Stem cell treatment may reduce impairment caused by …

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Neural stem cells transplanted into mice brains reduced impairments related to dementia with Lewy bodies, or DLB, researchers found in a study conducted at the University of California Irvine.

Dementia with Lewy bodies, spherical masses of a protein called alpha-synuclein, impairs the function of neurons causing alteration to brain chemicals and neuronal communication, and eventual brain cell death.

DLB, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, plays a role in other forms of the condition, including Parkinson's and Huntington's -- which researchers hope neural stem cells could help treat.

"Our experiments revealed that neural stem cells can enhance the function of both dopamine- and glutamate-producing neurons, coaxing the brain cells to connect and communicate more appropriately," said Natalie Goldberg, a doctoral student at the University of California Irvine, in a press release. "This, in turn, facilitates the recovery of both motor and cognitive function."

Researchers transplanted mouse neural stem cells into mice exhibiting signs of dementia. A month after the treatment, the mice who'd received it could run on a rotating rod and recognize objects better than untreated mice.

A growth factor called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, is key to enhancing the function of dopamine- and glutamate-making neurons in the brain. The researchers tested this, finding that without BDNF improvement in cognitive decisions by the mice did not improve, and without the enhancing the function of both dopamine and glutamate in the brain improvements were not as drastic.

"Many important questions remain before we could envision moving forward with early-stage trials [with humans]," said Mathew Blurton-Jones, an associate professor of neurobiology and behavior at UC Irvine. "For example, we'll need to identify and test human neural stem cells first."

The study is published in Stem Cell Reports.

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Stem cell treatment lessens impairments caused by dementia …

October 15, 2015 Neural stem cells (green) migrate throughout an injured brain site in DLB mice and begin to differentiate into astrocytes (red), leading to improved motor and cognitive function. Credit: Blurton-Jones lab

Neural stem cells transplanted into damaged brain sites in mice dramatically improved both motor and cognitive impairments associated with dementia with Lewy bodies, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists with the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.

DLB is the second-most common type of age-related dementia after Alzheimer's disease and is characterized by the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein that collects into spherical masses called Lewy bodies - which also accumulate in related disorders, including Parkinson's disease. This pathology, in turn, impairs the normal function of neurons, leading to alterations in critical brain chemicals and neuronal communication and, eventually, to cell death.

The UCI researchers, led by associate professor of neurobiology & behavior Mathew Blurton-Jones and doctoral student Natalie Goldberg, hope that one day transplantation of neural stem cells into human patients might help overcome the motor and cognitive impairments of DLB.

Study results appear online in Stem Cell Reports.

To test this idea, they transplanted mouse neural stem cells into genetically modified mice exhibiting many of the key features of DLB. One month later, the mice were retested on a variety of behavioral tasks, and significant gains in both motor and cognitive function were observed. For example, these mice could run on a rotating rod for much longer and recognize novel objects far better than untreated DLB mice.

To understand how stem cell transplantation alleviated impairments, Goldberg and colleagues examined the effects of the stem cells on brain pathology and circuitry connecting neurons. They found that functional improvements required the production of a specific growth factor - called brain-derived neurotrophic factor - by neural stem cells.

The team examined two of the key brain structures that become dysfunctional in DLB - dopamine- and glutamate-making neurons - to determine how BDNF might drive recovery. "Our experiments revealed that neural stem cells can enhance the function of both dopamine-and glutamate-producing neurons, coaxing the brain cells to connect and communicate more appropriately. This, in turn, facilitates the recovery of both motor and cognitive function," Goldberg said.

To further confirm the importance of BDNF in these effects, the researchers modified the stem cells so that they could no longer produce the growth factor. When these modified cells were transplanted, they failed to improve behavioral function and no longer enhanced dopamine and glutamate signaling.

Testing the possibility that BDNF alone might be an effective treatment, Goldberg used a virus to deliver the growth factor to the brains of DLB mice.

She found that this treatment resulted in good recovery of motor skills in the test rodents but only limited recovery of cognitive function. This, Goldberg said, suggests that while BDNF is critical to stem cell-mediated motor and cognitive recovery, it does not achieve this outcome alone.

These results imply that transplantation of BDNF-producing neural stem cells may one day offer a new approach for treating DLB, and Blurton-Jones and Goldberg are cautiously optimistic.

"Many important questions remain before we could envision moving forward with early-stage trials," Blurton-Jones said. "For example, we'll need to identify and test human neural stem cells first."

