StemCell Therapy

Biotechnology, often abbreviated to biotech, is the area of biology that uses living processes, organisms or systems to manufacture products or technology intended to improve the quality of human life. Depending on the technology, tools and applications involved, biotechnology can overlap with molecular biology, bionics, bioengineering, genetic engineering and nanotechnology.

By harnessing cellular and biomolecular processes, scientists can make advances and adaptations to technology in various fields. Traditional processes include using living organisms in their natural form, breeding new living organisms or modifying their genetic makeup. Successful applications of such processes have resulted in treatment of disease, environmental impact reduction and more efficient use of natural resources. Major biotech companies implement biotechnology as a practice to bring medical devices and products to the mainstream market.

Biotechnology, like other advanced technologies, has the potential for misuse. Concern about this has led to efforts by some groups to enact legislation restricting or banning certain processes or programs, such as human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research. There is also concern that if biotechnological processes are used by groups with nefarious intent, the end result could be biological warfare.

The science of biotechnology can be broken down into sub-disciplines based on common uses and applications.

Modern biotechnology can be used for a variety of applications, including:

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What is biotechnology (biotech)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

Maintaining a Healthy Sex Life

Most men between the ages of 30 and 65 will experience some degree of erectile dysfunction.

Whether you are looking to start a family or maintain a relationship, erectile dysfunction can drive a physical and emotional wedge between you and your partner. If you are dealing with erectile dysfunction or perhapsPeyronies disease, youre not able to live your best life. According to the latest clinical research, stem cells could be the key to reclaiming your healthy sex life.

Stem cells are the most powerful healing solution, arguably, in the history of medicine.

They have the ability to form completely new and healthy tissue, and in the case of Peyronies disease patients, it can completely eliminate the plaque that causes penile curvature in the first place.

If youre tired of pumping your body with risky or ineffective medications, stem cells can provide long-term relief and help you feel like youre in your 20s again!

At HealthGAINS, we exclusively use Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC). They are unique in that they are unspecialized and have the ability to morph into any specialized cells as needed.

Mesenchymal stem cells also have a self-renewing ability in which they continuously divide to make more of the cells that they transform into.

For years, doctors have utilized the unique nature of stem cells to produce renewed, healthier tissue and organs for patients in need of serious medical relief.

All stem cells carry three properties:

These properties, when applied to an area of the body, allow for the newly introduced stem cells to take on the function of surrounding cells. This addresses the deteriorating effects of aging. When applied to the groin, stem cells provide men with these key benefits:

For those suffering from moderate to severe erectile dysfunction, stem cell therapy is a viable solution. By introducing stem cells into the body, their regenerative effects work to restore and repair the blood vessels and tissues that are preventing the ideal blood flow that creates strong and lasting erections.

With renewed blood vessels, men can achieve harder and longer erections as well as improved sensation for a reinvigorated sexual experience. Men will be able to perform better, more often and with more ability and enthusiasm.

A unique behavior of stem cells is their innate ability to seek out and remove foreign particles from the body. For those suffering from Peyronies disease, little has provided you relief from the physical and sexual discomfort that comes with the condition. However, the plaque build-up that creates the uncomfortable bend, can be removed through stem cell treatments. The stem cells will identify the plaque as an issue and eliminate it entirely and permanently from the body.

Patients can, in as little as 8 weeks, experience lasting relief from their Peyronies disease and accompanying Erectile Dysfunction. Patients can resume or experience for the first time their healthy and satisfying sex lives.

If you arent familiar with our GAINSWave therapy, it utilizes the healing effects of sound waves that are pulsed into the penis to pump up its performance by improving blood flow. The results are impeccable, long lasting and produce no side effects.

Because GAINSWave therapy and stem cell treatments are surgery-free, they can be utilized to enhance each others effects on your sex life.

These treatments work together through GAINSWave creating a stimulant that triggers the body to generate growth factors and send them to the treated area. The stem cells then come in to assist in the creation of more growth factors (proteins) as well as become the building block for more tissue. From soft tissue to new blood vessels, these two treatments work together to regenerate and reinvigorate your sexual capabilities completely.

Are There Any Side Effects?

The Mesenchymal Stem Cells we utilize are donated from the umbilical cords of healthy, full-term infants after childbirth. These cells are the healthiest and strongest version of stem cells that have been extracted for medical use.

This, combined with the fact that mesenchymal stem cells are inherently immune privilege (meaning they contain no allergies and will not react negatively with the body), gives patients peace of mind. No side effects have been found in our stem cell treatments.

Stem cells are a very powerful solution to many medical issues. If you want the most out of your sexual health treatment or you have a serious case of Erectile Dysfunction, utilizing a combination of stem cells with a GAINSWave treatment will give you the most potent healing results that modern sexual health medicine can provide.

We recommend speaking with one of our mens health specialists. Our medical experts will review your medical history, current sexual health, and overall wellness goals to develop a treatment plan tailored to you.

If you want to drastically improve your sex life through natural treatment methods, call the experts at HealthGAINS at (866) 540-3555.

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Stem Cell Therapy for ED in Miami, FL | ED Help | HealthGAINS

We get many emails asking about alternative medical and which doctor or practitioners would we most recommend. Requests vary from everything to vitamins injections and Cobalt treatment for whatever, HIV/AIDs and cancer cures and the increasing inquires about anti-aging remedies.

With Health Care in the US running amok, Costa Rica has become a major place for medical tourism that include modern hospitals that provide elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries the Central American country has also has seen an major increase in herbalism or what is also called, botanical medicine.

According to The United Nations, Costa Rica ranks in first place in Latin America for the development of curative and preventative diseases. And the World Health Organization (WHO) has Costa Rica placed higher for health services than that of the US. So it is very appealing for those seeking treatment to do it in Costa Rica and most important, medical costs vs the US are a lot lower.

Herbal medicine is an approach to the treatment of diseases and medical complaints involving the use of plants and their extracts. Many conventional drugs also use medicines derived from plant sources.

Some 120 prescription drugs sold worldwide today are derived directly from rainforest plants, which Costa Rica has a lot of. And according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, more than two-thirds of all medicines found to have cancer-fighting properties come from rainforest plants. Examples abound. Ingredients obtained and synthesized from a now-extinct periwinkle plant found only in Madagascar (until deforestation wiped it out) have increased the chances of survival for children with leukemia from 20 percent to 80 percent.

Some of the compounds in rainforest plants are also used to treat malaria, heart disease, bronchitis, hypertension, rheumatism, diabetes, muscle tension, arthritis, glaucoma, dysentery and tuberculosis, among other health problems. And many commercially available anesthetics, enzymes, hormones, laxatives, cough mixtures, antibiotics and antiseptics are also derived from rainforest plants and herbs.

