Ryan Benton Discusses Stem Cell Therapy for Duchenne #39;s Muscular Dystrophy
Ryan Benton is the first patient in the United States to receive human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy for Duchenne #39;s muscular dystrophy. The US FDA granted Ryan this...
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Ryan Benton Discusses Stem Cell Therapy for Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy - Video
Stem Cell Therapy Using Bone Marrow - Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Queens NY - Dr. Benjamin Bieber, MD
http://www.crossbaypmr.com Stem Cell Therapy Using Bone Marrow - Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Queens NY - Dr. Benjamin Bieber, MD - Regenerative Medicine Phone:...
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Stem Cell Therapy Using Fat Cells - Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Queens NY - Dr. Benjamin Bieber, MD
Regenerative Medicine - Dr. Benjamin Bieber, MD - Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Queens NY http://www.crossbaypmr.com Phone: (718) 835-0100 Stem Cell Therapy Usin...
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Jeff Dienhart took a deep breath. Painfully. The tubes from his oxygen tank shifted slightly near his nostrils as he began to speak.
"I was originally diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of 17," Dienhart said matter-of-factly. "At that time, life expectancy for someone with my disease was to live into your early 20s."
At 44, Dienhart, an assistant coach for the Lafayette Central Catholic Knights girls basketball team, long ago beat those odds.
He crouched forward and struggled to take another deep breath, no longer able to hide an illness he used to be embarrassed about.
Central Catholic assistant girls basketball coaches Jeff Dienhart, foreground, and Dave Crandall watch the action as the Knights host Guerin Catholic on Jan. 30. It was the first game for Dienhart in quite a while, as he had spent the better part of the month of January in the hospital. Dienhart is set to receive stem cell treatment in the Dominican Republic to hopefully assist in his battle with cystic fibrosis. (Photo: John Terhune/Journal & Courier)
"Basically, his day is: Wake up, take care of himself and go to basketball," said his son, Drew Dienhart.
The coach has defied other statistics as well. The odds suggest, for example, that many men with cystic fibrosis are infertile, yet Dienhart fathered two children.
Nor are CF sufferers supposed to be able to play marathon rounds of golf.
"I would tell the doctor he played 36 holes of golf in 90-degree heat," said Dienhart's mother, Kathy Dienhart. "The doctor would tell me I made that up. My husband and I came to the conclusion that he is a fighter. Odds don't mean anything to him."
All of which may go some way toward explaining why Dienhart now is preparing to take the riskiest gamble of his life to try to extend his life before the inexorable slow-motion suffocation of cystic fibrosis finally takes its toll.
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Dr Ellis hosts seminar on Stem Cell Therapy Facial Rejuvenation
Dr. Dan Eglinton of Asheville Biologics and Orthopaedics, Dr. Sean Whalen and Dr. Paul Mogannam of Flexogenics and Dr. Laura Ellis of medAge speak about Stem Cell Therapy and skin ...
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Dr Ellis hosts seminar on Stem Cell Therapy & Facial Rejuvenation - Video
Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) February 17, 2015
The top stem cell clinic in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills is now achieving 80% success with stem cell therapy for all types of arthritis and soft tissue indications. This includes hip, knee, shoulder, elbow and ankle injections for helping patients achieve pain relief and avoid surgery. Call (310) 438-5343 for more information on the treatment options available and scheduling.
Dr. Raj, who was recently named a Super Doc Southern California for the 4th year in a row, has been performing stem cell therapy on patients for years. This includes athletes, weekend warriors, celebrities, executives, senior citizens and students as well.
There are two methods offered for the treatment, one of which is Bone Marrow derived. This includes harvesting bone marrow from the patient's hip area, and then the material is immediately processed to concentrate the stem cells and growth factors. the fluid is then injected into the problem area. An internal review at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute has shown that 80% of patients achieve excellent pain relief and increased functional abilities. This includes getting back to athletics, recreational activities and walking more.
The second method of treatment involves amniotic derived stem cell rich injections. The amniotic fluid is processed at an FDA regulated lab, with no fetal tissue being involved and no embryonic stem cells at all. Amniotic fluid has been used tens of thousands of times worldwide for many indications, and contains growth factors, hyaluronic acid and stem cells.
