The Don Margolis Blog

Stem Cells For Arthritis

A patient who underwent stem cell therapy to treat his arthritic knee has proof in the form of MRIs showing how the adult stem cells helped his arthritis. Vassilis Ferentouros, a 49 year old man from Greece says he can feels no pain in his knee after the treatment that used stem cells taken from his hip.

Stem Cell Research Helps Arthritic Knee

Vassilis had arthritis, edema and osteonecrosis of his left knee.  MRI reports showed edema and an osteonecrosis of the femoral condyle.  Facing the prospects of an artificial knee, Vassilis looked at what stem cell research had to offer.  That was when he contacted the Xcell Center in Germany, a stem cell treatment center that uses only the patient's own stem cells.

Process of stem cells for arthritis

1. A small amount of bone marrow is drawn from the patient's hip
2. The stem cells are then separated from the bone marrow at the XCell-Center’s EU certified cGMP laboratory.
3. The adult stem cells are then injected into the affected joint- in Vassilis' case, his knee stricken with arthritis

MRI of Vassilis' Knee With Arthritis Before Adult Stem Cells

MRI of Vassilis' Arthritic Knee After Stem Cell Research and Treatment

Compare the amount of edema in the 2 pictures. See the edema (the white) in the first picture and then notice the lack of edema in the second picture. From the stem cell news article, Vassilis says --

The post-treatment MRI showed a distinct decrease of the subchondral edema. Prior to my stem cell treatment I was neither able to walk nor drive a car without pain medication. I immediately stopped taking the pain medication after therapy and my pain diminished. I was able to run 50 meters a few weeks ago, which is tremendous progress for me.

Speaking Perfect Sense On Adult Stem Cell Treatment

Currently, I am trying to lose the excess weight. To me stem cell therapy seemed like the best, last resort. Compared to the more invasive, time consuming, physically straining surgical options that were offered to me, stem cell therapy appears to be a minimally invasive, cost effective procedure that has brought me excellent results.

Interested in Stem Cell Therapy

If you are interested in this stem cell treatment for arthritis at the Xcell Center in Germany or perhaps adult stem cells for another condition, please write me an email at don@repairstemcells.org and put TREATMENT in the subject line and I will be happy to assist you.

Stem Cell Research Results In Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

In the latest victory for stem cell research, patients with Muscular Dystrophy have shown improvements after being implanted with adult stem cells.  Very recently, it was widely believed that Muscular Dystrophy or MD was even beyond the reach of stem cell therapy.  However, the good folks at ICM and MediStem led by Dr. Thomas Ichim and Dr. Neil Riordan are now changing the landscape of medicine as we know it.  They are proving once again that one should never say never in regards to the power of the adult stem cell.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Helped By Adult Stem Cells

Ryan Benton, 23 years old, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy when he was very young.  Most people with Duchenne MD don't live past their 20's.  The disease had ravaged Ryan's muscles and had severely weakened him.  Luckily, Ryan's parents had grown up with Dr. Neil Riordan in Wichita and had a connection.  With nothing to lose and everything to gain, they traveled to Costa Rica where Dr. Riordan has set up his institute (and now in Panama too).

Dystrophen Levels Increase From Stem Cell Therapy

Ryan was the first MD patient to be treated  at the clinic.  His therapy consisted of him being injected with adult stem cells from donated umbilical cord blood.  No embryonic or placental stem cells were used! The doctors injected the cord blood stem cells into muscles all over his body- in 46 different places to be exact.  The results?  Incredible.

Before the Stem Cells:

1. Ryan's Dystrophen levels were between 0-5.  This is "normal" for a Muscular Dystrophy patient, but normally a person's dystrophen level should be between 50-100.
2. Lack of balance and endurance
3. Muscles had wasted away

After The Treatment:

1. Ryan's Dystrophen levels are normal-- NORMAL for a person without Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or MD!
2. Ryan's balance has improved and he doesn't get tired as easily.  He says he feels healthier.
3. Ryan has gained 30 lbs of muscle back

From the stem cell news article:

Dr. Riordan says he had already seen people with multiple sclerosis and spinal chord injuries drastically improve with his adult stem cell treatments but now--he sees great hope for MD patients has well.a

Since Ryan, three more MD patients have been treated at Dr. Riordan's clinic. They also report that they are seeing improvements. Dr. Riordan says he has not charged them or their families a dime because he says it is all about advancing the science to find a cure.

Stem Cell Pioneers

Bravo to Ryan and Dr. Riordan as they are true stem cell pioneers, each in their own unique way.  Ryan, for not giving up and being the first Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patient to go to Costa Rica for the treatment and Dr. Riordan, for constantly coming up with new ideas and innovations in the stem cell research forum of medicine.

