Category Archives: Cell Therapy

By Philip C. Tubeza Philippine Daily Inquirer Stem cell therapy might provide a remedy for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) after it was used on an HIV patient in Germany, the first person known to have been cured of the disease, a Department of Health (DOH) official said Tuesday. Dr. Gerald Belimac, program manager of the DOH National AIDS/Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention and Control Program, said American Timothy R. Brown, the so-called Berlin Patient who had been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, was cured after getting stem cells in 2007 from a donor who was genetically resistant to the virus that caused AIDS. However, he said that this procedure was very complex and was still under study. It takes the right person, the right recipient, the right donor, for a stem cell transplantation particularly on HIV to be successful, Belimac said. If it comes from other donors, there is really a high chance that the recipient would reject it, she added. Brown was infected with HIV in 1995 and was later diagnosed with leukemia, or cancer of the blood. He underwent a transplant of stem cells for the leukemia and it turned out that those stem cells had genes that … Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines Amid the recent warning issued by the Department of Health (DOH) regarding stem cell therapy, doctors who are offering the treatment in the Philippines clarified that they are not promising a cure. We are very careful about claiming cure. These days ang dami nagsasalita, nawala ang sakit. All of a sudden siya (stem cell therapy) na yung magic bullet ng buong mundo, like if you get stem cell, you get cured, said Dr. Michelle de Vera, deputy director of the Institute of Personalized Molecular Medicine at The Medical City. Kapag may narinig na ganyan dapat lalo silang mag-ingat. Cure is zero evidence of disease or kung genetic yung disease dapat napalitan yung genes mo. Hindi mangyayari yun at this point," he stressed. De Vera, an allergologist and immunologist, does stem cell therapy on her patients at The Medical City but he said he believes that the DOH is right in warning patients on stem cell therapy. Tama naman na magbigay sila ng warning,I think what their trying to do is regulate stem cell therapy, the doctor said. Public advisory The DOH recently came out with a public advisory on stem cell therapies saying that there is an "observed … Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines Amid the recent warning issued by the Department of Health (DOH) regarding stem cell therapy, doctors who are offering the treatment in the Philippines clarified that they are not promising a cure. We are very careful about claiming cure. These days ang dami nagsasalita, nawala ang sakit. All of a sudden siya (stem cell therapy) na yung magic bullet ng buong mundo, like if you get stem cell, you get cured, said Dr. Michelle de Vera, deputy director of the Institute of Personalized Molecular Medicine at The Medical City. Kapag may narinig na ganyan dapat lalo silang mag-ingat. Cure is zero evidence of disease or kung genetic yung disease dapat napalitan yung genes mo. Hindi mangyayari yun at this point," he stressed. De Vera, an allergologist and immunologist, does stem cell therapy on her patients at The Medical City but he said he believes that the DOH is right in warning patients on stem cell therapy. Tama naman na magbigay sila ng warning,I think what their trying to do is regulate stem cell therapy, the doctor said. Public advisory The DOH recently came out with a public advisory on stem cell therapies saying that there is an "observed … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cytori Therapeutics (CYTX) today announced two independent investigator-sponsored and funded cell therapy clinical studies in Japan have been approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare under the Guidelines on Clinical Research Using Human Stem Cells. One study will investigate the use of Cytoris cell therapy as a treatment for ischemic heart failure and the other as a treatment for cirrhosis of the liver. The studies will be performed by Shuichi Kaneko, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chairman of Departments of Gastroenterology, and Disease Control and Hemostasis, Graduate School of Medicine at Kanazawa University Hospital School of Medicine. In each study, patients will receive an injection of Cytoris cell therapy, which consists of their own adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) processed at the point-of-care using the Cytoris proprietary and automated Celution System. The ischemic heart failure study will enroll patients with low left ventricular function due to a prior heart attack and the ADRCs will be delivered through the coronary artery. In the study of patients with cirrhosis of the liver, the ADRCs will be delivered through the hepatic artery. About Cytori Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. is developing cell therapies based on autologous adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) … Continue reading →

