1. Stem Cell Therapy

Category Archives: Stem Cell Therapy

Ottawa patients sought for testing of stem cell therapy …

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Retired teacher Margo Murchison does not qualify for the testing of stem cell treatments for MS but she says the possible breakthrough gives her hope.

At a time when there is growing concern about patients travelling overseas for unproven treatments, Canadian doctors are beginning clinical trials of stem cell therapy they say offers real hope for people with multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Mark S. Freedman, director of the multiple sclerosis research unit at The Ottawa Hospital, will lead the Canadian trials which are funded with a $4.2-million grant from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation.

This is the first major stem cell trial that is going on in MS right now around the world, he said. There is so much noise about stem cells in general and the hype that surrounds them, we are doing this study properly so we can answer the question for once and for all.

Recent publicity around hockey legend Gordie Howes stem cell treatment in Mexico after he had a stroke has focused attention on a growing international stem cell tourism industry offering therapies that have not been approved for use in Canada or the United States.

Freedman said he sees patients who are willing to travel overseas to try risky and expensive treatments out of desperation. He said he worries that foreign clinics are preying on patients desperation by providingtreatment that is not properly tested, is not proven to do any good and could carryserious risks. That is why it is crucialto conductproper clinical trials, said Freedman, who is also a professor at the University of Ottawa.

The potential for stem cell treatment is significant in Canada, which has the highest rates of MS in the world.

The study announced Thursday will involve treating 40 patients 20 in Ottawa and 20 in Winnipeg with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), extracted from the patients own bone marrow and then grown in a specialized lab. The cells are later given to the same patient intravenously.

The cells are less risky to use than other stem cell therapies, and their potential seems to come from their ability to modify the immune system, by reducing inflammation, fas well as helping to prevent and repair tissue damage. Patients do not require chemotherapy to kill their immune system as they do with some other treatments.

The Canadian randomized control trials join others underway around the world. In total, 200 patients in nine countries will be part of the trial that could result in routine clinical treatment for MS patients.

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Ottawa patients sought for testing of stem cell therapy ...

Trial to test stem cells in MS patients

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By Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Two Canadian research centres are gearing up for a clinical trial to determine if a type of stem cell can help alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Researchers at the Ottawa Hospital and Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre will each recruit 20 MS patients for the trial that will test whether mesenchymal stem cells can reduce inflammation and even help repair damage already caused by the disease.

MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation in the central nervous system, resulting in injury to myelin, the protective sheath that covers nerves. This damage can create a host of symptoms, leading to varying degrees of physical disability and cognitive impairment.

Mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat, skin tissue and umbilical cord blood, have the ability to modify the immune system and reduce inflammation, said neurologist Dr. Mark Freedman of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, who is leading the clinical trial.

Freedman said researchers want to determine if these stem cells can demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties in patients with MS.

"But that's not why we're doing it," he said of the study, called MESCAMS ("MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients"). "We have lots of drugs that can control inflammation in multiple sclerosis that's what all the new medicines do."

"The ultimate hope is that we will be able to exploit some of their other very important biological properties, which is to promote repair."

The two research centres are ready to begin enrolling patients for the trial, which has specific acceptance criteria. While most of those accepted will likely have the relapsing-remitting form of the disease, Freedman said some people with more severe primary- or secondary-progressive MS may also be eligible if they fit the criteria.

The study protocol can be accessed at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02239393. It will later be posted on the website of the MS Society of Canada, which along with the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation has provided a $4.2-million grant for the study.

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Trial to test stem cells in MS patients

Gordie Howe’s stem cell therapy raises concerns among …

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TORONTO - Gordie Howe's son says the hockey legend's stroke symptoms have improved since his treatment with stem cells at a Mexican clinic in early December and he wants him to repeat the procedure.

But regenerative medicine experts say there's no scientific evidence such therapies work, and in some cases they can be seriously harmful or even deadly.

The 86-year-old Howe suffered two disabling strokes late last year. In December, the family took him to a Tijuana clinic where he received stem cell injections as part of a clinical trial being run under a licensing agreement with Stemedica Cell Technologies of San Diego, Calif.

The experimental treatment involved injecting neural stem cells into Howe's spinal canal, along with intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat and umbilical cord blood.

Marty Howe said his father can walk again, his speech is improving and he is regaining some of the weight he lost following the strokes.

