THIS IS VERY INTERESTING! CLINICAL RESEARCHERS, SCIENTISTS, AND DOCTORS HAVE BEEN DEBATING WHICH TYPE OF STEM CELL WORKS BEST FOR A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS INCLUDING HEART FAILURE. AS FAR AS I KNOW, NOBODY CAN SAY FOR CERTAIN WHICH POPULATION OF STEM CELLS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE. ARE THE ADULT BONE MARROW DERIVED MONONUCLEAR BETTER FOR THE HEART? ARE THE ADULT MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS BETTER FOR HEART FAILURE? OR IS IT A COMBINATION OF THE TWO THAT IS BEST? I DON'T KNOW, BUT THIS TRIAL SEEMS TO BE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO FIND OUT:

BioCardia, Inc., a regenerative medicine company, and the University of Miami today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a clinical investigation of two adult stem cell populations in the setting of heart failure. This groundbreaking study will take place at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

This is the first stem cell trial comparing two cell populations. The two investigational cell populations to be studied include autologous adult bone marrow derived mononuclear cells and adult autologous mesenchymal cells. These cell populations have excellent safety profiles (NOT ONLY EXCELLENT SAFETY PROFILES, THEY BOTH HAVE EXCELLENT EFFICACY PROFILES AS WELL- DM) in clinical studies performed to date. As cells are taken from the patient's own bone marrow, there will be no issues of rejection of the cells as foreign by the patient's immune system.

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MORE GOOD NEWS FOR SPINAL CORD INJURED PEOPLE OUT THERE.  IT GIVES ME REASON TO SMILE:

Harsha, a Bangalore-based paraplegic, too has reason to smile these days. He had got used to life in a wheelchair for years. But a mesenchymal stem cell transplant in his spinal chord has given him some hope. Harsha can now move his limbs a little, and that's given him a new lease of hope.

A NEW LEASE OF HOPE?  THAT SOUNDS POSITIVE. LET'S HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS:


Every year, India gets over 20,000 cases of spinal cord injury patients. A new Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy could be the answer for these patients. The research, conducted by a team of doctorsneurosurgeon, St Philomenas Hospital, Bangalore. "This system maximises the yield of stem cells. The chances of loss in the bloodstream is minimised," Rao explains.

Traditionally, stem cells have always been injected either through intravenous drips or through lumber puncture directly into the cerebo-spinal fluid. But when injected this way, the stem cells float around the body or in the blood stream. Very few of them reach the target. Moreover, in case of spinal cord injuries, the adjoining tissues let out a signal called cytobine signals, which attract stem cells from other parts of body to heal the injury. But in case of an old injury, these signals are not let out anymore. Therefore, the stem cells that are injected in the body through the traditional method may not get attracted to the injury at all. The new method takes care of all this. Here, MSCs are injected directly into the injury for maximum effect. These can create tissues or cartilage or bones as required by the injury and repair it.

So what are MSCs? Stem cells, or master cells as they are popularly known as, are cells that can divide and produce copies of themselves and other types of cells. Doctors are using them to treat complex problems like Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, end-stage liver diseases. While we are familiar with embryonic stem cells drawn from the umbilical cord, there are many other types of human stem cells. MSCs are found in the bone marrow. They can be derived into a variety of cells in the laboratory, including fat cells, cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments, muscles cells, skin cells and even nerve cells. In fact, scientists can even grow these cells in culture. Experts say, unlike most other human adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells can be obtained in quantities appropriate for clinical applications, making them good candidates for use in tissue repair. Since the techniques for isolation and amplification of these stem cells in culture have been established, the cells can be maintained and propagated in culture for long periods of time without losing their capacity to form all the above cell types. at Bangalore-based Stempeutics Research, has shown promising results. In the pilot study, MSCs were injected directly into the spinal cord of the patient for maximum efficacy. It was injected either intra-arterially or through intra-spinal (site of injury) route. This new technique of injecting of stem cells close to the site of injury showed good results. "This is the first time anyone has tried injecting stem cells directly into the injured area. And we got good results," says Dr Sujay Rao, consultant

THIS IS GREAT NEWS AS IT MAY GIVE EVEN MORE PROMISE TO THE ALREADY PROMISING PROSPECTS OF HELPING SPINAL CORD INJURIES WITH ADULT STEM CELL THERAPY.  AS DOCTORS AND RESEARCHERS IMPROVE DELIVERY METHODS OF THE STEM CELLS, WE SHOULD BE SEEING EVEN MORE ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

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WHAT A VICTORY THIS IS! JACKI RABON, 18, WAS LEFT PARALYZED AFTER A HORRIFIC CAR ACCIDENT. JACKI HAD GIVEN UP HOPE OF EVER WALKING AGAIN:


But about a year later, Rabon's pastor at First Baptist Church in Waverly, Ill., called the family to tell them he had just watched a special on PBS about a cutting-edge surgery that involved harvesting stem cells from a patient's nose and transplanting them into the site of a spinal cord break.

