Man Out of Wheelchair After Stem Cell Therapy

A man with a spinal cord injury suffered 10 years ago has improved his quality of life tremendously after receiving adult stem cells in a new stem cell treatment in Costa Rica.  Paralyzed in a roofing accident, Jason Slawson was in a wheelchair for 10 years before he went for stem cell therapy and now is using a walker. 

Lifted Out Of Depression As Well As His Wheelchair

The stem cell treatment has given Jason confidence as well as lifting him out of depression he was feeling (not to mention lifting him out of his wheelchair).  From sleeping all day to forget about his depression to working 7 days a week after the stem cell therapy.

Back To Work After Adult Stem Cell TReatment

From the stem cell article:

While in Costa Rica, progress was immediately apparent, muscles he had not used in a decade were contracting and spasms that were violent enough to shake the walls in his home subsided.

He admits the road to recovery is still rocky at times.

“I am still using the walker and some days I’m not strong enough to make it in public, but I use it every day when I am at home,” Slawson said. “There are days when my legs instantly buckle.”

Are ADULT STEM CELLS  A Fountain of Youth?

Slawson said he believes that in taking the steps to get back on his feet, he may have discovered the fountain of youth.

As his muscles are slowly regenerating and feeling is returning to his lower extremities, Slawson said the stem cell therapy also cured carpel tunnel syndrome.

“Before I went to Costa Rica I needed surgery to repair my wrists, I was in a lot of pain from 10 years of gripping and pulling myself in my wheelchair,” Slawson said, with a grin. “Today, I stopped to look at myself in the mirror - and I think I am looking younger.”

Mother Knows Best

Jason's mother also sees the difference-


Schirman said the $40,000 the family pulled together to send Slawson and his wife to Costa Rica was the best investment they could have made for their son’s future. She said he is a changed man who is now staring life in the face instead of hanging his head in defeat.

While she said the physical improvements are more than she ever imagined, she knows the emotional and mental healing far outweighs those benefits.

“More important than the physical progress is his renewed sense of self-confidence and hope,” Schirman said. “He is willing to take risks again, gets out every day and is even talking about raising a family of his own.”

Adult Stem Cells- Not Available in the USA

A very nice story.  While the USA is obsessed with Geron and their embryonic stem cell trial that isn't working, American patients go abroad for adult stem cells that are helping people now.  As long as adult stem cells aren't used in the US, it doesn't matter how much money Obama throws to stem cell research.  

Cerebral Palsy Helped By Adult Stem Cells

 A disabled teen with cerebral palsy is already seeing improvements in his quality of life just two weeks after returning home from China where he received Adult Stem Cells during his treatment and therapy.  

Brain Damage at Birth Results in Cerebral Palsy

Jake Leonard, 13, came back to his home in England on August 13th after a month of stem cell treatment at the Tiantan Puhua Hospital in Beijing, China.  Jake was born 32 weeks prematurely which resulted in some brain damage and he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 8 months of age. 

Stem Cell Treatment Already Helping, More Help To Come

Jake says that the stem cell treatment using adult stem cells taken from cord blood are already helping.  But the full effects of the stem cell therapy won't be known until about 6 months from now as the stem cells do take time to fully develop.

Improvements In Quality of Life

From the stem cell story:

He said: “Jake’s sitting balance has improved along with some increased movement. “Also his eyesight seems to have improved as he has not asked for his glasses for two weeks now.

“The stem cells can take six months or more to fully develop so it is still very early and we have a lot of hard work to do once we return to the UK to continue the progress that Jake has made.

“Part of the progress is also due to the daily therapy that Jake receives; this has resulted in increased range of movement in his legs which are now nearly straight.”

This is a great story as Jake and his family have been raising money for the stem cell treatment for more than 1 year and now it is paying dividends.  I hope the improvements keep coming in the months to come!

Jake is the second boy from England I have featured recently.  You can read about Harvey Telford and his stem cell treatment here.

Stem Cell Research for Parkinson's Disease

 A Parkinson's Disease patient is reporting major improvements in his quality of life following a new stem cell research procedure in which the patient's own adult stem cells were used.  Bhanwarlal Jain says the stem cell treatment has improved his quality of life following the implantation of the stem cells in February 2009.

Unable to Speak from Parkinson's Disease

The complications of Parkinson's disease had been taking their toll on Jain for 12 years.  Finally, he had to stop working and he was unable to talk.  With nothing to lose, Jain then explored a stem cell treatment at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai, India.  
These days, Jain is able to speak again and was able to elaborate on his stem cell therapy for this story thanks to the stem cell therapy!

Stem Cell Treatment for Parkinson's Disease

1.  Adult Stem Cells Were Removed From Patient's Bone Marrow

2.  Stem Cells Were Then Multiplied In A Lab

3.  Stem Cells Were Then Implanted Into the Patient's Brain Using Stereotactic Surgery

From the stem cell article: Elaborating on the surgery, he said, “Under the influence of local anesthesia, two burr holes are made in the head, through which microscopic amounts of autologous mesenchymal stem cells are injected. About 100 shots of stem cell were injected. As these cells are from the patient’s own bone marrow there is no potential of rejection, and side effects are also negated as they can multiply only for a limited time.”

