Category Archives: Colorado Stem Cells

Three years after a small number of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were treated with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) and then transplanted with their own hematopoietic stem cells, most of the patients sustained remission of active relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and had improvements in neurological function, according to a study published online by JAMA Neurology.

MS is a degenerative disease and most patients with RRMS who received disease-modifying therapies experience breakthrough disease. Autologous (using a patient's own cells) hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) has been studied in MS with the goal of removing disease-causing immune cells and resetting the immune system, according to the study background.

The Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (HALT-MS) study examines the effectiveness of early intervention with HDIT/HCT for patients with RRMS and breakthrough disease. The article by Richard A. Nash, M.D., of the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, Denver, and coauthors reports on the safety, efficacy and sustainability of MS disease stabilization though three years after the procedures. Patients were evaluated through five years.

Study results indicate that of the 24 patients who received HDIT/HCT, the overall rate of event-free survival was 78.4 percent at three years, which was defined as survival without death or disease from a loss of neurologic function, clinical relapse or new lesions observed on imaging. Progression-free survival and clinical relapse-free survival were 90.9 percent and 86.3 percent, respectively, at three years. The authors note that adverse events were consistent with the expected toxic effect of HDIT/HCT and that no acute treatment-related neurologic adverse events were seen. Improvements in neurologic disability, quality-of-life and functional scores also were noted.

"In the present study, HDIT/HCT induced remission of MS disease activity up to three years in most participants. It may therefore represent a potential therapeutic option for patients with MS in whom conventional immunotherapy fails, as well as for other severe immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system. Most early toxic effects were hematologic and gastrointestinal and were expected and reversible. Longer follow-up is needed to determine the durability of the response," the authors conclude.

Editorial: Moving Targets for Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with MS

In a related editorial, M. Mateo Paz Soldn, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and Brian G. Weinshenker, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., write: "This study and another phase 2 single-arm study leave little doubt that high-dose immunotherapy is able to substantially suppress inflammatory disease activity in patients with MS who have active disease in the short term. There is some evidence for long-term suppression of MS. Lessons have been learned about how treatment-related morbidity and mortality may be reduced. However, deaths have occurred, even in small studies, and aggressive regimens have resulted in lymphomas associated with Epstein-Barr virus."

"Nash et al show evidence of prolonged depletion of memory CD4+ cells, depletion of CD4+-dominant T-cell receptor clones and evidence of 'immune reset'; however, clinical or radiologic evidence of relapse trumps immunologic evidence of immune reset, and this study raises concern that those end points have not been adequately achieved. The jury is still out regarding the appropriateness and indication of HCT for MS," the authors conclude.

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The above story is based on materials provided by The JAMA Network Journals. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Report on remission in patients with MS three years after stem cell transplant

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Newswise Why are older people at higher risk for developing cancer? Prevailing opinion holds that, over time, your bodys cells accumulate DNA damage and that eventually this damage catches up with the body in a way that causes cancer. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal Aging shows that this prevailing opinion is incomplete. In addition to DNA damage, cancer depends on the slow degradation of tissue that surrounds cancer cells, something that naturally comes with aging.

Its really all about natural selection and survival of the fittest, says James DeGregori, PhD, investigator at the CU Cancer Center, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the CU School of Medicine, and the papers senior author.

When youre young, healthy cells are optimized to the surrounding tissue theyre the fittest, DeGregori says. At that point, any mutation that affects function makes a cell less fit, so cells with mutations, even cancer-causing mutations, are out-competed by the young, fit, healthy cells. But when the tissue landscape changes with aging, healthy cells may no longer be optimized to their surroundings. In this aged landscape, mutations may actually make certain cells better, allowing them to out-compete the normal cells and form tumors. Thats why older people get cancer.

