Guest Blogger: David Granovsky’s ‘The Stem Cell Blog’

http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/

As we go about educating people about adult stem cell research, we’ve discovered many other blogs and web sites with similar missions. We felt David Granovsky’s, ‘The Stem Cell Blog’ was one of those sites who many of our viewers would appreciate. We have made a firm commitment not to support or promote any product, clinic or doctor. But for the thousands of visitors to our web with serious questions, we feel ‘The Stem Cell Blog’ might provide some answers.

StemCellResearchFacts Help Team

Hi all,

I am honored to post in stemcellresearchfacts.org If anyone has specific interests or conditions, please feel free to reach out to me!

David Granovsky

My mission:

The world is embracing the research and successful treatments of diseases with ADULT stem cells, reaping huge rewards of life extension, improved quality of life and the curing of allegedly incurable diseases. My mission is to bring the public up to date information on stem cell treatments, victories, news, controversies, politics, science, benefits and opportunities available. My primary device to complete this mission is the not for profit “The Stem Cell Blog” with over 1,400 articles posted to date and over 2 million views.

Here is a brief intro to stem cells – STEM CELLS 101 – http://www.facebook.com/l/-AQEKRCOeAQEyRlH5NRN1tKZGqSLbxTOlWawMST5amyWkiA/repairstemcell.wordpress.com/stem-cells-for-newbies/

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Emails to StemCellResearchFacts.org Highlight Need for ASC Research

All emails to stemcellresearchfacts.org are answered by the SCRF Help Team.

Alexandria, Egypt

Comment: hi my name is (name withheld) from egypt i am patient of limitted systemic sclerosis since 10 years ago i read amy daniels story with adult stem cell i have hope to do this treatment becoz i feel i am not alive i loose my active life i decide to come to dr richard burt so pl help me and give me details about the protocol and the fee of treatment thank you.

Hartford, CT

Comments: Hi…I was so happy while I was watching the posted videos about the great successes and amazing achievements that you have made regarding using stem-cells-therapy to treat different patients. Am so hopeful that you have a few minutes to read those lines about my situation to see  (if)  have the chance to be treated with the stem cells therapy.   Am a polio diagnosed patient and am 37 years old….

This disease affected my legs and left arm. There is severe muscles atrophy within my legs. But I can feel them, move them to any direction, except the right leg (I just cannot extend upward, I mean I cannot stand on it) while the left leg I can stand on it but for like one minute or less. As for the left arm it is good but affected slightly with polio virus.

I didn’t do any surgical treatment before, just a few sessions of physical therapy when I came here to the USA two years ago, only for a few weeks, and that’s it. For now, I don’t take any medication for any reason.

Therefore, am so excited and happy. The question is, do I have any chance or hope for treatment with the stem cells therapy

Thanks a lot

Brisbane, Australia

Comments: Hello……I have Systemic Scleroderma and would like to have the opportunity to speak to you about your ASSIST program. I am 46 mother of 2 living in Australia but have a brother in Atlanta who could help me get to Chicago. I am currently on cellcept and have SS for 4 years.

Columbus, OH

Comments: I am a 21 year old, T-10 paraplegic from Columbus, Ohio. I was in a car accident 3 years ago, and still am having trouble dealing with my injury. I am looking to become a test subject for ANY stem cell research or anything else that may lead to me walking again. Thanks for your help,

Haryana, India

Comments: Hi,…I have a spinal cord injusry on 9th July 2011. I had paralysis from neck down portion. I have regained the sences upto waist line and have urine control. i am looking for stem cell treatment. please guide us which stem cell therapy i have to go for(bone marrow, adult stem cell). I am livingin india so please tell me right place for this treatment.

Delton, MI

Comments: Hello,  I watched the video on Barry Goudy. I was diagnosed with MS in December of 2012 and I’ve had 5 relapses in about 5 months. This looks very encouraging to me and I would like to know more about how I might be able to try this therapy.

Also, how long does treatment last? Is it just once or is there maintenance? What is the success rate? Is it safe to do while trying to get pregnant or while breastfeeding? How long does it take to see results? Where are you located? What is the cost for this treatment?

Sorry for all the questions!:) Thank you so much for your help and hope.

