I wanted to follow up on my post last week on storing a baby's umbilical cord blood. I noted that Newsweek ran a big article called "When Medicine Meets Marketing -The business of storing umbilical-cord blood is growing. Is salesmanship outpacing science?"

The article takes a Umbilical Cord Blood storing company called Cord Blood Registry (CBR) to task saying that it is a long shot that the stem cells from the cord blood would ultimately be needed and used AND if on the slight chance they were used, the author implied that it was doubtful that the stem cells would work and that CBR was taking advantage of parent's hope and faith.

The author, Mary Carmichael, used Dallas Hextell as an example. Dallas, suffering from Cerebral Palsy was treated for his condition with his own cord blood stem cells in a trial at Duke University by Dr. Kurtzberg. Dallas' parents have gone on the record saying that the stem cell treatment have helped him tremendously, but the author casts doubt on this saying that there is no proof that it worked. I have documented the cases of Dallas Hextell, Chloe Levine, Maia Friedlander, and John Centrello in my blog- if you read all of these stories, you will believe and this is a case of parents know best.

Don't take it from me- the general public let the author have it in the comments section to the article in question coming to the defense of the Cord Blood Storage business and the stem cell therapy in general:

Chloe Levine's mother responded first:

Posted By: cbrmom1 @ 12/15/2008 10:35:40 PM

It is so very clear that the person who wrote this article, number one does not have her facts even close to the truth and most importantaly is not a mother...
My daughter Chloe recieved a cord blood stem cell reinfusion in May of this year to reverse the effects of Cerebral Palsy. Todate, she is running, jumping, talking, can reach up with two hands to give me a hug....ALL of which was impossible before reinfusion. If you want to see the proof for yourself please visit www.youtube.com/cbrmom1 and watch the before and after videos. Yes, people with CP will improve over time, but they do not improve over 75% in 5 months.
I really feel that this article is a desperate attempt to meet a writers deadline....you should be ashamed of yourself for writting such a vicious, false article.

Since this is the holiday season, we are all in the spirit of giving.  What can be a better gift to give than  to give somebody life?  That is what we all can possibly do if we become a bone marrow donor.

Most often it is Leukemia and Lymphoma patients who are in need of a stem cell bone marrow transplant to save their life.  Take for example the case of  Joel Carter :

Carter, 56, said he would not have lived to see his grandson's birth on April 5 this year if it were not for a far-away donor who gave him a second chance at life through a blood stem cell transplant. The gift also spared his parents from losing a second son; Carter's brother died of a brain tumor in 1975 at age 28.

He learned he had acute myleogenus leukemia after struggling to recover from a bronchial infection. His only hope to survive was a stem cell transplant from a matching donor.  Luckily, they found a match for him.  Many are not so lucky.

In a letter, Carter told his donor what her gift meant to him.

"It meant that my father didn't have to bury his other son. It meant that my son didn't lose his father in the prime of life," said Carter, of Grand Rapids. "And it meant that this child would grow up to know me through a relationship and not just through pictures."

Imagine if you were the one reading that letter from Mr. Carter.  Like Toyota, "Oh what a feeling!"

"The important thing to know is once they get to the transplant point in their disease, that's their only hope," said Mary Banfill, stem cell laboratory supervisor. "If they don't do the transplant, it's going to be fatal."

The economy is down.  We are all struggling a little financially.  However, one thing we can always give is a little bit of our time.  If you are reading this blog, most likely, you are able to help.  Go to www.marrow.org - the National Marrow Donor Program and they will give you information on how you may be able to save somebody's life-  and you will get a life long friend in the process and the good feeling of knowing you helped somebody.

Dr. Zannos Grekos of Regenocyte and an esteemed member of the Repair Stem Cell Institute Science Advisory Board presented a published article with clinical data showing that Stem Cell therapy using Adult Stem Cells definitely helps Heart Disease patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy and Congestive Heart Failure.

