The Cellar - Hooray for stem cells

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Hooray for stem cells

Progress is stem cell treatments seem to be coming fast a furious.

There was a report on the TV news about a local veterinarian was helping near crippled dogs. By extracting a couple tablespoons of their fat, having the stem cells separated by a CA lab, then injecting them back into the dog, the dogs started running (and jumping on/off the furniture :)) almost immediately.

Now a promising treatment for people who are blind from damaged corneas, which is estimated at 10 million world wide.

Quote:

They removed small samples of stem cells from the eyes of two men and a woman with corneal disease and grew them on a contact lens. The stem cell-coated contacted lenses were then put into the patients' eyes for around three weeks. During that time, the stem cells moved off the lenses and began to heal the damaged corneas, the journal Transplantation reports.

Using a person's own cells removes any need for donors and means the transplant will not be rejected. Researcher Dr Nick Di Girolamo said: 'The procedure is totally simple and cheap.

'Unlike other techniques, it requires no foreign human or animal products, only the patient’s own serum, and is completely non-invasive. 'There's no suturing, there is no major operation. You don’t need any fancy equipment

A possible cure for the 4th most common cause of blindness, that can be done cheap and easy in the backwaters of the world. Amazing.

link

I wonder if it'll be covered by insurance.

Matter of time before...

Dad: Back in my day, we had a life expectancy of about 72 years.
Kid: You mean people used to die even when there was nothing wrong with them?

This report is in the Business section of the NY Times !
That seems strange to me, but maybe that's where the world thinks stem cell research should be.

The article is of interest to me for two other reasons:
one phase of my career was at the Oregon Health Sciences University
and involved yet another retinal disease (retinitis pigmentosa)
which is also a candidate for stem cell treatment.

2 Treatments for Retinas Make Gains
By ANDREW POLLACK
Published: November 22, 2010

Quote:

In testing, an experimental drug being developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals,
when injected every eight weeks, proved as effective as the standard treatment,
Lucentis from Genentech, which was injected every four weeks.
The findings are from two clinical trials that Regeneron is expected to announce on Monday.

In a separate development, Advanced Cell Technology is expected to announce Monday
that it has won regulatory approval to test a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells
in people with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, another retina disease.

This study appears to be a determination of "safety"

Quote:

Embryonic cells can also form tumors if injected into the body. Dr. Robert Lanza,
chief scientist at Advanced Cell, said the company had to prove to the F.D.A. that its retinal cells
contained virtually no residual embryonic stem cells.
It took a year for the company to get clearance for the trial from the F.D.A.

Quote:

Dr. Peter J. Francis, an associate professor at the Oregon Health and Science University,
which will be a site for the trial, says the eye is a good place to test stem cell therapy because it is accessible.
Also, he said, there is less chance of rejection of the implanted cells because the eye is shielded
somewhat from the body’s immune system.