in a population it can cause inbreeding depression. The authors think that it is possible that the severity of inbreeding depression can be diminished if natural selection can purge such alleles from populations during inbreeding.[12] If inbreeding depression can be diminished by natural selection than some traits, harmful or not, can be reduced and change the future outlook on a small, endangered populations.

There may also be other deleterious effects besides those caused by recessive diseases. Thus, similar immune systems may be more vulnerable to infectious diseases (see Major histocompatibility complex and sexual selection).[13]

Inbreeding history of the population should also be considered when discussing the variation in the severity of inbreeding depression between and within species. With persistent inbreeding, there is evidence that shows inbreeding depression becoming less severe. This is associated with the unmasking and eliminating of severely deleterious recessive alleles. It is not likely, though, that eliminating can be so complete that inbreeding depression is only a temporary phenomenon. Eliminating slightly deleterious mutations through inbreeding under moderate selection is not as effective. Fixation of alleles most likely occurs through Mullers Ratchet, when an asexual populations genomes accumulate deleterious mutations that are irreversible.[14]

Autosomal recessive disorders occur in individuals who have two copies of the gene for a particular recessive genetic mutation.[15] Except in certain rare circumstances, such as new mutations or uniparental disomy, both parents of an individual with such a disorder will be carriers of the gene. These carriers do not display any signs of the mutation and may be unaware that they carry the mutated gene. Since relatives share a higher proportion of their genes than do unrelated people, it is more likely that related parents will both be carriers of the same recessive gene, and therefore their children are at a higher risk of a genetic disorder. The extent to which the risk increases depends on the degree of genetic relationship between the parents: The risk is greater when the parents are close relatives and lower for relationships between more distant relatives, such as second cousins, though still greater than for the general population.[16] A study has provided the evidence for inbreeding depression on cognitive abilities among children, with high frequency of mental retardation among offspring in proportion to their increasing inbreeding coefficients.[17]

Children of parent-child or sibling-sibling unions are at increased risk compared to cousin-cousin unions.[18]

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Stem Cells Therapy

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute is developing new therapies to repair kidney damage, reducing the need for dialysis and transplantation.

Diabetes is a corrosive illness. The imbalance of blood sugar causes small changes in the body that slowly lead to blurry vision, skin rashes, and damaged nerves. In serious cases, diabetes wears away the path of blood to the kidneys, causing eventual organ failure. In fact, half of all kidney failures in the United States are caused by diabetes. For the majority of patients who end up on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, a diagnosis of kidney failure means a choice between dialysis and certain death.

Dialysis costs both time and money. Most patients must drive to a dialysis center three times per week to be hooked up to a machine for four hours per session. The annual costs for this treatment are about $80,000 per patient and rising. The total amount of private and public funds spent on the procedure will soon reach $50 billion per year. A single kidney transplant is equivalent in cost to about two-and-a-half years of dialysis, but it usually takes three years to find an available donor match.

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Kidney Group has short, medium, and long-term strategies to develop new therapies for diabetes-related kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy). This multi-pronged approach aims to capitalize on promising translational achievements in the near future, while pursing potential drugs and the ultimate goal of creating an entirely artificial kidney using stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells are the bodys natural defense against kidney damage. Found in the bone marrow, these stem cells protect the kidneys from injury and accelerate healing. Harvard Stem Cell Institute scientists have identified protein candidates secreted from mesenchymal stem cells that may be administered independently to aid in kidney repair. In another approach, mesenchymal stem cells are being incorporated into miniature dialysis machines that expose the patients blood to these cells, allowing pro-repair proteins to be delivered directly to the kidneys.

Having identified the kidney cell types that are most susceptible to injury during diabetes, the HSCI Kidney Group now plans to target them with new drugs. In order to screen for potential drug targets, researchers must first identify genes that change in diabetic kidney cells, and then identify compounds that slow or stop the destructive gene expression. A drug for disease-related kidney damage has the potential to eliminate the need for dialysis.

The project with the greatest potential impact on diabetes patients is HSCIs large, multi-disciplinary effort to create an artificial kidney using stem cells and nanotechnology.

The functional unit of the kidney is a nephron a long tube that filters blood at one end and then turns that filtrate into urine. HSCI scientists plan to isolate kidney stem cells, mix them with soluble gels, and mold them into the architecture of a nephron. Scientists have already successfully created an artificial rat kidney that produces urine once transplanted into the animal, making artificial organ transplantation a highly possible reality for humans.

HSCI Kidney Program Leader Benjamin Humphreys, MD, PhD, at Brigham and Women's Hospital answers patient frequently asked questions about kidney disease and stem cells.

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Kidney Disease | Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI)

About the kidney

The kidneys are towards the back of the body, roughly 10 cm above the hipbones and just below the ribcage. They are the bodys filtering units, maintaining a safe balance of fluid, minerals, salts and other substances in the blood. They produce urine to remove waste and harmful substances from the body. They also produce several hormones: erythropoietin (EPO), which acts on the bone marrow to increase the production of red blood cells; calcitriol (active Vitamin D3), which promotes absorption and use of calcium and phosphate for healthy bones and teeth; and the enzyme renin, which is involved in monitoring and controlling blood pressure.

