Category Archives: Cell Therapy

Aug. 5, 2012, 3 a.m. A GROWING number of overseas clinics touting stem cell therapy for conditions ranging from sexual disorders to HIV are targeting Australia, where such treatments are restricted. Australian scientists have raised concerns about so-called ''stem cell tourism'', saying many of the treatments offered are unproven, untested and potentially deadly. The Swiss firm Fetal Cell Technologies International has been advertising in Australia since last year and Emcell, based in Ukraine, started promoting its services last month. It is estimated as many as 200 Australians have travelled overseas for the therapy. The secretary for science policy at the Australian Academy of Science, Bob Williamson, said he empathised with the desperation of seriously ill people but warned against the unproven therapies, which can cost up to $60,000. ''The therapies are almost all untested and unproven and sometimes they have killed people,'' Professor Williamson said. The Sun-Herald's calls to Emcell's Melbourne office were not returned. Stem Cells Australia's Megan Munsie, who is conducting a study into stem cell tourism with Monash University, said many people she interviewed were unaware of the risks of therapy overseas. ''We're not talking about rubbing something into your skin or taking a capsule, we are … Continue reading →

Aug. 5, 2012, 3 a.m. A GROWING number of overseas clinics touting stem cell therapy for conditions ranging from sexual disorders to HIV are targeting Australia, where such treatments are restricted. Australian scientists have raised concerns about so-called ''stem cell tourism'', saying many of the treatments offered are unproven, untested and potentially deadly. The Swiss firm Fetal Cell Technologies International has been advertising in Australia since last year and Emcell, based in Ukraine, started promoting its services last month. It is estimated as many as 200 Australians have travelled overseas for the therapy. The secretary for science policy at the Australian Academy of Science, Bob Williamson, said he empathised with the desperation of seriously ill people but warned against the unproven therapies, which can cost up to $60,000. ''The therapies are almost all untested and unproven and sometimes they have killed people,'' Professor Williamson said. The Sun-Herald's calls to Emcell's Melbourne office were not returned. Stem Cells Australia's Megan Munsie, who is conducting a study into stem cell tourism with Monash University, said many people she interviewed were unaware of the risks of therapy overseas. ''We're not talking about rubbing something into your skin or taking a capsule, we are … Continue reading →

A GROWING number of overseas clinics touting stem cell therapy for conditions ranging from sexual disorders to HIV are targeting Australia, where such treatments are restricted. Australian scientists have raised concerns about so-called ''stem cell tourism'', saying many of the treatments offered are unproven, untested and potentially deadly. The Swiss firm Fetal Cell Technologies International has been advertising in Australia since last year and Emcell, based in Ukraine, started promoting its services last month. It is estimated as many as 200 Australians have travelled overseas for the therapy. The secretary for science policy at the Australian Academy of Science, Bob Williamson, said he empathised with the desperation of seriously ill people but warned against the unproven therapies, which can cost up to $60,000. Advertisement ''The therapies are almost all untested and unproven and sometimes they have killed people,'' Professor Williamson said. The Sun-Herald's calls to Emcell's Melbourne office were not returned. Stem Cells Australia's Megan Munsie, who is conducting a study into stem cell tourism with Monash University, said many people she interviewed were unaware of the risks of therapy overseas. ''We're not talking about rubbing something into your skin or taking a capsule, we are talking about often a … Continue reading →

A GROWING number of overseas clinics touting stem cell therapy for conditions ranging from sexual disorders to HIV are targeting Australia, where such treatments are restricted. Australian scientists have raised concerns about so-called ''stem cell tourism'', saying many of the treatments offered are unproven, untested and potentially deadly. The Swiss firm Fetal Cell Technologies International has been advertising in Australia since last year and Emcell, based in Ukraine, started promoting its services last month. It is estimated as many as 200 Australians have travelled overseas for the therapy. The secretary for science policy at the Australian Academy of Science, Bob Williamson, said he empathised with the desperation of seriously ill people but warned against the unproven therapies, which can cost up to $60,000. Advertisement ''The therapies are almost all untested and unproven and sometimes they have killed people,'' Professor Williamson said. The Sun-Herald's calls to Emcell's Melbourne office were not returned. Stem Cells Australia's Megan Munsie, who is conducting a study into stem cell tourism with Monash University, said many people she interviewed were unaware of the risks of therapy overseas. ''We're not talking about rubbing something into your skin or taking a capsule, we are talking about often a … Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines Talent manager Annabelle Rama revealed that she will be undergoing stem cell therapy in September. She confirmed this report to The Philippine Stars entertainment columnist Ricky Lo. Rama said shes been suffering from several illnesses and that stem cell therapy may help make her feel better. Im suffering from high-blood pressure, high-blood sugar and other ailments and from what I heard, after the therapy I would feel better. Lahat daw yon gagaling, she said. Rama said her son Richard Gutierrez, who will be paying for the whole procedure, also urged her to have her back problem checked. Richard wants me to have my scoliosis checked and my lumbar region which are giving me so much pain. So I will have two more injections for that, each costing an extra one thousand euros, she said. Lo said in his article that the whole package, which will include nine injections, will cost around P1 million. Meanwhile, although she earlier vented on Twitter her disappointment that her family is against her plan to run for Congress, it seems that her children have changed their mind about politics. Rama said she is hoping that she will feel renewed after her upcoming stem … Continue reading →