Working in the DeGregori Lab, postdoc and first author Andrii Rozhok, PhD, created mathematical models of just this kind of natural selection in hematopoietic or blood cells. Like predicting the weather, Rozhok combined several variables into a model and then asked how well the model could predict what we see in the real world. For example, in the case of weather, accurately taking into account barometric pressure and the calendar day could predict a snowstorm. Similarly, if you were to believe prevailing opinion, youd say that mutation accumulation would predict leukemia development. When Rozhok plugged only mutation variables into his model, however, there was poor fit. That is to say, the model could not accurately predict stem cell changes over time or leukemia development.

We knew mutations would play a role, perhaps even a big role, but it became clear there was something else going on. We had been looking inside cells for the causes of cancer, but that wasnt enough. There was something happening outside the cells that mattered, and that something is what allows cancer to form, DeGregori says.

Rozhok and colleagues then added more variables to the model to account for microenvironmental tissue decline. Suddenly, there was a much better fit. The new model, driven by age-related changes in stem cell fitness and behavior, accurately predicts the point at which a cancer cell might out-compete the normal cells and become a leukemia. Importantly, the model demonstrates that the systemic processes accompanying general tissue decline with age have a crucial power in governing cancer cell fates and the odds of developing cancer.

Wed always thought the tissue landscape was important, but we didnt know how important, DeGregori says. He points out that natural selection only cares about the human body until it passes reproductive age. We have programmed maintenance that takes care of our bodies and keeps us fit until around age 40. At that point, our maintenance program gets lazy. Our tissue landscape starts to change, and unfortunately it changes in ways that allow cancer cells to out-compete normal cells.

In all, We show that mutations, although necessary, cannot promote blood cancer development without an age-altered tissue microenvironment, the researchers write.

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Mutations Need Help From Evolution to Cause Cancer

A co-author of two papers claiming to have shown how to create stem cells simply and easily has requested their retraction, the Wall Street Journal is reporting:

Teruhiko Wakayama of Yamanashi University in Japan, a co-author of both papers published in Nature, said he has asked the lead author of the papers, Haruko Obokata, to retract them.

There is no more credibility when there are such crucial mistakes, he said in an email to The Wall Street Journal. He didnt elaborate on what the mistakes were.

Nature told the WSJ that it was still investigating the matter. As Natures news section reported last month, lead author

biologist Haruko Obokata, who is based at the institutionshot to fame as the lead author of two papers1, 2 published in Nature last month that demonstrated a way to reprogram mature mouse cells into an embryonic state by simply applying stress, such as exposure to acid conditions or physical pressure on cell membranes.

But the studies, published online on January 29, soon came under fire. Paul Knoepfler has had a number of detailed posts on the matter, as has PubPeer.

The controversy is the latest for the field of stem cells, both embryonic and adult. Among other cases:

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Co-author of controversial acid STAP stem cell papers in ...

Im sure most of you could have guessed that regular walking and running can keep you young, but you might surprised just how much

Researchers at the University of Colorado found that people over 65 who run or walk several times a week expend as much energy as a typical 20-year-old. The study said that runners get more benefits than walkers, but that walking does help fend off diabetes, depression, and heart disease.

Source: kdvr.com

A new study from Ohio State University found that saturated fat in your diet does not drive up levels of saturated fat in your blood, however, carbohydrates do. Researchers said that reducing carbs and adding fat to the diet in a well-formulated way will make the body burn the saturated fat first, so it wont be stored.

Source: news.osu.edu

Researchers at the University of Southern California have found a mature stem cell that appears to be able to perform two different tasks. The cells normally grow fingernails and skin, but when signaled by a special protein called Bone Morphogenic Protein, they switched to focusing on nail repair.

Scientists are now trying to figure out if sending that signal to other stem cells can cause them to perform more tasks, which could help with finger repair and maybe even re-grow amputated fingers.

Its not as sci-fi as you think unborn babies can already re-grow body parts, and children as old as nine or ten have been known to re-grow fingertips all on their own.

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Running keeps you young: Study

What is a stem cell transplant?

A stem cell transplant may be used so that you can have intensive high-dose chemotherapy (and sometimes radiotherapy) to kill cancerous cells. The chemotherapy is higher than conventional chemotherapy and also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow that would normally make blood cells. Therefore, following the chemotherapy, you are given back (transplanted) stem cells which can then make normal blood cells again.

