The Don Margolis Blog

This one from United Press International...

Device able to pull stem cells from blood
Published: Jan. 25, 2008 at 11:13 PM
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A tiny, implantable device can pull adult stem cells out of a living rat with greater purity than any present technique, a U.S. study found.

The device was designed by Michael R. King, who was studying how white blood cells, called neutrophils, know how to migrate to a point of infection. He observed that near an injury, the walls of the nearby blood vessels expressed an adhesive protein and if passing neutrophils brushed against selectins they stick to the vessel wall, but did remain struck, the neutrophils rolled to the site.

Together with Jane Liesveld, a hematology clinician doing work on bone marrow stem cells at the University of Rochester, King found that the basic rolling mechanism was the foundation of a number of other processes, including stem cell transplantation -- a natural phenomenon where stem cells move in and out of bone tissue via the blood.

In the study, published in the British Journal of Haematology, the researchers implanted the device in a living rat and they were able to capture stem cells straight out of the bloodstream,

"One of our ultimate goals is to develop an implantable device that will selectively remove metastatic cells from the blood," King said in a statement.
 

Man travels to Russia for stem cell treatment

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Excerpt from story:
He's already seen some improvement in controlling his torso and balance. Alwood can now lean froward and push himself back up, something he couldn't do before the treatments.  He can also lean from side to side.  "My trunk muscles are starting to come back," Alwood said. He is trying to rehabilitate muscles that have "atrophied to almost non-existence," he explained¦
¦His ultimate goal is to someday walk again.

For the full story go here:
www.themorningsun.com/stories/012708/loc_russia.shtml

For the autologous stem cell treatment center go here:
www.neurovita.ru/eng_index.html

Summary of story:
¦The 32-year-old Mt. Pleasant resident has been going to the Neurouita Clinic in Moscow to receive adult stem cell treatments that are not available in the United States.   Alwood was severely injured Sept. 9, 2005, in a bull riding accident while participating in a rodeo at the Double J Resort in Rothbury about 20 miles north of Muskegon¦
¦The accident fractured three vertebrae, leaving him as a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair. He was paralyzed from the chest down. He can move his arms but has little feeling¦I went there (Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan in Rockford) for nine months and that's when I learned about the adult stem cell treatments in Russia from some other patients who were going over there," Alwood said.
During his first visit to the clinic, which lasted about three weeks, doctors conducted extensive tests, then gave him a series of shots that made his bone marrow produce an abundance of stem cells. They were then drawn from Alwoods blood and separated by a special machine.  "The thing is, the machine they used was made in the United States and they can't even use it here," he said. They harvested enough stem cells, which are injected into the lumbar region of the spinal cord, for 20 doses. Alwood received two injections, or four doses, during each of his first two visits to the clinic. The next time he goes in March the two injections will include three doses of stem cells each.
"It's something new they are trying," Alwood said. "The program is still considered experimental even there."
He's already seen some improvement in controlling his torso and balance. Alwood can now lean froward and push himself back up, something he couldn't do before the treatments.  He can also lean from side to side.  "My trunk muscles are starting to come back," Alwood said. He is trying to rehabilitate muscles that have "atrophied to almost non-existence," he explained¦
¦His ultimate goal is to someday walk again. He is encouraged by the results and the stories he has heard from others who have received similar treatment¦
¦Adult stem cell therapy is conducted in the U.S. on cancer patients, and on an experimental basis for those with heart disease, but not for spinal cord injuries.
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The NeuroVita Clinic

http://www.neurovita.ru/eng_index.html

The NeuroVita Clinic is an active participant of interinstitutional and international research programs to develop and implement state-of-the-art medical techniques of diagnostics and therapies of severe diseases and injuries of nervous system. The main interests of the Clinic belong to research of new cell medical biotechnologies for neurology, neurosurgery and neurooncology. The unique feature of the Clinic is that it does not use donor, fetal and/or embryonic cell material and transplants only autologous (patient's own) cell material. Only transplantation of autologous stem cells permitted us to overcome the barriers of tissue compatibility, refuse from immunosuppressive therapy, to resolve ethical, legislative and religious issues that are linked with administrative limitations of clinical application of cell therapy and tissue engineering of brain and spinal cord.