ISSCR Shame

It really is a shame that Ryan and Dr. Riordan have to go to Costa Rica to probably save Ryan's life. If there was no clinic in Costa Rica, Ryan would have no hope and no possible stem cell treatment and then almost surely death. Shame on Dr. Irving Weissman and his cronies at the ISSCR who would have given Ryan no hope and no treatment if it was up to them.

Treatment Information

If you are interested in this stem cell treatment for Muscular Dystrophy (MD) or perhaps for another disease or condition, please email me at don@repairstemcells.org and put TREATMENT in the subject line and we will assist you.   

Are Stem Cell Therapies A Scam?

Today, we have another article about patients who are going overseas for stem cell therapies that are not available in the United States due to the FDA's rigid and archaic regulations that continue to cost lives and keep patients in unnecessary pain under the guise of "protection."

Ejection Fraction From 39% to 62% - Must Be A Placebo Effect???

This stem cell research article features Dr. Zannos Grekos of Regenocyte who treats heart and lung patients.  The article starts with Howard Lindeman, a coronary artery disease patient who in his own words had "99.9% blockage everywhere"  We featured Howard before in this post about heart attack and stem cell research in which he said "I had the procedure done and since then, I've just been getting better and better and better. I'm going to be 58-years-old in May and I'm on my way to being 35 again,"

6 months after the stem cell treatment, tests show that Lindeman's ejection fraction, a measure of the heart's pumping capacity has gone from 39% all the way to 62%!

Next, the article features Barbara McKean, a COPD lung disease patient who was moving around pulling an oxygen tank 24/7  but now no longer needs it thanks to the stem cell therapy by Dr. Grekos. 

Cam Calls Scam On Stem Cell Treatment

What does Cam Patterson, M.D., director of cardiology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. have to say about this? 

"It's a scam," Dr. Patterson said. "I don't see any other way to characterize this."

"Keep in mind that the placebo effect is very powerful," Dr. Patterson said. "It can fool patients. It can fool other physicians, and it certainly doesn't surprise me at all that some people feel they've gotten better after they've invested an enormous amount of money, time and effort."

So, Lindeman's ejection fraction (a typical measurement for heart patients that the director of cardiology of UNC should be familiar with) has gone up from 39% to 62% and Cam calls it a placebo effect and scam??  And McKean who needed to pull an oxygen tank around with her and now no longer needs it and Cam calls it a placebo effect and scam? 

It is closed minds like Cam's that permeate throughout the medical establishment in the United States.  Cam closes his mind totally that this therapy can and does help people.  Are there unanswered questions about stem cell therapy? Definitely.  Is stem cell therapy a 100% cure? No.  Does it work all the time?  No. But we can say the same things about a "proven" angioplasty- which evidently wasn't helping Howard Lindeman.
 
However, there is enough evidence that adult stem cells can help dying patients like Lindeman and McKean, patients who didn't have the time for Patterson to declare that this is a "proven" treatment and had to do something and thus took educated risks. 

What a wonderful placebo effect!  Give me some of that placebo too.

One Doctor Is Convinced - More Needed

From the previous post on Barbara, the COPD patient:

Luckily, Barbara's doctor does not intentionally close his eyes to the obvious:

McKean's family physician, Dr. Robert Folsom, confirmed to CNN that she had been suffering for many years from an advanced state of COPD, an incurable lung disease. Folsom told CNN he was "quite incredulous" after seeing her condition improve.

Folsom, who said he has been McKean's family physician for many years, disputed any suggestion that her apparent recovery stemmed from a "placebo effect" -- an improvement sometimes seen in patients who are given an inert substance in clinical trials.

"I know about the placebo effect, and her improvement does not seem to be a result of that," he said.

More Doctors With Open Minds Needed

We need more doctors like Dr. Folsom who don't intentionally close their eyes when they see adult stem cells do the work that the drug companies' medicines can't. 

Hearing Loss Improved By Adult Stem Cells

Chloe Sohl, an 18 year old music student at the University of Arizona is reporting that her hearing loss has improved in both ears after her adult stem cell treatment.  The left ear improved 50% from being totally deaf and the right ear has regained almost all of her hearing back.