A stem cell transplant is sometimes called a bone marrow transplant. However, stem cells can be obtained from blood as well as from the bone marrow. So, the term stem cell transplant is now used.

Blood cells are made in the bone marrow, by stem cells. Bone marrow is the soft sponge-like material in the centre of bones. Large flat bones such as the breastbone (sternum) and pelvis contain the most bone marrow. To make blood cells constantly you need a healthy bone marrow. You also need nutrients from your diet, including iron and some vitamins.

Stem cells are immature (primitive) cells. There are two main types in the bone marrow - myeloid and lymphoid stem cells. These derive from even more primitive cells called common pluripotent stem cells. Stem cells constantly divide and produce new cells. Some new cells remain as stem cells and others go through a series of maturing stages (precursor or blast cells) before forming into fully formed (mature) blood cells.

Mature blood cells are released from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. Mature blood cells are:

Stem cells rapidly multiply to make millions of blood cells each day. Because of this they are more easily killed by chemotherapy than most other cells in the body. This is because chemotherapy medicines work by killing rapidly dividing cells (such as cancer cells).

A stem cell transplant is an option which is considered for various cancer conditions. For example, for types of leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Your specialist will advise when it may be an appropriate option. As a rule, it is not often a first-line treatment. Conventional chemotherapy or other treatments tend to be used first. However, the treatment of cancer and leukaemia is a changing and developing area of medicine. Techniques such as stem cell transplant continue to be refined and improved and may be considered in various different circumstances.

The higher doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy that can be used in conjunction with a stem cell transplant can improve the chance of a cure for some conditions in certain circumstances.

There is now a great deal of research about using stem cell transplants for many other conditions. For example:

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Stem Cell Transplant | Health | Patient.co.uk

A man paralyzed from the chest down in a knife attack is walking again as a result of undergoing surgery using cells responsible for the sense of smell, marking an advance in the search for treatments for spinal injuries.

Darek Fidyka, 38, received the cells after failing to recover from a stabbing in the back in 2010, according to University College London, whose doctors developed the procedure. The technique involves using olfactory ensheathing cells and placing them in the spinal cord.

The study gives hope to the thousands of people each year who suffer a severe spinal cord injury and must live the rest of their lives with permanently damaged body functions. Such injuries typically occur during sports or automobile crashes and there is no approved treatment to repair them.

We have now opened the door to a treatment of spinal cord injury that will get patients out of wheelchairs, said Geoffrey Raisman, chairman of neural regeneration at the UCL Institute of Neurology and leader of the British research team. Our goal now is to develop this first procedure to a point where it can be rolled out as a worldwide general approach.

The cells used were discovered by Raisman in 1985 and were shown to work in treating spinal injuries in rats in 1997. They allow nerve cells that give people their sense of smell to grow back when they are damaged. The procedure on Fidyka was performed by surgeons at Wroclaw University Hospital in Poland.

For the treatment, Fidyka underwent brain surgery to remove an olfactory bulb, a structure responsible for the sense of smell. The bulb was placed in a cell culture for two weeks to produce olfactory cells, which were injected into the spinal cord along with four strips of nerve tissue taken from the ankle. The strips formed bridges for the spinal nerve fibers to grow across, with the aid of the cells.

Three months after the surgery, Fidyka's left thigh muscle began to grow and after six months he was starting to walk within the rehabilitation center with the help of a physiotherapist and leg braces, according to UCL. His bladder sensation and sexual function have improved.

This technology has been confined to labs, so it's promising to see that it may have helped someone recover from a clean cut through the spinal cord, said Jeremy Fairbank, a professor of spine surgery at the University of Oxford who wasn't involved in the research.

The next question is what sort of clinical experiments must be done to prove that this works, Fairbank said. I suspect it will take years until there is a practical way of doing this.