Dr Paresh Doshi, head of the stereotactic and functional neurosurgery department at the hospital says that Jaslok Hospital and Reliance Life Sciences have partnered for 10 such cases and the results of these will be evaluated over a period of three years. “We are not claiming that we have successfully operated the patient as a thorough evaluation of the patient will be done for 18 months. But Jaslok Hospital is the first one to use stem cell for Parkinson’s disease in a proper clinical setup in the world,”


This is a fantastic story. Michael J Fox, are you reading this? Get this going at your foundation!!

Adult Stem Cells fix broken jawbones in Spain

 Bone Repair Cells (BRCs) were used in Spain to repair the faces of patients suffering from severe craniofacial defects in 2008 and the 12-month results were released at a conference in China this month (Aug. 2009). The product was developed by what RSCI considers one of the top stem cell companies in America, Aastrom Biosciences. 

Dr. Jose Mendonca, Director of the Head and Neck Surgery Unit of Hospital POLUSA in Lugo, Spain and previously a Clinical and Research Fellow in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the UCLA School of Dentistry, reviewed the results of treatment with BRCs in three patients with craniofacial defects, as follows:

1-- The first patient was treated for severe mandibular osteoradionecrosis, or osteonecrosis of the jaw caused by
 radiation, and presented with pathological fracture and complete numbness of the lower lip. At 12 months post-BRC treatment, thepatient displayed restored vascular function, new bone formation, fracture consolidation and total recovery of lip numbness.

2--The second patient was treated for post-traumatic mandibular osteomyelitis and presented with massive bone loss, chronic infection, chronic pain and total impairment of function of both mandibular nerves. At 12 months post-BRC treatment, the patient experienced complete functional nerve recovery and the formation of new bone.

3-The third patient was treated for iatrogenic massive bone loss in the posterior maxilla and presented with severe oral function impairment. At 12 months post-BRC treatment, the patient had new bone formation in atrophic areas.
All patients underwent a minor surgery to insert a dental implant into the newly regenerated jaw bone. Eight weeks later, the dental prosthesis (teeth) was attached to the implant completing the treatment objectives with the restoration of oral function.

"The outcome of these treatments with BRCs has been very satisfactory. We observed early bone formation in the afflicted areas that eventually resulted in complete healing," said Dr. Mendonca. "Unexpected therapeutic results from treatment with BRCs include peripheral nerve regeneration or repair, new skin formation and proliferation in blood vessels in ischemic areas!!


NOTE from Don Margolis: RSCI knew that this “trial” would succeed, but how well it came out surprised even us, who have seen five years of Repair Stem Cell successes month after month. We look for unexpected side effects---always positive---ever since TheraVitae’s pioneer heart stem cells surprised everyone by improving the patients’ diabetes in one out of six cases. These “side effects” are, well, astonishing. New blood vessels in ischemic areas from a jawbone? Nerve regeneration? New skin? This will take a while to sink in!

Stem Cell Research Trial For Liver Patients Using Adult Stem Cells

In a stem cell research trial that isn't getting enough news, liver patients are now being treated with their own Adult Stem Cells at Hammersmith Hospital in London, England. They have treated more than 30 patients now with "good results." This is good news for those liver patients facing a transplant (and death).

I covered this stem cell story back in September 2008, and since then it seems they have treated more liver patients with their own stem cells with more good results. This excerpt is from the most recent stem cell article:

The stem cells help to grow new liver cells so that a damaged liver can begin to function normally again.

The team, which is based at London’s Hammersmith Hospital, has used the technique on around 30 patients so far with good results. They hope the treatment will become mainstream within three to five years.

It involves taking blood from patients, removing stem cells that circulate in the bloodstream and multiplying them in a laboratory. They are infused back into the liver via a main artery where they continue to multiply as liver cells.

The technique, which is undergoing trials, could revolutionise treatment of patients with liver failure. At present there is no method of keeping them alive as there is with kidney disease.

The Original Is Always Better Than the Sequel

However, the original post back in September 2008, had more details about this new stem cell treatment:

Administering autologous expanded mobilized adult progenitor CD34+ cells into the hepatic artery of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) leads to considerable benefit, researchers report in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

“We are encouraged that the majority of patients in this study experienced a significant improvement in their liver functions,” senior investigator Dr. Nagy A. Habib told Reuters Health.

Dr. Habib of Imperial College, London, and colleagues studied nine ALC patients who had been abstinent for at least 6 months. The patients underwent granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilization and leukapheresis. Autologous CD34+ cells were then expanded in vitro by an average of 5 times and injected into the hepatic artery.

All patients tolerated the procedure well and over 12 weeks of follow-up there were significant decreases in serum bilirubin. A significant reduction in levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase was seen 1 week after the transfusion and showed improvement through the study period.

Seven of the patients showed an improvement in Child-Pugh scores, and on imaging at 12 weeks, three patients showed a complete resolution of ascites and two had a significant reduction.

Stem Cell Therapy for Liver- Faster Please

This is fantastic news for cirrhosis patients, as well as Hepatitis C patients.  However, once again, the stem cell therapy isn't getting to the patient fast enough.  The stem cell research trial seems to have been going on for more than 1 year, yet only 30 liver patients have been treated.  Think about all those liver patients who can probably be improved by this and safe as well- nothing to lose.