The key working component of the kidney is the nephron.

The nephron - the functional unit of the kidney: The best evidence so far for stem cells in the adult kidney suggests they might be found in the blue area, called the urinary pole. Some studies have also suggested stem cells may be found in the parts of the nephron marked in green.

The nephron is made up of:

Kidney diseases usually involve damage to the nephrons and can be acute or chronic. In acute kidney disease there is a sudden drop in kidney function. It is usually caused by loss of large amounts of blood or an accident and is often short lived, though it can occasionally lead to lasting kidney damage. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined as loss of a third or more of kidney function for at least three months. In CKD kidney function worsens over a number of years and the problem often goes undetected for many years because its effects are relatively mild. Some of the symptoms associated with CKD are: headache, fatigue, high blood pressure, itching, fluid retention, shortness of breath.

However, kidney disease can lead to kidney failure (less than 10% kidney function). Once this happens, patients need dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive. The risk of developing CKD is increased by old age, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and smoking. At least 8% of the European population (40 million individuals) currently has a degree of CKD, putting them at risk of developing kidney failure. This figure is increasing every year and there are not enough organ donors to provide transplants for so many patients. This makes the development of new therapeutic options for treating CKD increasingly important.

Scientists are still debating whether kidney stem cells exist in the adult body and if so, where they are found and how they can be identified. Cells found in a number of places within the nephrons have been proposed as candidates for kidney stem cells. The most convincing evidence for the existence of such stem cells is the discovery of a group of cells at the urinary pole of the Bowmans capsule of the nephron (marked in blue in the diagram above). These cells have some of the key features of stem cells and researchers have shown them to be responsible for production of podocytes specialised cells involved in the filtration work of the nephron and that need to be replaced continuously throughout our lifetime. Studies also suggest that these same proposed stem cells might be able to generate a second type of specialised cell found in the nephron lining, called proximal tubular epithelial cells. Other suggested locations for kidney stem cells include certain places in the tubules (marked green in the diagram). As well as kidney stem cells, cells with some of the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells have very recently been isolated from the kidney.

A number of different types of cells from the bone marrow have been tested in animals and in clinical studies for potential use in kidney disease. Amongst all the cells under investigation, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown the most promising results to date. Studies suggest that MSCs may be able to enhance the intrinsic ability of the kidney to repair itself.

MSCs of the bone marrow can differentiate to produce specialised bone, fat and cartilage cells. Researchers investigating the therapeutic effects of these MSCs within the kidney have suggested these cells may release proteins that can help kidney cells to grow, inhibit cell death and that could encourage the kidneys own stem cells to repair kidney damage. Further research is needed to establish whether these ideas are correct and if so, how this could lead to a treatment for patients.

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Kidney disease: how could stem cells help? | Europe's stem ...

March is National Kidney Month. This month medical professionals and healthcare organizations are taking the time out to raise awareness of kidney disease in order to help prevent kidney disease and to assist in the early detection of the disease.

Did you know that diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure? Here we take a look at how diabetes can lead to kidney failure and how stem cell therapy can be used to treat type 2 diabetes and kidney failure.

Diabetes And Kidney Failure

The process our bodies use to digest protein results in waste products, which are filtered out by our kidneys and taken from our body in the form of urine. The filters in the blood vessels of our kidneys are too small to take out useful substances like protein and red blood cells and are designed only to filter out waste products.

When a person has type one or type two diabetes, this waste system can be impaired. High blood glucose levels can put a strain on the kidneys filtering system and, after years of stress, the kidneys can start to leak, allowing larger cells, such as protein, to be lost in urine. The process of losing small amounts of protein in the urine is known as microalbuminuria and occurs without any symptoms.

Over time, the kidneys start to lose functionality and waste products can build up in the blood. Eventually, if left untreated, this will lead to kidney failure. This is why diabetics need regular check-ups to check their urine doesnt contain protein and their blood is being filtered properly.

Preventing Diabetes Induced Kidney Disease

People with diabetes wont definitely get kidney disease; there are things you can control to help reduce your risks of developing kidney failure. These include regular check-ups, keeping blood glucose levels within target range, taking medication correctly, reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, becoming more physically active and limiting alcohol intake.

Stem Cell Therapy For Type 2 Diabetes

Stem cells work by reacting to chemicals that are released by cells and tissues in distress. When the distress signal is sent out by a tissue, the body creates more stem cells, which track the signal and go to that site, replicating the cells of the area and replacing damaged cells. In chronic disease and injury, the body is unable to produce enough stem cells to repair all of the damage. This is the case with diabetes, a progressive condition that, if uncontrolled, can have serious health effects.

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All About.. Diabetes, Kidney Disease and Stem Cell ...