The research, funded by Britain's Stem Cell Foundation and the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation, was published in the Cell Transplantation journal. Further studies in patients are planned by UCL and Wroclaw University Hospital, according to Michael Hanna, director of the UCL Institute of Neurology.

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Nasal cells help paralyzed man make history by walking

Integrity.Competence. Compassion.

After more than 20 years of practicing physical and rehabilitation medicine, the Colorado Rehabilitation and Occupational Medicine (CROM) medical practice announces the availability of CROM's regenerative medicine department, with a focus on amniotic stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections.

Stem cell therapy is a novel approach with the capacity to repair injured, torn, or arthritic tissue by delivering biological material directly to the site of the problem.

Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into cartilage, muscle, or other cells, and can provide a degree of regeneration to the joint, cartilage, tendon, or muscle that other medical treatments cannot.

Much of the excitement surrounding stem cells is the potential that this type of treatment has to repair problems; labral tears, rotator cuff tears or partial tears, and osteoarthritis. In many cases, surgical treatment or even joint replacement is the only other treatment available.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is another regenerative medicine approach. For this treatment, blood is drawn from the patient, and then spun in a centrifuge to produce a therapeutic injection containing platelets and growth factors from the patient's own blood. This injection can assist in healing tendonitis, tendon or labral tears, and arthritis.

Although many physicians and patients are excited about the results of their individual treatments, and there are many exciting case studies, at this point in time there are no controlled studies that prove the effectiveness of these treatments, and so they are not covered by insurance.

However, many professional athletes have decided to use stem cell and/or PRP treatments to help them heal from athletic injuries and reach peak condition.

Now these advanced medical treatments are available in Colorado from the state's premiere physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians- Colorado Rehabilitation and Occupational Medicine practice.

Stem cell therapy and/or PRP treatments are performed only after an initial consultation to determine if these treatments are suitable for your specific problem, or whether other treatments, which may be less expensive and/or covered by insurance, are optimal.

Excerpt from:
Stem Cell Therapy-Denver and Ft. Collins Colorado-CROM

First Procedure in Phase 2 Clinical Trial of MesoblastsAdult Mesenchymal Precursor Cell (MPC) Product

Dr. Kenneth Pettine of The Spine Institute in Loveland, CO successfully performed the first minimally invasive lumbar disc procedure in the Phase 2 clinical trial of Mesoblasts investigational adult Mesenchymal Precursor Cell (MPC) product for low back pain and degenerative disc disease. The outpatient procedure lasted less than 20 minutes, with the patient fully awake and under light sedation. The patient was shortly discharged and there were no complications.

The procedure took place at The Spine Institute and Loveland Surgery Center in Colorado, a United States Spine Center of Excellence. Dr. Pettine is a founder of The Spine Institute, an international leader in non-fusion surgery of the spine, and the co-inventor of Medtronics Maverick artificial lumbar disc device.

This marks the third renaissance in spine care, Dr. Pettine said. The first was improved diagnosis using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the second was end-stage replacement with artificial discs, and now there is the potential widespread use of adult stem cells for disc repair and regeneration.

Up to 15 percent of people in industrialized countries have chronic low back pain lasting more than six months. For those with progressive, severe and debilitating pain due to ongoing progression of disc degeneration, the only option is major back surgery involving artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion. Both types of surgery are associated with significant risks, and the avoidance of surgery is a major objective of new treatments for degenerative disease of the spine.

Building on these results, Mesoblast aims to show that a single minimally invasive injection of its allogeneic, or off-the-shelf, disc repair MPC product can regenerate damaged discs, thereby reducing pain, improving function, and avoiding surgery. Mesoblasts Phase 2 trial, which was cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July, will enroll 100 patients with chronic low back pain due to lumbar disc degeneration in 15 centers across the United States and Australia, comparing outcomes at six months in 60 patients receiving MPC injections against 40 patients receiving control injections.