Herbal medicine is considered an alternative medical philosophy, as the efficacy of many of the ingredients used has not been scientifically proven or approved in the US, FDA but becoming more popular and openly practiced in Costa Rica.

Unfortunately, that has a greater potential to generate into scammers haven with their well-versed hype in herbal remedies, massage techniques and guided meditation. Generally the only thing they provide is a psychological sounding board for the one that seeks desperate treatment.

According to WHO there is no registry of traditional health practitioners in Costa Rica. Many biomedical health practitioners have a negative bias towards traditional healers and traditional medicine, thinking of healers mostly as quacks and with that said, the medical fraud cases have increase as people seek last minute help from those practicing without a license, to useless supplements, worthless or dangerous diet aides, fake medicines and the last stop in cures for cancer.

In Costa Rica traditional medicine practitioners are not licensed, nor are they sanctioned for practicing medicine, which leaves an open book to anyone that wants to practice Alternative Medical in Costa Rica. Countries like the US have rigid laws that forbid the so-called, Snake Oils. It is unclear to calculate the number of frauds, mostly due to people embarrassment of when they get conned out of their retirement funds, and do not report it.

Though the production of traditional medications is somewhat regulated in Costa Rica, like what happened when the Costa Rica government banned stem cell research the practice of traditional medicine is generally ignored in official health laws.

However, the good news is, this may soon change as the Legislative Assembly is currently considering a bill that would regulate traditional medicine. When it happens and what it regulates may be another story.

The other good news is, Costa Rica is excelling when it comes to alternative holistic approach which goes far beyond the Mind-Body connection, like yoga, and is becoming a preferred place for wellness whether it is after surgery recuperation, weight loss (Bariatric Surgery) strength training, drug treatment, rehabilitation, or general conditioning in an exceptional environment. It has also become the place to go for the rich and famous who want seclusion.

Many of the centers have top professional and trained medical personal that focused on nutrition counseling, exercise, education and behavior modification. They work with you on not just short-term solutions but on the long-term lifestyle changes, such as Holistic healing.

Calypso Cruises

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Along with many potential benefits, genomic-based personalized medicine brings important legal and ethical questions:

Questions like these loom large as the genomic revolution accelerates, but many of them have been addressed by state and federal legislation. In 2008 Congress overwhelmingly approved the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), and President Bush signed it into law.

GINA prohibits your health insurer from requesting, requiring or using your genetic information to make decisions about your eligibility for health insurance or your health insurance premium, contribution amounts or coverage terms. It also prohibits your employer from using your genetic information to make decisions about hiring, firing, promotion, pay, privileges or terms, or to limit, segregate, classify or otherwise mistreat you.

The Jackson Laboratory is committed to giving policy makers, legislators, ethicists, educators and consumers the scientific information needed to address the societal issues of genomic-based personalized medicine.

And in our clinical diagnostics operations, which analyze human DNA samples, we are dedicated to patient privacy. We follow detailed policies and procedures for protecting the confidentiality of individuals lab test results and other protected health Information, in full compliance with the privacy and security rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (known as HIPAA).

See our notice of privacy practices, which articulates our commitment to protecting health information.

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Ethical considerations of genomics and precision medicine

A change or damage to a gene can affect the message the gene carries, and that message could be telling our cells to make a specific protein that the body needs in order to function properly. NAV Gene Therapy focuses on correcting these defects in genetic diseases by delivering a healthy, working copy of the gene to the cells in need of repair, which potentially enables the body to make the deficient protein. The NAV Technology Platform can also be used to deliver a gene that allows the body to produce a therapeutic protein to treat a specific disease.

Heres how the NAV Technology Platform works:

First, our scientists insert the gene of interest (that is, either the missing/defective gene or a gene to create a therapeutic protein) into a NAV Vector. A NAV Vector is a modified adeno-associated virus (AAV), which is not known to cause disease in humans. It is common for viruses to be used as vectors in gene and cell therapy. The NAV Vector acts as a delivery vehicle, transporting and unloading the gene into cells where the gene triggers production of the protein the body needs.

Our NAV Technology Platform includes more than 100 novel AAV vectors, including AAV8, AAV9 and AAVrh10, many of which are tailored to reach specific areas of the body where the gene is needed most. For example, gene therapy delivered to the liver has the potential to treat metabolic diseases like hemophilia, whereas gene therapy designed to reach the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) may primarily impact symptoms of diseases that affect the brain and cognition.

Next, the NAV Vector is administered into the patient by injection or infusion, and is expected to make its way to cells that need the protein. The NAV Vector is designed to reach the target cells and deliver the gene it is carrying, enabling the cells to make the protein the body needs. These genes have the potential to correct disease by triggering production of a therapeutic protein or by allowing the bodys natural mechanisms to work the way they were intended.

Because gene therapies may have a long-term effect, a single administration of NAV Gene Therapy has the potential to do the same work as years of conventional chronic therapies.

Learn more about gene therapy below:

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Gene Therapy - REGENXBIO

Neurological diseases are complicated. A single genetic mutation causes some, while multiple genetic and environmental factors cause others. Also, within a single neurological disease, patients can experience varying symptoms and degrees of disease severity.

And you cant just open up the brain and poke around to see whats causing the problem in living patients. Its also hard to predict when someone is going to get sick until its already too late.

To combat these obstacles, scientists are creating clinically relevant human stem cells in the lab to capture the development of brain diseases and the differences in their severity. However, how to generate the best and most useful stem cell models of disease is a pressing question facing the field.

Current state of stem cell models for brain diseases

Cold Spring Harbor Lab, Hillside Campus, Location: Cold Spring Harbor, New York, Architect: Centerbrook Architects

A group of expert stem cell scientists met earlier this year at Cold Spring Harbor in New York to discuss the current state and challenges facing the development of stem cell-based models for neurological diseases. The meeting highlighted case studies of recent advances in using patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) to model a breadth of neurological and psychiatric diseases causes and patient symptoms arent fully represented in existing human cell models and mouse models.

The point of the meeting was to identify what stem cell models have been developed thus far, how successful or lacking they are, and what needs to be improved to generate models that truly mimic human brain diseases. For a full summary of what was discussed, you can read a Meeting Report about the conference in Stem Cell Reports.

What needs to be done

After reading the report, it was clear that scientists need to address four major issues before the field of patient-specific stem cell modeling for brain disorders can advance to therapeutic and clinical applications.

