Many parents are choosing to bank their baby’s cord blood at the time of birth. This blood contains stem cells which can be very useful in treating many different medical conditions, ranging from cancer to cerebral palsy. The stem cells derived from cord blood are more adaptive than those found in the bone marrow, which [Read More]
The innovative yet controversial procedure that is used to create three-parent babies has hit a roadblock. A risk has been identified in which the defective mitochondria, which are replaced with healthy mitochondria from the “third” parent, may stage a comeback. Mitochondria are the organelles in the cell that generate energy. When the DNA of mitochondria [Read More]
Researchers at Jerusalem’s Hadassah University Medical Center are using stem cells obtained from human embryos to develop a pioneering technique that could help millions of people see again. Macular degeneration is the most frequent cause of blindness in people above the age of 60. It leads to the loss of sight in more people than [Read More]
From the time “the little blue pill” was first placed on the market in 1998 by Pfizer, Viagra has been a miracle drug for men suffering from erectile dysfunction. Its popularity is evident from the $2 billion in sales in 2008. But for Viagra to work, it has to be taken an hour or two [Read More]
Autism, and more broadly speaking autism spectrum disorder, is associated with a varying degree of poor brain development in which the affected child has difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors. Parents of children with severe autism are painted a bleak picture for their child’s future. Meltdowns, compulsive behaviors, and a [Read More]
If you’ve ever had a pet, you know how quickly a little puppy can steal your heart. Dogs bring immense joy to children and adults alike and are like family. For pet owners, it is extremely distressing to see their best friend in pain. But as dogs age, that easy run turns into a slow, [Read More]
Platelet-rich plasma, commonly known as PRP, is hitting headlines on a regular basis for its many applications in sports injury remedies. Household names like Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods have both utilized the regenerative powers of PRP to heal from injuries and regain their elite sports status, but that’s not the only transformation that PRP [Read More]
Parkinson’s Disease is a devastating disease that slowly eats away at the central nervous system. What may begin as a subtle hand tremor can grow over the years into an uncontrollable and life-altering problem. It’s a condition that has been known since ancient times as “shaking palsy,” but it wasn’t officially detailed until London doctor [Read More]
As stem cell research and treatment has significantly accelerated in past years, it has garnered as much support as controversy. Opponents of experimental stem cell treatments cite the fact that most stem cell studies are small and cannot be generalized to wider populations, but supporters of stem cell therapies point to the undeniable success the [Read More]
Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA continue to make findings and developments that keep them at the forefront of regenerative medicine research and progress. In particular, Dr. Brigitte Gomperts, an associate professor of pediatric hematology/oncology, recently worked with a team to study lung-derived stem [Read More]
In the world’s first trial of stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s disease, neuroscientists at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia have injected a 64-year-old man with millions of precursor cells with the hope that they will metamorphose into healthy brain cells. The experimental treatment is a global collaboration, with the stem cells being flown in [Read More]
Sweden’s Nobel Prize panel, which hands out the prize for medicine among others, has been rocked by a scandal involving an Italian surgeon who specializes in stem cell therapy. Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is accused of falsifying his CV and falsely claiming he is Pope Francis’ personal physician. Two judges on the panel, Harriet Wallberg and [Read More]
A recent study has looked at platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for female androgenetic alopecia, with somewhat conflicting results. Any excessive or abnormal loss of hair is known, in medical terms, as alopecia. Male pattern baldness is a well-known condition. Hair loss in women, although less common, can occur as a result of disease, stress, hormonal [Read More]
Scientists have conducted an animal study funded by the National Institutes of Health, the findings of which have brought the goal of healing injured brains with stem cell therapy closer to reality. The results, published in Nature Medicine, reveal that the innovative technique employed by the researchers was able to dramatically increase the number of [Read More]
Regenerative medicine can potentially treat any ailment that afflicts the human body. The ability to repair, regenerate and replace tissue means that injury, disease, and the natural aging process are all conceivably treatable or reversible. This field of medicine holds particular promise in degenerative disorders. Widespread applications of regenerative medicine across body systems—neurology, cardiology, dermatology, [Read More]
Researchers at the University of Utah are excited by a discovery that in patients with weak hearts, stem cells from the patient’s own body can be used to fix the damage. A study has revealed that treatment with stem cells brought the rate of repeat hospitalizations and death down by 37 percent in patients with [Read More]
The journal Cell Stem Cell recently reported that the number of clinics offering stem cell treatments in the United States has grown dramatically from 25 to nearly 600 in just five years. Physicians groups such as the Cell Surgical Network are offering a treatment menu that includes everything from arthritis to Alzheimer’s. Regenerative medicine physicians [Read More]