By Dr. Becker

Sadly, studies show that about half of all pet cats over the age of 10 suffer from chronic kidney disease. Once the condition is full-blown, it is irreversible and can be difficult to manage. Treatment is strictly supportive and typically involves trying to slow the progression of the disease through dietary changes, fluid injections, and other therapies.

In recent years, researchers at Colorado State University have been investigating a novel therapy for its potential to help cats with kidney failure.

Veterinarians at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University have been studying stem-cell therapy as a potential treatment option for kitties with chronic kidney disease, and have recently embarked on their fifth clinical trial.

After a pilot study conducted last year, the team concluded that stem-cell therapy did show promise as a treatment option. And according to the researchers, additional studies have shown that stem-cell therapy can reduce inflammation, support regeneration of damaged cells, slow the loss of protein through urine, and improve kidney function.

According to Dr. Jessica Quimby, a veterinarian who is leading the research project:

"In our pilot study last year, in which stem cells were injected intravenously, we found stem-cell therapy to be safe, and we saw evidence of improvement among some of the cats enrolled in the trial. In this [fifth] study, we will further explore stem-cell therapy with the new approach of injecting the cells close to the damaged organs. We hope this proximity could yield even better results."

Currently CSU researchers are conducting their fifth clinical trial to further evaluate whether stem cells are able to repair damaged kidneys. They are seeking cats with the disease to participate in the study. They are looking specifically for cats local to the CSU area, and kitties with concurrent diseases arent eligible.

This fifth trial involves injecting stem cells grown from the fat tissue of young, healthy cats (who are not harmed, according to CSU researchers) into the study cats in the area around the kidney called the retroperitoneal space. The kitties receiving the stem cells are given a mild, fast-acting sedative that is reversed after the procedure.

Diagnostic tests including a complete blood count, blood biochemistry, urinalysis, and urine protein-creatinine ratio will be performed immediately before the injection, two weeks post-injection, and again a month after injection. A test called a glomerular filtration rate will also be performed on each kitty at the beginning and end of the study to evaluate kidney function. This test also requires use of a mild sedative.

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Can Stem-Cell Therapy Treat Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats?

I. Introduction

Total United States expenditure on end-stage renal disease (ESRD1) therapy topped $25 billion in 2002, an increase of 11.5% on the previous year (U.S. Renal Data System, 2004), representative of a trend extending back to the early 1970s and projected to continue into the foreseeable future (Lysaght, 2002). This reflects not only a steady increase in patient numbers (431,284 on December 31, 2002, up 4.6% from 2001) (U.S. Renal Data System, 2004) but also rising costs of treatment and extended therapy periods as survival rates improve. Morbidity and mortality rates associated with maintenance dialysis, however, remain high, with a dialysis patient in their early 20s having the same expected remaining lifespan as a 70-year-old in the general population (U.S. Renal Data System, 2004). Outcomes are considerably improved following transplantationa transplant patient in their early 20s can expect to survive as many years as a member of the general population in their early 40sbut organ supply lags far behind demand, with only around one-quarter of the extant ESRD population having benefited from a transplant (U.S. Renal Data System, 2004).

The statistics for patients suffering from acute renal failure (ARF) are even worse. Affecting up to 200,000 people in the United States annually, or approximately 5% of all long-term hospital patients, the current mortality rate of around 50% has remained unchanged since the advent of dialysis 30 to 40 years ago (Thadhani et al., 1996; Lieberthal and Nigam, 2000; Nigam and Lieberthal, 2000). ARF develops predominantly due to the injury and necrosis of renal proximal tubule cells (RPTCs) as a result of ischemic or toxic insult (Lieberthal and Nigam, 1998). The cause of death subsequent to ARF is generally the development of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, frequently secondary to bacterial infection or sepsis, resulting in cardiovascular collapse and ischemic damage to vital organs, culminating in multiple organ failure (Breen and Bihari, 1998).

There is growing recognition that the disease state arising from renal failure is the result of more than just the loss of blood volume regulation, small solute, and toxin clearance that are replaced by conventional dialysis therapy (Humes, 2000). The kidney's role in reclamation of metabolic substrates, synthesis of glutathione, and free-radical scavenging enzymes, gluconeogenesis, ammoniagenesis, catabolism of peptide hormones and growth factors, and the production and regulation of multiple cytokines critical to inflammation and immunological regulation are not addressed by current treatment modalities (Kida et al., 1978; Tannen and Sastrasinh, 1984; Deneke and Fanburg, 1989; Maak, 1992; Frank et al., 1993; Stadnyk, 1994).

Thus, there is considerable drive to develop improved therapies for renal failure with the capacity to replace a wider range of the kidney's functions, thereby reducing morbidity, mortality, and the overall economic impact associated with this condition. Such an ambition lies beyond the reach of conventional medicine, with its mainly monofactorial approach to the treatment of disease. Into this breach steps the nascent and expanding field of cell therapy, which offers the promise of harnessing the native abilities of the cell, endowed to it by a billion years of evolution (Humes, 2003).