Indications for the treatment include tennis and golfer's elbow, plantar fasciitis, degenerative arthritis of the hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, ligament injuries, and tendonitis of the shoulder, knee, achilles and more.
Dr. Raj is a Double Board Certified orthopedic doctor in Los Angeles and serves as an ABC News Medical Correspondent and a WebMD expert. He is called frequently by networks for his opinion on orthopedic matters, and is on the Medical Advisory Board for R3 Stem Cell.
For more information and scheduling with the top stem cell clinic in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, call (310) 438-5343.
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Dr. Raj at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Achieving 80% Success with Stem Cell Therapy
ALAMEDA, Calif. & JERUSALEM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) and its subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. (Cell Cure) today provided an update on Cell Cures product development and partnering activities.
On February 16, 2015, Cell Cure opened the clinical trial of OpRegen titled Phase I/IIa Dose Escalation Safety and Efficacy Study of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells Transplanted Subretinally in Patients with Advanced Dry-Form Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Geographic Atrophy at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Patient enrollment is expected to begin shortly. OpRegen consists of animal product-free retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with high purity and potency.
On October 31, 2014, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Cell Cure's Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate the clinical trial of OpRegen in patients with the severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with geographic atrophy (GA). While treatment options exist for the treatment of the wet form of AMD, it amounts to only about 10% of the disease prevalence. There is currently no FDA-approved therapy for the dry form occurring in approximately 90% of those afflicted with AMD. Cell Cure intends to transplant OpRegen as a single dose into the subretinal space of patients eyes in order to test the safety and efficacy of the product in this leading cause of blindness.
The Phase I/IIa clinical trial, will evaluate three different dose regimens of OpRegen. Following transplantation, the patients will be followed for 12 months at specified intervals, to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the product. Following the initial 12 month period, patients will continue to be monitored at longer intervals for an additional period of time. A secondary objective of the clinical trial will be to examine the ability of transplanted OpRegen to engraft, survive, and moderate disease progression in the patients. In addition to thorough characterization of visual function, a battery of ophthalmic imaging modalities will be used to quantify structural changes and rate of GA expansion.
Cell Cure also announced today that the option granted to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Teva) under a Research and Exclusive Option Agreement of October 7, 2010 to license-in rights to its OpRegen product has expired without having been exercised by Teva. Cell Cure will therefore be continuing the clinical development of OpRegen on its own and pursuing discussions with other potential strategic partners, including those that have already indicated interest in participating in development and commercialization of the product.
Cell Cure also announced that US patent No. 8,956,866 relating to a proprietary method of manufacturing RPE cells (the active ingredient of OpRegen) is expected to issue on February 17, 2015. This patent combined with other patents and patent applications in the BioTime family of companies provides significant patent protection for this novel therapeutic modality for AMD.
The large markets currently associated with therapies for the wet form of AMD combined with the elegance of RPE replacement therapy for the larger unmet needs associated with the dry form, highlights why Cell Cure has prioritized the development of this product, said Dr. Charles Irving, CEO of Cell Cure. We look forward to initiation of the trials and providing updates in the coming months.
About Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the major diseases of aging and is the leading eye disease responsible for visual impairment of older persons in the US, Europe and Australia. AMD affects the macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision that is important for facial recognition, reading and driving. There are two forms of AMD. The dry form (dry-AMD) advances slowly and painlessly but may progress to geographic atrophy (GA) in which RPE cells and photoreceptors degenerate and are lost. Once the atrophy involves the fovea (the center of the macula), patients lose their central vision and may develop legal blindness. There are about 1.6 million new cases of dry-AMD in the US annually, and as yet there is no effective treatment for this condition. About 10% of patients with dry-AMD develop wet (or neovascular) AMD, the second main form of this disease, which usually manifests acutely and can lead to severe visual loss in a matter of weeks. Wet-AMD can be treated with currently-marketed VEGF inhibitors. However, such products typically require frequent repeated injections in the eye, and patients often continue to suffer from continued progression of the underlying dry-AMD disease process. Current estimated annual sales of VEGF inhibitors for the treatment of the wet form of AMD are estimated to be in excess of $5 billion worldwide. The root cause of the larger problem of dry-AMD is believed to be the dysfunction of RPE cells. One of the most exciting therapeutic approaches to dry-AMD is the transplantation of healthy, young RPE cells to support and replace the patients old degenerating RPE cells, which may prevent progression of the atrophy as well as the development of wet-AMD. Pluripotent stem cells, such as hESCs, can provide an unlimited source for the derivation of such healthy RPE cells for transplantation.