Dr. Grekos made his presentation at the 16th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine & Regenerative Biomedical Technologies in Las Vegas last weekend.

From the article:

Dr. Grekos also highlighted several case studies to illustrate his team's success with Adult Stem Cells. According to their findings, cardiac disease patients experience an average increase of 21% in ejection rates as well as measurable improvements in congestive heart failure class status, some in as little as one month post-treatment. "We are able to bring patients from a Class IV congestive heart failure status to a Class II status in less than 180 days," said Grekos.

Here's more:

Regenocyte Therapeutic's clinical data from PET scans confirm that Adult Stem Cells have the ability to engraft themselves into areas damaged by myocardial infarction (heart attacks) and turn into viable new heart muscle. "Three months after treatment, cardiac nuclear scans of the areas treated reveal reversal of damage. We have been able to take patients off the transplant list, and we have been doing it consistently."

Leonel Francisco Liriano, MD, professor of medicine at Pontifical Catholic University School of Medicine and medical director of the Regenocyte Dominican Republic division added that "patient safety is always paramount. We're achieving these results with a treatment that poses minimal risk, much lower than traditional surgical procedures."

Look at that last sentence, although Dr. Grekos treats his patients in the Dominican Republic,  there is no voodoo going on here.  Dr. Grekos uses the patients' own Repair (Adult) Stem Cells taken from the patient's blood (like a blood donation) and implants them using a catheter- the same (lack of) danger as a catheterization ie. minimal risk.  No surgery involved!

An American Opthamologist who has watched some of his patients improve from Adult Stem Cells isn't just sitting back and waiting for a study to say that the Repair Stem Cells work.

Dr. David Klein is going to China to meet with the Beike Biotech doctors and see their stem cell treatment.  Dr. Klein's patient, Cameron Petersen, had optic nerve hypoplasia, a condition in which the optic nerve in a child doesn't develop keeping the child blind.   Before Adult Stem Cells, there was no treatment for it:

From the article

Klein currently treats several patients who have undergone stem cell infusion in China. He became interested in learning more after seeing the progress of Cameron Petersen, the 2-year-old Port Charlotte toddler who underwent treatment last year.

Cameron suffers from optic nerve hypoplasia, a leading cause of blindness in children. The condition causes underdevelopment of the optic nerve and can lead to permanent blindness.

American doctors told Cameron's parents nothing could be done.

The family researched other options and found Stem Cells China (Beike Biotech), a research facility that has infused umbilical cord stem cells into patients with varying disabilities.

Cameron traveled overseas in August 2007 as part of a case study to treat his blindness.

The procedure consisted of four stem-cell infusions to Cameron's arm and the lumbar region of his spine.

By the third treatment, Cameron was standing on his own and crawling toward objects -- simple tasks he couldn't do before. Now, family members say he can see at least 10 feet, and is attending school.

"Cameron has made huge improvements," said Carol Petersen, the boy's grandmother. "There was nothing for Cameron before this treatment. Now, his world is limitless."

Big Kudos to Dr. Klein for having an open mind and wanting to see for himself.  Instead of ignoring the proof in the form of his once blind patients who can now see-  Dr. Klein didn't keep himself blind to the fact that the cord blood stem cells worked.

He could have waited 1o years for results of some random study to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, but instead went to see for himself NOW.

Beike Biotech isn't the only company that opens its doors to doctors, I know Vescell in Thailand welcomes cardiologists to see their stem cell therapy for heart disease.  And I don't know this for a fact, but I imagine most of the stem cell treatment centers listed at the Repair Stem Cell Institute would be open to have visiting doctors come to see their stem cell therapy.  They are helping patients now and have nothing to hide.  If  you are a doctor reading this post, please email me at don@repairstemcells.org and I will put you in touch with the right person.

And as for Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and other Optic Nerve disorders, for more information, you can email Dr. Kara Zhang of Beike Biotech- Email: dr.zhang@beikebiotech.com