Category Archives: Arizona Stem Cells

Arizona Oncology now includes two hematology/oncology physicians specializing in Stem Cell Transplant. Dr. Adrienne Briggs and Dr. Jeff Schriber each have more than 16 years of experience consulting with and treating stem cell transplant patients in Arizona. The Cancer Transplant Institute is located at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare which is a new program created to provide comprehensive, personalized care for patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Patients will be seen in consultation at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center and undergo Stem Cell Transplant at Scottsdale Healthcare (Shea Campus). These transplants are performed in both an outpatient and an inpatient setting. Whether a patient is treated primarily as an inpatient or an outpatient depends on the type of transplant, the type of cancer, and on the individual patient and family needs. The Cancer Transplant Institutes provides complete care throughout the entire spectrum of a patients transplant process, from initial consultation services through to follow-up care after a bone marrow (often called hematopoietic stem cell transplant).

What is Bone Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT)

Stem Cell transplantation is a highly advanced and specialized procedure that first uses chemotherapy, with or without radiation, at very high doses to eliminate cancer cells within the body. As a result of this intensive treatment, the patients bone marrow is rendered incapable of producing health blood cells from the stem cells that reside in the bone marrow. Stem cells are immature cells that give rise to white blood cells (which fight infections), red blood cells (which carry oxygen), and platelets (which prevent bleeding).

There are two types of bone marrow transplants. Autologous (where your own cells are used) and allogeneic (where a donor is required). In fact for the majority of the autologous transplants we dont even use bone marrow but instead collect cells from your blood stream.

In an autologous transplant very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation are used to kill the tumor cells in your body. The levels of therapy required to kill these tumor cells are often five to ten fold the regular chemotherapy doses and they also as an unintended side effect kill the cells that live in the bone marrow. The cells in the marrow contain the all important blood stem cells that have the ability to form all of the blood types. These include the red blood cells that carry oxygen, the white blood cells that treat infection and the platelets that prevent bleeding. In addition these stem cells are able to form themselves so that theoretically a single cell could reproduce the entire bone marrow after it is damaged. This may also be referred to as a stem cell rescue or stem cell support. In this situation the important treatment for the cancer is the high doses of chemotherapy. The stem cells that are given back after the therapy is completed allow the rescue of the marrow which enables us to give the required high doses of chemo or radiotherapy.

It is important to know that these stem cells are not the ones that you often hear about on the news. These are largely limited to producing only the blood type cells listed above. Although they reside in the bone marrow, we rarely collect them from the marrow itself. Instead we use the fact that after chemotherapy and certain medicines that the stem cells move into the blood stream. We can then collect the cells from the blood stream to be used later after the high doses of chemotherapy are given.

The second major type called an allogeneic transplant also typically involves very high doses of chemo or radiation therapy to kill the underlying cancer cells. In this situation cells are collected from a donor and given back to the patient. These cells can also be collected from the blood stream or bone marrow and in some cases from the umbilical cord blood. When these donor cells grow to form the new blood stem cells they retain some of the characteristics of the original donor. This is a true transplant of the blood and immune system from your donor.

Since these two forms are very different they also carry different risks and complications. The choice of which form of transplant you may require is often based on the type of cancer that you have, how you have responded and your general health. During your initial visit your doctor will discuss with you which transplant is more appropriate as well as the risks and benefits to each approach.

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Stem Cell Transplant - Medical Specialties - Treatments ...

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Newborns at Tucson Medical Center now have a chance to save lives across the country.

TMC is the first hospital in Southern Arizona that collects donated umbilical cord blood intended for life-saving stem cell transplants starting this October.

The hospital partnered with the Arizona Public Cord Program in collecting and processing cord blood donated by a consenting mothers.

With Tucson's demographic, TMC is poised to make an impact on a "significant shortage" of cord blood for Hispanics, Native Americans and African Americans.

Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells that could cure dozens of blood diseases and cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.