"After his stem cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, and it was all that," he told The Canadian Press while in Calgary for a hockey promotion event Tuesday. "They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle."

However, experts in the field question whether stem cells are responsible for Howe's improvement and caution that most so-called stem cell therapies have not gone through rigorous scientific trials, nor have they been approved as treatments by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mick Bhatia, director of McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said there are many unknowns in Howe's case, such as how many stem cells were administered, were tests done to see whether they migrated to the targeted area of the body, and did they take up residence where they might have some effect or simply disappear?

"Is this a transient effect, or is it really a perceived or somewhat of a placebo effect and is there something really happening? Scientifically and biologically that is important," Bhatia said Wednesday from Hamilton.

And because Howe received adult stem cells produced from donor cells, he may have needed to take drugs to prevent an immune reaction as well as anti-inflammatory medications, he said.

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Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among ...

Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among medical experts

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Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press Published Thursday, January 29, 2015 6:49AM EST

TORONTO -- Gordie Howe's son says the hockey legend's stroke symptoms have improved since his treatment with stem cells at a Mexican clinic in early December and he wants him to repeat the procedure.

But regenerative medicine experts say there's no scientific evidence such therapies work, and in some cases they can be seriously harmful or even deadly.

The 86-year-old Howe suffered two disabling strokes late last year. In December, the family took him to a Tijuana clinic where he received stem cell injections as part of a clinical trial being run under a licensing agreement with Stemedica Cell Technologies of San Diego, Calif.

The experimental treatment involved injecting neural stem cells into Howe's spinal canal, along with intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat and umbilical cord blood.

Marty Howe said his father can walk again, his speech is improving and he is regaining some of the weight he lost following the strokes.

"After his stem cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, and it was all that," he told The Canadian Press while in Calgary for a hockey promotion event Tuesday. "They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle."

However, experts in the field question whether stem cells are responsible for Howe's improvement and caution that most so-called stem cell therapies have not gone through rigorous scientific trials, nor have they been approved as treatments by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mick Bhatia, director of McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said there are many unknowns in Howe's case, such as how many stem cells were administered, were tests done to see whether they migrated to the targeted area of the body, and did they take up residence where they might have some effect or simply disappear?

"Is this a transient effect, or is it really a perceived or somewhat of a placebo effect and is there something really happening? Scientifically and biologically that is important," Bhatia said Wednesday from Hamilton.

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Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among medical experts

Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among experts

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TORONTO - Gordie Howe's son says the hockey legend's stroke symptoms have improved since his treatment with stem cells at a Mexican clinic in early December and he wants him to repeat the procedure.

But regenerative medicine experts say there's no scientific evidence such therapies work, and in some cases they can be seriously harmful or even deadly.

The 86-year-old Howe suffered two disabling strokes late last year. In December, the family took him to a Tijuana clinic where he received stem cell injections as part of a clinical trial being run under a licensing agreement with Stemedica Cell Technologies of San Diego, Calif.

The experimental treatment involved injecting neural stem cells into Howe's spinal canal, along with intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat and umbilical cord blood.

Marty Howe said his father can walk again, his speech is improving and he is regaining some of the weight he lost following the strokes.

"After his stem cell treatment, the doctor told us it was kind of an awakening of the body, and it was all that," he told The Canadian Press while in Calgary for a hockey promotion event Tuesday. "They call it the miracle of stem cells and it was nothing less than a miracle."

However, experts in the field question whether stem cells are responsible for Howe's improvement and caution that most so-called stem cell therapies have not gone through rigorous scientific trials, nor have they been approved as treatments by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mick Bhatia, director of McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, said there are many unknowns in Howe's case, such as how many stem cells were administered, were tests done to see whether they migrated to the targeted area of the body, and did they take up residence where they might have some effect or simply disappear?

"Is this a transient effect, or is it really a perceived or somewhat of a placebo effect and is there something really happening? Scientifically and biologically that is important," Bhatia said Wednesday from Hamilton.

And because Howe received adult stem cells produced from donor cells, he may have needed to take drugs to prevent an immune reaction as well as anti-inflammatory medications, he said.

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Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among experts

Ottawa Hospital leads Canadian clinial trial on stem cell therapy in MS patients

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Joanne Schnurr, CTV Ottawa Published Thursday, January 29, 2015 12:57PM EST Last Updated Thursday, January 29, 2015 12:59PM EST

People with Multiple Sclerosis are holding out great hope tonight over clinical trials that will begin right here in Ottawa. It's part of an international study into special stem cells that have the ability to repair damage. There has been much talk before about stem cells and their therapeutic potential. This research goes beyond that, looking at the possibility that these particular mesenchymal stem cells might be able to fix nerves ravaged by MS.