There is a significant need for a minimally invasive biological solution to repair the degenerating disc, reduce back pain, improve function, and eliminate the need for surgery. Mesoblasts adult stem cell product could find broad use in the treatment of both early and late degenerative disc disease, and could additionally reduce spine surgery for this condition by as much as 80 percent, Dr. Pettine added.

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Northern Colorado Spine Surgeon Successfully Performs ...

THE COLORADO CELL SURGICAL NETWORK TEAM KEN OLESZEK, M.D.

Dr. Ken Oleszek, MD is a Board Certified Physician and Owner/Medical Director of La Fontaine Aesthetics in Denver, Colorado. He dedicates his practice to utilizing high-tech medicine and laser procedures to optimize the health and appearance of his patients. In addition to stem cell research, Dr. Oleszek specializes in Phlebology (vein disease and the treatment of varicose veins), cutaneous laser treatments and minimally invasive aesthetic treatments including Fat transfer and office-based liposuction.

Dr. Oleszek is affiliated with the California Cell Surgical Network and the exciting ground breaking clinical research that may revolutionize the treatment of many medical diseases. He feels the accessibility of adipose tissue and the recent advances in extracting the stem cells from adipose tissue offers new and exciting potentials of stem cell treatment. At his Denver office, he will focus on studying stem cell treatments for degenerative orthopedic issues, such as knee,

Dr. Oleszek is on staff at Exempla Lutheran Medical Center, is a Fellow of The American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery, and a member of The American College of Physicians, American College of Phlebology, American Venous Forum and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgeons. After attending University of Colorado Medical School, he completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine at The University of New Mexico. Dr. Oleszek was born in upstate New York and moved to Colorado in his school years. With his training in Internal Medicine and degenerative diseases and experience with adipose tissue, Dr. Oleszek is excited to bridge these two areas of medicine with Stem Cell Treatments.

Being Medical Director at Sandhill Scientific Inc./Meditech International Inc., Dr. Oleszek was involved in the use of Low Level Laser Therapy as treatment for acute and chronic musculoskeletal diseases.

Dr. Greta McLaren graduated in the top of her class from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.A. in Biology and then earned her Medical Degree from and continues her affiliation as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the prestigious University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. She received her Board Certification in 1991 specializing in primary care, with a focus on Sports Medicine, Orthopedic injuries, and Dermatology. In addition, she was one of the first physicians in Colorado to train in the field of aesthetic laser surgery. As an expert in her field of Cosmetic Laser Procedures, Dr. McLaren has taught her fellow physicians throughout the United States for many years and continues to train resident physicians. She has also authored a book chapter on the subject of photodynamic therapies for treatment of precancerous lesions and various skin conditions. With her diverse and extensive training in dermatologic, orthopedic and degenerative diseases and her advanced training in liposculpting and fat transfer procedures, Dr. McLaren is privileged and excited to be involved with cutting edge fat derived stem cell therapies and applications in all of these fields.

Dr McLaren has been a teaching instructor in laser physics and aesthetic laser courses for physicians She has a particular interest in the research and development of regenerative medicine involving Stem cell harvesting from fat, and is honored to be an affiliate of the California Cell Surgical Network investigating the treatment of multiple medical disorders affecting the joints, lungs, heart, and nervous system.

Dr. McLarens practice is devoted exclusively to the health, vitality and well being of her patients Her sole commitment to anti-aging procedures, liposculpting, fat transfer and fat derived stem cell therapies gives her the ability to focus her energy and expertise on how best to lessen the effects of aging for men and women, and to give her patients an exceptional experience and outcome. She is committed to forging partnerships with her patients that focus on optimal, long-term health through education, empowerment, and personal responsibility

Dr. McLaren is the founder and medical director of a large anti-aging and laser practice in the Denver area. Her state of the art clinic offers the latest and most innovative techniques using platelet rich plasma and stem cells, in addition to Hi Definition liposculpting and all of the latest facets of anti-aging. In addition to her Stem Cell Practice, Dr. McLaren also hosts an extensive Laser procedure oriented website at http://www.skinsecretsmedspa.com.

CALIFORNIA

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