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Stem Cells Limb Repair
Extensive limb damage to the point where amputation was the only solution has long been a problem for many medical professionals throughout the world, with crushed limbs in particular posing the greatest risk due to the fact that the bone can easily be damaged well beyond its own natural ability to repair itself.
Such was the case in England up until recently, where a new technique creating a “stem cell glue” has enabled a patient with a crushed leg to not only save his leg from amputation but be well on the way to making a full recovery, with a 100% return in leg functionality expected a mere 18 months after the initial treatment commenced.
The “glue” comes as a combination of a medical paste known as Cartifill and stem cells harvested from bone marrow extracted from the patient’s own hip. By combining the two substances and then applying it to the bone fragments within the damaged leg (having a total of 5 breaks and one compound fracture near the ankle after a boulder fell on the leg in a rock climbing accident) the fragments were then readjusted within the leg and held in place for 6 months with an external metal clamp in order to allow them to take hold. 6 months after the paste was applied and the cage removed the patient was able to support his entire body weight on the damaged leg, and is expected to be able to run on it one year after treatment once the bone has finished mending itself.
The paste Cartifill was originally designed by South Korean professor Seok Jung Kim and was intended at first to be a part of a cartilage replacement procedure wherein adult stem cells are mixed with the paste and then used to induce regeneration of damaged cartilage, particularly in knees. Thus far the paste has shown a number of successes in treating these cases as well, with roughly 80% of all patients undergoing Certifill stem cell treatment for knee repair reporting successful recoveries.
Further studies are currently being conducted in the UK with Professor Kim working to support other uses of the Cartifill solution assist with limb damage, potentially even assisting with the re-attaching of severed limbs by providing much needed support in reconnecting damaged muscle, bone and nerve tissue that may be damaged during the severing process. Current treatments utilizing this stem cell method are also relatively inexpensive, costing a few hundred Pounds at most, making it a highly affordable medical solution for many injured individuals.
Subscribe to the comments for this postStem Cells Brain Cancer
Brain tumors have been a difficult ailment to cure for many years due to their tedious position within bodies and the high possibility of damage to be done to the surrounding tissue that could easily result in further damage or even death during the treatment process. Further, targeting the specific causes of the cancer for treatment have proven particularly difficult due to the limited ability to effectively analyze the specific causes of the tumors in the past.
Recent studies, however, have shown some progress in the way that doctors have been able to identify and subsequently develop treatments to hopefully treat and even cure many tumor developments. Through the process of tracking specific stem cells and their growth patterns it has been determined that brain tumors are actually the result of malfunctioning stem cells located near blood vessels within the brain to utilize the body’s resources to multiply exponentially and damage surrounding cells – a process that previously hadn’t been considered as a possibility due to the fact that doctors believed tumors to consist of one particular cell line rather than a collection of different cells.
This targeting of specific stem cells has allowed doctors to develop treatments to hone in on the blood stem cells carrying the cancer in order to kill tumor development at its source. Current treatment phases have even begun moving out of laboratory testing and have begun to be done on human beings, with children suffering from brain cancer as a primary focus group due to their inherent higher cellular regenerative abilities.
Should this process prove successful it could potentially mean a number of different treatments could also be looked at for other cancerous developments as well. Blood and bone marrow cancers, for instance, could have specific malfunctioning stem cells emanating in the blood targeted both chemically by medicines and through other treatment methods to effectively eliminate trouble spots before they can masticate to surrounding tissue and thus inflict damage that most conventional cancer treatments will be unable to target.
Should any damage be done to the brain as well from developing cancers before they are treated other uses of stem cells from healthy parts of the body (such as unaffected bone marrow) are also being explored for use as regenerative sources for brain tissue, thus potentially allowing a restoration of damaged locations that was previously considered impossible even up to just a few years prior to now.
Stem Cells Skin Cancer
While skin cancer has typically not been a major focus for stem cell research in terms of treatment methods and technology it is, nevertheless, a major focus for searching out stem cells in terms of their relationship to cancer and the development of tumors. Cancer is, in itself, an uncontrolled development of cellular growth that can cause various malfunctions throughout a body while stem cells by their very nature are the driving force behind cellular growth and tissue development.
