Stem Cell Research For Heart Attacks

Aaron Woods, a congestive heart failure patient who had suffered through 3 heart attacks is reporting major improvements in his quality of life thanks to new stem cell research using his own Adult Stem Cells. 

In a new press release by the Xcell Center in Germany, Woods says:

"I no longer have any angina pain or shortness of breath; no symptoms whatsoever. I am walking 3 miles per day and lifting heavy weights again. I consider this a complete reversal. I saw my cardiologist 2 weeks ago for more testing and he is still shaking his head!" exclaimed Aaron Wood five months after treatment. Mr. Wood was suffering from heart failure following three heart attacks and was treated at the XCell-Center's Dusseldorf clinic in May 2009.

Stem Cell Treatment Explained

The treatment begins by collecting a small amount bone marrow from the patient's hip bone using a thin needle under local anesthesia. The stem cells ae then separated from the bone marrow at the XCell-Center's EU certified cGMP laboratory (current good manufacturing process). Before the cells leave the lab, they are counted and their vitality is confirmed. The last step of the treatment is the minimally invasive implantation procedure, which consists of inserting a cardiac catheter into the patient's right femoral artery and then guiding it to the heart where the stem cells are released into the coronary arteries.

Stem Cell Heart Disease Treatments Offered Now

"We are offering heart patients a practical, affordable and State of the Art therapy . We know that autologous stem cell therapy can improve their quality of life and Mr. Wood is a perfect example. Patients like Mr. Wood no longer need to wait for 'treatments of the future'. They can undergo stem cell-based heart treatments at our world-class treatment facility in Dusseldorf, German today," said Dr. Cornelis Kleinbloesem, the XCell-Center's Director.

Another Heart Patient Forced To Travel Abroad For A Safe Treatment

Aaron Wood is just the latest congestive heart failure and heart attack patient to improve following stem cell research and treatment.  We have covered heart disease patients who have improved in clinical trials in the United States as well as Americans like James Eilert who have had to travel abroad to receive a safe treatment that should be made available to heart disease patients in the US, but is not. 

Filling A Void

The Xcell Center is just the latest stem cell treatment center of many to begin treating the heart.  While the US muddles slowly through multiple years of clinical trials (for treatment using your own cells??) , millions of Americans unnecessarily suffer and die.  Or, they are forced to travel abroad.  It is sad. 

Celebrities Benefit From Stem Cell Therapy

Celebrities like golfer John Daly and Black Sabbath's guitarist Tony Iommi are the latest patients to be benefiting from adult stem cell therapy.  Both John Daly and Tony Iommi are using adult stem cells to recover from injuries that have hindered them for quite some time.

Golfer John Daly Says Adult Stem Cells Helped His Rib Injury Heal Faster

Daly, recovering from a rib injury, says his injury is healing faster due to the power of stem cell treatment. From the stem cell success story:

John Daly is recovering from a rib injury faster than expected and has committed to play the PGA Tour's Viking Classic next week, then the Australian Open and Australian PGA in December.

Daly said in a statement Wednesday that surgery he had last month involving stem cells has enabled him to begin playing in two weeks, after fears he would miss the rest of the year.

"My recovery from stem cell surgery has been closely monitored by my doctor, and I have been cleared to begin playing competitively in two weeks," Daly said in the statement.

Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi Helped By Stem Cell Research

"I've had this problem with my hand and I'm having stem cell treatment on it," Iommi continues. "I have to wear a guard on my hand to prevent me from banging it. But it's coming along good. The cartilage went out on the joints, so the joints were rubbing on the joints. It was bone on bone and it was getting a bit painful. I've had pain for about 18 months and have been taking anti-inflammatories and pain killers. But I wanted to stop doing it because it upsets your stomach. This is the latest thing, so we'll see if it works."