1. Define the different states of brain cells: The authors of the report emphasized that there needs to be a consensus on defining different cell states in the brain. For instance, in this blog we frequently refer to pluripotent stem cells and neural (brain) stem cells as a single type of cell. But in reality, both pluripotent and brain stem cells have different states, which are reflected by their ability to turn into different types of cells and activate a different set of genes. The question the authors raised was what starting cell types should be used to model specific brain disorders and how do we make them from iPS cells in a reproducible and efficient fashion?

2. Make stem cell models more complex: The second point was that iPS cell-based models need to get with the times. Just like how most action-packed or animated movies come in 3D IMAX, stem cell models also need to go 3D. The brain is comprised of an integrated network of neurons and glial support cells, and this complex environment cant be replicated on the flat surface of a petri dish.

Advances in generating organoids (which are mini organs made from iPS cells that develop similar structures and cell types to the actual organ) look promising for modeling brain disease, but the authors admit that its far from a perfect science. Currently, organoids are most useful for modeling brain development and diseases like microencephaly, which occurs in infants and is caused by abnormal brain development before or after birth. For more complex neurological diseases, organoid technology hasnt progressed to the point of providing consistent or accurate modeling.

The authors concluded:

A next step for human iPS cell-based models of brain disorders will be building neural complexity invitro, incorporating cell types and 3D organization to achieve network- and circuit-level structures. As the level of cellular complexity increases, new dimensions of modeling will emerge, and modeling neurological diseases that have a more complex etiology will be accessible.

3. Address current issues in stem cell modeling: The third issue mentioned was that of human mosaicism. If you think that all the cells in your body have the same genetic blue print, then youre wrong. The authors pointed out that as many as 30% of your skin cells have differences in their DNA structure or DNA sequences. Remember that iPS cell lines are derived from a single patient skin or other cell, so the problem is that studies might need to develop multiple iPS cell lines to truly model the disease.

Additionally, some brain diseases are caused by epigenetic factors, which modify the structure of your DNA rather than the genetic sequence itself. These changes can turn genes on and off, and they are unfortunately hard to reproduce accurately when reprogramming iPS cells from patient adult cells.

4. Improve stem cell models for drug discovery: Lastly, the authors addressed the use of iPS cell-based modeling for drug discovery. Currently, different strategies are being employed by academia and industry, both with their pros and cons.

Industry is pursuing high throughput screening of large drug libraries against known disease targets using industry standard stem cell lines. In contrast, academics are pursuing candidate drug screening on a much smaller scale but using more relevant, patient specific stem cell models.

The authors point out that, a major goal in the still nascent human stem cell field is to utilize improved cell-based assays in the service of small-molecule therapeutics discovery and virtual early-phase clinical trials.

While in the past, the paths that academia and industry have taken to reach this goal were different, the authors predict a convergence between the paths:

Now, research strategies are converging, and both types of researchers are moving toward human iPS cell-based screening platforms, drifting toward a hybrid model New collaborations between academic and pharma researchers promise a future of parallel screening for both targets and phenotypes.

Conclusions and Looking to the Future

This meeting successfully described the current landscape of iPS cell-based disease modeling for brain disorders and laid out a roadmap for advancing these stem cell models to a stage where they are more effective for understanding the mechanisms behind disease and for therapeutic screening.

I agree with the authors conclusion that:

Moving forward, a critical application of human iPS cell-based studies will be in providing a platform for defining the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms of disease risk, which will be an essential first step toward target discovery.

My favorite points in the report were about the need for more collaboration between academia and industry and also the push for reproducibility of these iPS cell models. Ultimately, the goal is to understand what causes neurological disease, and what drugs or stem cell therapies can be used to cure them. While iPS cell models for brain diseases still have a way to go before being more clinically relevant, they will surely play a prominent role in attaining this goal.

Meeting Attendees

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Four Challenges to Making the Best Stem Cell Models for ...

What is Diabetes What is diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus is a disease that prevents your body from properly using the energy from the food you eat. Diabetes occurs in one of the following situations:

-Or-

To better understand diabetes, it helps to know more about how the body uses food for energy (a process called metabolism).

Your body is made up of millions of cells. To make energy, the cells need food in a very simple form. When you eat or drink, much of your food is broken down into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose provides the energy your body needs for daily activities.

The blood vessels and blood are the highways that transport sugar from where it is either taken in (the stomach) or manufactured (in the liver) to the cells where it is used (muscles) or where it is stored (fat). Sugar cannot go into the cells by itself. The pancreas releases insulin into the blood, which serves as the helper, or the "key," that lets sugar into the cells for use as energy.

When sugar leaves the bloodstream and enters the cells, the blood sugar level is lowered. Without insulin, or the "key," sugar cannot get into the body's cells for use as energy. This causes sugar to rise. Too much sugar in the blood is called "hyperglycemia" (high blood sugar).

There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2:

Other types of diabetes might result from pregnancy (gestational diabetes), surgery, use of certain medicines, various illnesses and other specific causes.

Gestational diabetes occurs when there is a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. As pregnancy progresses, the developing baby has a greater need for glucose. Hormone changes during pregnancy also affect the action of insulin, which brings about high blood glucose levels.

Pregnant women who have a greater risk of developing gestational diabetes include those who:

Blood glucose levels usually return to normal after childbirth. However, women who have had gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

The causes of diabetes are not known. The following risk factors may increase your chance of getting diabetes:

It is important to note that sugar itself does not cause diabetes. Eating a lot of sugar can lead to tooth decay, but it does not cause diabetes.

The symptoms of diabetes include:

Most people have symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) when their blood sugar is less than 70 mg/dl. (Your healthcare provider will tell you how to test your blood sugar level.)

When your blood sugar is low, your body gives out signs that you need food. Different people have different symptoms. You will learn to know your symptoms.

Common early symptoms of low blood sugar include the following:

Late symptoms of low blood sugar include:

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

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Diabetes Mellitus: An Overview | Cleveland Clinic

You are here: Home > Articles > Visual Disabilities > Page 4: Color-blindness

Before getting into the details of the types of color-blindness, you should know that the following explanations are simplified versions of the complete picture. Color-blindness is a fascinating topic precisely because of its complexity. You do not need to understand all of the details of color-blindness to know how to create web content that is accessible to those who are color-blind. Here is an important fact to understand right off the bat:

Important

The key principle of web accessibility for users with color-blindness is:

The colors with which they have difficulty distinguishing depend upon their type of color-blindness, but red-green deficiencies are the most common.

The most common broad category of color-blindness is often called red-green color-blindness, but this does not mean that these people cannot see reds or greens. They simply have a harder time differentiating between them. Not all reds and greens are indistinguishable. It would be easy for someone with a red-green deficiency to tell the difference between a light green and a dark red, for example. A lot dependsat least in parton how dark the colors are. If the red is approximately as dark as the green, there is a greater likelihood that the colors will be confused.

