The Don Margolis Blog

Cliff Lee, a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians is off to one of the best starts in major league history.   Why is that pertinent to this blog you may ask?  An early Cy Young candidate, Cliff is no stranger to adversity (or adult stem cells) since his son had been suffering from Leukemia:

 But Lee was able to maintain perspective throughout the ordeal given the health issues each of his two children had overcome. Jaxon, 7, the couple's oldest child, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 4 months old and needed chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant to beat the cancer, and daughter Maci, 5, was born three months premature.

"That brought us back to reality and helped us remember what is really important," Kristen Lee says. "The season wasn't all that bad. We know what real struggles are when you have a child that almost dies of leukemia. He wasn't pitching well, but compared to everything else, it was minor."

This is primarily a baseball story rather than about stem cells, but click on this link if you are interested.

I don't mean for this blog to become an ongoing commercial for the good folks at Vet-Stem, but I continue to find these fantastic stories about how they are saving dogs, cats, and horses using their adult stem cell technology.

And memo to Vet-Stem-  if you keep saving and improving the lives of your animals (and making their human owners happy as well) using your adult stem cell therapy, I will be happy to keep posting your stories.  Keep up the good work:

Veterinarians are making stunning progress with adult, animal stem cells.

Nearly crippled dogs are suddenly walking, even running again. And there's hope that it will work on humans, too.

When you hear stem cells, you may instantly think controversy. Embryonic stem cell research has been fiercely debated because those cells can be derived only from human embryos. But what we're talking about here is taking adult stem cells from your own body. It's already being done with great success in horses, cats and dogs (It's also being done with great success in humans although not in the United States- DM).

 "I've seen animals that have gone from barely being able to walk to trotting and running down the driveway," said Dr. Cheryl Adams.

Adams is a pioneer of stem cell therapy. One of only two vets in Illinois certified to do it, she's treated 30 dogs so far. She extracted stem cells from River, an 8-year-old German Shepherd mix who may look familiar because of how he got his name.

he vials are then packed up and shipped overnight to a company called Vet Stem in San Diego. The fat cells are put into a centrifuge that separates the stem cells. And two days later, they're re-injected into the dog's joints.

"This science actually gives a chance to rejuvenate tissue, tendon, ligament and bone. So the dog can actually get better," said Gantz. "It really is cutting edge stuff, it's pretty exciting stuff." It costs about $3,000, but Adams says River's results, as in most cases, have been spectacular and almost immediate. "His energy level went through the roof, and we increased his range of motion by 20 degrees on his right hip," said Adams. As hopeful and exciting as this is for canines, imagine if they could do it for humans. Well, you won't have to imagine much longer. It's already in the works. Vet Stem is already testing treatments for repairing damaged livers, kidneys and hearts in dogs and cats.

The hope is someday soon, stem cells will not only help humans suffering from arthritis, but also stroke and heart attack victims, maybe even regenerate damaged spinal cords.("someday soon" is NOW,  adult stem cells are helping humans with arthritis, stroke, heart and spinal cords! BUT not in the US! - DM )

 Click here to read the whole article

 

YET ANOTHER BLIND CHILD GOES TO CHINA FOR STEM CELL TREATMENT, AND YET ANOTHER CHILD COMES BACK TO THE UNITED STATES ABLE TO SEE.   FOR REGULAR READERS OF THIS BLOG, THIS IS A COMMON STORY, BUT A STORY I LOVE TO BLOG ABOUT.  I HOPE TO SEE THE DAY WHEN I WON'T HAVE TO BLOG ABOUT IT, A DAY WHEN ADULT STEM CELL TREATMENT WILL BE AS COMMON AS HAVING AN ANGIOPLASTY OR AS COMMON AS HAVING KNEE SURGERY SO THERE WON'T BE ANY NEED TO HAVE A NEWS ITEM ABOUT IT:

 6 months ago, former Port Orange resident Abby Wolfe said she would do anything for her 18-month-old son, Elioe “Tre Burgos III. Elioe's vision was thought to be no better than 20/1200. He was blind, and diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH).

The frustrated parents soon learned there were no medical facilities in the United States that offered the treatment Elioe needed (MY GOAL BEFORE I DIE IS TO CHANGE THIS FACT- DM)