For people like 60-year-old Margo Murchison, it is a ray of hope in a bleak future living with her disease that has now become chronic.

Id like to live a life like everybody else, says Murchison, be free to do whatever I want and help other people instead of relying on them to help me.

Murchison was 27 years old, a French Immersion teacher, when she was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disabling disease of the central nervous system. She has since lost the use of her legs, her eyesight on two occasions and now one hand. But her mind is crisp and clear and full of hope for these clinical trials being driven right here in Ottawa.

With the potential of stem cells, it's an exciting time to be dealing with a chronic illness. There is great hope for the future.

Dr. Mark Freedman is the man giving her that hope. The Ottawa neurologist, who is the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit at the Ottawa Hospital, is leading the first Canadian clinical trial into the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for MS. The trial is called MESCAMS (MEsenchymal Stem Cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients) and will evaluate the safety and potential benefits of MSCs that will be extracted from a patients own bone marrow, expanded in a specialized lab and then infused back into the same patient.

These stems cells have unique properties that help reduce inflammation. Most importantly, they promote repair.

Though this project we are launching is looking primarily at the biological property we know they have which is turning down the inflammation, explains Dr. Freedman, we are also going to be very, very closely monitoring them for repair. If we can pick that up in a way that can be reproduced and measured over time, the next phase is to go after patients with damage and fix it.

Nine countries worldwide are taking part in this research. Dr. Freedman is the lead for the Canadian trial and the co-lead of the international study that will involve 200 patients overall. Dr. A. Uccelli of Genoa, Italy is the other co-lead. Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world.

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Ottawa Hospital leads Canadian clinial trial on stem cell therapy in MS patients

Stem Cell Therapy + PRP Helps Shoulder Injury and Whiplash Patient – Denise Lawson – Video

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Stem Cell Therapy + PRP Helps Shoulder Injury and Whiplash Patient - Denise Lawson
Denise Lawson experienced two motor vehicle accidents in 2001 that left her with neck pain, headaches, and sporadic episodes of weakness on the left side of ...

By: StemCell ARTS

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Stem Cell Therapy + PRP Helps Shoulder Injury and Whiplash Patient - Denise Lawson - Video

Arthritic knees three months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. – Video

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Arthritic knees three months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D.
Holly, three-time World Cup Downhill Gold Medalist and Olympian, discusses her outcome from bone marrow stem cells for her arthritic knees performed at Docere Clinics http://www.docereclinics.com.

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Arthritic knees three months after bone marrow stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video

Experimental stem cell treatment key in Gordie Howes dramatic improvement

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Gordie Howe has responded so well to stem cell treatment that his son Marty wants the Hockey Hall of Famer to undergo the procedure again.

Gordie suffered two strokes late last year and had maybe a month to live, Marty said, when his family took the 86-year-old to Mexico in December for the treatment.

Gordie Howe can walk again, his speech is improving and hes gained weight that he lost, according to his son.

He is doing so much better, Marty said Tuesday in Calgary. Its a joy to have him with us still.

Hopefully, in my mind, were going to have another treatment of this probably within two months.

Im actually hoping if he keeps doing what hes doing hell be able to travel again and maybe get to five or six events a year so people can see him another time.

Gordie Howe, known as Mr. Hockey, holds NHL records for most games played (1,767) and seasons played (26). He won the Stanley Cup four times as a Detroit Red Wing and also played for the Hartford Whalers.

His 801 career goals rank second only to Wayne Gretzkys 894.

Gordie Howe and Gretzky are scheduled to appear Feb. 6 in Saskatoon at a dinner, which Marty said will be a trial run on how his father responds to travel.

Marty Howe was in Calgary alongside NHL alumni Darryl Sittler, Marty McSorley and Lanny McDonald to promote a pro-am hockey tournament in Gordies name that raises money for Alzheimers and dementia research.

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Experimental stem cell treatment key in Gordie Howes dramatic improvement

Dr. Raj at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Now Offering Stem Cell Procedures for Over Twenty Painful Conditions

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Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) January 28, 2015

The top orthopedic doctor in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, Dr. Raj is now offering stem cell procedures for over twenty painful conditions, with new ones including spinal arthritis and degenerative disc disease. The procedures are performed at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute and are excellent for offering pain relief and helping patients avoid potentially risky surgery. Call (310) 247-0466 for more information and scheduling.