Also, there is some evidence that people with red-green color-blindness see reds and greens as yellows, oranges and beiges. This means that yellows, oranges, and beiges can be confused with greens and reds. The colors least affected are the blues.

When designing web content for people who are color-blind you do NOT have to convert all of your images to black and white or get rid of your images entirely. In fact, you may not have to change any of your images at all. Here is the key:

Important

Make sure that colors are not your only method of conveying important information.

Most of the time when people put images on the web, the fact that they are in color at all is irrelevant. It may be nicer to see the colors, but the viewer can understand the image just fine even with all of the colors removed. If, however, the purpose of posting the image is to communicate something about the colors in that image, then it is important to provide some other way of understanding the information. For example, if the image shows the routes of the London Underground, where the routes are distinguished only by the color of the lines, as in the graphic below, you would want to somehow annotate either the graphic itself (and supply the appropriate alt text) or the text in the web page to supplement the color-dependent method of distinguishing between routes.

Incidentally, people with color-blindness are not the only ones who will benefit from this technique. Those who are blind are also unable to distinguish between colors, and so are in need of the extra cues given through other methods.

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WebAIM: Visual Disabilities - Color-blindness

In a world first, Australian scientists have figured out how to reprogram adult bone or fat cells to form stem cells that could potentially regenerate any damaged tissue in the body.

The researchers were inspired by the way salamanders are able to replace lost limbs, and developed a technique that gives adult cells the ability to lose their adultcharacteristics, multiply and regenerate multiple cell types - what is known as multipotency.That means the new stem cells can hypothetically repairany injury in the body, from severed spinal cords to joint and muscle degeneration. And its a pretty big deal, because there are currently no adult stem cells that naturally regenerate multiple tissue types.

"This technique is a significant advance on many of the current unproven stem cell therapies, which have shown little or no objective evidence they contribute directly to new tissue formation," said lead researcher John Pimanda from the University of New South Wales, Faculty of Medicine (UNSW Medicine). "We are currently assessing whether adult human fat cells reprogrammed into [induced multipotent stem cells (iMS cells)] can safely repair damaged tissue in mice, with human trials expected to begin in late 2017."

Right now, although its an exciting and much-hyped field of study, stem cell therapy still has a number of limitations, primarily because the most useful cells are embryonic stem cells, which are taken from developing embryos and have the potential to become any cell type in the body.But they also have the tendency to form tumours and cannot be transplanted directly to regenerate adult cells.

Instead, researchers are able to use tissue-specific adult cells, which can only turn into the cell types in their region of the body for example, lung stem cells can only differentiate into lung tissue, so theyre not as versatile as scientists need.

Scientists have also worked out how to reprogram regular adult stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) a type of stem cell thats even more flexible than multipotent stem cells, but requires the use of viruses in order for the cells to be reset, which isnt ideal to help treat patients. Thats why the new research is so exciting.

"Embryonic stem cells cannot be used to treat damaged tissues because of their tumour forming capacity," said one of the researchers, Vashe Chandrakanthan. "The other problem when generating stem cells is the requirement to use viruses to transform cells into stem cells, which is clinically unacceptable."

"We believe weve overcome these issues with this new technique."

To create the new type of stem cells, the researchers collected adult human bone and fat cells and treated them with two compounds: 5-Azacytidine (AZA); and platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) for two days.

This kick-started the process of dedifferentiation which basically means it started to revert them to a multipotent stem cell state. The cells were then kept in PDGF-AB for a few weeks while they slowly changed into stem cells, eventually becoming tissue-regenerative iMS cells which basically means they can repair any type of tissue in the body.

"This technique is ground-breaking because iMS cells regenerate multiple tissue types," said Pimanda. "We have taken bone and fat cells, switched off their memory and converted them into stem cells so they can repair different cell types once they are put back inside the body."

Right now, this process is only a proof of concept, but the researchers are already on their way to furthering the technique, and are currently investigating if human iMS cells can be transformed and repair tissue damage in mice.

The researchers also want to look into how the cells act at the sites of transplantation. If all goes well, human trials are expected for late 2017.

The first trials will focus on whether the iMS cells can heal bone, joint, and muscle tissue, helping to improve treatment for chronic back pain and injuries.

This research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

UNSW Medicine is a sponsor of ScienceAlert. Find out more about their world-leading research.

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New Stem Cell Treatment Using Fat Cells Could Repair Any ...

Life expectancy is ballooning just as science and technology are on the cusp of solving many of the practical problems of aging. What if we could not only have added years but spend them being physically fit, mentally sharp, functionally independent, and financially secure? At that point, we no longer have a story about old age. We have a story about long life.- Laura L. Carstensen, A Long Bright Future

In less than one century, life expectancy has increased by an average of 30 years in developed regions of the world. Quite suddenly, there are more people living longer in the world than ever before in human history and they are accounting for an increasingly greater percentage of the world population. Improved longevity is, at once, among the most remarkable achievements in all of human history and one of our greatest challenges. These added years can be a gift or a burden to humanity depending upon how they are used.

The mission of the Stanford Center on Longevity is to redesign long life. The Center studies the nature and development of the human life span, looking for innovative ways to use science and technology to solve the problems of people over 50 by improving the well-being of people of all ages.

Meeting these challenges includes changing our public policies as well as personal behavior. Redesigning long life means appreciating the unique challenges of aging, as well as the great value older people contribute to a society.

The Center aims to use increased life expectancy to bring about profound advances in the quality of life from early childhood to old age. To inspire change of this scale, the Center works with academic experts, business leaders and policy makers to target important challenges and opportunities for aging societies. By fostering dialogue and collaboration among these typically disconnected worlds, the Center aims to develop workable solutions to urgent issues confronting the world as the population ages.

Over 140 Stanford faculty members are Center affiliates. Their research foci include a broad range of topics, including behavioral economics and decision making, age-related changes in cognition, assistive robotics, the potential of stem cells, and technology developments that reduce cost and improve healthcare delivery.

The Center was founded by two of the worlds leading authorities on longevity and aging. Laura Carstensen PhD, is the founding director. A professor of psychology at Stanford, she has won numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and her research has been supported for more than 20 years by the National Institute on Aging. Thomas Rando MD, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences, is deputy director. His research on aging has demonstrated that is possible to identify biochemical stimuli that can induce stem cells in old tissues to repair injuries as effectively as in young tissues. This work has broad implications for the fields of regenerative medicine and stem cell transplantation.