By Erika Sauler Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines This type of stem cell therapy does not claim to be the fountain of youth, but an alternative treatment to arthritis, muscle pain and tendon tear. Two Filipino doctors who trained in the United States said in a media forum on Sunday that autologous stem cell therapy could speed up the healing of musculoskeletal and sports-related injuries, which could be an optional remedy before undergoing surgery. Dr. Jeimylo de Castro explained that the procedure would involve taking stem cells from the patients blood, fat tissue or bone marrow and injecting them to the injured area of the same person. This type of therapy is different from the controversial embryonic stem cells which are harvested from animals or fertilized eggs. With stem cell therapy being a current fad for anti-aging, the Department of Health has warned the public that the benefits of stem cell therapy are still under evaluation. The DOH will soon issue guidelines for the use of stem cell therapy and the licensing of facilities offering this service. De Castro and Dr. Franklin Domingo are both fellows of the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine. They underwent training for stem cell therapy … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cytori Therapeutics (CYTX) today announced that an investigator-sponsored and funded clinical study evaluating Cytoris cell therapy as a potential treatment for limited and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) has been approved to begin in France by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM, formerly AFSSAPS). The study will be conducted by Professor Guy Magalon, M.D., Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery and Professor of Universities, at Hpital de la Conception, AP-HM Marseille, France, Professor Brigitte Granel, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine of Hospital Nord and Professor of Universities, and Professor Florence Sabatier, M.D., Head of the Department of Cell Therapy. We are interested in investigating Cytoris cell therapy as a potential treatment for scleroderma because earlier data suggest it can improve blood flow and minimize the immune response, said Professor Magalon. Based on these properties, the treatment has the potential to reverse the ischemic effects, where there is tightening of the arteries in the affected areas, and counter the autoimmune reaction. While this research is in its early stages, if we begin to observe encouraging efficacy, we intend to expand the trial to include more hospitals and patients. Per the study … Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines Its supposed to cure various illnesses such as cancer, spinal cord injury and Parkinsons disease. Is stem cell therapy the cure-all that it is touted to be? Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa said it is important to note that stem cell treatments are still at the experimental stage. "The advisory is very clear. This is still an investigative form of therapy. Anecdotal reports are not enough evidence to say there is treatment, he said in an interview on ANC's Talkback with Tina Palma. He said there are only two standard stem cell therapies considered effective and acceptable to the medical community. "To date, I can only name two cases that are considered standard therapy. That is bone marrow transplantation--one for severe cancer, blood cancer and the other one is bone marrow transplantation after chemotherapy for any type of cancer, he said. Herbosa said the Department of Health cannot confirm yet if stem cell treatment is indeed effective against certain diseases. Dr. Tranquilino Elicao Jr., an oncologist who availed of the treatment in April in Frankfurt, Germany, said stem cell therapy cured his high blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol and uric acid. He had 12 injections of cells, which came from … Continue reading →

Doctors and researchers have long said that stem cell therapy has the potential to change the face of human disease. But what if stem cells could be used to reverse the aging process as well? Plastic surgeons say they can use stem cells to make women look years younger without the pain of an invasive surgery. "I lost weight, loss of volume in face, I looked gaunt and I said, so I said, 'okay what do we do to fix this?'" said Sarah, a patient. The fix for this was a stem-cell face lift. Dr. Steve Szczerba of Chicago Aesthetic Surgery Institute recommended that Sarah undergo a procedure, where he'd use her own adult stem cells to turn back the clock. "A stem cell facelift is rejuvenating the face using grafted fat. Grafted fat has stem cells in it," Dr. Szczerba explains. Grafted fat is transferred fat. Dr. Szczerba typically gets it from the patient's abdomen or inner thigh during liposuction. "During that process of liposuction, we save the fat and take the fat and prepare it for grafting by removing the fluid. And the stem cells along with other grafted fat cells are injected into the face," says Dr. … Continue reading →

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Irvine Scientific, a leading cell culture media/ medical device company for more than 40 years, announced their newly launched cell therapy PRIME-XV product portfolio as part of the companys commitment to accelerate basic research and clinical applications in cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Using their expertise in cell culture media development, PRIME-XV products were designed to function as part of an integrated workflow solution in culturing primary cells, where all products have been pre-validated to decrease end user qualification time. Initially, PRIME-XV products will comprise of a serum-free medium for the expansion of human mesenchymal stromal/ stem cells (MSCs), biopreservation solutions and extracellular matrix proteins. However, Irvine Scientific intends to expand this product line to offer other cell culture media and reagents, such as stem cell qualified fetal bovine serum, tumorsphere and neural progenitor cell expansion media. Examples of existing PRIME-XV products include: PRIME-XV MatrIS F: a recombinant human matrix protein intended for the culture of human stem/ progenitor cells under serum-free conditions. PRIME-XV MatrIS F provides an alternative substrate to the PRIME-XV Human Fibronectin product, which has a wide variety of applications in primary cell spreading and attachment. PRIME-XV MSC EXPANSION SFM: a complete, serum-free … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) ("NeoStem" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in the fast growing cell therapy market, today announced that it will redeem all outstanding shares of its Series E 7% Senior Convertible Preferred Stock ("Series E Preferred Stock"). On October 10, 2012, the Company gave notice to its Series E Preferred Stockholders that it is redeeming all of the outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock for an aggregate redemption price of $3.4 million, $2.5 million of which was funded by money placed into escrow when the Series E Preferred stock was issued in November 2010. "We are pleased that we have been able to redeem this $10 million investment in full over a two year period. Equal to our focus on cell therapy product development and expanding our PCT contract development and manufacturing operations, we are committed to improving our balance sheet. Through the redemption of the Series E Preferred Stock, we will remove a significant overhang and simplify NeoStem's capital structure. The redemption of the Series E Preferred Stock is another example of a step taken by us to improve Common Stockholder value," said Dr. Robin Smith, Chairman … Continue reading →