Stem Cell Success Stories

This is good news as stem cell treatment using adult stem cells is becoming more mainstream (albeit at a pace too slow for millions of patients suffering now.).  However, I'll take these great adult stem cell success stories as small victories at this point in time.  Let's hope and pray that the FDA will take note of this and make it available to the masses NOW!
 

Published Research Study of Stem Cell Therapy For SCI

A published research study shows that adult stem cells helped improve mobility and the quality of life of 20 patients suffering from spinal cord injuries (SCI).  Dr. Jean Peduzzi-Nelson of Wayne State University conducted the study, “Olfactory Mucosal Autografts and Rehabilitation for Chronic Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury,” which was published online in the journal Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.

Study Follows Up Spinal Cord Injury Patients Treated in Portugal

The spinal cord injury patients were actually treated in Portugal by Dr. Carlos Lima, who has published this stem cell research paper before detailing his stem cell therapy protocol in which he removed adult stem cells from the patient's own nose. 

From the stem cell news article:

In the study, 20 patients with severe chronic spinal cord injuries received a treatment combination of partial scar removal, transplantation of nasal tissue containing stem cells to the site of the spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. All of the patients had total paralysis below the level of their spinal cord injury before the treatment.

 

“This may be the first clinical study of patients with severe, chronic spinal cord injury to report considerable functional improvement in some patients with a combination treatment,” Peduzzi-Nelson said. “Normally, in people with spinal cord injuries that happened more than 18 months ago, there is little improvement.”

 

The injuries in the study patients were 18 months to 15 years old. The patients, ages 19 to 37, had no use of their legs before the treatment. One paraplegic treated almost three years after the injury now ambulates with two crutches and knee braces. Ten other patients ambulate with physical assistance and walkers (with and without braces). One 31-year-old male tetriplegic patient uses a walker without the help of knee braces or physical assistance. When the stem cell transplant and scar removal process was combined with an advanced form of rehabilitative training that employs brain-initiated weight-bearing movement, 13 patients improved in the standard measures used to assess functional independence and walking capabilities.

Study Conducted in USA, but Treatment Done in Portugal

It is sad that although this research study was published by a Wayne State University doctor, the actual stem cell treatment must be done outside the United States.  In this instance, the spinal cord injury patients had to travel from the USA to Portugal.  We have also covered a similar successful research paper of SCI patients treated in Ecuador. 

Yes, this is good news though just confirming what most of the readers of this blog already know- adult stem cells can help improve the quality of life in most cases, and there is very little risk in the treatment. 

Of course, a canceled research study of Embryonic Stem Cells for spinal cord injury will get more news than this one.  Imagine if this therapy was available in the US- how many SCI patients that could get an improved quality of life from their own Repair Stem Cells. 

If you are interested in stem cell treatment for SCI by Dr. Carlos Lima or for any other disease or condition, please drop me an email at don@repairstemcells.org and put TREATMENT in the subject line. 

 

 

1.  General results:

There have been ~1300 peer reviewed, FDA approved, clinical research trials with adult stem cells to date and most (almost all) have shown that adult stem cell implantation is safe and effective and provides therapeutic benefit to the patient. http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/do-stem-cell-treatments-work/ 

2.  Stem Cells For Autism Research Results:

As for Autism and stem cells, there haven't been any FDA approved clinical trials completed to date, except for the hyperbaric chamber trial, which is weak and tangential at best.  The argument appears to be:

• If hyperbaric chamber therapy helps autism
• And hyperbaric chamber increases stem cell production
• Then stem cells help Autism

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00335790 

3. Nonetheless, there is an excellent argument for the viability of stem cells to treat Autism.  Here is an exhaustive study gauging the potential of a clinical trial on the benefits of stem cells treating Autism: http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/5/1/30   

4.  There is additional evidence that Stem Cells can treat Autism here: http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/autism-stem-cells-a-brief-history/ 

5.  Placebo/expectation effect:

Do stem cell treatments create a placebo/expectation effect?  Good question.  You can find the answer here: http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/the-stem-cell-placebo-effect/ 