Cell therapy, as a blanket term covering the disciplines of regenerative medicine, tissue, and bioengineering, is dependent on cell and tissue culture methodologies to expand specific cells to replace important differentiated functions lost or deranged in various disease states. Central to the successful development of cell-based therapeutics is the question of cell sourcing, and advances in stem cell research have a vital impact on this problem.

Stem cell is itself a blanket term that covers a number of separate entities, although, as discussed below, there is at present a great deal of speculation over the extent to which stem cell populations traditionally considered distinct may in fact be interchangeable. As an in-depth treatment of the biology of stem cells and their relationship to more general aspects of regenerative medicine lies outwith the scope of this paper; the reader is directed to several recent reviews (Alison et al., 2002; Rosenthal, 2003; Grove et al., 2004; Rippon and Bishop, 2004).

Briefly, stem cells are characterized by their capacity for self-renewal and ability to differentiate into specialized cell types. Levels of competence form the basis of their classification as totipotent (giving rise to all three embryonic germ layers as well as extraembryonic tissues), pluripotent (able to contribute to all three germ layers of the embryo), and multipotent (with the potential to differentiate into multiple cell types, but not derivatives of all three germ layers). Progenitor cells are more lineage-restricted than stem cells but retain the proliferative capacity lacking in terminally differentiated cells.

ES cells, pluripotent derivatives of the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, are the most primitive cell type likely to find application in cell therapy. Their potential to generate any given cell type of the embryo makes them in some ways the most attractive stem cell for cell therapy but also the one with the greatest challenges to surmount in the laboratory. The political and ethical questions that surround the use of human ES cells have added a further layer of complexity to research aimed at bringing their potential benefits into the clinical arena (Daley, 2003; de Wert and Mummery, 2003; Drazen, 2003; Phimister and Drazen, 2004). These factors have combined to intensify the focus on multipotent adult stem cells such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and neural stem cells as sources for cell-based therapeutics.

In this review, we consider several potential cell-based therapies for renal failure that are currently under development and which provide a route, direct or indirect, for the application of stem cell technology. The direct route is exemplified by simple administration of stem cells to the diseased or injured organ and relies on their inherent capabilities for differentiation, organization, and integration into existing tissues to restore function. Indirect routes include the bio- and tissue-engineering approaches, which are based on in vitro differentiation of stem cells and the organization of their derivatives within matrices or in association with biomaterials to augment or replace function following implantation or as part of an extracorporeal circuit.

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Stem Cell Approaches for the Treatment of Renal Failure

StemSave stem cell banking offers you and your family a unique stem cell recovery and cryopreservation service, in the event of future injury or disease.

Stem cells are unique because they drive the natural healing process throughout your life. Stem cells are different from other cells in the body because they regenerate and produce specialized cell types. They heal and restore skin, bones, cartilage, muscles, nerves and other tissues when injured. There are two main types of stem cells: adult stem cells, such as those found in bone marrow and teeth (see Stem Cells in Teeth),and embryonic stem cells (see Other Stem Cells).

Today, medical researchers are learning how to control stem cells and direct their growth into specialized cells, including: blood, skin, bone, cartilage, teeth, muscle and nerves.

As a result, amazing new medical treatments are being developed to treat a range of diseases contemporary medicine currently deems difficult or impossible to treat. Among them are:

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The Restorative Properties of Stem Cells and the Diseases ...

Hi,

You will recall that my wife, Lizzie, and I came to you in January 2013 for treatment to my knees.

Ive been meaning to write to you for some time to update you on progress with my knees. I can honestly say that I believe the procedure was a success. Obviously, Im not back to the marathon running I did when I was a teenager, but my knees are much improved. Previously, they would swell up every one or two years, and I would have to go for an arthroscopy. Since coming to you 18 months ago, I have had very little trouble. Any slight swelling after vigorous exercise disappears within a day or so, and I am able to undertake quite strenuous walks without any problem. For example, yesterday I walked about 10 kilometres up a mountain and down the other side very hard climbing and today I have no ill-effects at all.

So I am delighted with the results, and would gladly recommend you to anyone considering stem cell therapy.

Best wishes,

Tony Bayliss UK

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Enriched Hematopoietic Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapies

The tooth is nature's 'safe' for your family's unique stem cells

While stem cells can be found in most tissues of the body, they are usually buried deep, are few in number and are similar in appearance to surrounding cells. With the discovery of stem cells in teeth, an accessible and available source of stem cells has been identified.

The tooth is nature's "safe" for these valuable stem cells, and there is an abundance of these cells in baby teeth, wisdom teeth and permanent teeth - Tooth Eligibility Criteria. The stem cells contained within teeth are capable of replicating themselves and can be readily recovered at the time of a planned dental procedure.

Living stem cells found within extracted teeth were routinely discarded every day, but now, with the knowledge from recent medical research, StemSave gives you the opportunity to save these cells for future use in developing medical treatments for your family.

