Boys born with cerebral palsy make steady improvement after autologous stem cell therapy

The Denver Post caught up with two fifth-grade boys and their families who spent their summer in Germany. The trip was no cultural excursion, or sightseeing adventure - it was medical tourism.  Born with cerebral palsy, best friends Dominic King and Harrison Spiers visited a European stem cell treatment center where each received injections of their own stem cells. Already the parents have observed progress in both boys.

Looking up now

Experimental treatment helps boys with cerebral palsy

By Karen Auge

A slow-motion ballet is unfolding on a gym mat in the family room of Dom inic King’s Englewood home.

Cradled in the arms of physical therapist Kelly Leid, 10-year-old Dom inic rolls gracefully, stretches, pushes, bends, holds — to the accompaniment of his friend, Harrison Spiers, in the next room cheering on the Rockies in his best stadium voice.

The moves may look rhythmic and effortless, but they are hard, tiring work — work that would have been harder, if not impossible, three months ago.

Dominic, like Harrison, has cerebral palsy. And when the boys started fifth grade a few weeks ago, they had amazing stories to share about what they did over summer vacation: After months of fundraising, the best friends went to Germany with their families for a stem-cell treatment that their parents hope will be as life-changing as it is groundbreaking.

Now, back home, their big adventure is behind them. And the work is just beginning. continue

See also: Hope for ischemic brain injury, Stem Cell Research a Miracle for Aussie Toddler with Cerebral Palsy, and XCell-Center Presents Positive Results from Cerebral Palsy Stem Cell Treatment

H/T to Save the Cord

Autologous stem cells augment artificial heart to save man’s life

A great story out of Greece where for the first time autologous (adult) stem cells have been used alongside an artificial pump. The idea is to buy time, making the Jarvic “heart” do all the work while the autologous cells rebuild new and healthy heart muscle. If this works as anticipated, not only will lives (and quality of life) be extended for some patients with end-stage heart failure, but in addition, perhaps this combination of therapies will prevent some patients from becoming candidates for transplant.

Dying patient saved by artificial heart and stem cell treatment hailed as world first

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:51 PM on 24th September 2009

A British surgeon has saved a man dying of heart failure by giving him an artificial heart and injecting him with stem cells to rebuild the damaged muscle in a world-first operation.

Professor Stephen Westaby, based at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, led the team that operated on Ioannis Manolopoulos in Thessaloniki, Greece to fit him with the mechanical pump.

Artificial hearts are used in only a handful of patients in the UK and Mr Westaby believes that the use of the patient’s own cells extracted from his bone marrow represents the first time the two treatments have ever been combined.

Mr Manolopoulos, who is recovering after the operation two weeks ago, said: ‘If things go well, I must go to church and pray because I feel very lucky to get this device and have the chance of a normal life.’ continue

See also: Man Treated for Heart Failure With Own Cardiac Stem Cells

July is Cord Blood Awareness Month

If you donated your baby’s umbilical cord to a public bank – thank you! Your baby’s cord blood produces stem cells that cure or treat many conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, diGeorge syndrome, Hurler syndrome, epidermolysis bullosa,  and so far up to 66 more. This entire month is dedicated to increasing awareness about umbilical cord blood stem cells.  If you are about to have a baby, we hope you will consider saving the cord  for potential private use or donating to a public bank. Some hospitals easily expedite this process (and others don’t, unfortunately). And if you are not expecting a baby, please mention this life-saving option to your friends and family who are expecting – as a way of celebrating Cord Blood Awareness Month. It’s a great opportunity to help the gift of life keep on giving!

Parents of boy cured of sickle cell anemia talk about their experience

Great interview provided by Texas Alliance for Life. Little Joseph had three blood transfusions by the age of three, and his condition was chronically poor. Though his  parents were aware of a cord blood therapy, they were having a difficult time finding a match for their son.  Then they discovered they were expecting another child. Baby brother Isaac’s cord blood cells provided the match needed for Joseph’s therapies. Watch the story:

 

See also: Adios, Sickle Cell Anemia, Disability Advocates Need NOT Support ESC Research

Treating MS with Fat Stem Cells

Video explaining the possible treatment of multiple sclerosis using fat derived stem cells (h/t Rebecca Taylor):

A potential revolution in the treatment of tiniest heart patients

Having a child with a single ventricle heart, I’m always on the look-out for exciting advances in the field. This recent report from Pediatric Cardiology proposes the use of engineered autologous (made from one’s own cells) tissue as an alternative to heart transplantation and radical reconstructive surgeries for heart kids. This has been on the horizon for a long time, but now it’s appearing in field standard journals . . . “the future” is getting closer and closer every day.

Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Implications for Pediatric Heart Surgery

Received: 4 February 2009  Accepted: 26 February 2009  Published online: 25 March 2009

Abstract:  Children with severe congenital malformations, such as single-ventricle anomalies, have a daunting prognosis. Heart transplantation would be a therapeutic option but is restricted due to a lack of suitable donor organs and, even in case of successful heart transplantation, lifelong immune suppression would frequently be associated with a number of serious side effects. As an alternative to heart transplantation and classical cardiac reconstructive surgery, tissue-engineered myocardium might become available to augment hypomorphic hearts and/or provide new muscle material for complex myocardial reconstruction. These potential applications of tissue engineered myocardium will, however, impose major challenges to cardiac tissue engineers as well as heart surgeons. This review will provide an overview of available cardiac tissue-engineering technologies, discuss limitations, and speculate on a potential application of tissue-engineered heart muscle in pediatric heart surgery.

And of course, adult stem cells and autologous tissues have turned out to be impressively effective for adult hearts, too: Improved exercise tolerance for angina patients, ASC heart failure trials, plus more – use our blog search button for “heart” and “cardiac”.