6.  Clinic's responsibility regarding claims of success:

Stem cell clinics must be up-front regarding the results of their therapy and unless you see this type of clear, open and honest disclaimer, I would be skeptical about going to a clinic: "We would like to point out from the start that there are still some questions concerning the function of stem cells that science has not yet been able to answer, and that despite the advances that have been made recently there is no guarantee for the success of stem cell therapy. Nevertheless, every week we see this new “medicine” helping a lot of people. Therefore, we offer therapies with adult stem cells whenever classical treatment does not yield the type of results that are satisfactory for the patient."  In addition, this facility points out that only 70% of patients responded and they are up-front as to how they define improvement.  Personally, I would see this kind of clear definition of defining “improvement” than someone throwing out some empty and unsubstantiated claims. 

7.  Clinic's experience and quality:

You can review the quality of a clinic by whether they pass the standards of a third party evaluator like this one: http://repairstemcells.org/Treatment/RSCI-Standards.aspx 

8. Costs of treatment:

Is it worth it?  Let’s put aside for the moment that “there is no price to great to secure your child’s health” because that does not factor in your financial situation and look at the comparative costs. 

1. Michael Ganz, an assistant Professor of Society, Human Development, and Health at Harvard School of Public Health, has examined the cost of autism for US society //and has found that the disease costs a person $3.2 million over the entire life span. – http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/The-Price-Of-Autism-9735-1/
2. And “…a nearby school operated by the May Institute that practices behavior modification on its autistic students charges school districts $100,000 per year in tuition. And home-based ABA/behavior modification programs charge about $75,000 a year for 25 hours a week of therapy, supervision and team meetings. Parents have been known to remortgage their homes or go bankrupt in an attempt to fund these programs.” http://autismtomorrows.blogspot.com/2009/10/cost-effectiveness-and-autism-treatment.html

 

So, while there has not been an Autism vs Stem Cells clinical trial per se, all evidence points to the results of one in the future will be positive.  So why hasn’t there been one already?  I have no idea.

Adult Stem Cell Research for Autism

A parent’s caution and skepticism when evaluating whether stem cell research and treatment for their child’s Autism is warranted given the number of times "miracle cure for autism" has been crammed down their throats.  Placebo and expectation effects are definitely a legit concern...but (you knew there was a but, didn't you), if you look at the science of adult or repair stem cells (these are not embryonic btw), here's what you will find:

Cheek Bones Grown From His Own Adult Stem Cells

A Cincinatti boy has grown new cheek bones thanks to stem cell research in which his own stem cells were used.
Brad Guilkey, 15, has Treacher Collins Syndrome, a rare condition in which the bones and other tissues in his face don't develop. This can be danger as there are no bones to protect the face, so a sharp hit to the face could cause severe damage.

(left) Before the stem cell treatment    (right) AFTER THERAPY!



From the stem cell news article:

Brad had an  eight-hour operation in May at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where doctors implanted cadaver bone into his face. They then injected Brad's own stem cells into the donor bone.

From a medical standpoint, the results were miraculous.

"Lo and behold, the bone has come back to life," said Dr. Jesse Taylor of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "I've been really pleasantly surprised by the results of this."

Brad now has solid bone in his cheeks, and said on Good Morning America today that he's happy with the results.
 

Implication for Millions Who Have Bone Problems?

Taylor said the surgery could have significant implications for millions of people.

"Certainly, as we're engaged in conflicts abroad, more and more young men and women come back with really severe facial disfigurement from a lack of bone," he said.

Many reconstructive surgeries that use implanted material often have high failure rates because the recipients' bodies reject the donor material. In Brad's case, though, there is no rejection risk because the his own cell's are growing in the cadaver bone.

Amazing Stem Cell Success Story

This is a tremendous stem cell success story! Look at those before and after pics!!  Amazing!!   This is similar to the story in which the woman grew a new windpipe using her own stem cells as well.  

You can also see the whole stem cell video of Brad here.