Peru Trip for Stem Cells

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Stem Cell Trials with Stem Cell Biotherapy. For more info about Stem Cell Biotherapy, click the link below.

Stem Cells & Recovery

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Many of you know that recovery from a spinal cord injury (SCI) is said to be "impossible." Well, is it really? The majority of the medical field will tell you, "yes" it is impossible, but from my experience and from the people I have met over the past 4 years, "NO" recovery is not impossible. It is a fight though and only the ones who are willing to fight will overcome the battle. The is no failure, unless you give up. I have chosen to keep fighting. I went to Lima, Peru to participate in stem cell trials. I received 100 million neuron stem cells taken from umbilical cord tissue AFTER birth, so it does not involve the controversial issue of killing a fetus. When people hear about stem cells, they automatically think of embryonic & fetal stem cells, but very few people know that stem cells can be found in other places, such as in bone marrow and umbilical cords.

Traditionally, patients with spinal cord injuries have had few treatment options to regain movement and felling. Advances in the field of regenerative medicine offer hope of improved quality of life and independence to patients with complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries. Stem cell therapy introduces new cells into the body which target specific areas and replace damaged cells.

At Stem Cell Biotherapy we have set up a specialized protocol to treat patients with spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders such as ALS, Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's. We offer a unique treatment combining injections through a sterile spinal catheter that implants the cells directly into the spinal column, and throughout the areas of disease and the spinal cord. This procedure is combined with an physical therapy and post treatment supplement enhancers to promote stem cell proliferation.

Our team of board certified surgeons follow a strict patient specific protocol in administration of stem cells as well as post treatment physical therapy. This treatment is currently performed by our highly skilled team at our global network of treatment centers.

10 reasons I chose this company...

1. FACILITIES: Cells are developed at our own laboratory facility under strict quality standards. Also, we utilize our global network of facilities for patient evaluations, treatments and follow up procedures.

2. ETHICALLY SENSITIVE: We only use stem cells that are derived exclusively from human umbilical cords of full term births under informed consent donations and are therefore not subject to ethical issues.

3. SAFETY: We use stem cells that are certified infectious disease free in accordance with the American Association of Blood Bank safety standards. Cells are tested for HIV1, HIV2, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, and CMV.

4. TESTING: We use cells that have been third party tested for cell type, count, viability, purity, clonogenic capacity, differentiation capacity, and safety.

5. STANDARDIZATION: We use lines that are manufactured using Great Laboratory Practices (GLP) by a team of specialized researchers. All vials are stored under vapor phase liquid nitrogen conditions which ensure extended uncompromised viability. All vials are transported on dry ice using time sensitive medical transports.

6. TARGETING AREAS OF NEED: We have developed proprietary “condition specific administration” protocols, tailored to each patient, to maximize the targeting of cells to areas of need. These protocols maximize the potential benefits of the therapy without the risks associated with invasive surgical techniques.

7. PATIENT SPECIFIC PROTOCOL: Treatment protocols are specifically designed for each patient. Factors such as medical history, degree of disease progression and the condition of the patient are taken into account and a specific protocol encompassing all aspects of the treatment including number of cells, type of cells, method of delivery and after care are treatment are carefully designed for each patient.

8. TOTAL DE-TOX: Stem Cell Biotherapy offers “Total De-Tox” program to all patients prior to treatment.

9. PROVEN: We have performed the procedure in over 200 cases. We have also collaborated with suppliers that have performed the procedures over three thousand times in 52 different illnesses spanning 3 years with no reported negative side effects.

10. FOLLOW UP PROGRAM: The treatment is then followed by a series of treatments that are designed to monitor and to enhance the effects of the stem cell therapy.

How the process works?

There have been many efforts to recover neuronal function after spinal cord injuries. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of pluripotent cells that in culture can be programmed into many tissue organ cell lines including neural. The cells can differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. The oligodendrocytes derived from human cord blood secrete neurotrophic hormones such as neurotrophin-3 and brain derived neurotrophic factor. The cord stem cells aid in the synthesis of myelin basic protein and the proteolipid found in myelin in injured areas.

Neural stem cells brain derived from umbilical cord blood and brain derived neurotrophic factor can be given intravenously or into the spinal cord area and may induce improvement in individuals with spinal cord injuries. Improvement in neurological function is related probably to axonal regeneration. Neural stem cells transplanted have been shown to cause extensive growth of corticospinal axons and locomotor recovery.

Cord blood derived stem cells migrate to and participate in motor function improvement and healing of spinal cord injuries. Human cord blood stem cells can survive, differentiate and improve functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Telomerase driven human progenitor cells are a new source of treatment for injured spinal cords.

Taken from www.stemcellbiotherapy.com. There is a very interesting video about Stem Cell Biotherapy and what they do on their website, so if interested check it out.

Why did I choose to get umbilical cord stem cell injections? They are the next best in potency after embryonic stem cells without the issues of hurting a fetus.