Link:
About the Center - Stanford Center on Longevity

Calgary is one of the main cities in Alberta. The economy of Calgary includes activity in the energy, financial services, film and television, transportation and logistics, technology, manufacturing, aerospace, health and wellness, retail, and tourism sectors. Investigations in heath techniques improvements is growing fast and Calgary is definitely part of the stem cells field.

Scientists and doctors in Calgary Canada have made tremendous advances to make tissue regeneration with stem cells a reality. Through Regenerative Medicine, a person can take advantage of their bodys ability to heal itself. Stem cells can restore lost, damaged or aging cells and effectively regenerate tissue in the body. This may provide patients from Calgary an alternative to surgery for certain treatments and regenerative therapies using autologous adult stem cells for many degenerative and inflammatory diseases.

Despite all advances in stem cells research and the application of these therapies in many countries all over the world; stem cells therapies are not legally approved yet in Canada. The investigations are still in the clinical trial phase.

Costa Rica is one of the top five countries most visited by Americans seeking medical treatment. Stem Cells Transplant Institute is a leading institute in Costa Rica providing innovative and proven techniques and therapies using the natural healing power of the bodys stem cells, so we can provide our patients from Britannia, Bel-Aire, Mayfair, Eagle Ridge, Mount Royal and Roxboro, with the best therapies available.

Costa Rica has a unique geographic location. It has the Pacific ocean on the one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other, it has endowed it with beautiful pristine beaches, lush green mountains formed by past volcanic eruptions, dense rainforests, lakes, and rivers. All these help support one of the most diverse plant and animal life on the planet in addition to one of the best health care systems in the World. Get more information about stem cells therapies in Costa Rica. Now

The Stem Cells Transplant Institute of Costa Rica specializes in the legal treatment of Parkinson, COPD, Knee Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Osteoarthritis, Erectile Dysfunction, Myocardial infarction, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, Lupus, Alzheimer, Cardiovascular Disease and Neuropathy.Contact us.

Explore Costa Ricas local and international resources, learn more about its medical industry, and see why Costa Rica is such an exciting place to get your stem cells therapy! Get more information about legally approved stem cell therapies in Costa RicaApply here.

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Calgary Stem Cell Transplants, Britannia, Bel-Aire ...

Our recent research article "In-vitro Topographical Model of Fuchs Dystrophy for Evaluation of Corneal Endothelial Cell Monolayer Formation" appeared on theBack cover of Advanced Healthcare Materials latest issue.

Several diseases have been known to be caused by microstructural changes in the extracellular microenvironment. Therefore, the knowledge of the interaction of cells with the altered extracellular micro-structures or surface topography is critical to develop a better understanding of the disease for therapeutic development. One such disease is Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy (FED). FED is the primary disease and major reason of corneal endothelial cell death. If left untreated, corneal blindness will be resulted; thus, FED is the leading indication for corneal transplantation. In the USA, 4% of population over the age of 40 is believed to have compromised corneal endothelium due to FED, which will further increase due to increasing life expectancy and rapidly ageing population. A diagnostic clinical hallmark of FED is the development of discrete pillar or dome-like microstructures on the corneal endothelial basement membrane (Descemet membrane). These microstructures are called corneal guttata or guttae. Cell therapies have been proposed as an alternative treatment method for Fuchs dystrophy patients. However, currently, no in-vitro or in-vivo FED disease model is available to study the cell therapies before clinical trials.

In this study, the pathological changes in the micro-structure of basement membranes resulting from FED disease was analyzed, to identify geometrical dimension to develop an in-vitro disease model of synthetic corneal guttata pillars/domes by using microfabrication techniques. This model was used to study the monolayer formation of donor-derived human corneal endothelial cells to test the effectiveness of the corneal endothelial cell regenerative therapies. The results suggest that the corneal cell therapies may not be equally effective for patients at different stages of disease progression. The pre-existing guttata in patients could interfere with the cells thus hampering monolayer formation within the eye. Surgical removal of the guttata from the diseased Descemet membrane prior to cell regenerative therapy could increase the success rate of monolayer formation, which could potentially increase the chances of cell therapy success. This study also demonstrate how biomaterial design can be employed to mimic the pathological microstructural changes in basement membranes for better understanding of cellular responses in disease conditions.

Read more from the original source:
Regenerative Nanomedicine Lab - yimlab.com

Holidays are filled with family get-togethers and also the temptation to consume unhealthy foods. Holiday appetizers can be amain source of carbohydrates (carbs), adding extra sugar and possibly unwanted calories. Your holiday doesnt have to be calorie-laden and carb-filled.

Start your holiday off right with this collection of low-carb appetizers. Using low-potassium vegetables as dippers instead of crackers or chips can help keep carbs in balance.

Enjoy some of the holiday classics with a low-carb twist for a happy and healthy holiday season. In addition, these recipes are low in potassium, sodium and phosphorus.

If you are traveling this holiday season, tap into the DaVita collection of recipes and cookbooks to add spice to your holiday meals wherever you go. This seasons Todays Kidney Diet Holiday Gatherings offers a collection of recipes that you can serve or take to your next holiday event. Check out these 10 Holiday Destinations for Dialysis-Friendly Travelto learn more about events and things to do in some great places. Ask your dietitian for additional guidelines for your kidney diet and for holiday eating away from home.

Happy Holidays!

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Consult your physician and dietitian regarding your specific diagnosis, treatment, diet and health questions.

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10 Low-Carb Holiday Appetizers - Kidney Diet Tips

Stem Cell Therapy for Joint Arthritis, Tendonitis, Neuropathy, Migraines, Organ Failure, Autoimmune and Neurodegenerative Conditions

The future is now! Joint arthritis, tendonitis, autoimmune, neurodegenerative and organ failure affect tens of millions of Americans, often leading to difficulty participating in desired activities. This may include tennis, golf, hiking, contact sports, playing with your kids or grandkids. Traditional treatments have really just been a proverbial band-aid, leading to short term results but not addressing the actual condition. This is no longer the case!

But now the most modern therapies for arthritis and chronic tendonitis are able to actually help repair and regenerate damaged tissue! Regenerative medicine with stem cell therapy is proving to be an amazing long term relief option for tendonitis, degenerative arthritis, Rheumatoid along with systemic conditions and improving organ failure. Stem cell treatment for these conditions involves amniotic or umbilical cord derived stem cell procedures, which are safe and performed by our Award Winning, expert providers.

Call us today at (844) GET-STEM to see if you are a candidate.

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Stem Cell Therapy Portland Oregon

Heal joint arthritis and other painful conditions using stem cells extracted from your own body fat!

