The Stem Cell Trekker

Dec 31 10

Stem Cell Transplant From Sister Helps Athletic Student See Again

by Executive Editor

Taylor Binns was nearly blind by the time he met Allan Slomovic this fall at Toronto Western Hospital. A rare, extremely painful disorder that damages stem cells in the cornea had blurred his vision. Sometimes it felt as if he was being stabbed in the eyes with a knife.

But the fourth-year commerce student at Queen’s University in Kingston is celebrating the gift of sight this holiday season thanks to his kid sister, Tori, and a new stem cell transplant program started by Dr. Slomovic and his colleagues.

Tori, 19, donated stem cells from her left eye for the operation, which took place Nov. 30. Before the surgery, Mr. Binns couldn’t see the big “E” on the top of the eye chart. Now, his vision is good enough to drive a vehicle, read street signs and, for the first time, see his girlfriend. As well, his pain has been greatly reduced.

“It is the greatest gift. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I can’t explain how much it means to me, what Tori did,” said the 23-year-old.

Read the full story at The Toronto Globe & Mail.

Dec 24 10

Cord Blood-Derived Neural Cell Transplant Improves Brain-Injured Child

by Executive Editor

A severely brain-injured 16-month-old boy who received three monthly injections of cord blood-derived neural cells showed “some slight improvement over a former vegetative state” after six months, according to a new study.

Researchers transplanted neurally-committed, autologous cord blood derived cells tagged with iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) into the lateral cerebral ventricle of the child, who had suffered a severe global hypoxic ischemic brain injury.

Through MRI tracking they found that the primary injected and tagged cells persisted in that brain hemisphere for more than four months.

“Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy remains one of the most devastating conditions in children, resulting in brain atrophy and persistent functional neurological impairment,” said Dr. Krystyna Domanska-Janik, corresponding author.

According to Domanska-Janik, they transplanted cord blood neural cells by repeated injection into lateral cerebral ventricle as the method appeared to be superior to intravascular injections because there would be a more “local modulating outcome.”

“The capacity of cells to home to damaged sites in the central nervous system is crucial,” Domanska-Janik said. “Our study found that transplantation of patient self-donor (autologous), neurally-committed cord blood cells is feasible, well tolerated, and safe.”

Read the full article at StemCellResearchNews.com.

Dec 16 10

Docs Claim Transplant Cured Man of AIDS, But Experts Urge Caution

by Executive Editor

In a rare case, a man living in Germany who had both leukemia and AIDS no longer has any detectable HIV cells in his blood following a stem cell transplant for his leukemia three years ago.

But experts were quick to caution that the case does not have practical implications for the treatment of AIDS worldwide.

As it turns out, the donor for that transplant carried a rare mutation in a gene that increases immunity against the most common form of HIV. First reported in 2009, this follow-up study, published online in the journal Blood, confirms that the recipient patient is still free of both leukemia and HIV three years after the transplant.

But one expert issued strong words of caution in interpreting the finding.

“Our phones have been ringing off the hook,” said Dr. Margaret Fischl, director of the AIDS clinical research unit at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “We are having patients calling us and asking if they can stop their antiretroviral therapy — and the answer is uncategorically no.”

The theory is that if you could wipe out every infected cell you could cure HIV, Fischl said, but this is a unique case.

Read the full story at Yahoo! News.

Dec 14 10

Girl Can See For The First Time Thanks To Stem Cell Operation

by Executive Editor

A little girl who has been blind since birth has seen her mother and father for the first time – at the age of four.

Izabelle Evans can now see up to three feet in front of her after groundbreaking stem cell treatment in China costing $79,000.

Parents James Evans and Hollie McHugh said nothing could beat the feeling of the first time their daughter looked into their eyes and said: “mummy” and “daddy”.

Hollie, 24, of Hayling Island, Hampshire (UK), said: “The results were better than we could ever have dreamed of. If you walk past she can see you and say ‘hiya.’ It is amazing because doctors here said she couldn’t see anything at all before we went.”
Izabelle can now see objects three feet in front of her

Izabelle was blind from birth after being born with septo optic displasia – a congenital condition which affects just five in one million babies and also causes hormone deficiency and mobility problems.

Read the full article at the Daily Mail.

Dec 5 10

Mexican Stem Cell Treatment Improves Alzheimer’s Patient

by Executive Editor

An area couple, offered a relatively hopeless future by the Canadian healthcare system turned instead to a stem cell procedure in Mexico, and found the hope they were looking for.

Last spring, 50-year-old Steve Discher, military veteran, AECL employee, husband, father and grandfather was told he had an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease and had at best six to eight years to live.

His memory had already deteriorated to the point that he couldn’t write, remember what year it was, remember how to write out the numbers on a clock face or talk with friends and family.

Read the full article at The Daily Observer (Canada).

About

Welcome to the Stem Cell Trekker newsblog! Published by the editorial staff of Stem Cell Research News, Stem Cell Business News, and Stem Cell Lab World, the Trekker's mission is to keep you up-to-date on patient experiences with stem cell treatments and therapies provided globally. You can find clinics, hospitals, and referral services in the Global Guide to Stem Cell Therapy Providers, available here. Feel free to comment on any post. (All comments are read by the staff prior to posting, so please keep them relevant, clean, and spam-free.)