Comments: hello my name is Spencer im a T-5 para complete injury @ 38 yr old father of five.About 11 months ago i fell at work .I built overpasses and bridges for 17 years.one nite landing beams i was not tied off and fell about 23 ft onto the freeway. im working hard in rehab.im interested in stem cell and would like to be a patient

Brooklyn, NY    

Comments: My brother Tony suffered a Pulmonary Embolism at age 47.  Before his illness, he was 100% healthy.  Tony was left in a vegetative state of consciousness.  He is awake, aware but unresponsive except for grimaces and sounds to communicate.  Tony does upper and lower body movement and eats through a feeding tube.  All things considered, physically, he is doing very well.  I believe that stem cell treatment can help Tony.  I would like to know whether there are any treatment options available to him.  I am seeking doctors who are risks takers and who would be willing to give Tony a

Guest Blogger Laura Dominguez: Life After a Spinal Cord Injury

Adult stem cell transplant recipient Laura Dominguez is grateful for the research that gave her a new chance at life.

In July of 2001, I was involved in a high impact car crash that left me as a C6 quadriplegic. Since the day of my injury, doctors have told my parents and I that I would never walk again. We have refused to believe or accept this devastating diagnosis. It saddens me to think that most doctors do not give their patients hope. I also know from personal experience that an injury such as mine can be quite a financial hardship on any family.

Since the beginning of my injury, it has been a dream of mine to own a non-profit facility that goes above and beyond to inspire, offer hope, support and belief in recovery at an incredibly low cost to individuals. On January 10th of 2012, Nito Blochlinger, a certified Neuro Recovery Specialist, and I opened Beyond the Chair.

Beyond the Chair is a neurological recovery gym that exists to provide intensive exercise programs to individuals living with spinal cord injuries and other neurological disabilities. Our facility officially became non profit in October of 2012. We planned our first fundraiser within 5 weeks and were overwhelmed and sincerely humbled by the response and support we received from our families, friends and especially the community.

Adult Stem Cell Recipient Laura Dominguez in a 5K ‘Walk and Roll’

On November 24th, 2012, Beyond the Chair hosted our first annual Run, Walk, Roll-a-thon 5K. We raised over $15,000 and are using the money to provide training to 4 clients who suffer from paralysis at our gym. These clients are hard workers and are dedicated to achieving one goal: walking again. Our staff at Beyond the Chair believes in recovery, we believe limits do not exist. With this mindset we have one mission in mind: to help everyone reach their goals. We believe in and match the hard work and dedication of our clients. In the Beyond the Chair philosophy, everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and are determined and dedicated to the hard work it will take.

Emails & Messages from You

Every week, StemCellResearchFacts gets dozens of emails from our viewers. Sometimes you’re asking for information, sometimes hope, sometimes just a sympathetic ear. Here are some resent messages we’ve received:

Email from Steve: I am contacting you on behalf of my mother, Clara who was
diagnosed with scleroderma, PAH, and ideopathic scarring of the lungs.
I have found information from various sources that stem cell therapy can
help with all of these conditions. I am impressed with what it seems you
have done for others, and would like to learn more to see what you can do
to help her.

Response from StemCellResearchFacts.org

Greetings Steve.
First of all, we are very sorry to learn of your mother’s condition with scleroderma, PAH, and ideopathic scarring of the lungs. This must be very difficult for her and those around her, like yourself.
You should know that our site is an information resource for those seeking treatments with adult stem cells.  We are not connected to any physician or research clinic, but we can help point you in the right direction.
Just so we are clear, when you say PAH, you are speaking of Pulmonary arterial hypertension, correct?  We conducted a search on your behalf at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov and have pasted in the first page of results below.
In regards to scleroderma, we would recommend that you contact Dr. Richard Burt at Northwestern University Hospital.  There is a short film about Dr. Burt on our web site (under patient videos), and you can learn more about his work at: http://www.stemcell-immunotherapy.com
When we conducted a search about adult stem cells and ideopathic scarring of the lungs, there were no results. We hope this information is helpful to you—at least to point you in a few directions for more exploration.

Thank you again for joining us.
The Stem Cell Research Facts Team
————–

Email from Robert Wright – Hanover Township, Pennsylvania
Comments: I had a spinal cord injury with a C7 disc compression of 75% of my spinal cord.  Although originally a quadapalegic, with intense therapy and sheer power of will I have managed to gain a lot of mobility although I am still in a wheelchair.  Currently I am an incomplete parapalegic C7 with extreme weekness and numbness from lower torso down.  I also have foot drop on my left side from a previous injury 22 yrs ago.  I am convinced that stem cell therapy will help me walk again.  I am 44 yrs young and have many more before me.  ( )Without my health life is always limited.  Please help me to walk again.