Stem cell therapy has been building quite the reputation as a costly but groundbreaking medical procedure that promises to restore youth and revitalize those who choose to undergo treatment. However, doctors from the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and the Department of Health (DOH) have advised the public to be careful about choosing where to go for therapy. Ang proseso nito talagang mabusisi at professional dapat ang gumagawa nito, at dapat sa malaking medical center lang, molecular biologist and stem cell therapy expert Dr. Sam Bernal said in an interview Friday with Susan Enriquez on GMA News Unang Hirit. Likewise, in a report on GMA News TVs Balitanghali on July 9, PMA vice-president Dr. Leo Olarte said kailangan ay pumunta ka diyan sa kilalang doctor or kilalang hospital which is known for honesty, competence, credibility. Bernal explained that human organs originated from stem cells. Go here to read the rest: Approach stem cell therapy with caution, doctors say … Continue reading →

Details Published on Friday, 27 July 2012 00:00 STEM cell therapy is being eyed to cure the neck and back pains and other illnesses of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, alternative medicine doctor Antonia Park said yesterday. Arroyo went to Parks Green and Young Health and Wellness Center in Tagaytay City yesterday morning for cleansing and alternative healing. A guard at the La Vista Subdivision in Quezon City, who requested anonymity, said Arroyo left the subdivision at around 7:30 a.m., accompanied by a few staff and a personal nurse. She rode a white Nissan Patrol and her convoy included a gray Toyota Land Cruiser and a police escort. Arroyo was granted bail Wednesday by a Pasay City court after finding that the electoral sabotage case against her was weak. She posted a P1-million cash bond. Stem cell treatment involves the introduction of new adult stem cells into the damaged tissue in order to treat a disease or injury. The ability of new cells to regenerate is seen as having significant potential to replace diseased areas of the body, with minimal risk of rejection and side effects. Park, in a statement distributed to the media, said Arroyo complained … Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo might undergo stem cell therapy to improve her health, according to the alternative medicine facility in Tagaytay City that the Pampanga lawmaker visited Thursday. Arroyo came to the facility complaining of difficulty in swallowing because of a bulge in her throat, according to a statement from the Green 8 Young Health & Wellness Center. Her voice has also changed and she is losing weight because she can't swallow solid food. She also has angina, the center said. Arroyo also complained of continuing neck and back pain. "Our center is accepting her for possible stem cell therapy," the alternative medicine facility said. "The stem cell therapy is... strongly considered." It said the Arroyo can undergo such therapy in the Tagaytay center while her physical therapy will continue at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center 4 times a week. The Pampanga lawmaker is seeking treatment at the center through her sister, Cielo Macapagal-Salgado. The center said Salgado was previously diagnosed with a cancerous lump in her breast. "She consulted several doctors and was subsequently subjected to a myrad of treatment procedures. These, however, did not produce the desired results. When she came to our center she … Continue reading →

Peter Aldhous, San Francisco bureau chief It's official: stem cells are drugs. At least, that's the opinion of the US District Court in Washington DC, which has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate clinics offering controversial stem cell therapies. Treatments in which stem cells are harvested from bone marrow and injected straight back into the same patient are deemed part of routine medical practice - not regulated by the US government. But if the cells are subjected to more than "minimal manipulation", the FDA maintains that the therapy becomes a "drug", which must be specifically approved for use. Christopher Centeno, medical director of Regenerative Sciences, vows to appeal. "This is really round one," he says. "Our position remains that a patient's cells are not drugs." Scott hopes that the FDA will now step up its efforts to regulate other clinics offering unproven stem cell therapies. These include Celltex of Sugar Land, Texas, which rose to prominence after Texas governor Rick Perry was injected with stem cells supplied by the company to aid his recovery from back surgery. Read the rest here: Ruling frees FDA to crack down on stem cell clinics … Continue reading →

(Phys.org) -- New research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem sheds light on pluripotencythe ability of embryonic stem cells to renew themselves indefinitely and to differentiate into all types of mature cells. Solving this problem, which is a major challenge in modern biology, could expedite the use of embryonic stem cells in cell therapy and regenerative medicine. If scientists can replicate the mechanisms that make pluripotency possible, they could create cells in the laboratory which could be implanted in humans to cure diseases characterized by cell death, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and other degenerative diseases. To shed light on these processes, researchers in the lab of Dr. Eran Meshorer, in the Department of Genetics at the Hebrew Universitys Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, are combining molecular, microscopic and genomic approaches. Meshorer's team is focusing on epigenetic pathwayswhich cause biological changes without a corresponding change in the DNA sequencethat are specific to embryonic stem cells. The molecular basis for epigenetic mechanisms is chromatin, which is comprised of a cell's DNA and structural and regulatory proteins. In groundbreaking research performed by Shai Melcer, a PhD student in the Meshorer lab, the mechanisms which support an open chromatin conformation in embryonic … Continue reading →