Aside from being the most convenient stem cells to access, dental stem cells have significant medical benefits in the development of new medical therapies. Using one's own stem cells for medical treatment means a much lower risk of rejection by the body and decreases the need for powerful drugs that weaken the immune system, both of which are negative but typical realities that come into play when tissues or cells from a donor are used to treat patients.

Further, the stem cells from teeth have been observed in research studies to be among the most powerful stem cells in the human body. Stem cells from teeth replicate at a faster rate and for a longer period of time than do stem cells harvested from other tissues of the body.

Stem cells in the human body age over time and their regenerative abilities slow down later in life. The earlier in life that your family's stem cells are secured, the more valuable they will be when they are needed most.

.

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Using Stem Cells in Teeth for Future Use in Developing ...

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood. It may be autologous (the patient's own stem cells are used) or allogeneic (the stem cells come from a donor). It is a medical procedure in the field of hematology, most often performed for patients with certain cancers of the blood or bone marrow, such as multiple myeloma or leukemia. In these cases, the recipient's immune system is usually destroyed with radiation or chemotherapy before the transplantation. Infection and graft-versus-host disease are major complications of allogeneic HSCT.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains a dangerous procedure with many possible complications; it is reserved for patients with life-threatening diseases. As the survival of the procedure increases, its use has expanded beyond cancer, such as autoimmune diseases.[1][2]

Indications for stem cell transplantation are as follows:

Many recipients of HSCTs are multiple myeloma[3] or leukemia patients[4] who would not benefit from prolonged treatment with, or are already resistant to, chemotherapy. Candidates for HSCTs include pediatric cases where the patient has an inborn defect such as severe combined immunodeficiency or congenital neutropenia with defective stem cells, and also children or adults with aplastic anemia[5] who have lost their stem cells after birth. Other conditions[6] treated with stem cell transplants include sickle-cell disease, myelodysplastic syndrome, neuroblastoma, lymphoma, Ewing's sarcoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumor, chronic granulomatous disease and Hodgkin's disease. More recently non-myeloablative, "mini transplantmicrotransplantation)," procedures have been developed that require smaller doses of preparative chemo and radiation. This has allowed HSCT to be conducted in the elderly and other patients who would otherwise be considered too weak to withstand a conventional treatment regimen.

A total of 50,417 first hematopoietic stem cell transplants were reported as taking place worldwide in 2006, according to a global survey of 1327 centers in 71 countries conducted by the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Of these, 28,901 (57%) were autologous and 21,516 (43%) were allogeneic (11,928 from family donors and 9,588 from unrelated donors). The main indications for transplant were lymphoproliferative disorders (54.5%) and leukemias (33.8%), and the majority took place in either Europe (48%) or the Americas (36%).[7] In 2009, according to the World Marrow Donor Association, stem cell products provided for unrelated transplantation worldwide had increased to 15,399 (3,445 bone marrow donations, 8,162 peripheral blood stem cell donations, and 3,792 cord blood units).[8]

Autologous HSCT requires the extraction (apheresis) of haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) from the patient and storage of the harvested cells in a freezer. The patient is then treated with high-dose chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy with the intention of eradicating the patient's malignant cell population at the cost of partial or complete bone marrow ablation (destruction of patient's bone marrow function to grow new blood cells). The patient's own stored stem cells are then transfused into his/her bloodstream, where they replace destroyed tissue and resume the patient's normal blood cell production. Autologous transplants have the advantage of lower risk of infection during the immune-compromised portion of the treatment since the recovery of immune function is rapid. Also, the incidence of patients experiencing rejection (graft-versus-host disease) is very rare due to the donor and recipient being the same individual. These advantages have established autologous HSCT as one of the standard second-line treatments for such diseases as lymphoma.[9]

However, for others cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia, the reduced mortality of the autogenous relative to allogeneic HSCT may be outweighed by an increased likelihood of cancer relapse and related mortality, and therefore the allogeneic treatment may be preferred for those conditions.[10] Researchers have conducted small studies using non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as a possible treatment for type I (insulin dependent) diabetes in children and adults. Results have been promising; however, as of 2009[update] it was premature to speculate whether these experiments will lead to effective treatments for diabetes.[11]

Allogeneics HSCT involves two people: the (healthy) donor and the (patient) recipient. Allogeneic HSC donors must have a tissue (HLA) type that matches the recipient. Matching is performed on the basis of variability at three or more loci of the HLA gene, and a perfect match at these loci is preferred. Even if there is a good match at these critical alleles, the recipient will require immunosuppressive medications to mitigate graft-versus-host disease. Allogeneic transplant donors may be related (usually a closely HLA matched sibling), syngeneic (a monozygotic or 'identical' twin of the patient - necessarily extremely rare since few patients have an identical twin, but offering a source of perfectly HLA matched stem cells) or unrelated (donor who is not related and found to have very close degree of HLA matching). Unrelated donors may be found through a registry of bone marrow donors such as the National Marrow Donor Program. People who would like to be tested for a specific family member or friend without joining any of the bone marrow registry data banks may contact a private HLA testing laboratory and be tested with a mouth swab to see if they are a potential match.[12] A "savior sibling" may be intentionally selected by preimplantation genetic diagnosis in order to match a child both regarding HLA type and being free of any obvious inheritable disorder. Allogeneic transplants are also performed using umbilical cord blood as the source of stem cells. In general, by transfusing healthy stem cells to the recipient's bloodstream to reform a healthy immune system, allogeneic HSCTs appear to improve chances for cure or long-term remission once the immediate transplant-related complications are resolved.[13][14][15]