In March 2016, a car crash left 21-year-old Kristopher Boesen of Bakersfield, California, paralyzed from the neck down. In what is nothing short of a miracle, researchers have succeeded in restoring some hand and arm function in the young man with a stem cell treatment that is still experimental. The severe trauma Kris suffered to [Read More]
In February 2014, Dr. Mike Solomonov, an anesthesiologist and pain management physician from Cedar Knolls, New Jersey, was enjoying a skiing holiday in Italy with his family. A mountainside crash left him with injuries including a partial tear of the ACL, a strain of the MCL, a tear in the meniscus cartilage of the knee, [Read More]
In recent years, the number of clinics offering stem cell therapy has ballooned from 50 to more than 500. This boom in experimental and unproven therapies has refocused attention on whether current US guidelines are sufficient. When Dr. Thomas Albini, an ophthalmologist in Florida, met the third woman blinded by an experimental stem cell treatment [Read More]
The endless possibilities of stem cell therapy are well known to the realms of orthopedics and skin rejuvenation, but now dentistry is joining the field of regenerative medicine to help potentially minimize the need for root canals. Scientists Kyle Vining of Harvard and Adam Celiz of the British University of Nottingham have teamed up to [Read More]
It’s no secret that regenerative medicine is quickly working its way into every nook and cranny of the American medical system, but other countries aren’t far behind. China has been growing its regenerative medicine sector for the last two decades and providing the world with critical research findings regarding stem cells, tissue engineering, and gene [Read More]
Mayo Clinic, the nonprofit organization devoted to clinical practice, education, and research in Florida, Minnesota, and Arizona, has once again maintained its reputation for utilizing the most innovative therapies to help patients with challenging health conditions. In this specific instance, Mayo Clinic researchers employed regenerative medicine to successfully close an open wound in the upper [Read More]
It’s happened to all of us at some point in our lives. We’ve seen someone with natural good looks and felt a bit of envy. Some people inherit impossibly smooth skin with just a hint of blush on the cheeks. Their skin has a plump hydrated appearance with a naturally bronzed color. There are no [Read More]
Being at the frontier of medicine is nothing new for the Mayo Clinic. Ranked #1 in more specialties than any other hospital in America consistently for the last 20 years, the clinic’s 3300 physicians, researchers, and scientists in Arizona, Minnesota, and Florida lead the way in innovative therapies. When traditional therapies fail, patients often seek [Read More]
Researchers at Penn Medicine have been looking closely at how fish and frogs regenerate damaged heart muscle. They hope to mimic these repair mechanisms in humans. The human heart is not particularly good at repairing itself, explains Dr. Ed Morrisey, Ph.D., professor of cell and developmental biology at the Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. [Read More]
Stem cell tourism has been in the news lately with horrifying stories of treatments gone wrong. But according to a report published in Cell Stem Cell, Americans don’t need to travel thousands of miles for experimental treatments. There are more than 500 clinics offering completely illegal, often ineffective, and potentially fatal stem cell treatments in [Read More]
The skin is the human body’s first line of defense. Heat, electricity, caustic chemicals, radiation, and sunlight can all damage the skin with a burn injury. Scalding from steam or boiling liquids, fires, and flammable gasses and liquids are some of the most common causes of skin burns. Depending on the severity of the injury, [Read More]
This is a unique time in the history of medicine. Regenerative medicine is entering its renaissance period. Exciting research is underway. Giant leaps are being made in understanding the human body. Scientists at Stanford are helping stroke patients confined to wheelchairs walk again. Stunning advances in 3-D organ printing are making artificial hearts, kidneys, and [Read More]
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates stem cell therapies and ensures that they are safe as well as effective for the intended use. The FDA has jurisdiction over the production and marketing of a wide range of human cells, tissues, and tissue-based products. Scientists and physicians must answer many questions [Read More]
Regenerative medicine has made great strides in the past few decades, but growing a whole organ in the laboratory has eluded medical science. The main reason is that a very large number of cells are needed to construct an entire organ. Now, researchers at Japan’s Kumamoto University and the National Cancer Institute in the United [Read More]
Theresa Wagner of Northland, Missouri, was at high risk of vascular disease. Smoking and heredity had dealt a double blow to her circulation. When Dr. Keith Allen, a cardiovascular surgeon at St. Luke’s Hospital, met Theresa four years ago, her foot was badly infected due to very poor circulation. What should have appeared as a [Read More]
The Cures Act, formerly called the 21st Century Cures Act, passed the US House of Representatives on July 10, 2015. Presently, the legislation is winding its way through the Senate. Its supporters tout the bill as a patient’s best friend, in that it will allow for speedy passage of new “breakthrough” drugs and medical devices. [Read More]