Nevertheless, if this approach holds up, BDNF-producing neural stem cells might also be beneficial for several other diseases. "BDNF, dopamine and glutamate are implicated in other neurodegenerative conditions, including Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease," Goldberg noted.

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Stem cell treatment lessens impairments caused by dementia ...

Stem Cell Transplantation for Cancer Treatment | CTCA

Stem cell transplantation

Our Hematology Oncology Department provides advanced medical therapies for patients with various types and stages of hematologic disease, including leukemia, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphomaand Hodgkin lymphoma. Some hematologic cancer patients undergo a hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (commonly referred to as a stem cell transplant).

A stem cell transplant can be used to infuse healthy stem cells into the body to stimulate new bone marrow growth, suppress the disease, and reduce the possibility of a relapse.

Stem cells can be found in the bone marrow, circulating blood (peripheral blood stem cells), and umbilical cord blood.

Our doctors perform two main types of stem cell transplants:

Before a stem cell transplant, you'll undergo a conditioning regime, which involves intensive treatment to destroy as many cancer cells as possible. You may receive high doses of chemotherapy and, in some cases, radiation therapy. Once this preparative regime is complete, you're ready to undergo the transplant.

Much like a blood transfusion, youll receive the stem cells intravenously. The procedure takes about an hour. After entering the bloodstream, the stem cells travel to the bone marrow and start to make new blood cells in a process known as engraftment.

In the months following the transplant, your care team will monitor your blood counts. You may need transfusions of red blood cells and platelets. Sometimes, the intensive treatments you receive before the stem cell transplantation can cause side effects, like infection. In this case, your doctor may administer IV antibiotics.

If you had an allogeneic stem cell transplant, your doctor may prescribe certain drugs to reduce the risk of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a condition where the donated cells attack the patient's tissues.

Recovery from a stem cell transplant can take several months. Youll need support from multiple areas to help reduce side effects, keep you strong and improve your quality of life.

Our hematology oncology team will collaborate with the rest of your care team to support you throughout the entire treatment process. The following are examples of how the other members of your care team will work together to meet your individual needs:

Throughout your treatment, your care manager will also be available to make sure your questions are answered, and ensure you and your family have the information and resources you need to make informed decisions.

Stem cells are parent cells which can develop into any of the three main types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

A peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT) uses stem cells extracted from the peripheral (circulating) blood supply.

A bone marrow transplant (BMT) uses stem cells collected from the bone marrow.

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First UK patient receives stem cell treatment to cure …

Vision loss is as common a problem as dementia among older people. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

A patient has become the first in the UK to receive an experimental stem cell treatment that has the potential to save the sight of hundreds of thousands of Britons.

By December, doctors will know whether the woman, who has age-related macular degeneration, has regained her sight after a successful operation at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London last month. Over 18 months, 10 patients will undergo the treatment.

The transplant involves eye cells, called retinal pigment epithelium, derived from stem cells and grown in the lab to form a patch that can be placed behind the retina during surgery.

Related: Stem cell therapy success in treatment of sight loss from macular degeneration

The potential is huge. Although the first patients have the wet form of macular degeneration, the doctors believe it might also eventually work for those who have the dry form, who are the vast majority of the UKs 700,000 sufferers.

The surgery is an exciting moment for the 10-year-old London Project to Cure Blindness, a collaboration between the hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the National Institute for Health Research, which was formed to find a cure for wet age-related macular degeneration, the more serious but less common form of the disease.

Prof Pete Coffey of UCL, one of the founders of the London Project, said he would not be working on the new treatment if he did not believe it would work. He hopes it could become a routine procedure for people afflicted by vision loss, which is as common a problem among older people as dementia.

It does involve an operation, but were trying to make it as straightforward as a cataract operation, he said. It will probably take 45 minutes to an hour. We could treat a substantial number of those patients.

First they have to get approval. The trial is not just about safety, but also efficacy. There will be a regulatory review after the first few transplants to ensure all is going well.

The group of patients chosen have the wet form of the disease and experienced sudden loss of vision within about six weeks. The support cells in the eye, which get rid of daily debris and allow the seeing part to function have died.

There is a possibility of restoring their vision, said Coffey. The aim of the transplant is to restore the support cells so the seeing part of the eye is not affected by what would become an increasingly toxic environment, causing deterioration and serious vision loss. The surgery is being performed by retinal surgeon Prof Lyndon Da Cruz from Moorfields, who is also a co-founder of the London Project.

