The Don Margolis Blog

Have you heard this before? "We have to fund embryonic stem cell research, otherwise our country will suffer a 'brain drain' and our best scientists will leave the United States so they can do their research thus leaving the USA behind in science and stem cell research"??

Well, this may be a sign of things to come for the United States although the brain drain will be the ADULT stem cell researchers, not embryonic stem cell researchers leaving...just like what is happening in the UK.

Newcastle specialist quits UK for France, citing undue focus on embryo research, writes Zoe Corbyn

A renowned British stem-cell expert is to leave the UK to pursue his research in France, claiming that there is insufficient support for his work here.

Colin McGuckin, professor of regenerative medicine at Newcastle University and an expert in adult stem cells, this week hit out at both his university and UK funding agencies. He said that they were prioritising embryonic stem-cell research above work with adult stem cells, despite the more immediate clinical benefits offered by his work.

Professor McGuckin plans to leave for the University of Lyon in January, taking a research team of about ten from Newcastle, including his research partner Nico Forraz. He will open the world's biggest institute devoted to cord blood and adult stem-cell research at Lyon.

Speaking exclusively to Times Higher Education, he said he was leaving because he had to put his patients and staff first. "The bottom line is my vocation is to work with patients and help patients and unfortunately I can't do that in the UK." He said France offered a "much better environment" both to "cure and treat more people" and to "do good work".

He said that France had kept a "much more reasoned balance" between supporting adult and embryonic stem-cell research, unlike the UK, which had focused on embryonic research to the detriment of adult stem-cell research.

"(France) is very supportive of adult stem cells because they know that these are the things that are in the clinic right now and will be more likely in the clinic," he said. "A vast amount of money in the UK from the Government has gone into embryonic stem-cell research with not one patient having being treated, to the detriment of (research into) adult stem cells, which has been severely underfunded."

He also criticised the attention embryonic stem cells received over the past year from academics, the media, Parliament and his university. "You would barely know that adult stem cells exist at Newcastle," he said.

There is so much that is wrong here.  A man wants to help his fellow countrymen as best he can and because of this embryonic stem cell fraud that is being forced on us, he has to leave. Good on you Colin, good on you.

"We desperately need more funding for adult stem-cell research because with these cells we really can make a difference to patients' lives, and we can do it now, not in ten years' time as is promised for embryonic stem cells," said Anthony Hollander, a professor of rheumatology and tissue engineering at the University of Bristol.

Well, the first part is right Anthony about needing more funding for adult stem cell research, but 10 years from now for embryonic stem cell cures would be a miracle.

Read the whole sad article here

Well, I am happy to see the Repair Stem Cell Institute is making a little progress in their goal of adult stem cell awareness. Rebecca Taylor at the Mary Meets Dolly Blog just recently found our website www.repairstemcells.org. and blogged about it:


If I had Parkinson's or diabetes or any other degenerative disease, I would be hopping mad. Why? Because of the insistence of the American media and some politicians that embryonic stem cell research is the only hope for regenerative medicine, when in other countries treatments with adult stem cells ARE ALREADY BEING USED WITH SUCCESS!!!!!

Now, I am not saying that the Repair Stem Cell Institute is curing people left and right (even they don't say that) or that they are 100% reputable. (Don- we just provide the information, not the actual treatments) What I am pointing out is they have a list of diseases that they are willing to treat that is enormous. If I was sick, I would find more hope there, than in Senator Obama's empty rhetoric and the so-called cures from embryos that are decades away.

Wake up America! Regenerative medicine is happening NOW, just not here. If we can just get our heads out of our "you-know-whats" long enough, we may begin to see that arguing over left-over embryos is getting us nowhere!.

I want to say that the Repair Stem Cell Institute does not treat people, we just want to point patients in the right direction to receive adult stem cell treatment because as Rebecca says- this debate over embryonic stem cells is getting America nowhere. Therefore, while the USA sits in neutral, the rest of the world is actually treating patients now!

See Rebecca's post in full and check out a very nice blog and informative website while you are there:

http://www.marymeetsdolly.com/blog/comment.php?type=trackback&entry_id=695

Another family must go from the United States all the way to China for stem cell treatment. This time it involves 18 month old Luke Pickett, suffering from cerebral palsy. What is especially nice in this story is how the Pickett family raised the $30,000 needed to go to China to help their son:

Since May, the Picketts have been raising money for the travel and transplant expenses to get to China, which will cost about $30,000. After six events, including a golf tournament, a silent auction and a 5K run, family, friends and the community have raised enough money to meet the financial demands of the procedure. They've also given emotional support to the family by offering prayers and sending cards that have stacked up on the Picketts' countertop.