A compatible donor is found by doing additional HLA-testing from the blood of potential donors. The HLA genes fall in two categories (Type I and Type II). In general, mismatches of the Type-I genes (i.e. HLA-A, HLA-B, or HLA-C) increase the risk of graft rejection. A mismatch of an HLA Type II gene (i.e. HLA-DR, or HLA-DQB1) increases the risk of graft-versus-host disease. In addition a genetic mismatch as small as a single DNA base pair is significant so perfect matches require knowledge of the exact DNA sequence of these genes for both donor and recipient. Leading transplant centers currently perform testing for all five of these HLA genes before declaring that a donor and recipient are HLA-identical.

Race and ethnicity are known to play a major role in donor recruitment drives, as members of the same ethnic group are more likely to have matching genes, including the genes for HLA.[16]

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knowledge center home stem cell research all about stem cells what are stem cells?

Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types. Commonly, stem cells come from two main sources:

Both types are generally characterized by their potency, or potential to differentiate into different cell types (such as skin, muscle, bone, etc.).

Adult or somatic stem cells exist throughout the body after embryonic development and are found inside of different types of tissue. These stem cells have been found in tissues such as the brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin, and the liver. They remain in a quiescent or non-dividing state for years until activated by disease or tissue injury.

Adult stem cells can divide or self-renew indefinitely, enabling them to generate a range of cell types from the originating organ or even regenerate the entire original organ. It is generally thought that adult stem cells are limited in their ability to differentiate based on their tissue of origin, but there is some evidence to suggest that they can differentiate to become other cell types.

Embryonic stem cells are derived from a four- or five-day-old human embryo that is in the blastocyst phase of development. The embryos are usually extras that have been created in IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinics where several eggs are fertilized in a test tube, but only one is implanted into a woman.

Sexual reproduction begins when a male's sperm fertilizes a female's ovum (egg) to form a single cell called a zygote. The single zygote cell then begins a series of divisions, forming 2, 4, 8, 16 cells, etc. After four to six days - before implantation in the uterus - this mass of cells is called a blastocyst. The blastocyst consists of an inner cell mass (embryoblast) and an outer cell mass (trophoblast). The outer cell mass becomes part of the placenta, and the inner cell mass is the group of cells that will differentiate to become all the structures of an adult organism. This latter mass is the source of embryonic stem cells - totipotent cells (cells with total potential to develop into any cell in the body).

In a normal pregnancy, the blastocyst stage continues until implantation of the embryo in the uterus, at which point the embryo is referred to as a fetus. This usually occurs by the end of the 10th week of gestation after all major organs of the body have been created.

However, when extracting embryonic stem cells, the blastocyst stage signals when to isolate stem cells by placing the "inner cell mass" of the blastocyst into a culture dish containing a nutrient-rich broth. Lacking the necessary stimulation to differentiate, they begin to divide and replicate while maintaining their ability to become any cell type in the human body. Eventually, these undifferentiated cells can be stimulated to create specialized cells.

Stem cells are either extracted from adult tissue or from a dividing zygote in a culture dish. Once extracted, scientists place the cells in a controlled culture that prohibits them from further specializing or differentiating but usually allows them to divide and replicate. The process of growing large numbers of embryonic stem cells has been easier than growing large numbers of adult stem cells, but progress is being made for both cell types.

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Home Complications or Side Effects of Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Categories: Cancer Treatment Overview

The nature and severity of the side effects from high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation are directly related to the type of high-dose chemotherapy treatment regimen used and are further influenced by the condition and age of the patient. The safety of autologous transplant has improved a great deal thanks to advancements in supportive care to manage the many potential side effects. While high doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy can potentially affect any of the bodys normal cells or organs, the more common side effects are well described and include the following:

High-dose chemotherapy directly destroys the bone marrows ability to produce white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Patients experience side effects caused by low numbers of white blood cells (neutropenia), red blood cells (anemia) and platelets (thrombocytopenia). Patients usually need blood and platelet transfusions to treat anemia and thrombocytopenia until the new graft beings producing blood cells. The duration of bone marrow suppression can be shortened by infusing an optimal number of stem cells and administering growth factors that hasten the recovery of blood cell production.