The team chose people with this dramatic vision loss to see whether the experimental stem cell therapy would reverse the loss of vision. But in those with dry macular degeneration, said Coffey, the process is far slower, which would mean doctors could choose the time to intervene if the treatment works.

Helping people to regain their sight has long been one of the most hopeful prospects for stem cell transplantation. Other research groups have been trialling the use of stem cells in people with Stargardts disease, which destroys the vision at a much earlier age.

Stem cells have moved from the drawing board into human trials with incredible speed, scientists say. The first embryonic stem cell was derived in 1989. Using them in eyes was always going to have a big advantage over other prospects, because it is possible to transplant them without an all-out attack by the immune system, as would happen in other parts of the body. Most people who have any sort of transplant have to take drugs that suppress the immune system for the rest of their lives.

Just like conventional medicines, stem cell therapies will very likely have to be developed and marketed by large commercial concerns. The London Project has the US drug company Pfizer on board.

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What Is A Stem Cell, Stem Cell Questions, How Do Stem …

Our Technology

Phoenix Stem Cell Treatment Center uses adipose derived stem cells for deployment & clinical research. Early stem cell research has traditionally been associated with the controversial use of embryonic stem cells. The new focus is on non-embryonic adult mesenchymal stem cells which are found in a persons own blood, bone marrow, and fat. Most stem cell treatment centers in the world are currently using stem cells derived from bone marrow.

A recent technological breakthrough enables us to now use adipose (fat) derived stem cells. Autologous stem cells from a persons own fat are easy to harvest safely under local anesthesia and are abundant in quantities up to 2500 times those seen in bone marrow.

Clinical success and favorable outcomes appear to be related directly to the quantity of stem cells deployed. Once these adipose derived stem cells are administered back in to the patient, they have the potential to repair human tissue by forming new cells of mesenchymal origin, such as cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons, nerve, fat, muscle, blood vessels, and certain internal organs. Stem cells ability to form cartilage and bone makes them potentially highly effective in the treatment of degenerative orthopedic conditions. Their ability to form new blood vessels and smooth muscle makes them potentially very useful in the treatment of peyronies disease and impotence. Stem cells are used extensively in Europe and Asia to treat these conditions.

We have anecdotal and experimental evidence that stem cell therapy is effective in healing and regeneration. Stem cells seek out damaged tissues in order to repair the body naturally. The literature and internet is full of successful testimonials but we are still awaiting definitive studies demonstrating efficacy of stem cell therapy. Such data may take five or ten years to accumulate. At the Phoenix Stem Cell Treatment Center we are committed to gathering those data by conducting sound and effective clinical research. In an effort to provide relief for patients suffering from certain degenerative diseases that have been resistant to common modalities of treatment, we are initiating pilot studies as experimental tests of treatment effectiveness with very high numbers of adipose derived stem cells obtained from fat. Adipose fat is an abundant and reliable source of stem cells.

Phoenix Stem Cell Treatment Centers cell harvesting and isolation techniques are based on technology from Korea. This new technological breakthrough allows patients to safely receive their own autologous stem cells in extremely large quantities. Our treatments and research are patient funded and we have endeavored successfully to make it affordable. All of our sterile procedures are non-invasive and done under local anesthesia. Patients who are looking for non-surgical alternatives to their degenerative disorders can participate in our trials by filling out our treatment application to determine if they are candidates. Phoenix Stem Cell Treatment Center is proud to be state of the art in the new field of Regenerative Medicine.RETURN TO TOP

We are currently in the process of setting up FDA approved protocols for stem cell banking in collaboration with a reputable cryo-technology company. This enables a person to receive autologous stem cells at any time in the future without having to undergo liposuction which may be inconvenient or contraindicated. Having your own stem cells available for medical immediate use is a valuable medical asset.