Stem Cell Therapy is now mainstream and Dr. Raj has been a pioneer with it for all types of musculoskeletal indications. This includes procedures for degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis, ligament injury, fractures, soft tissue injuries, wound healing and more.

He has performed the procedure on patients who have sports injuries to assist with faster healing and a quicker return to the field, along with those trying to avoid surgery such as a joint replacement or rotator cuff repair. The procedures are outpatient and involve minimal risk to patients.

New indications at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute include stem cell therapy for spinal arthritis and degenerative disc disease. These are usually very frustrating conditions, as surgery for them can be a roll of the dice. Dr. George Graf, a Double Board Certified pain management doctor in Los Angeles, offers the procedures of the spine.

The procedures are performed either with bone marrow derived stem cells or amniotic derived. The amniotic derived stem cells are processed at an FDA regulated lab and do not involve any fetal or embryonic cells.

For more information and scheduling, call (310) 247-0466.

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Dr. Raj at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Now Offering Stem Cell Procedures for Over Twenty Painful Conditions

Keeping the Kraken asleep

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IMAGE:CDK6 is needed for leukemic stem cell activation (left). When CDK6 is absent, the LSC remains in a quiescent state and leukemia formation is prohibited (right). view more

Credit: Angelika Berger / Vetmeduni Vienna

Despite enormous progress in cancer therapy, many patients still relapse because their treatment addresses the symptoms of the disease rather than the cause, the so-called stem cells. Work in the group of Veronika Sexl at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has given a tantalizing clue to a solution. In the current issue of Blood, the scientists report that the cell-cycle kinase CDK6 is required for activation of the stem cells responsible for causing leukemia.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are normally inactive, i.e. quiescent. When new blood cells are needed, for example to replace blood that has been lost, HSCs start to multiply and develop into mature blood cells. If the process is initiated at an inappropriate time, hematopoietic diseases such as leukemia may result and leukemic stem cells may develop. These represent a major challenge to leukemia therapy: they are quiescent and thus protected from elimination by the immune system and from treatment such as chemotherapy. Leukemic stem cells frequently cause relapse in cancer patients, often years or even decades after an apparently successful treatment.

Working with stem cells isolated from mice, Ruth Scheicher and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have investigated possible differences between leukemic stem cells and the healthy stem cells in the body. They looked in particular at the function of the CDK6 protein, which is known to be involved in controlling the cell cycle. Surprisingly, CDK6 was also found to regulate the activation of hematopoietic and leukemic stem cells, which it does by inhibiting the transcription factor Egr1. Upon loss of CDK6, Egr1 becomes active and prevents stem cells from dividing. In a further twist to the tale, the mechanism operates only when hematopoietic stem cells are stressed, e.g. in leukemia, and not in the normal physiological situation.

Scheicher is quick to note the significance of her finding. "CDK6 is absolutely necessary for leukemic stem cells to induce disease but plays no part in normal hematopoiesis. We thus have a novel opportunity to target leukemia at its origin. Inhibiting CDK6 should attack leukemic stem cells while leaving healthy HSCs unaffected".

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Service: The article 'CDK6 as a key regulator of hematopoietic and leukemic stem cell activation' by Scheicher R, Hoelbl-Kovacic A, Bellutti F, Tigan AS, Prchal-Murphy M, Heller G, Schneckenleithner C, Salazar-Roa M, Zchbauer-Mller S, Zuber J, Malumbres M, Kollmann K and Sexl V. was published in the journal Blood. http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/125/1/90.long?sso-checked=true

About the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna

The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna in Austria is one of the leading academic and research institutions in the field of Veterinary Sciences in Europe. About 1,300 employees and 2,300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna which also houses five university clinics and various research sites. Outside of Vienna the university operates Teaching and Research Farms. http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at

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Keeping the Kraken asleep

Sask. man off to Malaysia for stem cell treatment

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A 28-year-old North Battleford man plans to head to Malaysia next month for a stem cell treatment he hopes will cure his debilitating liver disease.

Kyle Allan is able to pay for the trip thanks to the success of a gofundme.com campaign, which rocketed past its $25,000 goal in just one week.

As of Monday, he'd raised $61,425.