"If you don't do anything, if you're not going to privately bank it, it will just be thrown away unless you decide to publicly donate it to us. I would say 95 percent of them say 'oh great, fantastic, I don't want it to go in the garbage if could save somebody's life," said TMC Cord Blood Coordinator, Kristen Wilt.

The average cost for a mother to bank her child's cord blood can be up to $1,500, plus an additional $150 annual fee to store the blood, according to Wilt.

But cord blood donated to the national registry is collected with no cost to the family through this program, due to funding from the Affordable Care Act. The Arizona Public Cord Program is part of the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission that works with the University of Colorado to store the blood.

"What we're trying to do is increase the registry so that patients, especially in these ethnic minorities, might be able to find a suitable match," OB/GYN and TMC Cord Blood Medical Director Dr. Manny Arreguin said.

Celina Martinez gave birth to her baby boy on Tuesday and upon hearing the donation could help children, decided to donate her son's umbilical cord blood to the national registry.

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Company plans for the future of stem cell use

by Samantha Schmieder

Staff Writer

Next Healthcare Inc. of Germantown recently launched a partnership with Arizona Cardinals wide reciever Larry Fitzgerald to promote its newest venture, CelBank Pro to other professional athletes.

Next Healthcares CelBank is the collection of cell samples and storage of their blood, skin or stem cells to be used in the future. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that are able to renew themselves through cell division and can be scientifically manipulated to become another type of cell with a more specialized function. They offer hope to provide new ways to fight disease or injuries, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Essentially we are in the business of banking cells for people, Vin Singh, the founder and CEO of Next Healthcare, said.

While CelBank is geared toward anyone interested in using their own cells later in their life, CelBank Pro is geared toward sports players who are very likely to get injured or just worn down during their career.

Skin cells and stem cells are stored at a healthy time at someones life for later use in regenerative medicine, Singh said.

In 2006 and 2007, Singh, who lives in Boyds, heard about a method in Japan that was able to turn adult skin cells into stem cells. Singh decided to build Next Healthcare around these induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells.

For me that was the real spark. I heard about that and thought, Wow, this is an amazing, revolutionary breakthrough, Singh said. Thats where the idea came from, what can we do with that technology. There has to be something that I can do for consumers to give them an advantage.

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Germantown's Next Healthcare pairs with NFL player

Larry Fitzgerald (Jake Roth / USA Today Sports / August 29, 2014)

6:22 p.m. EDT, September 2, 2014

Next Healthcare Inc., a Germantown-based biotech company, says it is partnering with NFL player Larry Fitzgerald on a regenerative product geared specifically for professional athletes.

Next Healthcare stores harvests stem cells and stores them in an FDA-registered tissue preservation lab. The idea is to use them later to heal damaged body tissues.

Next Health Care was introduced to Fitzgerald, an Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, "because someone in the sports world felt that Larry would be uniquely interested in our mission and products and made the introduction," the company said in a statement.

"The company's been interested in getting its products to those who would most benefit from regenerative medicine, specifically pro athletes who suffer injuries."

jeff.barker@baltsun.com

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NFL player partners with Maryland biotech firm

What is a Stem Cell? The various tissues of the body are made up of different types of cells (such as nerve cells, fat cells, muscle cells, etc.). As cells need to be replaced, these individual cells divide to create new cells of the same type: muscle cells create new muscle cells, skin cells create new skin cells, and so on. However, if you trace the lineage of those specific types of cells back far enough, you would find that they came from cells that were not specific to one type of body tissue they had the potential to become many or even all of the other types of cells. Those versatile cells are called stem cells.

Stem cells are often associated with embryos and fetal development, as stem cells are abundant during this period. Research on the use of embryonic stem cells has been controversial. However, there are other sources of stem cells. For example, stem cells are present after birth. Even adults have stem cells in their bodies, though the concentration declines with age. These cells are known as adult stem cells. In other cases, researchers have been able to modify mature cells so that they can specialize into other types of cells. These cells are known as induced stem cells.