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Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. Provides Update on its Product Development and Partnering Activities
MIAMI (PRWEB) February 16, 2015
Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. announced an alliance with India-based stem cells company Advancells.com, to share protocols and expand GSCG operations in the India subcontinent with stem cell training and a new treatment center.
Advancells, a pioneer stem cell company with some of the most advanced protocols in the world, focuses on therapeutic applications of regenerative medicine primarily used in stem cells generated from the patients own body. Advancells delivers technologies for safe and effective treatments using their flagship technologies including autologous stem cell therapy from bone marrow and adipose tissue to patients worldwide; Global Stem Cells Group will implement some Advancells technologies in the Regenestem Netowork of worldwide clinics.
Since 2005, Advancells has safely treated thousands of patients for a range of diseases and medical conditions in its various clinics around the globe. Advancells is supported by physicians, stem cell experts and clinical research scientists to continually monitor and improve the effectiveness of its quality management system with excellence and innovation.
"We are pleased to partner with Global Stem Cells Group, to combine our knowledge and expand our ability to bring stem cell medicine to patients worldwide, says Advancells CEO Vipul Jain. I am looking forward to a long and productive alliance.
For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(AT)stemcellsgroup.com, or call 305-224-1858.
About the Global Stem Cells Group:
Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.
Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.
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FAQ Part 3: MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients (MESCAMS)
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation have announced a $4.2 million grant in support of the MEse...
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FAQ Part 3: MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients (MESCAMS) - Video
Hip arthritis 3.5 years after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D.
Bobby describes his outcome 3.5 years after stem cell therapy for his arthritic hip by Harry Adelson, N.D. http://www.docereclinics.com.
By: Harry Adelson, N.D.
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Hip arthritis 3.5 years after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video
FAQ Part 1: MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients (MESCAMS)
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation have announced a $4.2 million grant in support of the MEse...
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FAQ Part 1: MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients (MESCAMS) - Video
How about Stem Cell Therapy for LBD, Nova Cells Institute stem cells
Nova Cells Institute makes a difference because we care - like the Bumble Bee - doing the impossible- http://www.novacellsinstitute.com.
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How about Stem Cell Therapy for LBD, Nova Cells Institute stem cells - Video
Stem Cell Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction - Alvarado Hospital
The first study in the U.S. to determine if stem cell therapy can treat erectile dysfunction. Alvarado Hospital #39;s Drs. Irwin Goldstein and Barry Handler discuss this FDA-approved study and...
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Stem Cell Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction - Alvarado Hospital - Video
Ras Al Khaimah, UAE (PRWEB) February 12, 2015
Private equity and international research consultancy, Grace Centurys portfolio company, Provia Laboratories, LLC, has announced, just days after the provisional approval of the firms new entrance into the Commonwealth, that Dr. James A. Manganello has been invited to serve on a newly formed pre-clearance team for future entities applying for activity in the Caribbean nation.
The purpose of this team, led by Dr. Desiree Cox, Rhodes Scholar, MD, Ph.D., MPhil, is to provide quality control of the stem cell research and stem cell therapy applications submitted to the Bahamian National Stem Cell Ethics Committee.
"This further demonstrates Provias leadership in this field. Provia has advised pharmaceutical/biotech companies and consulted on multiple initiatives within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the field of biobanking for many years now. The team has established itself as a group of thought leaders in the field of bio-banking and stem cell science, Scott Wolf, CEO of Grace Century, commented.
The commonwealth continues to fortify its vision for establishing the nation as a true global force in health care innovations and in the future of the stem cell industry, Wolf added.