Though Mr. Burgos attention was fixated on his son, he said he was amazed at the seven American families at the clinic for similar reasons. “We were all there for almost the same reasons, he said. “The staff was professional. If you needed something, they got it for everyone there. Mr. Burgos told a story of a former rugby player who had suffered from muscle atrophy. He was almost bedridden when Ms Wolfe and Mr. Burgos arrived with Elioe. “I saw this guy go from bed-ridden to walking, Mr. Burgos marveled. “Everyone on that floor made improvements. It was wonderful to share in other families successes. “When we saw these American families two of which were doctors undergoing this type of treatment, it gave us confidence, he said. Soon, results began to appear, Mr. Burgos explained. “Before we went, I just felt in my heart these treatments were going to do something, he said softly. “We got more confident as the treatments began to show improvement. When Elioe returned to the United States, his drastic improvement dumbfounded his doctors. “One said, this isn't the same kid,Ms. Wolfe recalled. “They didn't know what to say. What they marveled at was Elioe going from 20/1200 to 20/200 in less than three months, Ms. Wolfe said. “It was really amazing. He can watch the television now. He can see toys when his father hides them from him. He'll look for them. “He was a typical blind child before this, Mr. Burgos said. “

AND MORE GOOD STUFF:

For both parents, Elioe's condition and his improvement has taught them life lessons, they said. “I think it really impressed upon me that anything is possible, Mr. Burgos said. “This whole thing was an adventure emotionally, and physically exhausting, but worth it. According to Ms. Wolfe Elioe still has almost seven months more time for improvement. According to doctors, patients continue to see improvement up to nine months after treatment. Elioe is only on his third month. “Every week, he does something new, Mr. Burgos said. For Ms. Wolfe, she learned sometimes you have to try new things in order to find success. “It has amazed me, she said. “By not excepting the conventional wisdom that there was no cure, that nothing could be done for him, we were able to improve the quality of his life in just weeks, and that will be maintained for the rest of his life.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE UPLIFTING STORY

THIS WONDERFUL STORY FEATURES A MEMBER OF WCASCE'S SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD- DR. ZANNOS GREKOS:

In March, Andre Lampkin, 20, was facing the amputation of his legs and arms.

But an experimental treatment using his own stem cells to stimulate tissue growth is giving the former L.D. Bell High School wide receiver hope after meningitis damaged his extremities.

Two weeks after treatment, the soles of his feet and palms of his hands are softening, his circulation has improved, and his right foot is moving, said Dr. Zannos Grekos, the cardiologist who is treating Lampkin, now at the hospital in Naples, Fla., where Grekos is based."It looks like we have already saved his legs and arms," Grekos said. "Now we're hoping to save most of each foot and his hands."

Lampkin's medical odyssey has taken him from his home in Bedford to a hospital in an island country for a treatment the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved. (ANOTHER NO-BRAINER THE FDA HASN'T APPROVED, I'M SHOCKED! MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE WAITED 20 YEARS FOR THE CLINICAL TRIALS TO BE COMPLETED, NEVERMIND THE FACT THAT ANDRE AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS NEED ADULT STEM CELL TREATMENTS TODAY! - DM)

ANDRE WAS LUCKY HE HAD AN AUNT WHO WAS INTERNET SAVVY:

There (Parkland Hospital in Dallas- DM)they planned to amputate his legs at the knees and his arms at the elbows.

But an aunt searched the Internet for other treatments and found Grekos, who was using adult stem cells to stimulate tissue regrowth, improve circulation and reduce diabetic amputation rates. Grekos, director of cardiology and vascular disease at Regenocyte Therapeutic in Florida, flew to Dallas to escort Lampkin and his mother to the facility.

"If there was any hope of helping this young man we wanted to offer it," he said.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE THING

REMEMBER THE REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS COMMERCIALS? THE MAN EATING THE CHOCOLATE BAR RUNS INTO THE GUY WHO IS EATING PEANUT BUTTER AND SAYS "HEY, YOU GOT YOUR CHOCOLATE IN MY PEANUT BUTTER!" AND THE OTHER GUY GOES "YOU GOT YOUR PEANUT BUTTER ON MY CHOCOLATE" AND THUS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS WAS CREATED. WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY HAVE FOUND A POSSIBLE TREATMENT/CURE FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IN A SIMILAR FASHION:

AN experiment that went wrong may provide a new way to treat multiple sclerosis, a Canadian researcher has claimed.

Patients who got bone marrow stem-cell transplants - similar to those given to leukemia patients -- have enjoyed a mysterious remission of their disease.

And Dr Mark Freedman of the University of Ottawa is not sure why.

"Not a single patient, and it's almost seven years, has ever had a relapse,'' Dr Freedman said.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE THING

A few days ago, I announced the formation of my Worldwide Center for Adult Stem Cell Education (WCASCE). Well, almost on the same day, across the pond in Europe, Professor Colin McGuckin announced the formation of a similar venture. Now, don't confuse Colin McGuckin with Chester McGlockton, the underachieving defensive tackle who never lived up to his potential and reportedly was a cancer on the teams he played for.