Though researchers previously believed that such cells existed, the multipotency of stem cells was demonstrated in 1963.1 By the late 1960s, researchers were using the bone marrow, which contains a high concentration of stem cells, as a source of stem cells to treat conditions such as leukemia and sickle cell anemia.

Once stem cells reach the treatment site, they specialize into the cells composing specific tissues, for example cartilage or tendons. This enables the tissues of an organ or body part that have been damaged or degenerated to repair. Once the stem cells specialize, the new cells can continue to divide leading to regeneration and potentially reduced pain and improved functioning over the course of months.

The stem cell treatment used in this study uses autologous stem cells, meaning they come from the patient themselves. These stem cells come from bone marrow extracted from the patients hip bone. The stem cells in the bone marrow are then concentrated and injected into the degenerated joint. This bone marrow extraction and injection is done in a single outpatient procedure.

Because the stem cells used in these studies are derived from the patients own bone marrow, risks related to donor compatibility and rejection of cells are avoided. However, like any type of procedure, there are risks associated with the extraction of bone marrow and the injection of stem cells, including irritation or pain at the sites of extraction and injection or possibly infection. Discuss these with your health care provider prior to getting this procedure.

Because many patients painful conditions are adequately addressed by conservative treatments, we recommend that patients pursue this treatment only if they continue to experience moderate to extreme pain after trying conservative treatments such as rest, physical therapy, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., ibuprofen).

Though research on stem cell therapy continues, there are promising results of to date of its efficacy for regenerating tissues and relieving symptoms for a number of conditions including joint repair.2 Based on the available research, we believe stem cells will be effective in relieving pain for many patients. Regeneration from stem cells takes place gradually. After receiving stem cell therapy, it may a few months for patients to notice the results. Further, as with any treatment for pain, not every patient will have success with this treatment.

1. Becker AJ, McCulloch EA, Till JE. Cytological demonstration of the clonal nature of spleen colonies derived from transplanted mouse marrow cells. Nature 1963;197:452-4.

2. Kamei G, Kobayashi T, Ohkawa S, Kongcharoensombat W, Adachi N, Takazawa K, Shibuya H, Deie M, Hattori K, Goldberg JL, Ochi M. Articular cartilage repair with magnetic mesenchymal stem cells. Am J Sports Med 2013 Apr 19. [epub ahead of print]

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Stem Cell Therapy | Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute ...

A New Frontier: Stem Cell Therapy for Low Back Pain.

Back pain is a very common complaint. It is the second most common complaint made to a primary care doctor by a patient, surpassed only by the common cold. It is estimated that 331 million Americans have low back pain at any given time and one of every two adults in the U.S. experience at least one day of back pain every year.

There are many reasons why people have back pain, but one of the most common causes is degeneration of discs in the spine. As we age, there is a normal amount of expected wear and tear of our spinal discs; however, arthritis in our spine can accelerate this process and can in turn lead to low back pain, stiffness, weakness, and eventually, loss of function.

Current treatment for low back pain includes exercise and physical therapy, medications such as anti-inflammatories, therapeutic injections, and ultimately surgery. These treatments are aimed at maximizing function, and returning the patient to as normal a life as possible.

As science progresses, we are gaining further understanding of how the degeneration process occurs in the spine. At a cellular level, there is continual loss of healthy cells inside the disc that is responsible for the degeneration of the discs structure. Eventually, normal cells are replaced with fibrotic cells, and the walls of the discs break down. This could lead to bulging discs, protrusions, and bone spurs from neighboring vertebrae begin to form. This process leads down its own pathway of natural degeneration, but what if there was a way to reverse this and return normal, healthy cells to our discs?

Every person carries inside their bodies cells that have the ability to form new and healthy tissues. In fact, adult stem cells are found throughout the body and exist in order to replenish dying cells and regenerate healthy tissue. Muscles, bones, cartilage and tendons all come from a certain kind of adult stem cell called Mesenchymal stem cells. The main reservoirs of Mesenchymal stem cells are bone marrow and adipose (fat) tissue.