I am truly honored to be invited to participate on such an important team, Dr. Manganello said. The Bahamian government, with the help of local businesses, the medical community, and local investors, are trying to attract the best technologies from around the world, and to establish itself as a destination for innovative healthcare. I am excited to do my part to help ensure the highest quality and standards are adhered to.
About Grace Century Grace Century FZ LLC is an International research and private equity consultancy located in Ras Al Khaimah, (north of Dubai) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Grace Century specializes in game-changing life science and health related private equity projects.
About Provia Laboratories, LLC Headquartered in Littleton, MA, Provia Laboratories, LLC is a healthcare services company specializing in high-quality bio-banking (the collection, transport, processing and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Provia Labs offers the Proviasette product range for use in bio-banking environments to improve sample logistics, security and quality. The company manages and promotes its own bio-bank for a dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth, which gives families the option to store stem cells to protect their childrens future health and take advantage of advances in stem cell therapies. Provia advises industrial, academic and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, as well as ESBB, the European, Middle Eastern & African Society for Bio-preservation & Bio-banking. For further information about Provia Labs products and services, call +1 (781) 652-4815 or visit http://www.store-a-tooth.com.
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Creation Of Rejuvenated Cell By Stem Cell Therapy - The Line Clinic
Stem cell therapy has become reality which was just possibilities and thoughts of science few days before. This amazing innovation makes life more secured an...
By: Nicky Lee
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Creation Of Rejuvenated Cell By Stem Cell Therapy - The Line Clinic - Video
terapia celular para cinomose - distemper stem cell therapy
Caso de cinomose tratado com terapia celular - unesp - botucatu Stem cell therapy for distemper in a dog.
By: Jean Joaquim
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terapia celular para cinomose - distemper stem cell therapy - Video
Adult Stem Cells (ASCs), by definition, are unspecialized or undifferentiated cells that not only retain their ability to divide mitotically while still maintaining their undifferentiated state but also, given the right conditions, have the ability to differentiate into different types of cells including cells of different germ-origin an ability referred to as transdifferentiation or plasticity.1,2 In vitro, the conditions under which transdifferentiation occurs can be brought about by modifying the culture medium in which the cells are cultured. In vivo, the same changes are seen when the ASCs are transplanted into a tissue environment different to their own tissue-of origin. Though the exact mechanism of this transdifferentiation of ASCs is still under debate, this ability of ASCs along with their ability to self-renew is of great interest in the field of Regenerative Medicine as a therapeutic tool in being able to regenerate and replace dying, damaged or diseased tissue.
Clinically, however, there are a few criteria that ASCs need to fulfill before they can be viewed as a viable option in Regenerative Medicine. These are as follows:3
Adds Millions of Stem Cells Back into Circulation.
Adipose Tissue Yields an Abundance of ASCs
Compared to any other source, the high concentrations of regenerative cells found in adipose tissue (depots of fat for storing energy) especially in the abdominal region, by sheer volume of availability, ensure an abundance in number of ASCs ranging in the millions per unit volume. The sheer number available also has the added advantage of not needing to be cultured in a laboratory over days in order to get the desired number of ASCs to achieve what is called therapeutic threshold i.e. therapeutic benefit. In addition, harvesting ASCs from adipose tissue through simple, minimally invasive liposuction under local anesthesia is relatively easier and painless and poses minimal risk to the patient compared to all other possible methods.
Adipose tissue ASCs (AT-ASCs) are extremely similar to stem cells isolated from bone marrow (BMSCs). The similarities in profile between the two types of ASCs range from morphology to growth to transcriptional and cell surface phenotypes.4,5 Their similarity extends also to their developmental behavior both in vitro and in vivo. This has led to suggestions that adipose-derived stem cells are in fact a mesenchymal stem cell fraction present within adipose tissue.6
Clinically, however, stromal vascular fraction-derived AT-ASCs have the advantage over their bone marrow-derived counterparts, because of their abundance in numbers eliminating the need for culturing over days to obtain a therapeutically viable number and the ease of the harvest procedure itself being less painful than the harvest of bone marrow. This, in theory, means that an autologous transplant of adipose-derived ASCs will not only work in much the same way as the successes shown using marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplant, but also be of minimal risk to the patient.