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THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF

Every week we hear of a new and ground breaking embryonic stem cell accomplishment. How long must we endure these false-victories and half-truths? Remember‚¦

In the Boy Who Cried Wolf, a bored shepherd boy entertains himself by calling out "wolf". Nearby villagers repeatedly come to his rescue only to find that the alarms were false and that they'd wasted their time. When the boy was actually confronted by a wolf, the villagers did not believe his cries for help and the wolf ate the flock. The moral is stated at the end of the fable as:

"Even when liars tell the truth, they are never believed. The liar will lie once, twice, and then perish when he tells the truth."

Unfortunately, the consensus of even pro-embryonic scientists is that there will be no cures from embryonic stem cells for at least 10 years. So we will have to endure the ‚“wolf cries‚ of victory from embryonic promoters for at least 10 years. And when, and if, embryonic stem cells do create cures in 10 years, the sad news is that our flock of Americans, with no access to adult stem cells, will already have been eaten by the wolf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Cried_Wolf

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RESPONSE TO STATE OF THE UNION

"BUSH IS IN FOR A DISAPPOINTMENT"

President G. W. Bush joined the growing club of cheerleaders who believe the impossible about embryonic stem cells. Whether one chooses to use real embryos or the faux-embryos discovered by the father of embryonics, Jamie Thomson, no humans will benefit from having embryonic stem cells implanted in their bodies for at least another decade. The cures are just not there and won't be until 2018, if at all.

Meanwhile, America continues to fall further and further behind, as the rest of the world now all but ignores the hopeless search for embryonic stem cell cures while concentrating on what has worked on human beings for over seven years---adult stem cells. While adult stem cells were once believed by scientists to hold only limited possibilities, it turns out that the scientific truth is:

"adult stem cell CURES are being discovered almost as quickly as sources of adult stem cells are being found by researchers"

Adult stem cells are both super-potent and non-cancerous stem cells and American "science" is all but ignoring their cures, successes and further future potential. American scientific hype continues to promote two erroneous and damaging myths.

1. That embryonic cures are merely waiting for Bush to leave office.

2. That adult stem cells can't do much of anything.

By these actions, American citizens are becoming the doomed inheritors of the world's largest second-rate stem cell treatment system. While the rest of the world redefines more and more incurable diseases as now being treatable, all America can do is trail Brazil, Germany, and Thailand in the development of therapies for the heart and falsely calling them "groundbreaking." Over and over we have heard their exclamations of victory but to date, there have been no diseases cured by embryonic stem cells.

For the real facts about Jamie Thomson's latest discovery, click here for "The Story of the Year."

DON MARGOLIS

Excerpt from State of the Union transcript

...On matters of life and science, we must trust in the innovative spirit of medical researchers and empower them to discover new treatments while respecting moral boundaries. In November, we witnessed a landmark achievement when scientists discovered a way to reprogram adult skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells. This breakthrough has the potential to move us beyond the divisive debates of the past by extending the frontiers of medicine without the destruction of human life. (Applause.)

So we're expanding funding for this type of ethical medical research. And as we explore promising avenues of research, we must also ensure that all life is treated with the dignity it deserves. And so I call on Congress to pass legislation that bans unethical practices such as the buying, selling, patenting, or cloning of human life. (Applause.)

TO read the entire SOTU click here: www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2008/index.html

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http://sangredecordon.com/

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DON MARGOLIS IS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF AUTOLOGOUS STEM CELLS (CELLS DERIVED FROM THE PATIENT'S OWN BODY). HE RECOGNIZES ADVANCES ARE BEING MADE USING UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD AND/OR PLACENTA-DERIVED CELLS, ESPECIALLY IN THE NEW STEM CELL SPECIALTY OF NEUROLOGY. QUITE NATURALLY, THESE NON-AUTOLOGOUS ADULT STEM CELLS CAN ONLY BE PARTIALLY MATCHED TO THE PATIENT, AND WHILE SHORT TERM SUCCESSES HAVE BEEN VALIDATED, HE SUGGESTS SOME CAUTION UNTIL THE LONG TERM BENEFITS ARE CLEARER. WE ARE TRYING TO GET PROOF OF ONE-YEAR VIABILITY TO PUBLISH HERE.