Cheryl Pickett talked about the help her family has received, "The response has been overwhelming. I never thought we'd raise $30,000," the stay-at-home mom said with tears. "You always hear about the economy. We're hurting, too. We're a single-income family, and people who have never met us are sending money."

The Picketts said they chose China over other countries that offer the procedure such as Costa Rica because they heard positive outcomes from other parents on online support groups. Although they were told by their doctors there is no definitive evidence that the treatment works and by Beike Biotech that the company offers no guarantees, the stories of other parents seeing improvements in their children is enough reason to take a chance.

Well, as I have documented in this blog, we have seen many successful stem cell treatment stories coming out of Beike Biotech in China- I wish the Picketts all the best.

A side note- after this article on the Picketts was published, Luke's Aunt sent in this comment-

Thank you for publishing such an educational and touching story. I am Luke's aunt from Ohio, and this is
definately a current issue that needs to be
discussed and people need to learn more about, I know
our family has. It's also something our government needs
to be discussing and helping with so families can stay here and receive the assistance they need.
Thank you again
Cathy Haumesser

Yes, I agree Cathy, the technology (adult stem cells) is available NOW! Why aren't we using it to help patients NOW?????
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That's what I'm calling for- adult stem cell research to be exact.  And to accomplish that goal, I've just added two new members to the Repair Stem Cell Institute's science advisory board.  And I just put out a press release to spread the news.  Here's an excerpt:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Repair Stem Cell Institute (RSCI) today announced two additions to its world-leading Science Advisory Board (SAB), extending its stem cell research proficiency in the process. Don Margolis, RSCI chairman, noted that "Our first five appointees had two things in common: pioneering stem cell research and successfully helping patients with a variety of illnesses considered incurable. Today we add two Massachusetts researchers, David Matzilevich, M.D., Ph.D. and Mariano Ubeda, M.D., Ph.D. thus stretching our expertise to fields not being covered by others. They fit well with our innovative five."

According to Margolis, the two new additions cover still more ground. "Dr. Matzilevich's focus is on adult stem cell and cord blood uses as well as molecular-based approaches to Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, and he is contributing greatly to these fields. Dr. Ubeda has made significant scientific contributions to the field of chronic degenerative diseases, and is working on advanced stem cell therapies to try to combat the greatest pandemic in world medical history--Diabetes--a disease for which current stem cell research doesn't begin to match the need. We at RSCI are committed to improving the lives of diabetic patients.

We have five others who are pretty good too-  this is probably the greatest science advisory board ever assembled and nobody knows about it.  If you read this- please tell a friend about the Repair Stem Cell Institute.  We are a public service company informing people/patients where they can go for stem cell treatment if they are sick or there is nothing more their doctors can do for them.  No need to register, no need to sign up, no need to pay- all the information on the website is free and easy-  Go check it out and tell some friends- www.repairstemcells.org -Thank you very much. - Don Margolis

And you can click here to see our new press release!

Just when you thought there wasn't any new uses for adult stem cells- we get adult stem cell treatment for facelifts! We shouldn't be surprised. While this probably isn't as significant as adult stem cell therapy for heart disease or stem cell treatment for diabetes, it probably is important to many of you - yes, I'm talking to you Michael Jackson.

A doctor now does a natural facelift using adult stem cells and using no surgery AND since it involves no surgery, it is cheaper too. Read more:

Every week I hit you with www.marrow.org .  Register there and there is a chance you can save somebody's life.  This week is no different.  Go to www.marrow.org  and learn how you can register  and perhaps one day you will be called upon to donate your bone marrow.  It involves a little discomfort and a couple days of your time, a small price to pay for someone who will always love you.

And here is another nice story:

Everyday thousands of critically ill people search for a life-saving donation. They're looking for a bone marrow transplant but finding a match can be difficult.

Especially for minorities who sometimes never find one mainly because not enough minorities sign up to be donors.

This weekend there is a national donor event to help change that.

Courtney Parham knows how hard it is to find a match.  She has the date of her cord blood transplant tattooed on her wrist. It's a day she will never forget.

"I know that there's somebody out there that did this and saved my life," says Parham.

She was diagnosed with leukemia just after her early graduation from high school.

Cord blood is more easily matched, so when doctors couldn't find a marrow match for Courtney they chose the alternative. It works in the same way but bone marrow is preferred. Nevertheless, the cord blood did the trick.

"People need to realize that this is saving 2-year-olds lives, this is saving an 18-year-old's life. I can now go to college, I can now work, I can be a part of society and I can continue doing what I was meant to do," says Parham.

This is just one example of why donors are so important.

"There's no question. This is a life-saving procedure. We reserve bone marrow transplant usually for people who are out of options," says Dr. Graham.