Professor McGuckin, one of the top stem cell researchers in the world at Newcastle University became my hero when he announced 2 months ago that:

"For me, the unnecessary row over stem cells has obscured the very real issue that patients are waiting to be treated. Some of those can be, here and now with cord blood. Cord blood has no ethical controversies whatsoever - it's accepted by every major religion on the planet. THE BEST ESTIMATES OF THE EMBRYONIC SCIENTISTS IN OUR OWN UNIVERSITY IN NEWCASTLE IS THAT EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE THIS SIDE OF 50 YEARS. THAT'S MY LIFETIME. AND THAT'S WORRYING. WE CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG."

Now, when I say something like that, people scoff as I am just a layman with a passion to help people using adult stem cells. But when a top stem cell research like Professor McGuckin says it, people take notice. And I hope they notice this new group he has formed because it sounds very promising:

Professor Colin McGuckin, Chair in regenerative medicine at Newcastle University and the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune in Paris have announced the formation of a new venture 'Novussanguis ' to promote responsible research on cord blood and adult stem cells. Some 200 international participants were invited to the launch of the consortium at the Medical School of University Paris Descartes, in France.

Novussanguis will try to help those patients who could benefit from treatment with adult and cord blood stem cells. Adult stem cells can be harvested from several human tissues such as brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, liver, cornea, retina, pancreatic cells and umbilical cord blood.

Click here to read the whole article

REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE BACK IN GRADE SCHOOL AND ONCE A YEAR- THE TEACHER WOULD CALL A TIME OUT AND AN UNFAMILIAR DOCTOR/NURSE WOULD DO A CURSORY CHECK OF EACH STUDENT'S BACK? WELL, I AND MOST OF MY FELLOW CLASSMATES DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEY WERE CHECKING FOR SCOLIOSIS- AN ABNORMAL CURVATURE OF THE SPINE:

"If the curve progresses, it can have profound affects on heart and lung function," said Mark A. Flood, D.O., an orthopaedic spine surgeon at Banner Desert Hospital in Mesa, Ariz.Surgery to correct scoliosis used to mean cutting a large piece of bone from the iliac crest in the pelvis, then using it to create a spinal fusion so the curve didn't get worse."The problem with taking bone from the iliac crest is it's a significant source of pain sometimes even permanent pain," Dr. Flood said. "It requires another incision, potential risk of infection, and that bone is gone forever."But Matthew was able to take advantage of a brand new therapy -- recently cleared by the FDA (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?-DM) -- to repair his spine using stem cells harvested from his own bone marrow (ADULT STEM CELLS!- DM) .Used with bone from the Bone Bank, Matthew's stem cells would act as a sort of catalyst to support the growth of new bone along the spine and work with permanent screws and rods to fuse it into the correct position. The surgery reduced Matthew's curvature from nearly 50 degrees to just 15 degrees.

Just three months after surgery, Matthew's already playing one-on-one with twin brother Jordan, getting stronger every day."I'm able to shoot, dribble, run and jump," Matthew told Ivanhoe. "If this is any indication of what's going to happen I think it will just get better."

CHALK ONE UP FOR YET ANOTHER CONDITION/DISEASE HELPED WITH ADULT STEM CELLS. I AM AMAZED (BUT THRILLED) THAT THIS WAS APPROVED BY THE FDA. PERHAPS THIS WILL SOMEHOW OPEN THE DOOR FOR OTHER ADULT STEM CELL TREATMENTS TO BE AVAILABLE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

THIS STORY I AM SHOWCASING TODAY  THIS POOR NURSE HAS TO GO TO GERMANY AND PAY OUT OF HER OWN POCKET (WHICH IS EMPTY) FOR A STEM CELL TREATMENT FOR HER HEART THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BRITISH NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE REFUSES TO PAY FOR IT!

AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RANT ABOUT THE SHORTCOMINGS OF A "FREE" HEALTH CARE SYSTEM SUCH AS THOSE IN GREAT BRITAIN OR IN CANADA, THIS BLOG IS ABOUT ADULT STEM CELLS.

WHEN YOU READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE YOU WILL FIND THE NURSE WAS TREATED IN GERMANY WITH ADULT STEM CELLS TWICE ALREADY FOR HER HEART CONDITION AND WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH HER RESULTS:

The therapy involves taking stem cells from bone marrow in the hip, selecting the cells they need then passing them by catheter into the heart. The cells then grown back into the muscle wall and blood vessels, assisting the heart.

The treatment is not yet approved in the UK because it is considered too experimental, although St Bart's Hospital, London, has been running trials since 2003.

Joan underwent her first round of treatment at the Johann Goethe Institute in Frankfurt in early 2005. She paid £7,800 but the true cost was nearer £10,000 with expenses.

Before the procedure her heart was functioning at 16.5 per cent but this rose to 30 per cent afterwards.

She then had a second round of treatment in 2007 costing another £10,000, which lifted her heart function to 40 per cent.

Joan said: "The results from the previous sessions were brilliant and without the treatment I don't think I would be here. It makes the heart work much more efficiently.