Research has been particularly focused on skin cancer stem cells in the past primarily due to the fact that not only is skin cancer a highly prevalent development among many people it is also relatively easy to study (requiring little invasive action for the removal of cancerous spots for laboratory study). Despite its ready availability for study. however, successfully pinpointing specific cancerous skin cells for study and development of treatment methods has proven difficult.
The primary reason for skin cancer stem cells being elusive is due to the fact that tumors, created by the uncontrolled cellular reproduction cycle initiated by malfunctioning stem cells, tend to contain a large number of different cell groups as cancerous growth can create a cellular “chain reaction” effect in which a large number of cellular lines are negatively impacted. This results in many biopsy studies of cancerous tumors to yield little to no viable record in most cases due to the difficulty in actually isolating specific cancerous stem cell lines.
Thankfully advancements have been made last month by Oxford researches dedicated to the research and development of stem cell technology related to skin cancer, its causes and treatment thereof. Thus far they have been able to successfully identify a number of cellular lines traced back to initial stem cells by isolating the cellular lines in the early stages of development and tracking them through their progress as they develop into cancerous tumors in order to pinpoint key elements in tumor development.
Their breakthroughs in stem cell tracking and selective identification mean a number of different approaches can be taken in the future in regards to both harmful and beneficial stem cell therapies. By being able to successfully identify cancerous stem cell developments in developing cancer regions researchers will now be able to better identify specific causes of cancer and identify as well as treat the primary problem site without needing to conduct invasive actions on surrounding tissue.
Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive condition caused by the loss of brain nerve cells responsible for dopamine production which is crucial for coordination of movement. The causes of decline of dopamine production remains unknown but the scientists link the development of Parkinson’s disease to different factors, most often to environmental and genetic factors. In addition to the available treatments of Parkinson’s disease, the patients may also benefit from the stem cell therapy which is both affordable and safe at the Integra Medical Center just across the border in Mexico. Over 50 patients from Mexico, the United States and Canada have received the stem cell therapy at the Integra Medical Center.
Dr. Omar Gonzales, director and founder of the Integra Medical Center uses stem cells therapy for treatment of Parkinson’s disease and claims that the patients who received the stem cell therapy experienced drastic improvement. After the treatment, the patients are reported to experience improvement in balance and coordination for 80 percent, decrease of stiffness and rigidity for 70 percent, improved mental clarity for 50 percent and mood improvement for 80 percent, having less tremor for 60 percent and reduced dependency on other people for 90 percent. In addition, Dr. Gonzales says, his patients even experience reversal of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease after the treatment. Stem cells used in Dr. Gonzales’ therapy are prepared and kept at the Center’s laboratory.
Dr. Gonzales’ explains that the results of his stem cell therapy have three levels: slowing down the disease’s progression, inhibiting the disease’s progression and reverse of the disease’s symptoms. The last level is reported to be achieved in over 80 percent of all patients. The outcome of the Dr. Gonzales’ therapy greatly depends on several factors in first place on the age of the patient, time of occurrence of the symptoms and level of progression of the disease at the start of the treatment.
Robertson Foundation donates $10,2 million for Stem Cells Research
Duke University has received $10,2 million from the Robertson Foundation to advance their research on stem cells. The founder of Robertson Foundation, Julian Robertson says the Foundation decided to donate to Duke University because of previous work and research of Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, a division chief of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the Duke University and medical director of Carolinas Cord Blood Bank. According to Julian Robertson, Dr. Kreutzberg’s work reflects the potentials to change the lives of thousands of people in the United States as well as around the world. Stem cells can differentiate into many kinds of specialized cell in the body and have great potentials in organ transplantation and patients suffering from a wide range of diseases and disorders.