AT-ASCs, like BM-ASCs, are called Mesenchymal ASCs because they are both of mesodermal germ-origin. This means that AT-ASCs are able to differentiate into specialized cells of mesodermal origin such as adipocytes, fibroblasts, myocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes.7,8,9 AT-ASCs are also able (given the right conditions of growth factors) to transdifferentiate into cells of germ-origin other than their own. Animal model and human studies have shown AT-ASCs to undergo cardiomyogenic 10, endothelial (vascular)11, pancreatic (endocrine) 12, neurogenic 13, and hepatic trans-differentiation14 , while also supporting haematopoesis15.
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Newswise MINNEAPOLIS Stem cell transplants may be more effective than the drug mitoxantrone for people with severe cases of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published in the February 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study involved 21 people whose disability due to MS had increased during the previous year even though they were taking conventional medications (also known as first-line treatments). The participants, who were an average age of 36, were at an average disability level where a cane or crutch was needed to walk.
In MS, the bodys immune system attacks its own central nervous system. In this phase II study, all of the participants received medications to suppress immune system activity. Then 12 of the participants received the MS drug mitoxantrone, which reduces immune system activity. For the other nine participants, stem cells were harvested from their bone marrow. After the immune system was suppressed, the stem cells were reintroduced through a vein. Over time, the cells migrate to the bone marrow and produce new cells that become immune cells. The participants were followed for up to four years.
This process appears to reset the immune system, said study author Giovanni Mancardi, MD, of the University of Genova in Italy. With these results, we can speculate that stem cell treatment may profoundly affect the course of the disease.
Intense immunosupression followed by stem cell treatment reduced disease activity significantly more than the mitoxantrone treatment. Those who received the stem cell transplants had 80 percent fewer new areas of brain damage called T2 lesions than those who received mitoxantrone, with an average of 2.5 new T2 lesions for those receiving stem cells compared to eight new T2 lesions for those receiving mitoxantrone.
For another type of lesion associated with MS, called gadolinium-enhancing lesions, none of the people who received the stem cell treatment had a new lesion during the study, while 56 percent of those taking mitoxantrone had at least one new lesion.
Mancardi noted that the serious side effects that occurred with the stem cell treatment were expected and resolved without permanent consequences.
More research is needed with larger numbers of patients who are randomized to receive either the stem cell transplant or an approved therapy, but its very exciting to see that this treatment may be so superior to a current treatment for people with severe MS that is not responding well to standard treatments, Mancardi said.
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Stem Cell Transplants May Work Better than Existing Drug for Severe Multiple Sclerosis
Structure of a typical neuron, showing the protective myelin sheath that is attacked in multiple sclerosis
In what could herald a major advance in treating multiple sclerosis, brain damage was significantly reduced in patients getting stem cell transplants, compared to a control group. Results of the small Phase 2 trial -- the first of its kind -- are preliminary but promising, according to experts not involved with the trial.
The four-year study compared the results of intense immune suppression followed by transplants of the patient's own blood-forming, or hematopoietic stem cells to those of a control group given immune suppression alone. Dr. Giovanni L. Mancardi of the University of Genova in Italy led the 21-patient study, released Wednesday in the journal Neurology.
Patients in the treatment group had 80 percent fewer new damaged brain areas called T2 lesions, compared to those who got the immune-suppressing chemotherapy drug mitoxantrone but no stem cells. The Phase 3 trial will look for signs of effectiveness in reducing disability. The goal is to "reboot" the immune system, which is maladjusted in MS and attacks the nervous system, impairing movement and balance.
Patients were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group, something that hasn't been done in previous trials of stem cell therapy for MS, according to an accompanying editorial in Neurology.
Randomizing patient assignment gives the results more value, said UC San Diego stem cell researcher Larry Goldstein and neurologist Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom.
"It's a very exciting advance," Goldstein said. "It's a small study, but it sure looks like it was well controlled and carefully done."