Provisions are nearly in place for this option and storage of your own stem cells obtained by liposuction at PSCTC or from fat obtained from cosmetic procedures performed elsewhere should be possible in the near future.RETURN TO TOP

Adult (NonEmbryonic) Mesenchymal Stem Cells are undifferentiated cells that have the ability to replace dying cells and regenerate damaged tissue. These special cells seek out areas of injury, disease and destruction where they are capable of regenerating healthy cells and enabling a persons natural healing processes to be accelerated. As we gain a deeper understanding of their medical function and apply this knowledge, we are realizing their enormous therapeutic potential to help the body heal itself. Adult stem cells have been used for a variety of medical treatments to repair and regenerate acute and chronicially damaged tissues in humans and animals. The use of stem cells is not FDA approved for the treatment of any specific disease in the United States at this time and their use is therefore investigational. Many reputable international centers have been using stem cell therapy to treat various chronic degenerative conditions as diverse as severe neurologic diseases, renal failure, erectile dysfunction, degenerative orthopedic problems, and even cardiac and pulmonary diseases to name a few. Adult stem cells appear to be particularly effective at repairing cartilage in degenerated joints.RETURN TO TOP

Regenerative Medicine is the process of creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost due to damage, or congenital defects. This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating previously irreparable organs to heal themselves. (Wikipedia)RETURN TO TOP

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Stem cell gene therapy holds promise for eliminating HIV …

by Mirabai Vogt-James The scientists, led by Jerome Zack (left) and Scott Kitchen, found that the technique decreased HIV levels in mice by 80 to 95 percent. Credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

cientists at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research are one step closer to engineering a tool that could one day arm the body's immune system to fight HIVand win. The new technique harnesses the regenerative capacity of stem cells to generate an immune response to the virus.

The findings were published today in the journal Molecular Therapy.

"We hope this approach could one day allow HIV-positive individuals to reduce or even stop their current HIV drug regimen and clear the virus from the body altogether," said Scott Kitchen, the study's lead author and a member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center. "We also think this approach could possibly be extended to other diseases." Kitchen also is a member of the UCLA AIDS Institute and an associate professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Kitchen and his colleagues were the first to report the use of an engineered molecule called a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, in blood-forming stem cells. Blood-forming stem cells are capable of turning into any type of blood cell, including T cells, the white blood cells that are central to the immune system. In a healthy immune system, T cells can usually rid the body of viral or bacterial infection. But HIV is too strong and mutates too rapidly for T cells to fight against the virus.

The researchers inserted a gene for a CAR into blood-forming stem cells in the lab. The CAR, which is a two-part receptor that recognizes an antigen, was engineered to be carried by T cells and direct them to locate and kill HIV-infected cells. The CAR-modified blood stem cells were then transplanted into HIV-infected mice that had been genetically engineered with human immune systems. (As a result, HIV infection causes disease similar to that in humans.)

The researchers found that the CAR-carrying blood stem cells successfully turned into functional T cells that could kill HIV-infected cells in the mice. The result was a decrease in HIV levels of 80 to 95 percent.

The findings strongly suggest that stem cell-based gene therapy with a CAR may be a feasible and effective treatment for chronic HIV infection in humans.

The world's leading infectious killer, HIV has caused approximately 40 million deaths worldwide since it was first identified in the early 1980s. Once HIV invades the body, it targets the very immune cells that are working against it, using the machinery of T cells to make copies of itself to spread through the body. This kills the T cells and weakens the immune system so much that the body can't fight even a simple infection. Certain drugs help suppress the virus, but since the human immune system can't clear the virus from the body, people with HIV have the virus for life.

"Despite increased scientific understanding of HIV and better prevention and treatment with available drugs, a majority of the 35 million people living with HIV, and millions more at risk of infection, do not have adequate access to prevention and treatment, and there is still no practical cure," said Jerome Zack, professor of medicine and of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and a co-author of the study. "With the CAR approach, we aim to change that." Zack is co-director of the UCLA AIDS Institute and is affiliated with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and a member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center.

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The Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Therapy for COPD

Updated December 29, 2014.

Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.

Stem cells are cells found in bone marrow and other organs.

They can develop into any type of tissue that exists in the fully developed body, including any kind of blood cell: red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.

Because of their unique, regenerative properties, stem cells offer new hope for a variety of diseases, including diabetes mellitis, stroke, osteoporosis, heart disease and, more recently, COPD. Scientists are interested in using stem cells to repair damaged cells and tissues in the body because they are far less likely than to be rejected than foreign cells that originated from another source.

There are two types of stem cells that doctors work with most in both humans and animals: Embryonic stem cells are derived from a blastocyst, a type of cell found in mammalian embryos and adults stem cells which are derived from the umbilical cord, placenta or from blood, bone marrow, skin, and other tissues.

Embryonic stem cells have the capacity to develop into every type of tissue found in an adult. Embryonic stem cells used for research develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro (in a laboratory).

After they are extracted from the embryo, the cells are grown in cell culture, an artificial medium used for medical research. It is atop this medium where they then divide and multiply.