According to Dr. Kreutzberg who says that Duke University is very excited about the donation, the money from the donation will go for establishment of Translational Cell Therapy Center which will feature laboratories with highly advanced technology for clinical therapy with stem cells. Dr. Kreutzberg also stated that the donation will enable the Duke to forward the research which is of great importance for the field of regenerative medicine, while chief executive officer of Duke University Health System and chancellor for health affairs Dr. Victor Dzau said the Translational Cell Therapy Center will help the University to expand its research on stem cell therapy and treatments for people with cerebral palsy, cancer, stroke and brain injuries, etc. He also emphasized the work of Dr. Kreutzberg and her team in stem cell field and importance of their work for medicine.
Part of the money from the donation will be also used for construction of laboratory for storage and creation of stem cells that will be build according to the guidelines of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Stem Cell Surgery Used to Rebuild a 10-Year-Old Boy’s Windpipe
The British and Italian surgeons at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London may have achieved a major breakthrough after nearly nine hour long surgery. They took a 10-year-old boy’s bone marrow stem cells, injected them into a windpipe of a donor and implanted the boy with the windpipe stripped off its cells. The implanted stem cells are expected to differentiate into the windpipe cells within the boy’s body and not to be rejected by the boy’s immune system because they originate from his own tissue. The boy who has not been named is the first child to receive stem cell organ therapy, while the surgeons replaced the longest airway ever. If successful, the procedure will most likely result in a revolution in the field of regenerative medicine and lead to replacement of other organs such as larynx and esophagus by using stem cell treatment.
The 10-year-old boy was born with a life-threatening condition known as long segment tracheal stenosis and was not able to breath due to tiny windpipe measuring only one millimeter in diameter. He received different treatments but his condition worsened. For that reason the boy’s doctors turned for help to Professor Paolo Macchiarini from the Careggi University Hospital in Florence. Macchiarini performed the first transplantation of an organ created from stem cells on an adult woman in Spain two years ago.
Cardiothoracic surgeon and director of tracheal services at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Professor Martin Elliott says the boy is feeling extremely well after the surgery which took place on Monday, March 15. Elliott also said the boy is recovering well, breathing and speaking completely on his own, and saying that he is breathing a lot easier.
10-Year-Old Boy Receives Stem Cell Surgery
A 10-year-old boy who has not been named went through a stem cell surgery to rebuild the trachea or windpipe at London’s Great Ormond Street children’s hospital. The boy has received a donor windpipe deprived of its cells and injected with the boy’s own cells. Over the following month, the physicians believe the stem cells from the boy’s bone marrow will differentiate into windpipe cells. If successful, the procedure will revolutionize the regenerative medicine.
The boy was born with long segment tracheal stenosis, a life-threatening condition which is characterized by very small windpipe. He went through different treatments but his condition worsened in November when his doctors turned to Professor Paolo Macchiarini from the Careggi University Hospital in Florence. In 2008, Paolo Macchiarini performed a surgery in Spain on 30-year-old Claudia Castillo who was the first person to be implanted with an organ produced from stem cells. Unlike in Claudia Castillo’s case who received an organ grown from tissue outside her body, the tissue of the 10-year-old boy in London will be grown inside his body which is said to be far less complicated.
The boy who is the first child to receive such treatment is said to recovering and feeling very well. Professor Martin Elliott, cardiothoracic surgeon and director of tracheal services at London’s Great Ormond Street children’s hospital also said that the boy is breathing completely for himself and speaking. The doctors believe that the organ will not be rejected by the immune system like in case of traditional transplants because the cells originate from the boy’s own tissue. Professor Martin Birchall from the University College London says that further clinical studies are required to prove that the procedure worked and if it did it may enable transplantation of other organs such as esophagus and larynx in hospitals all over the globe.
New Stroke Treatment Passes Safety Trial
All new drugs and treatments must pass a safety clinical trial before their effectiveness can be studied by the doctors. Web site of journal of the American Heart Association, Stroke has published the results of safety stage trial of a new stroke treatment funded by Stem Cell Therapeutics and the National Center for Research Resources. The UC Irvine neurologist, Dr. Steven C. Cramer who led the clinical trial said that the new treatment to regenerate brain cells that were damaged by stroke has passed a highly important safety trial and that patients who were administered growth factors stimulating the production of neurons in areas of the brain affected by stroke have not shown any adverse effects. Even more, the majority of patients who participated in the trial had insignificant or any disability three months after going through the new stroke treatment.