What is cord blood?

Cord blood, which is also called "placental blood," is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth and after the cord is cut. Cord blood is routinely discarded with the placenta and umbilical cord. Your baby's umbilical cord blood is a valuable source of stem cells, which are genetically unique to your baby and family.

What are stem cells and how are they used?

Stem cells are the body's "master" cells because they create all other tissues, organs, and systems in the body. The stem cells found in cord blood are the building blocks of your blood and immune system and most readily replicate into:
Red Blood Cells - which carry oxygen to all the cells in the body,
White Blood Cells - which fight infection, and
Platelets - which aid in clotting in the event of injury.

There are three sources where stem cells are commonly found, they are:
* Bone Marrow,
* Peripheral Blood (the blood that circulates through your body), and
* Umbilical Cord Blood.

The ability of cord blood stem cells to differentiate, or change into other types of cells in the body is a new discovery that holds significant promise for improving the treatment of some of the most common diseases such as heart
disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's.Currently, stem cells are primarily used in transplant medicine to regenerate a
patient's blood and immune system after they have been treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation to destro y cancer cells.

At the same time the chemotherapy and radiation destroys the cancer cells in a patient, they also destroy stem cells. Therefore, an infusion of stem cells or a stem cell transplant is performed after the chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment. The stem cells then migrate to the patient's bone marrow where they multiply and regenerate all of the cells to create a new blood and immune system
for the patient.

The promise of using stem cells for medical treatments has been the focus of research projects that are showing encouraging results.

* Cord blood stem cells have been "triggered" to differentiate into neural cells, which could lead to treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

* They have also proven their ability to turn into blood vessel cells, which could some day benefit treatments for heart disease, allowing patients to essentially "grow their own bypass."

What types of diseases are treated with stem cell transplantation?

Some of the research currently being conducted using stem cells for treatment in cellular repair and regeneration are listed under Potential Future Stem Cell Applications.

Are cord blood stem cells different than other types of stem cells?

Yes. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are the "youngest," safely available stem cells and they are the product of another miracle - a live birth. Freezing these cells essentially stops the clock and prevents aging and damage that may occur to the cells later in life. Another source of stem cells, embryonic stem cells, has been at the heart o f heated debate. Currently, embryonic stem cells are not
being used to treat humans. A third category of stem cells is adult stem cells,such as those found in bone marrow. Adult stem cells serve very specialized roles in children and adults and are not as proliferative as those found in cord blood.

Why are doctors turning to cord blood instead of bone marrow?

Easier to match -- higher survival
Bone marrow is difficult to match between the donor and recipient because a "perfect match" is usually required. Cord blood immune cells, however, are less mature than in bone marrow and can be successfully used even when there is only a half-match. This means there is more opportunity for transplants between family members when cord blood is stored. Some studies have shown that overall survival rates for related transplants are more than double that of transplants from unrelated donors.

Immediate availability
Banking cord blood ensures that these stem cells can be immediately available if they are needed for treatment. Early treatment of many illnesses can minimize disease progression. According to researchers at Duke University, cord blood transplants could provide possible survival that is unlikely with the more time consuming process of unrelated marrow donation.

Less GVHD

Overall, patients who receive cord blood transplants from a relative experience significantly less Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD), a transplant rejection that is the leading cause of death in stem cell transplant patients. According to one study, the three-year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 6% for matched siblings who received cord blood transplants versus 15% for matched siblings who
received bone marrow transplants.

What is proposed in terms of cord blood transplants in the future?
To date, umbilical cord blood has b een used in more than 8,000 transplants for children and adults. In many cases, the cord blood was used by the baby's sibling. Other transplants have occurred for the newborn himself, the newborn's mother, father, and the newborn's cousin.

In the past two years alone, research has demonstrated that cord blood stem cells can differentiate into other types of cells in the body. The regenerative qualities of stem cells have been brought to the forefront in the field of cellular repair. Stem cells have been labeled an important biological resource and researchers are conducting more and more studies to unlock the potential of umbilical cord blood stem cells in future applications for diseases like
Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart and liver disease, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke.

What is graft vs. host disease (GVHD)?

GVHD is one of the most common and life threatening side effects of a stem cell/bone marrow transplant. GVHD occurs when the transplanted stem cells recognize the recipient's body as foreign, and "reject" it. Cord blood transplants have had a noticeable lack of GVHD because the stem cells from the donor do not need to match the recipient as closely as with bone marrow.

What is HLA matching?

Matching refers to six proteins called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) that appear on the surface of white blood cells and other tissues in the body. These six HLA points, or loci, determine tissue compatibility between a patient and a donor. Although a perfect match would be best, studies have shown that cord blood transplants are successful, even when only three of the six loci match.
With cord blood, the immune cells are less mature than those in bone marrow, and therefore siblings are twice as likely to be able touse each other's cord blood, compared to bone marrow.