Adult Stem Cell Therapy - Ready For Prime Time?
When you see the words "stem cells", you expect to read some debate about the ethical
appropriateness of using stem cells from discarded fetuses for research. This emotional issue has dominated the dialog regarding stem cell usage for the past decade.
However, here's a fascinating component that doesn't receive much press. Stem cells don't just exist in the embryo. They also exist in the adult body and are necessary for tissue regeneration throughout life. Think of skin growing back after an injury, lost blood being replaced and so on. Plus, adult stem cells seem to be more flexible than we originally thought. Recent studies have shown that adult stem cells can differentiate into different tissue types. For example: Neural cells have been induced to create blood and skeletal muscle; Bone marrow cells can create muscle and liver cells.
So, actually there is a bright light in the stem cell arena these days, using adult stem cells (ASC) not just for research but as a therapy to treat a variety of diseases. Sounds great ...the problem is, much of ASC therapy is not approved in North America or the UK, so the treatments take place in other countries. The question becomes, do you risk getting unapproved therapies or remain committed to proven therapies. Quite a dilemma!
By exploring the basics and the advances being made with ASC therapy the answer may become more evident. Stem cells have almost miraculous curative properties. Once a human egg is fertilized, it begins to divide, from one into two cells, two into four and so on. These early cells are not specialized, meaning that they are not predestined to become liver cells or brain cells. These cells can become any kind of cell that the body needs.
Properly known as embryonic stem cells, these "totipotent" cells can self-renew and create cells that will go on to become specialized. It's this incredible capacity to regenerate and then differentiate that makes embryonic stem cells so very exciting as a possible vehicle to rebuild damaged tissues in the brain (Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's), the heart and elsewhere.
But as you probably already know, for some segments of the population these undifferentiated cells represent human life even at the one cell stage. They are opposed to propagating additional human cells and using them for disease treatment research.
There are three important differences to suggest that the embryonic stem cell debate will continue. Embryonic stem cells can contribute an endless supply of new cells; ASC cannot. Absent the controversy, embryonic stem cells are easily available in great quantity from fertility clinics. ASC, on the other hand, are much more limited in supply and more difficult to harvest. Embryonic stem cells provide a pure, controlled line of new cells, an important characteristic for doing research. ASC are much more differentiated, making controlled experimentation more difficult.
However, ASC do have some advantages over embryonic stem cells as well. In order for an embryonic stem cell to produce a differentiated cell, a suitable environment must be engineered. ASC are already specialized so inducing growth is not as difficult. ASC can be harvested then returned to the same individual, reducing the potential for rejection. Embryonic stem cells could be rejected. ASC, like embryonic stem cells, hold enormous potential in the treatment of disease and do not carry the burden of controversy. This is not to say that ASC can or should become a 100% substitute for embryonic stem cells.
One of the most well-known uses of 'adult stem cells' is the bone marrow transplant. However the use of ASC to treat other diseases is starting to gain steam.
A major study has shown that heart muscle, damaged by a heart attack, can be repaired with ASC therapy. Patients who were studied showed a measurable improvement in heart and lung function. In 2009 UCLA reported the first successful adult neural stem cell transplantation to reverse the effects of Parkinson's disease and demonstrate the long term safety and therapeutic effects of this approach. In a breakthrough trial, 15 young patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes were given drugs to suppress their immune systems followed by transfusions of stem cells drawn from their own blood. The results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association show that insulin-dependent diabetics can be freed from reliance on insulin injections. Twenty-three patients regained their eyesight following limbal stem cell transplants. This treatment has helped many suffering from blindness for years, including victims of Iraqi mustard gas attacks. Ninety percent of 19 patients with various autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus, are in remission or have improved after treatment with their own blood stem cells.
If you are suffering from any of dozens of disorders that may be helped by adult stem cell therapy, you're probably looking for information about where to find the nearest treatment center. Therein lies the problem. Most of the success with ASC has happened in research studies. There are very few ASC procedures that have either been approved by the FDA or accepted by the medical community. That's due to a combination of, overshadowing by the embryonic stem cell debate, the field is very new and there has not been enough time to do the research and lastly, limited funding.
In 2009, Geron Inc. was the first biotechnology company to get approval to commence Phase I studies, which meant it could start injecting living cells into the damaged spines of people suffering total paralysis from the chest down. However, their timeline to market is about ten years. Osiris Therapeutics' biologic drug candidate, Prochymal is in Phase III clinical trials for three indications, including acute and steroid refractory Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), Crohn's disease and for the repair of gastrointestinal injury resulting from radiation exposure.
Unfortunately, most of these very promising therapies that have been showing significant success in clinical trials will not be available commercially for many years in the United States or Canada or even the UK. However, many other countries are developing thriving businesses. With far fewer regulations, ASC treatments are available to those who can afford to travel and pay the premium prices.
Success is never guaranteed. But once you have made the decision to seek international treatment you can increase your chances of success by following these simple guidelines.
(1) Investigate worldwide clinical trials.
(2) Facility Specialization. Always try to pick a facility that specializes in your disorder. The International Cellular Medicine Society (ICMS) has compiled a report that details 22 of more than 200 clinics around the world that offer therapies for ailments such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
(3) Credentials. Investigate the credentials of the facility and the providers. Ask how many procedures have been performed for people with your complaint. The ICMS has established a treatment registry, where the health of patients treated at registered clinics can be tracked for up to two decades. Meanwhile, the International Society for Stem Cell Research launched a task force last year to identify stem cell therapies unsupported by published scientific evidence.
(4) Stem cell preparation and administration. Most patients have no idea that the preparation and administration of the stem cells can have such a significant impact on success.
There are three methods for obtaining and preparing stem cells. Stem cells are collected from the body, then centrifuged to concentrate the cells. This method produces a mixture of cells, both stem and non-stem. The second method isolates stem cells from the specimen which is then treated with growth factors to stimulate their activity. However the current gold standard for stem cell preparation combines culturing of the stem cells, in addition to growth factors. If the facility is using methods one or two, you will receive less benefit.
And there are three methods of stem cell administration. First, by intravenous line or injection under the skin. These methods are simple and inexpensive but least effective. IV administration causes many cells to be lost in the lungs and under skin injection does not have therapeutic value for distant sites such as the heart and lungs. Secondly, by direct injection to the organ or site. This is another relatively inexpensive technique and results in cells being in closer proximity to the area of need, but it is still imprecise. And lastly by injection under imaging. This is the most challenging technique but has the best results. The injection of cells is guided by imaging, so the physician can locate the cells precisely where they need to be.
ASC therapy holds the promise of eradicating many chronic diseases. However, the research to realize that potential is still underway, making the treatment largely unavailable in North America and the UK. If you are considering traveling internationally to seek treatment that is unregulated, be sure that you understand exactly what kind of therapy you are purchasing and who will be providing the service before making the commitment. Here's to A Healthier World!
by: Katt Mollar
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