Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Blood Information » stem cell

Micheal J Fox Discusses Stem Cell Research on Oprah show

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:23:15 +0000

Larry King Asks Pastor Joel Osteen & Wife About “Stem Cell Research”

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:07:37 +0000

Researchers Collaborate on Stem Cell Therapy for Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)

admin — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:06:01 +0000

A research team made up of scientists from the University of Utah is collaborating on a stem cell therapy to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Together with John Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Q therapeutics Inc, and the help of a $5 million dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health, these researchers have teamed up to bring the cell-based therapy to the point of human clinical trials to treat this ALS. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys certain nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As these cells degenerate, they lose the ability to send impulses that control muscle movement for speech, breathing, limb movement, and other functions, with death from respiratory failure typically occurring from two to five years after diagnosis. ALS affects roughly 30,000 people in this country. Famous sufferers of the disease include baseball legend Lou Gehrig and scientist Dr. Stephen Hawking.
The four-year National Institutes of Health grant will allow for the necessary manufacturing and testing requirements to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for human clinical trials.
Linda Kelley, Ph.D., director of the University of Utah’s Cell Therapy Facility, said the project is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word.
“While the University will be home to the grant, the stem-cell technology that Q Therapeutics brings to the table and the clinical expertise of Dr. Maragakis are essential to the project. We are pleased to help bring this groundbreaking therapy toward human use,” Kelley said.

“Our collaboration is a terrific example of how public-private partnerships can make innovative therapeutic products a reality.”
The researchers at Johns Hopkins recently published results of their work in Lou Gehrig’s Disese (ALS) in Nature Neuroscience, showing that a specific type of brain stem cell therapy can be effective in an animal model of ALS.

Stem Cell Therapy Could Cure AMD Blindess Within the Decade

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:08:05 +0000

Scientists in Britain have developed the world’s first stem cell therapy to cure the most common cause of blindness. The treatment will tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness. Many respected surgeons are predicting that it will become a routine, one-hour procedure that will be generally available in six or seven years’ time.
The treatment involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones created from embryonic stem cells. It was pioneered by scientists and surgeons from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields eye hospital.
Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical research company, will announce its financial backing to bring the therapy to patients.

Obama Reverses Ban On Government Funding For Stem Cell Research

admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:13:34 +0000

Reversing an eight-year-old limit on potentially life-saving science, President Barack Obama lifted restrictions on taxpayer-funded research using embryonic stem cells. The campaign promised move will allow research aimed at better treating, if not curing, ailments from diabetes to paralysis . This types of research often crosses partisan lines, and is backed by respected proponents such as Nancy Reagan and the late Christopher Reeve.
During the campaign, Obama said, “I strongly support expanding research on stem cells. I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations.”
He said he would lift Bush’s ban and “ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight.”
This lift means that researchers and scientists who until now have had to rely on private donations to work with these newer stem cell lines can apply for government money for the research, just like they do for studies of gene therapy or other treatment approaches.
“America’s biomedical research enterprise experienced steady decline over the past eight years, with shrinking budgets and policies that elevated ideology over science. This slowed the pace of discovery and the search for cures,” said Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Stem Cell Biology.

Importance of Umbilical Cord Blood Donation

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:19:00 +0000

In the recent years preserving the umbilical cord blood has become an event of great significance. Doctors and scientists are encouraging parents to store or donate the umbilical cord blood. Until recently, the umbilical cord miracle was not much known to the general populace.

The umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells. The umbilical cord blood can save the lives of millions of people who suffer from dreaded disease such as Cancer, Aplastic anemia, Fanconi anemia and Sickle-cell anemia, just to name a few. People suffering from live threatening diseases like lymphoma, leukemia and anemia can save their precious lives by undergoing stem cell transplantation. This is especially useful for people suffering from leukemia who go through the tough process of chemotherapy and radiation.

There are specialized cord blood banks to collect and preserve umbilical cord blood. The blood is collected from a new-born baby’s cord and stored in these cord banks. Parent donor’s are required to plan to make necessary arrangements with these banks to collect the umbilical cord blood.

It is not only a joy to give birth to a baby but also a great deed to give life by donating umbilical cord blood to those suffering from life threatening diseases.