"There are so many younger people that have so much more to live for, and these transplants are saving their lives day after day," says Parham

REGISTER YOUR BONE MARROW!  There is also a shortage of donors from minority groups.  WWW.MARROW.ORG  - Do it

Only eight percent of registered donors with the national marrow donor program are African American. More than 80 percent of African American patients needing a transplant don't get one. "You do tend to match best within your own group, and that's why, the last time we checked, the national marrow program was actually encouraging any minority donor they could," says Dr. Michael Graham, a Pediatric Oncologist.

Click here to read the whole article

I'm sorry.  Today, blogging will be on hold as I am feeling under the weather.  However, if you have just come across this blog, please feel free to have a look around.  We specialize in successful adult stem cell treatments for various conditions.  If you are interested in stories on a specific condition- use the search engine to your right.  For example, type in "Diabetes" or "Parkinsons" or whatever condition you are interested in and you will see some amazing stories.    Also, if you are interested in stem cell treatment information-  go check out our organization- The Repair Stem Cell Institute- Adult Stem Cell Treatment

Paralyzed in a car accident 7 years ago, Erica Nader hasn't let that stop her from being a pioneer in a number of ways.  In 2003, she was first U.S. patient to undergo adult stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury in Portugal.  The stem cell therapy was performed by noted stem cell for the spinal cord specialist- Dr. Carlos Lima (a member of the Repair Stem Cell Institute's Science Advisory Board)

Also, she has opened her own rehabilitation center called Walk the Line to SCI Recovery.

It is one of about two dozen programs nationwide that emphasize intensive exercise regimens for spinal cord injury patients. More conventional programs focus on functional daily activities, like transferring from a bed to a wheelchair, or eating food or drinking from a cup. Intense therapy such as Nader's tends to be offered to people with less serious spinal cord injuries.

Since changing the focus in her training to more weight-bearing activity earlier this year, she has noticed her breathing, balance and core strength improve. She feels sensation in her lower limbs at times, for the first time.

The stepping movements and knee flexion exercises, known to professionals in the field as locomotor training, help reawaken dormant nerve cells in the spinal cord, experts say, citing 20 years of studies. They should provide lifelong benefits that reduce health costs, researchers say.

When I met with Dr. Carlos Lima this year, he told me that the implantation of the stem cells are useless without a good rehabilitation program afterwards.  Well, judging by this video (below) it looks like Erica is getting the most out of her stem cell treatment.

Click on this link to see the video-

Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

And click here to read the whole article

Four months ago, I wrote about the two gentlemen with multiple sclerosis in Texas.  They had formed a friendship and traveled together to Costa Rica to receive adult stem cell treatment for their multiple sclerosis (MS).  Their stem cell treatment was in late May, 2008.  Since then, they have kept a multiple sclerosis blog chronicling their improvement after their stem cell therapy.  I have followed their blog with interest on a monthly basis.  You can see my previous posts on Richard Humphries and Preston Walker, a Fort Worth police sergeant.

Here is the latest from Richard:

October 04, 2008

Hopes rewarded in Costa Rica

It's a celebration! Everyone around the world come on! Over the weekend, in the Atlanta area, 200 stem cell transplant recipients and some of their stem cell donors met at a big party to celebrate life.

Just the fact that these people were able to attend this function was a miracle in itself and most of them were on death's door and would not be alive except for the fact that they each had an unselfish bone marrow donor giving them the stem cells that would save their life:

In 2001, Troy Ford was on death's door with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer.

In three weeks, he's competing in an Ironman triathlon.

Ford, now 39 and cancer free, got a life-saving bone marrow transplant at Northside Hospital, making him one of about 150 people yearly who endure the lengthy and painful procedure at the north Fulton County hospital.

“Seeing all these people is great, Ford said Saturday as he joined about 200 bone marrow recipients at a gala luncheon Northside threw to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its Blood and Marrow Transplant Program.

“This is truly awesome, said Thomas Burt, 62, of Dawsonville, who was diagnosed with myofibrosis in 2005 and got a bone marrow transplant the following year. Last summer, Burt and his wife, Laura, drove to Ocala, Fla., to meet his donor, Michelle Pearson. She sat next to the Burts at Saturday's lunch, at which attendees dined on grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and grilled mixed vegetables.

“This is wonderful. It's really a great event, said Pearson, who keeps tabs on Burt every few weeks through e-mails and phone calls. “He's my blood brother.

On the way home Saturday evening, Ford's mind wandered back to the half-dozen doctors who attended the event.

“What these guys are doing, that's the real story, he said. “They're not curing colds. They're saving lives.

What are you waiting for? Go to www.marrow.org now and register and perhaps save a life. It could really help someone in desperate need and may be the nicest gift you can ever give someone- the gift of life.

Click here to see the whole happy article