Scientists have known about these stem cells as early as 1993 and were deemed safe for therapeutic use in humans shortly thereafter. Since then, research has continued to show that they can aid in the repair of tendon ruptures, bone fractures, diseased muscles, and degenerated cartilage. Even more recent research has shown that adult Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to produce new cells in lumbar discs, which are able to bring new healthy tissue to a degenerating disc.

If the procedure is performed by a specialist in the field, adult stem cells can be transferred into a persons degenerated disc safely and effectively in an outpatient setting, without resorting to surgery. Completed in the safe and sterile environment of an outpatient center, a small volume of stem cells can be easily harvested from a persons bone marrow. It is then spun down in a centrifuge to concentrate the stem cells. These cells are then injected into a lumbar disc utilizing x-ray technology to guide the injection.

The physicians at Southwest Spine & Sports are all well-qualified, fellowship trained experts on disc disorders, and have the experience to complete this stem cell transfer into degenerated discs. In fact, our team is at the beginning stage of initiating a research study for stem cell treatments into lumbar discs, the first of its kind ever in Arizona and one of only a handful in the entire United States.

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Stem Cell Therapy Arizona | Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale ...

Dr. Todd Malan specializes in Advanced Liposuction and Fat Transfer procedures. In fact, Dr. Malan trains physicians worldwide in advanced body sculpting, laser assisted liposuction, fat transfer and stem cell enhanced cosmetic procedures. Dr. Malan developed a sophisticated body sculpting process that combines Body-Jet, a gentle water assisted liposuction technique, with laser liposuction like Smartlipo, that provides advanced skin tightening. This method significantly reduces the risks commonly associated with traditional liposuction while stimulating collagen for skin tightening. Dr. Malans technique is quickly becoming the most sought after option for body sculpting. Dr. Malans method also allows for fat transfer procedures, where a patient can take unwanted fat from areas such as the abdomen, thighs and hips, and transfer it to areas where volume may be deficient, such as the breasts, buttock, hands and face.

Dr. Todd Malan is also the first U.S. physician to offer patients the stem cell enhanced natural breast augmentation, a popular procedure in Europe and Japan because of its natural ability to rejuvenate cells and its improved rate of fat survival. Patients and doctors alike travel from all over the world seeking out Dr. Malans expertise regarding corrective or secondary liposuction procedures, advanced body sculpting, fat transfer and stem cell enhanced cosmetic procedures. The esteemed and knowledgeable staff at the Innovative Cosmetic Surgery Center ensures each visit is of superior quality while eliminating the anxiety commonly associated with cosmetic procedures. Innovative Cosmetic Surgery Center is the preferred choice for those seeking a specialized approach.

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Newswise TEMPE, Ariz. By understanding the secret of how lizards regenerate their tails, researchers may be able to develop ways to stimulate the regeneration of limbs in humans. Now, a team of researchers from Arizona State University is one step closer to solving that mystery. The scientists have discovered the genetic recipe for lizard tail regeneration, which may come down to using genetic ingredients in just the right mixture and amounts.

An interdisciplinary team of scientists used next-generation molecular and computer analysis tools to examine the genes turned on in tail regeneration. The team studied the regenerating tail of the green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis), which when caught by a predator, can lose its tail and then grow it back.

The findings are published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

"Lizards basically share the same toolbox of genes as humans," said lead author Kenro Kusumi, professor in ASU's School of Life Sciences and associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "Lizards are the most closely-related animals to humans that can regenerate entire appendages. We discovered that they turn on at least 326 genes in specific regions of the regenerating tail, including genes involved in embryonic development, response to hormonal signals and wound healing.

Other animals, such as salamanders, frog tadpoles and fish, can also regenerate their tails, with growth mostly at the tip. During tail regeneration, they all turn on genes in what is called the Wnt pathway a process that is required to control stem cells in many organs such as the brain, hair follicles and blood vessels. However, lizards have a unique pattern of tissue growth that is distributed throughout the tail.