Stem cells and growth factors are both trending words right now within the medical community, especially as certain treatments become widely available for patients to utilize for a multitude of purposes. It can be complicated to understand the difference between the two when it seems like they achieve the same outcome, but stem cells and [Read More]
The idea of restoring memory is nothing short of a dream come true for family member who have watched loved ones suffer through the grips of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions that attack the brain’s ability to function. Medicine is now more advanced than it’s ever been before, and this has allowed researchers to [Read More]
Humans tend to become weaker, sicker, and more prone to injury as they age, and animals are no different. The role of domesticated pets has significantly evolved since the days when dogs and cats would roam wild on farms next to goats and cows. Today, most families have one or two pets that they treat [Read More]
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited disease affecting 1 in every 3,600 live-born male infants. The condition is associated with progressive degradation of muscles and weakness that worsens quickly. Boys with DMD have a defective gene and lack of a protein called dystrophin in their muscles. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is inherited in a way [Read More]
About 2.5 million people around the world and 400,000 Americans are affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), a disabling disease of the nervous system in which the body’s immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath that covers nerves. This leads to gaps in communication between the brain and various parts of the body. In advanced cases, [Read More]
Close to 800,000 Americans are struck by a stroke each year. Depending on the severity and how much of the brain is affected, the damage can be temporary or permanent. Following stroke, rehabilitation can help healthy brain cells take over the function of cells that were damaged due to the lack of blood supply. However, [Read More]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 1 million people in the United States suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory condition of the gut for which there is no prevention or cure. While we know IBD is more common in people of Ashkenazic Jewish and Caucasian origin, [Read More]
More people in America have Parkinson’s disease than muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined. Approximately 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, but many more go undetected. Worldwide, it is predicted that 7 to 10 million people are living with Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is more common in men and its incidence increases with [Read More]
In what is sure to be a major boost to the field of regenerative medicine, two-year-old Orig3n, a Boston-based biotech startup, has outlined plans to harness the power of induced pluripotent stem cells and build what will be the world’s largest (and possibly most diverse) biobank. Robin Smith, CEO and co-founder, is a serial entrepreneur. [Read More]
Millions of Americans are affected by mental disability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the prevalence of autism is 1 in 88 children. About 1 in 323 children have been diagnosed as having cerebral palsy. These two disorders are the most common disabilities affecting children. A special needs child affects the [Read More]
At the 10th edition of the World Biomaterials Congress held at the Palais des Congres in Montreal in mid-May 2016, some groundbreaking ideas were discussed by the powerhouses in the field. Scientists converged on the Canadian city to talk about topics such as cartilage that can repair itself, tissue that can be spun on a [Read More]
Top athletes and sportspersons are under tremendous pressure to get back into play. They have millions of dollars riding on their backs. Their teams depend on them. A single serious injury can end a promising career. Until now, surgery has been the mainstay of treatment for sports-related injuries. Athletes are left with wires, plates, screws, [Read More]
Viagra was approved by the FDA as a treatment for erectile dysfunction in men in 1998. Over the past nearly two decades, it has gone on to change the lives of millions of men around the world by restoring sexual function. The little blue pill is credited with saving countless marriages. However, a similar “miracle” [Read More]
On March 1, 2012, a baby girl named Reagan came into the world. Though she quickly grew into an energetic toddler eager to play and dance, she was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome at the age of only two years old. Reagan’s parent’s lives were turned upside down as they listened to the doctor tell them [Read More]
Medicine is poised at an important junction. Moving forward, stem cell therapies could result in substantial innovation. Alternatively, unregulated clinicians in private practice could take this branch of medicine down the path of quackery. The FDA is ready to tighten regulations, leaving the stem cell community on tenterhooks. Patients hoping to benefit from increased access [Read More]
An early-phase trial has demonstrated that gene therapy may help Bubble Boys, a term that became famous in the 1970s and 1980s after David Vetter, a Houston boy with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID), lived in a germ-free plastic bubble for 12 years. David was put in a plastic isolation unit immediately after birth because [Read More]
Myth #1 – Stem cell therapies are tried and tested The only well-defined and extensively used stem cell treatment is in the hematopoietic (blood) system; for example, bone marrow transplantation, in which healthy bone marrow stem cells replace destroyed and damaged bone marrow (the soft fatty tissue inside bones that produces blood cells). Stem cells [Read More]