RESPONSE from StemCellResearchFacts.org

Hello Robert and thank you for your note. We are very sorry to learn of your spinal cord injury and the life of suffering that you endure. One of the reasons we maintain this website is to try and offer information and perhaps hope to people like yourself. That is what we will try to do here.
First of all, you may have seen the short film we produced about Laura Dominguez. She had been a patient of Dr. Carlos Lima of Portugal and has made good progress as a result of adult stem cell therapy. Laura lives in San Antonio, Texas (a long ways from Pennsylvania), and is running a gym called Beyond the Chair http://www.beyondthechair.org .  You may want to check out what she’s doing there, just FYI.
As we mentioned, the best & most successful work so far on spinal cord injury (SCI) with patients has been done by Dr. Carlos Lima in Portugal, using adult stem cells. Unfortunately Dr. Lima died suddenly earlier this year—but his staff has pledged to continue his work. His contact information:

Dr. Carlos Lima
Lisbon, Portugal
crlima@clix.pt   or  limacarlos@clix.pt
phone: 351.21.3650001
fax: 351.21.3650198
HAS TREATED APPROX 90 PATIENTS SO FAR, ALL SHOWED IMPROVEMENT USING PATIENT’S NASAL ADULT STEM CELL TISSUE

In the United States…

Dr. Jean Peduzzi-Nelson
Wayne State University School of Medicine Detroit, MI  48201
Office:  313 577-8995   Dept. FAX: 313 577-3125
email: jpeduzzi@med.wayne.edu
WORKING WITH CARLOS LIMA (above), HOPES TO START CLINICAL TRIALS IN U.S.

News story: http://www.media.wayne.edu/2009/10/16/study-shows-adult-stem-cell-grafts-increased

Publication: http://nnr.sagepub.com/content/24/1/10

Publication: http://physicians.ascipro.org/pdf/olfactory.pdf

—————-

A group now starting a clinical trial in U.S. also using adult stem cells; they are based in Louisiana

TCA Cellular Therapy
Cindy Casanova, 504-723-1160
or
Jacquie Bonano, 504-512-0147
media@tcacellulartherapy.com

OR
INTEREST IN CLINICAL TRIALS
Chuck Naparalla, RN, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
(985) 867-4860
e-mail: cnapa@tcacellulartherapy.co

see this story
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100804006365/en/Paralyzed-Iraqi-War-Veteran-Receive-Adult-Stem

—————-

THIS AUSTRALIAN GROUP WORKING ON SPINAL CORD, VERY EARLY RESULTS

Dr. Peter Silburn
Brisbane, Australia
pa@silburn.com.au

Professor Alan Mackay-Sim
Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
phone: +61 7 3735 4233
fax:      +61 7 3735 4255
A.Mackay-Sim@griffith.edu.au
PUBLISHED 3-YEAR STUDY ON TREATING SCI PATIENTS, SHOWING BENEFIT OF NASAL ADULT STEM CELLS

We hope this information is helpful to you—at least to point you in a few directions for more exploration.

Thank you again for joining us.
The Stem Cell Research Facts Team

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Email from Carmel, Indiana:
I have a father in law who has been diagnosed with type II diabetes. He is interested in finding more about the following;
1. cost of treatment
2. time period and frequency of treatment
3. any side effects
4. success rate of stem cell therapy for type II diabetes

Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you.

RESPONSE: Greetings from StemCellResearchFacts

We are sorry to learn of your father-in-law’s struggle with Type 2 Diabetes.  This must be difficult for him.  Thank you for your inquiry about the possibility of adult stem cells helping to treat him.
At the web site http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, we conducted a search on your behalf and a few results came back—they are listed at the bottom of this page.(deleted for space)  We would encourage you to make use of this site and conduct your own search as trials change constantly.
We hope this information is helpful to you—at least to point you in a few directions for more exploration.

Thank you again for joining us.
The Stem Cell Research Facts Team

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Adult Stem Cell Transplant Recipient Laura Dominguez Launches 5K

Adult Stem Cell Recipient Laura Dominguez organized a 5K ‘Walk and Roll’ to promote her non-profit organization: Beyond the Chair.

Congratulations to Laura Dominguez and Beyond the Chair, the non-profit she created to encourage spinal cord injury patients like herself. Laura received a life changing adult stem cell transplant after a car accident left her unable to walk. Laura was featured in a short film on stemcellresearchfacts.org and her story quickly went viral.

Beyond the Chair’s 5K race, called a Walk and Roll, was the subject of a KSAT-TV news report. Click on the link below to see the story:

http://www.ksat.com/news/-Walk-and-Roll-5K-benefits-inspires-people-with-spinal-injuries/-/478452/17538378/-/alt5ouz/-/index.html

Stem Cell Recipient Barry Brown Gives Back

Barry Brown is using his new lease on life to give back and help others fulfill their dreams. At 38 years old, he had a heart attack, triple bypass surgery and his own stem cells injected into his heart to help him recover. And his recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. Three years after the adult stem cell transplant, he ran a half marathon. Now he trains young men from inner city Miami to help them realize some of their dreams.