Unlike many other stem cell treatment options, our office utilizes an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved stem cell treatment protocol from Regeneris Medical. To learn more about the Institutional Review Board registry and approval process and what it means for your safety and privacy when choosing a stem cell procedure, you can read about the IRB and registry process here.

Stem Cell Therapy refers to the use of stem cells to treat various medical conditions or diseases. In many cases, Stem Cell Therapy can offer a non-invasive alternative to surgery for a number of painful and even debilitating conditions including joint injuries,joint arthritis and joint degeneration resulting from overuse or aging.

Stem cell technology is evolving rapidly, offering patients an increasing number of options for stem cell treatment. Some major differences exist between these options, particularly with regards to where the stem cells are sourced and how they are processed, in addition to the types of doctors or personnel performing the procedures and ultimately their safety and effectiveness.

For a breakdown and comparison of several popular types of stem cell treatments commonly available, see Understanding and Comparing Your Stem Cell Treatment Options.

In orthopedic patients, the most common areas treated include the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, hand, foot, ankle, neck, back and spine.However, the ability to use stem cell therapy and its effectiveness depend on the specific condition and damage being treated on a case-by-case basis. Dr. Wolf will need to first evaluate you to determine whether stem cell therapy is appropriate for your individual condition and needs, in addition to medically clearing you for the procedure.

Please contact our office to see if your specific condition is covered by the IRB or CRIO registry, and set an appointment with Dr. Wolf for an evaluation to determine if you are a candidate for stem cell therapy.

A stem cell is a specific type of cell found in your body and those of other animals and multi-cell organisms. However, stem cells have a unique quality that makes them very special and useful for medical treatment: they can differentiate or change into other types of cells. They can also divide, producing more stem cells of the same type.

This means that stem cells can be utilized to help your body heal itself, as they change into the type of cells needed to regrow and repair damaged tissue.

Over the past few years, you may have heard about stem cells taken from human embryos and umbilical cords; however, stem cells are actually found and accessible from several sources in adult humans: bone marrow, blood, and fat cells. Different stem cell treatments may use stem cells derived from different sources, with different levels of effectiveness in addition to potential safety and ethical considerations.

At Advanced Therapeutics, the Institutional Review Board approved protocol we use for stem cell therapy sources stem cells directly from your own body fat, offering both ethical as well as safety advantages to our patients.

Throughout the remainder of this page, well focus specifically on the Institutional Review Board procedure offered at our office. For a comparison of the different stem cell treatment options available, including the procedure offered at Advanced Therapeutics, see Understanding and Comparing Your Stem Cell Treatment Options.

A donor site is chosen in the abdomen, flanks or other appropriate area. Local anesthesia (numbing solution) is injected through the skin into the underlying fat. A very small incision is made and a small fat-removing device known as a cannula is used to gently remove fat cells into a specially designed syringe. Compression is then applied to the donor area.

The fat cells are placed in a special centrifuge that spins the syringes and separates the fat from any excess fluid. Once the fluid is drained off, the fat cells are mixed with Liberase (collagenase) which digests these tissues rich in stem cells. The specimen is then spun once again to concentrate the stem cells in the lower part of the syringe. The resulting stem cell solution, called the stromal vascular fraction, is then mixed with platelet poor plasma to neutralize the collagenase. The stem cell solution is now ready to be administered via joint injection or IV.

You have a choice between many regenerative medicine treatments or products, and we want you to make an informed decision. At Advanced Therapeutics, we follow an Institutional Review Board approved protocol. Dr. Wolf has completed the NIDA clinical trials network training on Good Clinical Practice and has over 20 years of experience harvesting fat, injecting joints and utilizing ultrasound in needle guided procedures.

Our training and experience make us uniquely qualified to provide this extraordinary service to our patients in a safe and professional environment, performed by an experienced, licensed and highly qualified physician.

Original post:
Stem Cell Therapy in Dayton OH - Fat Derived Stem Cell Treatment

Do you have an idea of the natural healing potential that is available in your body?

Read on to find out where your body stores these powerful stem cells.

Adult stem cells are found in the highest concentration in adipose (fat) tissue. In smaller concentrations, they are additionally found in your bone marrow. Beyond what is used for harvesting, stem cells are also found in blood, skin, muscles, and organs.

Adipose tissue provides the largest volume of adult stem cells (1,000 to 2,000 times the number of cells per volume found in bone marrow). Bone marrow provides some stem cells but more importantly provides a large volume of growth factors to aid in the repair process. In addition to adult stem cells, fat tissue also contains numerous other regenerative cells that are important to the healing process.

Stem cells derived from adipose fat tissue have been shown to be a much better source for the repair of cartilage degeneration and recent studies have demonstrated its superior ability to differentiate into cartilage.

There are some myths and misconceptions about stem cells and where the cells come from. Dr. Brandt has dedicated a blog post to the important topic.

Go here to see the original:
Top Rated Stem Cell Therapy Clinic in Denver & Vail Colorado ...

As degenerative joint disease is a natural part of the aging process, preventing it is challenging, and these preventative measures can only be effective to a certain extent. Building and maintaining muscles, tendons and joints can be the most effective measure an owner can take. This entails regular exercise for the dog. The frequency, durations and intensity should be varied depending on the dog, but exercise will ensure the muscles and limbs are as healthy as possible for as long as possible. This measure also comes with the benefit of keeping owners fit and healthy. On top of regular exercise, massaging the dog, undertaking at-home strengthening exercises and water therapy may also help to prevent arthritis in the long term.

The next step for owners to take is to alter their dogs diet. Carbohydrates should be discouraged as they promote inflammation. Fresh foods that are unprocessed, are rich in unadulterated enzymes and can help to reduce inflammation. A healthy, balanced diet is key to the long-term health of the dogs muscles and joints.

Certain supplements can also be added to the dogs diet, to encourage muscle and joint retention and prevent degeneration. These are known as joint supportive agents, and common, effective agents are eggshell membrane, glucosamine sulfate with MSM, and cetyl myristoleate.

Both the exercise measures outlined above and the diet alterations may not prevent degeneration entirely, but they may well prevent it occurring until dogs are much older.

Read this article:
Stem Cell Therapy in Dogs - Procedure, Efficacy, Recovery ...

Why Nebraska Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine?

Nebraska Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine has decades of experience providing the latest in orthopaedic procedures. We offer the entire range of treatments from conservative to surgical. The doctors at Nebraska Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine can help you choose the best treatment for YOU. Many clinics offering stem cell treatments for orthopaedic conditions are NOT orthopaedic doctors. When considering a clinic for stem cell treatment, you need to consider a doctors training and experience. Nebraska Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine is the only orthopaedic clinic in the region offering this exciting procedure.