During the two to three weeks it takes the new bone marrow to grow and produce white blood cells, patients are susceptible to infection and require the administration of antibiotics to prevent bacterial and fungal infections. Bacterial infections are the most common during this initial period of neutropenia. Stem cells collected from peripheral blood tend to engraft faster than bone marrow and may reduce the risk of infection by shortening the period of neutropenia. The growth factor Neupogen (filgrastim) also increases the rate of white blood cell recovery and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use during autologous stem cell transplant.

The immune system takes even longer to recover than white blood cell production, with a resulting susceptibility to some bacterial, fungal and viral infections for weeks to months. After initial recovery from autologous stem cell transplant, patients are often required to take antibiotics for weeks to months to prevent infections from occurring. Prophylactic antibiotic administration can prevent Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and some bacterial and fungal infections. Prophylactic antibiotics can also decrease the incidence of herpes zoster infection, which commonly occurs after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant.

High-dose chemotherapy can result in damage to the liver, which can be serious and even fatal. This complication is increased in patients who have substantial amounts of previous chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, a history of liver damage or hepatitis. Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) of the liver typically occurs in the first two weeks after high-dose chemotherapy treatment. Patients typically experience symptoms of abdominal fullness or swelling, liver tenderness and weight gain from fluid retention. Development of strategies to prevent or treat VOD is an active area of clinical investigation.

High-dose chemotherapy can directly damage the cells of the lungs. This may be more frequent in patients treated with certain types of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy given prior to the transplant. This complication of transplant may occur anytime, from a few days after high-dose chemotherapy to several months after treatment. This often occurs after a patient has returned home from a transplant center and is being seen by a local oncologist.

Patients typically experience a dry non-productive cough or shortness of breath. Both patients and their doctors often misinterpret these early symptoms. Patients experiencing shortness of breath or a new cough after autologous transplant should bring this to the immediate attention of their doctor since this can be a serious and even fatal complication.

Graft failure is extremely unusual in autologous stem cell transplantation. Graft failure occurs when bone marrow function does not return. The graft may fail to grow in the patientresulting in bone marrow failurewith the absence of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelet production. This results in infection, anemia and bleeding. Graft failure may also occur in patients with extensive marrow fibrosis before transplantation, a viral illness or from the use of some drugs (such as methotrexate). In leukemia patients, graft failure often is associated with a recurrence of cancer; the leukemic cells may inhibit the growth of the transplanted cells. In some cases, the reasons for graft failure are unknown.

There are several long-term or late side effects that result from the chemotherapy and radiation therapy used in autologous stem cell transplant. The frequency and severity of these problems depends on the radiation or chemotherapy used to treat the patient. It is important to have the doctors providing your care explain the specific long-term side effects that can occur with the actual proposed treatment. Some examples of complications you should be aware of include the following:

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What are bone marrow and hematopoietic stem cells?

Bone marrow is the soft, sponge-like material found inside bones. It contains immature cells known as hematopoietic or blood-forming stem cells. (Hematopoietic stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can develop into every type of cell in the body.) Hematopoietic stem cells divide to form more blood-forming stem cells, or they mature into one of three types of blood cells: white blood cells, which fight infection; red blood cells, which carry oxygen; and platelets, which help the blood to clot. Most hematopoietic stem cells are found in the bone marrow, but some cells, called peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), are found in the bloodstream. Blood in the umbilical cord also contains hematopoietic stem cells. Cells from any of these sources can be used in transplants.

What are bone marrow transplantation and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation?

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) are procedures that restore stem cells that have been destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. There are three types of transplants:

Why are BMT and PBSCT used in cancer treatment?

One reason BMT and PBSCT are used in cancer treatment is to make it possible for patients to receive very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. To understand more about why BMT and PBSCT are used, it is helpful to understand how chemotherapy and radiation therapy work.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy generally affect cells that divide rapidly. They are used to treat cancer because cancer cells divide more often than most healthy cells. However, because bone marrow cells also divide frequently, high-dose treatments can severely damage or destroy the patients bone marrow. Without healthy bone marrow, the patient is no longer able to make the blood cells needed to carry oxygen, fight infection, and prevent bleeding. BMT and PBSCT replace stem cells destroyed by treatment. The healthy, transplanted stem cells can restore the bone marrows ability to produce the blood cells the patient needs.

In some types of leukemia, the graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect that occurs after allogeneic BMT and PBSCT is crucial to the effectiveness of the treatment. GVT occurs when white blood cells from the donor (the graft) identify the cancer cells that remain in the patients body after the chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy (the tumor) as foreign and attack them.

What types of cancer are treated with BMT and PBSCT?

BMT and PBSCT are most commonly used in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma. They are most effective when the leukemia or lymphoma is in remission (the signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared). BMT and PBSCT are also used to treat other cancers such as neuroblastoma (cancer that arises in immature nerve cells and affects mostly infants and children) and multiple myeloma. Researchers are evaluating BMT and PBSCT in clinical trials (research studies) for the treatment of various types of cancer.

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Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative Medicine in the News...