Telly Awards Recognize Story of Adult Stem Cell Transplant Recipient

A story about the miraculous recovery of little Chloe Levine has been recognized in the 33rd annual Telly Awards. DHTV Digital was awarded the Telly for its short film about Chloe Levine, a little girl who suffered a stroke in utero which led to cerebral palsy.  Chloe received an adult stem cell transplant and her recovery has surprised even doctors.

The Telly is given to television networks, local TV stations and film and video production companies for outstanding storytelling. Learn more at http://www.tellyawards.com or by reading the news release below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mark Honer/913-262-7800

DHTV Digital SELECTED  A WINNER IN THE 33^rd ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

Shawnee, KS – June 19, 2012 – The Telly Awards has named  DHTV Digital as a Bronze winner in the 33^rd Annual Telly Awards for their piece titled Adult Stem Cell Research Success Story: Chloe Levine.   With nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, this is truly an honor.

The short film was produced for broadcast on the web channel: ‘StemCellResearchFacts.org’ and tells the story of little Chloe Levine.  Born with cerebral palsy caused by a stroke suffered before she was born, Chloe received an infusion of adult stem cells taken from her own cord blood. The result was nothing short of a miracle.

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films.  Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

For its 33^rd season, The Telly Awards once again joined forces with YouTube to give the public the power to view and rate videos submitted as part of the People’s Telly Awards.  In addition to recognition from the Silver Telly Council, the judging panel that selects the Telly Awards winners, the Internet community helps decide the People’s Telly Awards winners.

A prestigious judging panel of over 500 accomplished industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly and a member of The Silver Telly Council, judged the competition, upholding the historical standard of excellence that Telly represents.  The Silver Council evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work – entries do not compete against each other – rather entries are judged against a high standard of merit.  Less than 10% of entries are chosen as Winners of the Silver Telly, our highest honor.  Approximately 25% of entries are chosen as Winners of the Bronze Telly.

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards.  “DHTV Digital’s accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

“We’re grateful and excited about winning this Telly Award, said Mark Honer, Executive Producer of DHTV Digital. To travel the country telling stories of the miraculous results of adult stem cell research is very humbling.  Anything that brings attention to the efforts of doctors and researchers in the field of adult stem cells, is extremely satisfying.”

To find out more about the Telly Awards visit our website at http://www.tellyawards.com.

Please contact Mark Honer, DHTV Digital for inquiries: markh@dhtvproductions.com or call 913-262-7800.

-END-

Stem Cell Transplant Used to Grow Blood Vessel for Child’s Heart

Click image to play video

Autologous Bone Marrow-derived Mononuclear Cell Transplants Can Reduce Diabetic Amputations

Reprinted from: Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Tampa, Fla. (April. 18, 2012) – Autologous (self-donated) mononuclear cells derived from bone marrow (BMMNCs) have been found to significantly induce vascular growth when transplanted into patients with diabetes who are suffering from critical limb ischemia caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD), a complication of diabetes. The team of researchers in Seville, Spain who carried out the study published their results in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (20:10), now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/.

“Critical limb ischemia in diabetic patients is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality; however, neovascularization induced by stem cell therapy could be a useful approach for these patients,” said study corresponding author Dr. Bernat Soria of the Andaluz Center for Biologic and Molecular Regenerative Medicine in Seville, Spain. “In this study we evaluated the safety and efficacy of inter-arterial administration of autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells with 20 diabetic patents with severe below-the-knee arterial ischemia.”

The researchers noted that surgical or endovascular revascularization options for patients such as those in the study are limited because of poor arterial outflow. Although optimum dose, source and route of administration were outstanding questions, proper BMMNC dose for best results was an issue that the researchers hoped to clarify. They subsequently used a dose ten times smaller than other researchers had used previously in similar studies.

According to the authors, the rationale for their study was that intra-arterial infusions of autologous BMMNCs contain endothelial progenitors that are locally profuse at severely diseased vascular beds in the lower limb. Their hope was that the BMMNCs could promote early and effective development of new vascularization.

Patients were evaluated at three months and twelve months post-transplantation.

“As previously reported, the one-year mortality rate for diabetic patients with PAD – most of which are associated with cardiac complications – has been found to be 20 percent,” explained Dr. Soria. “Our study documented significant increases in neovasculogenesis for the majority of our study patients and a decrease in the number of amputations. However, overall PAD mortality for our patients was similar to that generally experienced.”