New Stem Cell Research Company In Town -RNL Bio

RNL Bio, a fairly new stem cell research company which has facilities in Seoul, South Korea, Los Angeles and Germantown, Maryland was responsible for this stem cell success story.  We covered RNL Bio before when they treated famous artist John Lawson Cullison Jr as seen in this stem cell video for his arthritis

Now, they have released this new lengthy stem cell news story:

Chloe Sohl, an 18-year old college student who majors in music at University of Arizona was suffering from autoimmune hearing loss since the age of 15. Although there is no known cause of her diagnosis, it is a serious disease that slowly damages the organs. Chloe's father, Dr. Bertram Sohl is a director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach, California and her mother, Dr. Veronique Jotterand is an ophthalmologist and Vice Chief of Staff at Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, California. Even though Chloe's parents are medical doctors, they felt helpless and
devastated about their daughter's progressive condition. They tried every possible medication, but Chloe's condition got worse. The only options they had were for Chloe to use a hearing aid and for her to take medication to slow down her autoimmune system.

Ever since Dr. Sohl met Dr. Jeong Chan Ra, CEO of the firm, they began to see hope in Chloe's hearing. Dr. Ra established RNL Life Science in California to promote stem cell banking and to introduce the benefit of stem cell therapy through medical tourism. He held a seminar on April 20, 2009 with 30 doctors from Southern California on the topic of adult stem cell therapy in San Pedro, California. Among the attendees was Dr. Sohl, who was stunned at RNL BIO's achievements in stem cell therapeutics that was able to improve various conditions by stem cell treatment.

Update- Stem Cell Video For Hearing Loss

Jin Hong, the managing director for RNL Bio wrote us and brought attention to this fantastic stem cell video featuring Chloe and how her parents who are both doctors came around and tried the stem cell therapy that has improved Chloe's quality of life:

Principle of Stem Cell Therapy Explained

The principle of adult stem cell therapy is actually simple because it utilizes the natural healing ability of our own body. "Every part of our body already contains stem cells that play a key role in maintaining and repairing our own structural and functional system. Due to aging, the amount of stem cells decrease and that's why the time and ability to recover from cellular damage slow down and chronic and degenerative symptoms develop as time goes by. The principle of our stem cell treatment is to make enough amount of stem cells and to bring them back to the patient's own body. Surprisingly, we found that stem cell therapy has great potential to treat autoimmune diseases," explained Dr. Ra.

Process of Stem Cells

1. Chloe visited Dr. Won, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles to harvest her fat tissue around her belly button in last June.
2. Then the tissue was sent to the laboratory RNL BIO in Germantown, Maryland, where they isolated stem cells, put them in liquid nitrogen shipper and transported them to RNL BIO in Seoul, Korea.
3. In Seoul, it took them a month to expand her stem cells to a sufficient amount enough to treat her hearing loss. Chloe's family planned a trip to Korea during their summer vacation. At last, on July 27, 2009, they visited Korea for two weeks.
4. The stem cell treatment took place in Japan -- 600 million cells were administered by three injections with 5 day intervals. The cells were injected into her veins and auditory system. Chloe's hearing was tested two months after the procedure was completed on October 16, 2009. The results were spectacular. The left side of her ear improved 50% from not being able to hear at all. The right side of her ear gained almost complete hearing.

Wonderful!  Spectacular!  And the fact that Chloe's parents are both prominent doctors (and they agreed to the treatment) makes it even more of a miracle.  Maybe the tide is shifting and the medical establishment is finally accepting that adult stem cells will NOT harm, but will only help as they did with Chloe's hearing loss.

The Faiella Family Has A New Book About Autism

Over the last two years, I have tried to follow the life of the Faiella family, mainly through their stem cell blog, but also through various news stories.  Matthew Faiella, a 9 year old boy,  born with autism, has two amazing parents who have tried to provide him with the tools to help improve his quality of life.  Namely, these tools have come from stem cell research using adult stem cells and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. 

Hard Work And Research

Now, the Faiella family has come out with a new book, titled Out of the Darkness, The Faiella Family's Journey to Recover their Autistic Son . In this book review, Kent Huckenlively, of  The Age of Autism website, summarizes the Faiella story about how Daniel (Matthew's father) working as a bellboy at a hotel, has worked so hard and done his research to provide Matthew with the adult stem cells and hyperbaric oxygen treatment that has changed Matthew in so many ways:

The prognosis given to their son (Matthew) a few months later was similarly grim.  He was diagnosed as severely autistic, flapping all day, and engaging in constant unusual vocalizations.  Even after years of ABA therapy he could only speak in two word sentences.  The doctor suggested institutionalizing him.  The book details many of the therapies they tried, but note that two seemed to work especially well for him, HBOT therapy and stem cells.

In November of this year the Faiella family will go down to Costa Rica for their fourth and they believe final stem cell treatment.  Matthew has made extraordinary progress and Daniel told me that when a local television reporter came over to do a story on them he could not believe Matthew had ever been autistic.  At most an outside observer would conclude he has some developmental delays.

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.