Goldstein and Corey-Bloom, and the study authors themselves, cautioned that because the trial was so small, results must be regarded as preliminary. No improvement in disability was found in the trial, although there were so few patients that even a strong benefit might not have been noticed. The Phase 3 trial, which will include more patients, will be designed to find that benefit, if it exists.
In the Phase 2 trial, nine patients received immune suppression followed by stem cell transplants. Immune suppression alone was administered to a control group of 12 patients, for a total of 21 patients. The patients receiving stem cells were given their own, or autologous, hematopoietic stem cells, reducing the risk of rejection.
Multiple sclerosis comes in several different forms, none curable with existing treatments. The aberrant immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath around the axons of nerve cells, causing them to malfunction in transmitting signals. Certain drugs modify the immune system to reduce inflammation, providing temporary relief in some cases.
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Among patients with severe aplastic anemia who received stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, longer leukocyte (white blood cells) telomere length (a structure at the end of a chromosome) was associated with increased overall survival at 5 years, according to a study in the February 10 issue of JAMA.
Telomeres protect chromosome ends and are essential for maintaining chromosomal stability. Telomere length is a biological marker for cellular aging and the capacity to replicate. Aplastic anemia is a blood disorder where the bone marrow fails to make new blood cells, with one of the causes potentially being defects in telomere biology. Allogeneic (genetically different) hematopoietic (blood marrow) cell transplantation (HCT) is recommended as initial therapy for young patients with acquired severe aplastic anemia when a matched sibling donor is available, according to information in the article.
Shahinaz M. Gadalla, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, M.D. and colleagues evaluated the association between recipient and donor pretransplant leukocyte telomere length with outcomes after unrelated donor allogeneic HCT for 330 patients with severe aplastic anemia. The patients and their unrelated donors had pre-HCT blood samples and other clinical results available at the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research. Patients underwent HCT between 1989 and 2007 in 84 centers and were followed-up to March 2013. Leukocyte telomere length for both recipient and donor analyses was categorized based on the leukocyte telomere length tertiles (one of three groups) in the donors: long (third tertile) and short (first and second tertiles combined).
The researchers found that longer donor leukocyte telomere length was associated with a higher overall survival (5-year overall survival was 56 percent vs 40 percent in the short donor leukocyte telomere length group). After adjusting for donor age and clinical factors associated with survival following HCT in severe aplastic anemia, the risk of post-HCT all-cause mortality remained approximately 40 percent lower in patients receiving HCT from donors with long vs short leukocyte telomere length. Similar patterns were observed by subtypes of the disease.
There was no association between donor leukocyte telomere length and engraftment or graft-vs-host dis ease (a complication of bone marrow transplantation). Recipient telomere length was not associated with patient overall survival.
"Among patients with severe aplastic anemia who received unrelated donor allogeneic HCT, longer donor leukocyte telomere length was associated with increased overall survival at 3 and 5 years," the authors write. "This observational study suggests that donor leukocyte telomere length may have a role in long-term post-transplant survival."
Editorial: Telomere Length in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Severe Aplastic Anemia
"If donor leukocyte telomere length is shown to be associated with survival in other hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patient populations, can leukocyte telomere length become one of the factors used to choose the best available donor in matched unrelated donor HSCT (or other types of HSCT)," ask Ayman Saad, M.D., Shin Mineishi, M.D., and Racquel Innis-Shelton, M.D., of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Cell Therapy Program, Birmingham, Alabama, in an accompanying editorial.
"The test to determine leukocyte telomere length is widely available, but it is left to each center to determine whether to use it and if so, which test to use. If the procedure is not well standardized, comparison between centers would be difficult or impossible. In addition, leukocyte telomere length may change with aging; thus, leukocyte telomere length results would need to be repeated each time confirmatory typing is performed on the same donor."
"Many questions and issues need to be resolved before leukocyte telomere length can be used as one of the factors to determine the best available donor. Nevertheless, the report by Gadalla et al opens up a new area of scientific investigation. Further studies are warranted to define and optimize the potential role of leukocyte telomere length in selecting donors and improving outcomes for patients with severe aplastic anemia who receive HSCT."
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Size of biomarker associated with improved survival following transplantation