"It was mind blowing," Allan said.

His girlfriend, Valerie Blais, who set up the campaign, had no idea it would do so well and had even expected to do additional fundraising.

"It's completely overwhelming. It shows so much love and support from people in our lives and the community," she said.

When Allan was about three years old, he repeatedly contracted pneumonia and other infections, and was diagnosed with Common Variable Immunodefiency, for which no cure has been identified.

He previously received an IV treatment once a month, which has now increased to once per day. Growing up, he was often tired and didn't have as much energy as other children, but as he got into his teens he improved.

"I was pretty much a normal kid," he said.

He became a welder and worked in Fort McMurray, then got his journeyman qualifications at SIAST. He was about to head back north when, on Aug. 18, 2008, he couldn't get out of bed.

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Sask. man off to Malaysia for stem cell treatment

Keeping the Kraken asleep: inhibiting CDK6 prevents leukemic relapse

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27.01.2015 - (idw) Veterinrmedizinische Universitt Wien

Despite enormous progress in cancer therapy, many patients still relapse because their treatment addresses the symptoms of the disease rather than the cause, the so-called stem cells. Work in the group of Veronika Sexl at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has given a tantalizing clue to a solution. In the current issue of Blood, the scientists report that the cell-cycle kinase CDK6 is required for activation of the stem cells responsible for causing leukemia. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are normally inactive, i.e. quiescent. When new blood cells are needed, for example to replace blood that has been lost, HSCs start to multiply and develop into mature blood cells. If the process is initiated at an inappropriate time, hematopoietic diseases such as leukemia may result and leukemic stem cells may develop. These represent a major challenge to leukemia therapy: they are quiescent and thus protected from elimination by the immune system and from treatment such as chemotherapy. Leukemic stem cells frequently cause relapse in cancer patients, often years or even decades after an apparently successful treatment.

Working with stem cells isolated from mice, Ruth Scheicher and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have investigated possible differences between leukemic stem cells and the healthy stem cells in the body. They looked in particular at the function of the CDK6 protein, which is known to be involved in controlling the cell cycle. Surprisingly, CDK6 was also found to regulate the activation of hematopoietic and leukemic stem cells, which it does by inhibiting the transcription factor Egr1. Upon loss of CDK6, Egr1 becomes active and prevents stem cells from dividing. In a further twist to the tale, the mechanism operates only when hematopoietic stem cells are stressed, e.g. in leukemia, and not in the normal physiological situation.

Service:

The article CDK6 as a key regulator of hematopoietic and leukemic stem cell activation by Scheicher R, Hoelbl-Kovacic A, Bellutti F, Tigan AS, Prchal-Murphy M, Heller G, Schneckenleithner C, Salazar-Roa M, Zchbauer-Mller S, Zuber J, Malumbres M, Kollmann K and Sexl V. was published in the journal Blood. http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/125/1/90.long?sso-checked=true

About the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna in Austria is one of the leading academic and research institutions in the field of Veterinary Sciences in Europe. About 1,300 employees and 2,300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna which also houses five university clinics and various research sites. Outside of Vienna the university operates Teaching and Research Farms. http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at

Scientific Contact:

Released by: Susanna Kautschitsch Science Communication / Public Relations University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) T +43 1 25077-1153 susanna.kautschitsch@vetmeduni.ac.at Weitere Informationen:http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/infoservice/presseinformation/press-releases-2015/...

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Keeping the Kraken asleep: inhibiting CDK6 prevents leukemic relapse

Parkinson’s Disease: Mr Garnet’s experience 6 months after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. – Video

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Parkinson #39;s Disease: Mr Garnet #39;s experience 6 months after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D.
At Docere Clinics, our clinical focus is on the treatment of musculoskeletal pain disorders. On rare occasions, we have patients, usually relatives of satisf...

By: Harry Adelson, N.D.

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Parkinson's Disease: Mr Garnet's experience 6 months after stem cell therapy by Harry Adelson, N.D. - Video

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy May Be Helped With Cardiac Stem Cells – Video

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Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy May Be Helped With Cardiac Stem Cells
Study shows cardiac stem cells used to treat heart attacks may also help children with muscular dystrophy. Dr. Bruce Hensel reports for the NBC4 News at 5 on Monday, Nov. 17, 2014. (Published...

By: CoalitionDuchenne

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Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy May Be Helped With Cardiac Stem Cells - Video


  1. Stem Cell Therapy