"Regeneration is not an instant process," said Elizabeth Hutchins, a graduate student in ASU's molecular and cellular biology program and co-author of the paper. "In fact, it takes lizards more than 60 days to regenerate a functional tail. Lizards form a complex regenerating structure with cells growing into tissues at a number of sites along the tail.

"We have identified one type of cell that is important for tissue regeneration," said Jeanne Wilson-Rawls, co-author and associate professor with ASUs School of Life Sciences. "Just like in mice and humans, lizards have satellite cells that can grow and develop into skeletal muscle and other tissues."

"Using next-generation technologies to sequence all the genes expressed during regeneration, we have unlocked the mystery of what genes are needed to regrow the lizard tail," said Kusumi. "By following the genetic recipe for regeneration that is found in lizards, and then harnessing those same genes in human cells, it may be possible to regrow new cartilage, muscle or even spinal cord in the future."

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How Lizards Regenerate Their Tails: Researchers Discover Genetic 'Recipe'

NIH-supported study suggests that early diagnosis of severe combined immunodeficiency leads to high survival rates

A newborn screening test for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) reliably identifies infants with this life-threatening inherited condition, leading to prompt treatment and high survival rates, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers led by Jennifer Puck, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, also found that SCID affects approximately 1 in 58,000 newborns, indicating that the disorder is less rare than previously thought. The study was funded in part by NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). It appears in the Aug. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Blood is collected from a newborn for screening. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt Eric T. Sheler

SCID is a group of disorders caused by defects in genes involved in the development and function of T cells and other infection-fighting immune cells. Infants with SCID are highly susceptible to life-threatening infections. SCID is fatal, usually within the first year or two of life, unless affected infants are given immune-restoring treatments such as transplants of blood-forming stem cells or gene therapy. More than 80 percent of affected infants do not have a family history of the condition.

The results of this study highlight the important role of newborn screening for SCID, said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.The findings demonstrate that detecting SCID before symptoms such as severe infections appear helps ensure that infants with this serious condition receive lifesaving treatments.

The SCID newborn screening test, originally developed at NIH, measures T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs), a byproduct of T-cell development. Infants with SCID have few or no T cells, regardless of the underlying genetic defect, and the absence of TRECs may indicate SCID.The TREC test also may help doctors identify infants with non-SCID T-cell deficiencies. SCID was added in 2010 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Recommended Uniform Screening Panel for newborns in the United States. However, the TREC test has not yet been adopted universally. Nearly half of states conduct newborn screening for SCID, and the test is performed for almost two thirds of infants born across the country.

We have made great strides in our knowledge of SCID and other related immunodeficiencies in a relatively short period of time, thanks to newborn screening, said Tiina Urv, Ph.D., a program director in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Branch at NICHD. Such collaborative research efforts could serve as a model for other disorders.

The current study evaluated data from more than 3 million newborns gathered by screening programs in 10 states and the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Navajo have a higher than average risk of SCID, due to certain genetic mutations. Overall, screening detected 52 newborns with SCID, equivalent to 1 in 58,000 infants. All infants with abnormal TREC results underwent further diagnostic testing to confirm SCID. The researchers did not identify any cases of SCID that were missed by TREC screening. Previous estimates, based on limited data, suggested that SCID was less prevalent, affecting only 1 in 100,000 babies.

Early diagnosis allows physicians to treat SCID infants promptly, before infections become overwhelming. Of the 52 SCID infants in the current study, 49 received immune-restoring therapies such as stem cell transplants, enzyme replacement therapy or gene therapy. Three infants died before treatment was given. Four died after receiving transplants, while the other 45 treated infants (92 percent) survived. A recent NIH-funded study showed that SCID infants who received stem cell transplants early in life (less than 3.5 months old) and before the onset of infections had the best outcomes.

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