Another Amazing ASC-SCI Success!

Thanks to Rebecca Taylor for finding this story – which I’m sure has not been picked up by many other media outlets, if any.

DaVinci Biosciences, in collaboration with Luis Vernaza Hospital in Ecuador, this week had the results of its study demonstrating the safety and feasibility of its acute and chronic spinal cord injury treatment published in an issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cell Transplantation:

The study documents eight patients (four acute and four chronic) who were administered autologous bone marrow derived stem cells using a multiple route delivery technique. A two-year follow-up was performed on all the patients in the study who received the treatment. Using sequential MRIs, the follow-up demonstrated noticeable morphological changes within the spinal cord after administration of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells. Participating spinal cord injury patients experienced varying degrees of improvement in their quality of life, such as increased bladder control, regained mobility and sensation. Most importantly, the study demonstrated no adverse effects such as tumor formation, increased pain, and/or deterioration of function following administration of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells.

Read more

There is even a video (below) to accompany this amazing story. One patient was paralyzed for 22 years!

Studies like this should not be taken lightly by the media or the medical/scientific community at large. Spinal cord injuries – especially complete injuries – are not reversible. There is, quite literally, “no hope” - no common therapy or drug that will ever improve your mobility or function over time. It’s really a big mystery in the medical/scientific field which is why, especially doctors, find the injury so devastating. I think the most frustrating thing is that, for the most part, SCI patients are otherwise very healthy individuals. We just, for reasons science cannot fully figure out or explain, cannot reconnect the communication between our brain and the nerves and muscles below our point of injury.

I used to watch the TV show Trauma, Life in the ER a number of years ago and I had seen them react to many different situations including death, disease, coma, head injuries, but in one episode a young man came in with an SCI after a car accident and I never saw a reaction from the doctors like that. It was one of total devastation – for them, as doctors, healers, knowing that there was nothing they could offer that would even give that otherwise healthy young patient a chance to ever walk again – beyond a miracle. (note: this does not mean disabled life need be depressing or hopeless – see my posts linked below)

Now we see that that may be changing. These are still very early trials, but for several years now we’ve seen stories like this one – see here, here, here, here and here – where stem cells, ADULT stem cells, have been successful in repairing at least some of the damage associated with SCI. This is simply amazing, a real and true scientific breakthrough – better yet, it comes from research that does not require the use and destruction of tiny human beings.

One correction to the story above: those patients had their health improved, their mobility and function improved – the “quality” of their lives, however, has not changed as it is not dependent on their physical ability, but on their nature as human beings.

Previous posts:
People With Disabilities Can Live Normal Lives
I Enjoyed Every Minute of It
Better off Dead?
Disability Advocates Need NOT Support ESC Research!

Another ASC Success for SCI

Another spinal cord injury patient has seen improvement in his condition after treatment with his own stem cells:

After the accident the hairs on his legs, below his knee, stopped growing and his legs were white as a result of poor circulation.

But now hairs have started to grow back and his legs have changed colour as circulation improves.

Michael, of Fressingfield, Suffolk, has regained strength in his stomach and back muscles.

The surgery was carried out by Dr Luis Geffner at the Luis Vernaza hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

It involved the implanting of adult stem cells from Mr Flounders~ bone marrow.

Read more

This man has been paralyzed for 20 years.

See here, here and here for other stories involving SCI and ASCs.

Lab grown windpipe: another adult stem cell success

CNN had this as their homepage featured story this morning . . . let’s hope the Obama admin health and science advisors will see it and draw the proper conclusions: more money for ethical research with adult stem cells that works, not embronyic stem cells.

Woman given windpipe

created in laboratory

LONDON, England (CNN) — Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue engineered from her own stem cells in what experts have hailed as a “milestone in medicine.”

The breakthrough allowed Claudia Castillo, 30, to receive a new section of trachea — an airway essential for breathing — without the risk that her body would reject the transplant.

Castillo was given the stem cell surgery, the controversial branch of medicine that some say could lead to human cloning, after suffering a severe lung collapse.

The condition, caused by long-term tuberculosis left Castillo, a Colombian now living in Barcelona, unable to carry out simple domestic duties or care for her two children.

The only conventional option was a major operation to remove her left lung, a risky procedure with a high mortality rate. continue

Adios Sickle Cell Anemia (again)

I’ve been shocked at the number of visitors the sickle cell anemia posts tend to draw to this blog. Well, here we go again! More great news. A little boy is cured of the disease from cells taken from his baby sister’s umbilical cord. I don’t want to give away the details of this fabulous “human interest” story, so just take a few minutes to read it:

Brentwood boy whose family moved here from Panama is cured of sickle cell anemia

By Sandy Kleffman
Contra Costa Times

Article Launched: 06/21/2008 07:56:59 PM PDT

Edna Chang-Vega and her husband left behind good jobs, a comfortable home and extended family in Panama in the hope of obtaining better treatment for Isaac, who suffered from debilitating sickle cell anemia.

Worried about Isaac’s bouts with pneumonia and frequent hospitalizations, the family moved in with a cousin in Antioch. They figured someone in the United States could help ease Isaac’s symptoms.

“Everybody knows that the United States is a big, big country and they are very advanced in medicine,” Chang-Vega said.

Their sacrifice would succeed beyond anything they could have imagined.

Next came an unplanned pregnancy and a perfect match. In 2005, doctors at Children’s Hospital Oakland transplanted into Isaac umbilical cord blood from his young sister, Eunice.

The 11-year-old is now cured of a disease that just a few years ago was considered incurable.

“We were very lucky to come to the right place,” Chang-Vega said last week as she sat in her Brentwood home. “We prayed to God to help us, and somehow he helped us.” continue

 

More posts about sickle cell anemia, start here, or type in “sickle cell” on the search feature