Patients between the ages of18-64who have seen a physician for their condition and have exhausted all non-surgical measures (physical therapy, NSAIDs, cortisone injections, bracing, etc.) are ideal for Stem Cell Therapy

Shoulders, hips and knees will be the most common; however any joint or tendon can be treated using this procedure.

Because this is a newer treatment, the long-term outcomes are not fully understood and no guarantees can be made regarding outcomes.

Patients can expect to feel results over 1-3 months, although in some circumstances, relief may take as long as 6-9 months.

Because this is a newer treatment, the long-term outcomes are not fully understood and no guarantees can be made regarding outcomes.

Patients can expect to feel results over 1-3 months, although in some circumstances, relief may take as long as 6-9 months.

To schedule an appointment with Scott Swanson, MD, call (402) 488-3322. Dr. Swanson will assess you at an initial office visit to determine whether stem cell therapy is right for you.

Follow this link:
Stem Cell Therapy - Nebraska Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine

by Paul FassaHealth Impact News

Adult stem cell therapy is enjoying widespread success around the world, but if the FDA gets its way, it may soon be banned here in the U.S.

There have been nearly 12,000 adult stem cell therapies performed in the United States with an over 90 percent success healing rate for mostly joint and spinal conditions. It involves using the patients own stem cells, so no patent-able drugs are involved.

They are targetingthe most influential stem cell scientist in the U.S., Dr.Kristin Comella in Florida.

Many consider stem cell therapy the future of medicine. A stem cell can rebuild or create new cells in tissues, even in organ tissues other than those from which they had originally existed.

They could be considered seeds for growing body tissues. They are mostly able to function for cellular repair and growth no matter what organ is in need of repair or healing from chronic inflammation.

There is a considerable controversy surrounding stem cell therapy research, a branch ofregenerative medicine. Much of the controversy has to do with not differentiating between adult stem cell therapy and embryonic stem cell therapy.

Embryonic stem cell therapy is the controversial one. It cultures or creates stem cells from terminated or aborted fetuses.

Currently, the FDA is harassing stem cell clinics that do not derive their stem cell solutions from aborted fetus tissue. They extract the stem cells from the patients own adipose tissue and inject them into areas where that same patient needs repair. Its an autologous process called adult stem cell therapy.

U.S. Stem Cell based out of South Florida is one of the clinics being targeted by the FDA, and the clinics Chief Scientist isDr. Kristin Comella, PhD.

Many other nations have been using adult stem cell therapy successfully over the past 15 years, leaving the USA dead last in this field. The FDA is trying to make sure it stays that way and allows costly pharmaceutical versions to prevail.

Dr. Kristin Comellaand her clinichave been under attack from theFDA.

This short 3-minute video was produced interviewing Dr. Comella and some of her patients.

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) therapy has received most of the medias attention and government support. But it is the most controversial because it involves extracting tissues from terminated human embryos, aka aborted fetuses.

In addition to moral and ethical issues, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) solutions create cells so rapidly where theyre injected they lead to cancerous tumors. To avoid that, researchers have to use immuno-suppressant drugs to curb the embryonic stem cells tendency toward cancer.

Using pharmaceutical drugs to curb hESC cancer side effect issues leads to other unexplored and unexpected side effects from those patented stem cell solutions.

But the profit motive for embryonic stem cell therapies was strong and a lot of government funds had been put into its research. Pharmaceutical companies were motivated because they could patent stem cells created from embryonic tissues.

Bone marrow stem cell therapy was among the first to depart from flawed hESC (human embryonic stem cell) therapies developed over the past two decades.Bone marrow stem cell therapy was the segue into the adult stem cell therapy movement.

Bone marrow extractions are painful, requiring general anesthesia. Its relatively difficult and expensive compared to adipose (fat) tissue stem cell harvesting.

Bone marrows high white blood cell count also encourages inflammation, making it counter-productive for patients already suffering from chronic inflammation or autoimmune disorders.

Most importantly, adipose (fat) tissue yields up to 500 times more mesenchymal stem cells than bone marrow sources, according to Dr. Comella. These are potent stem cells that can differentiate into a wide variety of other cell types. Furthermore, the adipose white blood cell count is lower than bone marrow matter.

Overactive, confused immune responses attack organs continually and create chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. The lower white blood cell count automatically lowers the risk of further inflammation among patients already suffering from chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

The outpatient treatment involves creating a very small and shallow incision that wont require stitches on an area of skin covering adipose tissue (fat). From there, liposuction can withdraw a portion of the fat. This part of the procedure requires only a local anesthetic.

Then what is extracted is spun at high speed in a special centrifuge to isolate the stem cells which are then purified for IV drip delivery or injection into the same patient from whom it was extracted. Total costs range from five to ten thousand dollars or more in some cases.

Dr. Comella and her colleagues mission is to get adult stem cell therapy available for everyone. Private and government health insurance providers cover medical treatments that are much more expensive.

Why not cover one that would save money with its lower expense and fewer side effects?

Over the years, there have been nearly 12,000 adult stem cell therapies performed in the United States with an over 90 percent success healing rate for mostly joint and spinal conditions as well as heart and lung issues.

But the three known adverse side effect cases continually get all the media attention.

The Panama College of Cell Science, which helped launch Kristin Comellas research and development, had this to say about her:

Perhaps the most influential clinician on the subject of adult stem cell therapy, Dr. Comella has been able to quietly develop patient treatment protocols and treat patients via collaborating physicians and health care providers using legal patient-specific FDA guidelines, including studies permitted by Institutional Review Boards, patient-specific stem cell clinical trials, and direct treatments using the patients own stem cells that are harvested and re-injected for therapeutic purposes.

Through Dr. Comellas leadership, she and her team have trained and certifiedmore than 700 physicians worldwide in adult stem cell therapy. (Source)

The interview below allows the energetic Dr. Kristin Comella to give a thorough and upbeat description of adult stem cell therapy.

Since the late 1990s, adult stem cells used therapeutically were not under the control of the FDA and the adult stem cell movement took off.

There were complaints from some MDs that the adult stem cell practice should be regulated by the FDA. The Panama College of Cell Science responded to those outcries with this statement:

The motive in opposing adult stem cell therapy is money. The big institutions want to keep federal funding of embryonic stem cell research at a high level with the promise that cures are just around the corner despite the fact that embryonic stem cells will never be useful in any way for patient treatment because they immediately cause tumors when transplanted. (Source)

Adult stem cell therapy is an autologous treatment method. The stem cells are not lab-created. They are only isolated and purified after extracting them from the patient being treated. Injecting them back into that patient powers up the bodys own healing mechanism to overcome chronic ailments.