The new stroke treatment safety study was conducted by Dr. Steven C. Cramer in association with doctors from UC Irvine Medical Center, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach and the University of Calgary (Canada). 15 patients who participated in the study were administered beta-hCG, hormone which stimulates neural stem cell growth and erythropoietin, hormone that guides the neural stem cells to differentiate into neurons. Within two days after suffering an ischemic stroke, the patients were administered three beta-hCG injections once per day and then three once-daily erythropoietin injections. The combination of the mentioned growth factors which has been proven to lead to recovery of movement in animal studies has shown no safety concerns in humans.
Despite the exciting results from the animal studies and safety clinical trial in humans the new stroke treatment now must pass the phase IIb clinical trial in which its effects will be compared with those in placebo.
Menstrual Blood as a Source of Stem Cells
One of the main obstacles of widespread use of stem cells for therapeutic purposes is the difficulty of harvesting stem cells from a single person although stem cells are present in most tissues. The harvest of stem cells bases on invasive methods, commonly from bone marrow by using a needle and syringe. However, discovery of stem cells presence in menstrual blood may provide additional and less invasive way to obtain larger amount of stem cells from a single person although further studies are required about both application of stem cells as treatment of diseases and replacement of lost or damaged tissues as well as about their harvesting.
Menstrual blood as a source of stem cells, commonly referred as endometrial regenerative cells (ERC) has been discovered by two research groups in 2007 although scientists found stem cells in the cells lining the uterus wall – endometrium already in 2004. The menstrual blood is made up of shed endometrial lining and blood cells but the stem cells in the menstrual blood (ERC) seem different from stem cells in the endometrium. Surprisingly, the ERCs were shown to be able to differentiate into more types of cells than the stem cells from endometrium. In addition, the ERCs were also shown to have in common certain characteristics with the embryonic stem cells. Some researches suggest that the ERCs may develop into any kind of cell type, while the others remain skeptical. One of the main problem of harvesting stem cells from menstrual blood is the fact that the quality and quantity of stem cells obtained from menstrual blood may greatly vary from woman to woman and depend on many factors such as age. In addition, some scientist also suggest that there is a possibility of different types of stem cells being present in the menstrual blood which may cause difficulties in determining which type of stem cell is being tested.
There are many questions that remained unanswered about the stem cells residing in the menstrual blood including their origin but they future potential is not negligible.
Vitamin A and Heart Tissue Formation
The process of heart tissue formation in humans takes place in two phases in the fourth week: the First Heart Field (left ventricle and both atria) and the Second Heart Field (right ventricle and outflow tract). The research group at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California conducted a study which has identified the main mechanism of formation of heart tissue and helps to understand development of the Second Heart Field as well as the causes of common heart defects in infants.
The study published in the journal Developmental Cell on March 16, 2010, has shown that the formation of the Second Heart Field tissue is regulated by retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivate. By using animal models, the research group has discovered that both deficiency and excess amount of retinoic acid are responsible for common birth defects because retinoic acid acts as stimulant of the differentiation of progenitor cells (cells which have the potency to differentiate into virtually any kind of cells) into heart tissue. Specific molecular markers enabled the team to observe the formation of the outflow tract by the moving cells which according to chief investigator Henry Sucov, Ph.D., resembles a conveyer belt. In animal models with retinoic acid deficiency, the process was halted and resulted in misaligned and shortened outflow tract. Compromised development of the Second Heart Field led to malfunctions such as overriding aorta, double outlet right ventricle and persistent truncus arteriosus which are common in human infants and may be fatal without surgical correction.
Sucov stated that further research is necessary to determine how the findings of their study may help to prevent and correct heart defects in humans. The chief investigator also announced further studies concerning specific treatments for human heart defects on animal models.