Stem Cells Spinal Cord Injury
Almost 300,000 Americans are currently living with an injury to their spinal cord and 12,000 people every year are informed that they will never walk again following an accident. There may well be hope, however, that a single injection of specialized stem cells may possibly return movement and hope to a paralyzed body. In fact one scientist who has dedicated a good portion of the last ten years searching for a cure has claimed that a new treatment may well be within reach. Should this prove to be the case it could mean that the treatment and repair of spinal cord damage will be revolutionized.
In a University of California laboratory researcher by the name of Hans Keirstead, Ph.D at UC Irvine believes that he may have found the vital pieces of the jigsaw to help patients with spinal cord injuries regain movement. Dr. Keirstead said that he has come up with a treatment designed to treat patients within two weeks from when they suffer an injury. He went on to comment that it is a scary concept that the people who will receive the treatment haven’t even suffered an injury yet.
In Dr. Keirstead’s study rats that had been paralyzed previously were able to walk again within six weeks, and from these results believes that human trials could begin very soon with perhaps ten patients receiving an injection of the specialized stem cells directly into their damaged spinal columns. It is hoped that, in these cases, small movements may been seen in the patients within three months. He made it clear, however, that he did not expect such dramatic and immediate results from his treatments.
Dr. Keirstead’s treatment comes from cases where he has successfully coaxed stem cells from human embryos into a condition wherein they can be easily and quickly transformed into spinal cord cells which he subsequently injected into rats for observation. He found that the new cells travelled all throughout the damaged spinal column and then enmeshed themselves around the nerve clusters, thereby ensuring that function was restored. Dr Keirstead explained that the new stem cells are “a very high purity population of a particular spinal cord cell type that is lost after the patient is injured”.
Due to the fact that this trial is the very first of its kind there still remain a large number of unknowns to be considered, including whether or not the stem cells will work as well on people as they have in animals and whether there will be any side effects of the treatment. In response to these concerns Dr. Keirstead insists that there are likely to be risks, especially with regards to whether or not it is the right cell sector to target. He cautions those eager to receive the treatment to be patient. Even so, some critics of Dr. Keirstead have criticized him for pushing the treatment too quickly, although it will be monitored and regulated, naturally, by the FDA when it enters the human trial phase.
Despite all criticism and support on both sides Dr. Keirstead realizes that there remains a chance that the treatment won’t work in humans or may never be allowed to be tested on human subjects as approximately two-thirds of all new treatments will never make it past second-phase testing.
Subscribe to the comments for this postStem Cells and HIV
Research conducted by the UCLA AIDS institute alongside associated colleagues has shown that stem cells present in human blood could be genetically redesigned into cells that would be capable of hunting down and eliminating HIV-infected cells. This process could also eventually be used to target and treat a wide range of chronic diseases spread by viruses.
The UCLA study, which was published on December 7th, 2009 in PLoS ONE, an online journal, provided proof of feasibility that existing stem cells harvested from the human body could be genetically modified into what could be considered a genetic vaccine. In this way such an approach to cells can effectively be used to modify or engineer the body’s natural immune system and the fundamental T-cell response in particular where any AIDS-related treatments are concerned according to the lead investigator on the team, Scott G. Kitchen, who is also the assistant professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
These treatments can be targeted at a range of viruses that cause chronic diseases and even different types of tumors. Mr. Kitchen stated that the studies carried out by his team lay the foundation for further therapeutic developments that involve restoring damaged immune systems. They found that the engineered stem cells developed into mature, multi-purpose HIV-specific cells that were able to target cells specifically containing HIV proteins. The stem cells that were engineered by the team were implanted into mice for study, thereby allowing them to observe how the cells would react in a living organism. The team’s research also revealed that HIV-specific T-cell receptors need to be specifically matched to individuals in the same way that organs must be matched to transplant patients.
In a similar case a transplant of stem cells allowed a German AIDS patient to cease taking the medication he had be taking for the past ten years. The patient received stem cells from a donor with a rare gene variant that is already known to resist AIDS. Researchers also reported that the patient’s leukemia was also cured as a result of the transplant.
The donor who gave the stem cells was in the 1% of Caucasians that have the variant gene which does not have the section known as CCR5 – the section that helps the AIDS virus to enter a cell. German doctors worked on the premise that, by transplanting the donor’s stem cells into their patient, the process would rebuild both his blood cells and immune system so that they would be without the CCR5 section. As a result of the experiments researchers may well have found new ways of controlling the HIV virus so that patients would no longer have a life-long dependence upon medication should they become infected.
The next stage for Kitchen’s team is to determine whether or not such a procedure will work in the human body as well as extending the potential range of viruses against which such an approach might be used. Early results of the study indicate that the approach could well be effective in combating AIDS as well as a range of other viral diseases.
Stem Cells and Diabetes
The news that stem cell transplants into sufferer of Type 1 diabetes have allowed patients to forego their traditional daily insulin injections has come following research that allowed volunteers to successfully go an average of two-and-a-half years free from needing to take their multiple, daily injections with which they usually manage their condition thanks to stem cell therapy. The small study that was undertaken included 23 patients that had been recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a condition where a person’s immune system can very quickly destroy the cells that produce insulin found in the pancreas.
The stem cell transplants appear to work by effectively re-setting the immune system on order that the body will cease attacking the pancreas. According to the researchers involved in the study such a treatment can only successfully be undertaken when Type 1 diabetes is caught early in a patient, preferably within a six week window following diagnosis and before the pancreas suffers irreparable damage and before any complications set in as a result of elevated blood sugar levels.
With regards to the study itself 23 patients received stem cell treatments in order to treat new-onset cases of type 1 diabetes, making use of follow-up data from 15 patients that initially received stem cell implants in a study previously published in 2007 combined with another eight patients that joined the study all the way up until April 2008. The patients involved in the study were aged between 13 and 31 years old with an average age of just over 18. The majority of the patients were men who had suffered for a relatively short duration from the disease before it was caught (around 37 days on average) and were, in general, free of diabetic ketoacidosis – a condition that is dangerous complication linked to Type 1 diabetes.
The new study has hinted at possible new avenues for research, although it must be stressed that the treatment is still at an early stage of its development and it is not without certain risks and side effects. In fact the research director of Diabetes UK, Dr Iain Frame, has been quick to stress that “This treatment is not a cure for type 1 diabetes.”
The researchers obtained follow-up data on all of the 23 patients that were in receipt of a stem cell therapy transplant and the length of their data collation for each patient ranged from seven to fifty-eight months. Their findings showed that 20 patients, all with no previous ketoacidosis, became insulin and injection free, and of all involved a total of twelve patients stayed insulin-free for an average of thirty-one months. Eight patients, however, suffered relapses and needed to resume taking insulin at low doses.
While the results from this study indicate that further research definitely needs to be done into the process as well as highlights the fact that there will undoubtedly need to be further work done among people of different ethnicities and among women in order to further test the findings of the study it nevertheless shows promise for many Type 1 diabetes sufferers.
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.