Designing a Synthetic Gel that Changes Shape and Moves via Its Own Internal Energy

By developing a new computational model, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Anna Balazs, PhD, and Pitts Olga Kuksenok, PhD, have designed a synthetic polymer gel that can utilize internally generated chemical energy to undergo shape-shifting and self-sustained propulsion.

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Clifford Brubaker to End 25-Year Tenure as Dean of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Clifford E. Brubaker, PhD, who has served as professor and dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences for nearly 25 years, will step down from the deanship on July 1. Dr. Brubaker, a Distinguished Service Professor of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, also holds appointments in the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Department of Neurological Surgery, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

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Dr. Krzysztof Matyjaszewski Wins Dreyfus Prize

Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, PhD, the J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, has won the 2015 Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences, an international prize given every 2 years to recognize accomplishments in different areas of chemistry. Dr. Matyjaszewski is also a McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member.

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Regenerative Medicine at the McGowan Institute

ACPM To Host Regional Summits on Health Systems Transformation

ACPM is hosting three upcoming opportunities for members and partners to engage in Health Systems Transformation (HST) activities. Regional Summits on HST will occur in California, Tennessee, and New York in May and June 2015. Attendees will be able to identify innovative health systems transformation activities occurring in the surrounding region, discuss the role of population health in health systems transformation, and define the roles of public and private sector entities in health. These regional meetings represent one of several projects developed through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate, connect, and promote health systems transformation to the preventive medicine and public health community.

Registration is NOW OPEN for these events and is only $30 per attendee. CME/MOC credits will be offered at each meeting. Space is limited.

ACPM Board of Regents Adopts New Strategic Plan

ACPM announced the release of a new strategic plan, adopted by the Board of Regents in October 2014, to guide the Colleges strategic initiatives and resource allocation over the next two years. The plan blends the most recent strategic plana high-level guiding framework for the organization adopted by the Board in November 2011with four focused strategic initiatives developed by an ACPM task force led by then-ACPM President-elect Dan Blumenthal. The strategic initiatives and related objectives were identified during a day-long, facilitated retreat in June, 2014 and refined by the task force and Executive Committee over the subsequent five months.

Clinical Safety and Pharmacovigilance Career Opportunities

ACPM has partnered with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) to place early and mid-career preventive medicine physicians in rewarding clinical safety and pharmacovigilance positions. Learn more about available opportunities.

ACPM Welcomes New Affiliate Organization Read About This Partnership

What is Preventive Medicine?

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American College of Preventive Medicine

Public Health Sciences is an academic department within Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. While the discipline of public health has traditionally been disconnected from clinical medicine it is now widely accepted that to meet the challenges of the 21st century we must create a health system where research, education and patient care function as a fully integrated whole. To achieve this goal we envision an array of multi-disciplinary programs that are capable of monitoring health trends and identifying disease-causing agents, assessing the medical care needs of populations, providing high quality preventive and curative treatment for everyone in our society, and measuring the outcomes of these interventions in the population and for individual patients. Reaching this goal is a formidable challenge for the United States, given our historically limited investment in public health, the fragmented system of health care currently in place, and our weak capacity to monitor quality and outcomes.

The Loyola Department of Public Health Sciences seeks to play a role in helping us reach this goal of a universal, integrated health system through research and teaching. In particular, we believe the need to address health inequalities among racial, ethnic and other marginalized populations is the most urgent challenge the US health system faces. Since its inception the Departments research and service has been largely focused on that challenge. Health inequalities do not stop at national borders and our Department also has a long tradition of global health research and education in public health.

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Welcome to the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (VPM), one of three academic departments within the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Established in 1934 as the first of its kind, the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine provides the major agricultural and public health focus for the College of Veterinary Medicine. It was established for the purposes of preventing and controlling globally important diseases of food animals and humans. To achieve its goals, VPM combines the disciplines of veterinary microbiology, epidemiology, immunology, parasitology, public health, production medicine, and clinical medicine.

The overall mission of VPM is the discovery and dissemination of knowledge to prevent, control, or eradicate disease; to promote sustainable agricultural productivity; and to enhance the health of animal and human populations. The mission incorporates each of the three components of teaching, research, and service. The teaching mission is the education of graduate, professional, and post-professional students as well as the provision of outreach education in effective disease control, prevention, and eradication strategies to meet current and future societal needs in veterinary medicine and public health. The research mission is the discovery of knowledge leading to the development of methods to prevent disease; insure agricultural sustainability, productivity, and efficiency; and, promote health in human and animal populations. The service mission is to provide professional expertise to assist in the decision-making processes of animal and human health professionals and commercial organizations, as well as local, state, national, and international organizations as they endeavor to promote the health of human and animal populations.

William J. A. Saville, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVIM Chair Professor & Extension Veterinarian A184A Sisson Hall 1920 Coffey Road Columbus, OH 43210 Ph: (614) 292-1206 Fx: (614) 292-4142 E-mail: saville [dot] 4 [at] osu [dot] edu

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