In 2005, Jason Ludwick went against the advice of his Doctors and went to Bangkok, Thailand for adult stem cell treatment of his congenital heart defect. His Ejection Fraction (the fraction of blood pumped out of a ventricle with each heart beat) was at 10%. Healthy individuals typically have ejection fractions greater than 55%.

Today his mother reports -"Being able to see Jason play basketball with his 10 year old son, walk up a flight of stairs and take care of his new 18 mo and 4 mo. old baby daughters is a miracle that we (his family) all cherish. Hopefully, this procedure will be available for those that "choose" to have it done without having to leave the U.S.

His American Doctors scoff at the idea that adult stem cells had anything to with his dramatic recovery...despite the fact that under THEIR care his health deteriorated for 16 years.

DM

Read on for more of this story from Jason's mother:

I'm forwarding our story about Jason Ludwick's procedure, wanted you to have a copy. Thank you for all you have done in providing so much hope to so many people in need ! I am forever grateful to you and everyone else who has made this procedure available.
Sincerely,
Rachel Kish

Adult Stem Cells Therapy makes history in WA State on Monday 01/28/2008

I am Jason Ludwick's Mom, Rachel. Jason had his (adult) stem cell procedure in Bangkok Oct. 20, 2005.

Jason is now 35 years old. He was born w/congenital heart defect and had open heart at 6 mo. of age. Due to the nature of his defect he required a pacemaker when he was 16. In 1994 he suddenly developed ideopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We were told that he would need a transplant within 5 years. He managed to remain stable for the next 10 years. His cardiologists suggested that the cardiomyopathy could be due to long term effects of pacing the heart as they have never studied the effects of long term pacing, because most pacemakers are implanted in the elderly who do not live past the average of five years. That subject was never again spoken of (liability reasons?). Jason saw a program on PBS about stem cells in 2004, but after checking into it there were only clinical trials in Texas which required residency or Brazil. His doctors said he was not deteriorated enough to be placed on the transplant list at that time. So, it was a very difficult prognosis for him to live with knowing that he just have to wait till his health progressed enough to be placed on the list. Would a heart be available if he made it to that point ?

In spring of 2005 Jason's Ejection Fraction (EF) continued to drop and he had a bi-ventricular pacemaker/defibrillator implanted. I did a search on the stem cells and by a miracle it led me to Theravitae. In the meantime, during the course of the planning for the trip to Thailand, his defibrillator went off (which saved his life). Against his cardiologist's wishes, we made all the arrangements and took a leap of faith that it was the right thing to do. At that point, I did not accept that Jason's fate would be determined by sitting here and waiting for his health to worsen. By the time we made it to Thailand, the doctors said his EF was only 10%. I did not know it was that low and feared he would not make it through the stem cell surgery. Dr. Kit and his associates assured me that they had done other people with the same low EF. I could not help but trust them after witnessing their state of the art operation and their expert medical care in all aspects of their program.

Well, it has been just over two years since his procedure. His previous cardiologist scoffs at the idea that the stem cells have helped Jason in any way whatsoever. He even went as far as to state that in his report at Jason's check up. Very negative attitude in many of the doctors in the mainstream medical community. I am happy to say that Jason has returned to a wonderful cardiologist (here in the Detroit area) who is participating w/Theravitae and is supportived of his procedure. I cannot actually say how his testing has proven (in the #'s), because I have not visually seen the reports, but I will say, he has definitely shown some improvement and is here today because of getting the stem cells. We were fortunate enough to have the resources and courage to travel to a foreign country to have a procedure that should be available in our own country. Being able to see Jason play basketball with his 10 year old son, walk up a flight of stairs and take care of his new 18 mo and 4 mo. old baby daughters (yes, he's a stay at home Dad) is a miracle that we (his family) all cherish. Hopefully, this procedure will be available for those that "choose" to have it done without having to leave the U.S.

I support all of your work and diligence in accomplishing the the use of ASC procedure in the U.S.- asap!.
Sincerely,
Rachel Kish

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ADULT STEM CELL VICTORIES!!

There are adult stem cell victories all over the world, every day. This category shows a small selection of them. To see more adult stem cell victories, go to:

www.stemcellschina.com

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new posts start here...

Click here to read:

MAD ABOUT STEM CELLS - INTRO...I WANT TO THANK DON MARGOLIS

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