The researchers concluded that BMMNC therapy for lower limb ischemia was a “safe procedure that generates a significant increase in the vascular network in ischemic areas” and promotes “remarkable clinical improvement.”

“While this study did not demonstrate a significant effect on mortality, it does suggest an improvement in the quality of life based on limb retention as shown by the significant reduction in the number of amputations”, said Amit N. Patel, director of cardiovascular regenerative medicine at the University of Utah and section editor for Cell Transplantation.

Citation: Ruiz-Salmeron, R.; de la Cuesta-Diaz, A.; Constantino-Bermejo, M.; Pérez-Camacho, I.; Marcos-Sánchez, F.; Hmadcha, A.; Soria, B. Angiographic demonstration of neoangiogenesis after intra-arterial infusion of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells in diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia.Cell Transplant. 20(10):1629-1639; 2011.

The editorial offices for Cell Transplantation are at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, College of Medicine, the University of South Florida and the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Contact, David Eve, PhD. at celltransplantation@gmail.com or Camillo Ricordi, MD at ricordi@miami.edu

News release by Florida Science Communications www.sciencescribe.net

Your Emails & Stories

Every week, thousands of you visit our blog, facebook page and website at stemcellresearchfacts.org, looking for hope. Often times, you’re desperately seeking an answer to a medical condition. Sometimes, you just want to share a story or experience.

We are touched and inspired by all the emails we receive and we try to respond to each one. Here’s a sample of some of the emails we’ve received over the past few weeks:

Name: Isabelle – Honolulu|Hawaii
Comments: I live in Honolulu, Hawaii and was diagnosed in 2004 with scleroderma, by a clinic in Idaho, since I couldn’t find out what was wrong with me. I had an internist, a rheumotologist, a pulmonologist, a skin specialist, a rare disease specialist, but had to go out of state to get a diagnosis. Since then, I’ve been very frustrated and just stopped going to see the doctors, even though my lungs have gotten much worse. After praying very hard about it, I started to do some research on the internet and I came across your website. I’m almost afraid you will say nothing can be done. I hope I can get some info. I am otherwise very healthy and before I got the scleroderma, I never got sick. Please help.

Name: Judy – Waynesville|NC
Comments: I am a 51 year old female with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has crippled my hands and is working on my feet. I have two teenagers at home, ages 18 and 14. I am divorced and receive little help from their father. My daughter is graduating in June and is going to be working part-time as she needs further education to get a self sufficient job.  I work everyday that I can in order to maintain a home for us. Some days are unbearable with the pain that I suffer. I was wondering if their are any clinical trials close to my location that may be interested in using me in their trial? I would like to thank you in advance for any assistance or information that you may give me.

Name: Valerie – Huron Township|MI
Comments: Hello, I have Multiple Sclerosis and am very interested in the Adult Stem Cell treatment.  I have Relapsing Remitting MS and have had it since 1997.  I walk with a limp due to Drop Foot on the left side, and I take multiple medications.

Can you please provide me with some information (i.e., cost, where this can be done, how to get started, etc)?

Thank you!
Name: Jaclyn – phoenix|az
Comments: hi, i suffered a stroke after the birth of my daughter a year ago. my leftside is still dead. i continue to hear theres nothing i can do.most likely ill never have both arms again or be able to walk or run normal again. im 35 and want to try anything possible before i just except that.how can i get envolved with any studys or trails or just getting stemcell therapy? i dont know if insurance covers this if not how much would it cost to try?  please let me know

Dear SCRF,
I can’t tell you how much admiration I have for your dedication in the work
you are doing.  Some are motivated by fame and some for wealth.  I assume
your dedication is primarily to make a contribution to knowledge.
Thanks again for your genius and dedication.

Anonymous

Name: Anonymous – Rockford|Michigan
Comments: Hello,
I just learned about your organization today from a friend, who’s brother is going through treatment.  I was mainly just interested in new treatments and wondering what was going on with him.
When I learned that his condition was CIDP, I was intrigued.  I was originally diagnosed with ALS, back in 2005, which was changed to PLS a year later, and this past summer, was re-diagnosed with MS (another demyelinating disease)
I am anxiously waiting to hear the results of my friend’s brother’s treatment.  I have been through so many expensive treatment options over the past 7 years, I am very skeptical of anything else at this point.  But reading through your information here, I am intrigued and figured I would reach out and connect.

Name: Gladys / Mottingham|London|England
Comments: I would like to know if stem cell treatment would cure my son who is 17 years old ,   was born prematurely at 27 weeks, became brain damaged as a result and now has celebral palsy, autism and displesia. He has speech and language difficulties, poor social skills and is not independent.