The FDA didnt and shouldnt have anything to do with regulating stem cells from ones own body. That situation has recently been arbitrarily and suddenly changed.

Around 2014, the FDA started tweaking their guidance rules for stem cell therapy with the purpose of getting new rules made into laws through Congress that could be interpreted according to FDA whims and enforced arbitrarily. Their agenda is to consider adult stem cells as FDA-regulated drugs.

During our phone conversation, Dr. Comella explained how the FDA ignored testimonies from adult stem cell practitioners during their 2015 public hearings regarding new guideline proposals. Then they arranged to create new rules behind closed door meetings that included pharmaceutical industry allies and insiders.

The result was that by 2017, the FDAs hands-off policy with adult stem cell therapy came to a sudden halt after years of highly successful stem cell practice.

By 2018, the FDA got nastier with the the most influential clinician on the subject of adult stem cell therapy as its target. The FDA started doing inspections of Dr. Comellas South Florida clinic that aredesigned for labs that manufacture drugs.

The standards for hospitals and clinics are not as strict as drug manufacturers. Those inspections were inappropriate for a clinic. But those inspectionsmade it easier to create damaging reports.

When the inspectors came by, they demanded to go into rooms while treatments were taking place with semi-nude or nude patients, which Dr. Comella prohibited. The inspectors also demanded to view patient medical records. She allowed that after redacting their names on the copies she gave them.

For her actions to protect patients privacy, inspectors allegedly cited Dr. Comella for resisting and obstructing FDA inspections.

Soon after the inspections, the FDA served Dr. Comella with a lawsuit for practicing medicine with unapproved drugs. The drugs were only those stem cell solutions drawn from patients to be used on them.

The FDA has allegedly offered to drop the lawsuit if Dr. Comella signed an agreement to stop doing adult stem cell therapy and no longer promote it.

She refused. She said she has witnessed people leave their wheelchairs for good from this therapy. The trial is set for a Federal Court hearing beginning June 2019, in Miami, Florida.

If Dr. Comella loses this court case, adult stem cell therapy in the USA may be forced out of the country and only be available to those who can affordmedical tourism.

Published on March 11, 2019

See more here:
FDA Wants to Shut Down Adult Stem Cell Therapy as its Healing ...

As first described in 1988 by Dr. Arnold Caplan, mesenchymal stem cells are progenitor cells that have the power to differentiate into mature tissue cells. They are directly responsible for healing damaged tissues after injury. Upon encountering damaged tissue, they release proteins that decrease inflammation and trigger growth of new connective tissues and blood vessels, stimulating tissue repair and regeneration. In the case of severe damage and cell death, these cells have the ability to turn into healthy versions of the damaged or destroyed cells that they encounter.

At Regenerative Orthopedics we take stem cells from your own bone marrow or from your own fat or both. Under sterile conditions, they are then washed, concentrated and isolated under direct supervision by Dr. Smith in our office laboratory. We combine these cells with platelet rich plasma isolated from your blood drawn at the same time we harvest your cells. This mixture is then injected into the affected area.

Every joint in the body and most tissues contain stem cells that are responsible for maintaining health in that location. Degeneration of tissues or joints occur when the stem cell population becomes depleted and that structure losses its ability to heal itself as a result of injury of the natural aging process. Stem cell therapy is an attempt to repopulate tissues or joints with stem cells thereby restoring the bodys ability to heal itself.

Upon establishing that you are a candidate for treatment, we will decide whether to harvest stem cells from your bone marrow or from your fat or both. We recommend most patients undergo a minor arthroscopic procedure just prior to the stem cell treatment called microfracture where small holes are made in the end of the affected bone. This is in effect a bone marrow harvest as it allows stem cells from the bone marrow to enter the joint. Because these are not concentrated, the second part of the procedure will consist of harvesting Adipose derived stem cells or in other words stromal vascular fraction and using these stem cells to augment the procedure by injecting them into the affected joint.

Adipose tissue consists of adipocytes (fat cells) and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF). The stomal vascular fraction which contains millions of unused stem cells is harvested through a process known as lipoaspiration. Lipoaspiration is performed under local anesthetic in the office using a small instrument slightly larger a hypodermic needle. About 60 ml of fat is aspirated during lipoaspiration which differs from liposuction in which volumes of up to 6 ,000 ml of fat is removed. Once the fat is obtained, the stromal vascular fraction is isolated in the lab through a process that involves washing the fat then mixing it with an enzyme that causes the stem cells to detach from the fat cells. Final isolation involves the use of a centrifuge for final separation of the cells. These cells are then mixed with PRP and isolated from the patients own blood. Prior to injection, the mixture is then activated using photo-modulation.

Bone marrow is rich in growth factors and stem cells. We are able to obtain these cells in the office under local anesthesia in a very simple procedure that requires a relatively small amount of bone marrow and only one puncture site. This is vastly different that harvesting bone marrow for transfusion for cancer therapies. This technique will be utilized in the event that the patient has minimal fat deposits from which to obtain stem cells. Unlike SVF, bone marrow stem cell aspiration is not concentrated and so the amount of stem cells that can be isolated from this technique decrease with increasing age. For most patients, their bone marrow will be utilized and accessed through microfracture as described above.

Because these therapies stimulate the normal growth and repair processes, they rarely provide immediate relief unlike steroid injections. However, the results are much longer lasting. Typically, it takes between two and eight weeks before patients notice significant improvement.

These treatments are intended to reverse tissue damage and degenerative changesbut they do not stop the natural aging process which starts again once the tissues have regenerated. Overall, these therapies should provide good relief of pain from two to six years after treatment. Patients will require repeat treatment throughout their life as they get older and joints continue to degenerate.

No. Although these treatments are done worldwide and have been proven an effective alternative for treatment of pain related to damage and degeneration of joints, they are still considered experimental and not covered by insurance plans. Payment is due at the time of service.

Maintain a regular exercise program that is not excessive. Eat well and get enough sleep. Avoid excessive alcohol drinking and no smoking. Dr. Smith will also recommend an appropriate vitamin supplement to optimize stem cell function.

Regenerative Orthopedics does not culture, manipulate or save your cells. The process we utilize to obtain your stem cells results in the harvesting of cells in the range of 2 to 4 million stems cells and so there is no need to manipulate or grow your cells in the lab.

We keep our office overhead down by maintaining a small office staff and a small but adequately sized office. We also keep advertising to a minimum because most of our patients are referred by other patients and word of mouth referrals. This allows us to pass our cost savings on to you the patients.

Link:
Stem Cell Therapy | Regenerative Orthopedics Institute