The procedure was not available in the United States, but at the time at least six Americans had traveled abroad to have Carlos Lima, a neurologist at Hospital Egaz Moniz in Lisbon, Portugal, perform the surgery in hopes of regaining at least some movement. NOT AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES? I HOPE TO CHANGE THIS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AN AMERICAN HAS TO GO TO PORTUGAL TO RECEIVE HER OWN ADULT STEM CELLS? THIS IS STILL UNBELIEVABLE TO ME.

Olfactory tissue is removed from the patient's nasal cavity, prepared and then implanted into the spinal cord injury site. The transplanted cells then regenerate efficiently and transform into nerve cells that help repair the spinal cord, and the cells serve as alternatives to using embryonic stem cells for the same purpose. I SUPPOSE YOU COULD USE EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS FOR THE SAME PURPOSE- IF YOU WANTED A SURE FAILURE AND PROBABLY KILL THE PATIENT!

AND WHAT DOES THE SPINAL CORD INJURY PATIENT HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?
Rabon believes there is much hope in adult stem cell research, and she is sure that once the word gets out, more and more people will want to have adult stem cell therapy. So far, she can testify that it has improved her life, and no other lives were harmed in the process. PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW AND LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF MS. RABON WALKING AGAIN.

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THIS IS GOOD NEWS. ALTHOUGH I OFTEN READ ABOUT NEW "DISCOVERIES" OR "BREAKTHROUGHS" COMING FROM THE UK, IT ISN'T OFTEN THAT THESE "DISCOVERIES" INVOLVE HELPING ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS USING STEM CELLS. USUALLY, WE WILL READ ABOUT HOW THE RATS IMPROVED SO "THIS DEMONSTRATES THE POTENTIAL OF STEM CELLS" AND "MORE STUDIES NEED TO BE DONE BEFORE THIS CAN BE TESTED IN HUMANS." - SO I WAS VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT THE UK HAS BEGUN A TRIAL TREATING HEART ATTACK VICTIMS (HUMANS NOT RATS) WITH THEIR OWN ADULT STEM CELLS.

Robin Marston suffered an attack a week ago while packing his car following a trip.

He became the second of two patients to take part in a new clinical trial at The Barts and The London Heart Attack Centre, the biggest unit of its kind in the UK.

Doctors took stem cells from bone marrow in his lower back. Mr Marston then received either his own stem cells back or a placebo - the trial requires he does not know which - via a catheter in his groin. (A VERY NON INVASIVE PROCEDURE, WHY WE CAN'T BE DOING THIS FOR EVERY HEART ATTACK VICTIM IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION- DM)

The aim of the treatment for those receiving the stem cells is to "turn the clock back" for heart attack victims by repairing damaged heart tissue.

The trial is the first of its kind in the UK and will involve 100 patients over the next two years. AS I SAID, THIS IS GREAT NEWS.

Mr Marston, a 61-year-old bus driver from West Drayton in London, said: "When I got the hospital I was taken straight through and was kept awake the whole time. A surgeon inserted a catheter into my groin.

"Through this, they inserted two stents into my arteries to keep them open and at the same time I was asked if I wanted to participate in a stem cell research programme.

"I indicated that I would want to, because not only would I help myself but other people too. A GOOD CHAP


"I feel practically 100% now. I had a tiny bit of pain last night, but nothing since then and I'm feeling fine." WONDERFUL NEWS, I HOPE HE STAYS 100%.

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AND THAT IS WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT ADULT STEM CELLS-  THEY ARE GIVING PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS THAT WERE ONCE THOUGHT INCURABLE OR NOT TREATABLE NEW HOPE.  AND THERE IS GOOD REASON TO HOPE TOO, THIS ISN'T "I'M GOING TO WIN THE LOTTERY" HOPE.

TODAY, WE HAVE THE STORY OF A YOUNG WOMAN FROM ILLINOIS SUFFERING FROM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS).  SHE IS NOW RECEIVING STEM CELL THERAPY AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.  I SUSPECT THE HONORABLE ADULT STEM CELL GURU, DR. RICHARD BURT IS BEHIND THIS ALTHOUGH THE ARTICLE DOES NOT MENTION HIM BY NAME.

Rodriguez is hopeful it will work with her. She went in for the treatment Feb. 12 at Northwestern University. She first received shots every day to promote the production of stem cells in her bone marrow. Those were collected and stored.

She then received five days of chemotherapy to kill off her immune system. When those cells reached zero, she got the injection of her stem cells. She was very sick throughout the procedure, but she believes there is hope.

She said she already feels better (AND THAT IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS STORY-DM), and her doctor told her she has made some progress.

THIS SOUNDS VERY PROMISING FOR THE YOUNG WOMAN.   SO TO ALL OF YOU MS SUFFERERS OUT THERE, ADULT STEM CELL TREATMENT SEEMS TO BE HELPING PATIENTS LIKE YOURSELF, I SUGGEST YOU CHECK IT OUT- DM

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