Adult stem cells have been found in many organs and tissues of the body, but, once removed from the body, they have a difficult time dividing, which makes generating large quantities of them quite challenging. Currently, scientists are trying to find better ways to grow adult stem cells in cell culture and to manipulate them into specific types of cells that have the ability to treat injury and disease.

There is much controversy going on in the world of stem cell therapy and COPD. Why? While autologous stem cell treatment without manipulation is legal in the United States, without manipulation, treatments are not likely to be clinically relevant. For stem cell treatments to be clinically relevant, millions of stem cells need to be implanted into a designated recipient. Because generating millions of stem cells is difficult once they are removed from the body, scientists must manipulate them somehow to produce larger quantities. The FDA says that manipulation turns them into prescription drugs, and that this practice must therefore be tightly regulated. Stem cell advocates don't agree with the FDA's stand on this, and are currently fighting to get this changed.

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The Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Therapy for COPD

Stem Cell Treatment #5 for Multiple Sclerosis – Video

Stem Cell Treatment #5 for Multiple Sclerosis
http://msrelief.com (Just laugh at my hair) Dr. Balshi explains that stem cells will duplicate, replicate, and restore the damaged parts of the central nervous system for about four months....

By: Choose JOY MS Relief

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Stem Cell Treatment #5 for Multiple Sclerosis - Video

Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine from Blue …

About Blue Horizon Stem Cells

Worlds leader in advanced stem cell therapy

Welcome to the Blue Horizon Stem Cell Therapy Program and Research Center. We are the worlds leading provider of adult and childrens stem cell therapies. Blue Horizon has treated over 500 patients and safely and efficiently performed more than 2,300 procedures. We are the only treatment provider approved and associated with The Wuhan University Department of Medicine.

Experience you can trust

The team at Blue Horizon Stem Cells is experienced in successfully treating conditions such as Alzheimers Disease, Sports Injuries, Spinal Cord Injuries, Cerebral Palsy, Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus, Arthritis, Heart Disease, Autoimmune Disorders, Anti-Aging and many more.

Highest quality treatment at a reasonable price

Blue Horizon Stem Cells has been providing treatments to patients for many years. We are able to provide extremely competitive rates to our patients as we have streamlined our operations and have package options to choose from based upon your needs.

Option of your stem cells or umbilical cord donors

The Blue Horizon Stem Cell Therapy Program ONLY utilizes stem cells from either your own body or umbilical cord donors whom have proceeded through a multiple step testing process that ensures stem cell patient safety. The procedure is virtually painless and for most patients, takes less than a few hours. We have US trained and board certified physicians on staff for your comfort.

At just 21 years old, a devastating motorcycle accident left top athlete Greg Mucci on the sidelines while he worked through a painful recovery from a serious hip injury. After conventional medicine took his recovery as far as it could go, Brian Mehling, M.D., an orthopedic trauma surgeon and founder of Blue Horizon Stem Cells, offered Mucci the opportunity to receive innovative stem cell therapy at his center in Wuhan, China to avoid a hip replacement. Through Dr. Mehlings foundation, the Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation, Mucci received the treatment and now, at age 30, is on the field playing in a semi-pro football league. Watch Greg Muccis story and learn about the amazing health benefits of stem cell treatments.

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Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine from Blue ...

Nine Things to Know About Stem Cell Treatments

Stem cells have tremendous promise to help us understand and treat a range of diseases, injuries and other health-related conditions. Their potential is evident in the use of blood stem cells to treat diseases of the blood, a therapy that has saved the lives of thousands of children with leukemia; and can be seen in the use of stem cells for tissue grafts to treat diseases or injury to the bone, skin and surface of the eye. Important clinical trials involving stem cells are underway for many other conditions and researchers continue to explore new avenues using stem cells in medicine.

There is still a lot to learn about stem cells, however, and their current applications as treatments are sometimes exaggerated by the media and other parties who do not fully understand the science and current limitations, and also by clinics looking to capitalize on the hype by selling treatments to chronically ill or seriously injured patients. The information on this page is intended to help you understand both the potential and the limitations of stem cells at this point in time, and to help you spot some of the misinformation that is widely circulated by clinics offering unproven treatments.

It is important to discuss these Nine Things to Know and any research or information you gather with your primary care physician and other trusted members of your healthcare team in deciding what is right for you.

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Nine Things to Know About Stem Cell Treatments