"Before the first treatment I was housebound and couldn't do anything, but afterwards I felt fine. I had another round of treatment and again there was an improvement.

"I have a very good GP and cardiologist who supported my application, but the PCT says it does not meet their criteria.

"They have said it is an experimental treatment, but it is carried out in many countries.

"I know it is not a cure, but it does give me a lease of life and has already kept me going for three years."

NOW THE NHS REFUSES TO PAY FOR THIS 10000 POUND STEM CELL TREATMENT IN GERMANY. HOWEVER, I AM ASSUMING THE NHS WILL PAY (AND HAS PAID) MUCH MORE FOR HER TREATMENT- DOCTOR'S VISITS, MEDICINE, HOSPITAL FEES, OPERATIONS- BUT WHEN IT COMES TO A MINIMAL RISK, MINIMALLY CONTROVERSIAL TREATMENT SUCH AS ADULT STEM CELL THERAPY THAT IN THE LONG RUN WILL SAVE BRITISH TAX PAYERS THOUSANDS OF POUNDS (AND THIS IS JUST FOR ONE HEART PATIENT, THERE ARE THOUSANDS MORE LIKE HER OUT THERE),  THE NHS SAYS NO-  GO FIGURE!

THIS NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE ARTICLE HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. THE AUTHOR GIVES MORE EVIDENCE OF THE BIAS AGAINST ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH THAT IS ROBBING AMERICANS OF THEIR TAX DOLLARS. MEMO TO CALIFORNIANS- READ THIS ARTICLE AND SEE WHERE YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT:

UPDATE:  Sometimes I get so angry about the bias shown towards adult stem cell therapy that I forget why I started this blog in the first place.  I thank the adult stem cell awareness blog for reminding me -  this injustice against adult stem cell research and Dr. Lubin has a bright side in that it brought more attention to Dr. Lubin's success with sickle cell anemia:  if you or someone you know has sickle cell anemia, you should try to reach Dr. Lubin for a safe and probably effective therapy.  I suggest going to the website of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute for more information.

When Dr. Bertram Lubin, head of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, applied for a $5 million facilities grant last fall from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support his research on sickle-cell anemia, his colleagues thought the application was a slam dunk.

The CIRM the agency that distributes grants and loans under California's voter-approved $3 billion stem-cell initiative thought otherwise.

So, why was Lubin's application shot down?

Lubin's clinical data, in the opinion of his colleagues and independent observers, was solid. His request in response to an RFA for facilities grants was modest in comparison to the eight-figure grants the CIRM eventually approved. He just wanted to build new labs for the Children's Hospital. And Lubin is no second-string researcher: His work is supported by the NIH, and he has served on many NIH peer-review committees. Lubin's research, which focuses on adult stem cells derived from the placenta, could arguably translate almost immediately into therapeutic applications to the benefit of millions of black children who suffer atrociously from the effects of sickle cell anemia. About 1,000 babies a year are born with the genetic disease in the United States.

As it turns out, Lubin's work was faulted among other things, according to a summary on the CIRM website, for showing “no evidence of current use or planned expansion into the use of human embryonic stem cells.

This is a must read! Click Here to Read The Whole Thing

ANOTHER DOG SAVED WITH THE HELP OF STEM CELLS THANKS TO THE GOOD FOLKS AT VET-STEM.

THIS IS A FANTASTIC STORY BY THE WRITER, KEITH GOLDBERG. NOT ONLY DOES HE DESCRIBE A WONDERFUL FEEL GOOD STORY ABOUT HOW STEM CELL THERAPY IS NOW HELPING DOGS (AND CATS AND HORSES), BUT HE ALSO DESCRIBES THE STEM CELL PROCEDURE IN GREAT DETAIL AND HE DELVES INTO THE BACKGROUND OF VET-STEM AS WELL WHICH IS SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT. MOST WRITERS WOULD HAVE JUST CONCENTRATED ON THE JOYFUL RESULTS OF THE STEM CELL THERAPY, BUT I GIVE A GOLD MEDAL TO KEITH GOLDBERG FOR GOING THE EXTRA MILE AND GIVING US A LITTLE MORE TO CHEW ON:

FIRST, THE FEEL GOOD STORY-

Six weeks have passed since Dasha's treatment. Her limp is just about gone. She no longer takes pain medication.

She's still working on climbing the stairs.

Her doctors say it will be several more months until they can see the treatment's full effect.

But when Anne Marie saw Dasha climb the fence one afternoon, she screamed with joy.

A neighbor had just stopped by, and the dog greeted her by putting her front legs on the backyard fence and standing on her hind legs the same legs she dragged around like anchors just weeks earlier.

"She's never done that before," Anne Marie says. "Every day, I see something new."

 Click here to read the whole article including the procedure and background information