ADULT STEM CELL SUCCESS STORIES- 2008 UPDATE: JULY-DECEMBER

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ADULT STEM CELL SUCCESS STORIES - 2008 UPDATE: JULY-DECEMBER

 

by Prentice, PhD, L. Saunders, JD, Jan Ledochowski, and Lukas

Lucenic

 

Research using adult stem cells continues to yield successful treatments for

many human diseases and injuries.  In this update we highlight some of those

treatment successes from the last six months.  This update follows on our

previous releases of adult stem cell success stories from the first half of

2008, as well as from 2007 and 2006,[1] and our pamphlet with stories and

pictures of patients successfully treated with adult stem cells.[2]

 

Autoimmune diseases

First Bari Martz's fingers turned blue. Then she started gasping for breath and

her joints stiffened so that she could not open her hands. Doctors diagnosed

scleroderma, part of a family of diseases which attack the immune system of a

patient's own body.  They treated it by using stem cells from her blood.

Doctors here and in Europe are aiming to reset the immune systems of patients

with severe scleroderma.  If they are successful, it will cast new light on

numerous autoimmune diseases, from lupus to multiple sclerosis. Autoimmune

diseases are among medicine's most frustrating mysteries. Arguably most

mysterious is scleroderma, where the immune system somehow mistakenly attacks

connective tissues that support the skin and internal organs.  The disease

thickens skin, stiffens joints, and destroys blood vessels, sometimes leading to

death through kidney and lung failure.

The theory is that someone genetically predisposed to certain autoimmune

diseases stays healthy until something in the environment triggers misfiring

immunity.  Stem cells, however, should not be diseased, explains Dr.

Sullivan of Duke University , who is leading the largest study to date of the

transplants, called the SCOT trial.[3]

" There was not a choice, " Martz, now 49, of Parkland , Florida , says of

volunteering for the SCOT trial. She was losing about 10 percent of her lung

function a month, and feared she had less than a year left to live when she

underwent her January 2007 transplant. " If I died from it, well, at least I went

out fighting. " For now, " I'm great, " she says. Her lung function jumped and is

still improving; she can flex her hands again and can even climb stairs, if

slowly: " I'm continuing to get better. " [4]

 

Brain Injury

New nerve cells, produced naturally by adult neural stem cells present in the

brain, appear to be essential for learning and memory. The old idea that brain

cells are not renewed was debunked in the 1990's, when researchers showed that

the adult brain continues to make new neurons, a process termed " neurogenesis, "

throughout life. Now, researchers at Kyoto University in Japan have shown in

mice that new brain cells are necessary for learning and for memory. The new

research, published in Nature Neuroscience, indicates that neural stem cells in

the adult brain continue to produce new brain cells that are important for

memory and learning.

The new study supports work published earlier this year showing that new brain

cells can affect learning and memory. Last year, research showed that

transplanting adult neural stem cells into brain-injured mice could restore some

memory.  In March 2008, another study showed that injecting human umbilical cord

blood stem cells into the brains of aging animals boosted neurogenesis. Another

recent study also suggested that stimulating specific molecules in the brain

could reactivate adult neural stem cells. Exercise has also been shown to

stimulate neurogenesis in the brain.[5]

An Auckland twin who was brain-damaged at birth has become the first New

Zealander to undergo experimental treatment in the United States using her own

umbilical cord blood. Three months ago, Maia Friedlander, 4, was locked in her

own world. Despite six hours of therapy a day for three years, Maia-who was born

six weeks premature-struggled to talk, walk properly, or even chew her food

without choking. Her twin sister, Ariel, achieved all her developmental

milestones about six months early, but Maia did not learn to crawl until she was

three.   Her father, , said: " Our lives revolved around her therapy regime

but we could not see much improvement. "

The breakthrough came in February, when they met American mother Schneider,

whose son, , was the first to undergo cord blood transfusion for his brain

injury at Duke University , North Carolina . Five years later, he is

developmentally normal. More than 50 other children with brain injuries have

been treated through Duke's reinfusion program. In August, Maia and her mother,

Jillian, traveled to the U.S., where she received a two-hour infusion of her own

cord blood stored by her parents at birth. Within days her concentration and

coordination improved. Maia now goes to kindergarten five days a week. " She's

like a different child-talking, hugging us, playing   . . .   She's had a second

chance at life and we can now have the family life we'd always dreamed of. " [6]

 

Stroke

Doctors have used a revolutionary stem cell treatment to restore the power of

speech for a stroke victim. Walter Bast also regained the use of his right arm

after the operation to place a " teabag " of drug-producing adult stem cells in

his brain. Speaking a week after the operation-the first of its kind in the

world-he said: " I feel like a lucky guy. " If further trials confirm the value of

the treatment, it could be on the market in as little as five years, providing

fresh hope for the 45,000 Britons each year who suffer a hemorrhagic stroke

caused by the bursting of a blood vessel in the brain. Currently, the only

treatment option is surgery, which has a variable success rate. Half will die

within a month and just one in 20 patients will recover to the extent of Mr.

Bast, a 49-year-old mechanic. British experts described the operation as " very

promising. "

The CellBeads treatment is the brainchild of scientists at the British medical

technology firm Biocompatibles International, based in Farnham, Surrey , U.K. At

its center is a teabag-like sachet filled with tiny capsules, each containing

approximately a million stem cells. The stem cells, taken from bone marrow, have

been genetically engineered to produce a drug that protects brain cells from

dying. This allows the cells to rejuvenate and repair the damage done by the

stroke. The stem cells are encapsulated in beads to hide them from the immune

system and ensure they are not rejected by the body.[7]

 

Cerebral Palsy

When Chloe Levine was 9-months-old, her parents noticed she could not hold her

bottle with her right hand. That was not her only developmental setback. Chloe,

of Pinetop , Arizona , was unable to raise both hands above her head and could

not crawl. At 12 months, a CAT scan showed a portion of the left side of Chloe's

brain had not developed and contained fluid. Chloe's parents, and

Levine, took her to a neurologist who diagnosed the toddler with right-side

hemiplegic cerebral palsy. " The cerebral palsy had only affected the right side

of her body, " Levine said. " The neurologist told us we were looking at

17-18 years of therapy. " That was when the Levines heard about an experimental

procedure at Duke University in North Carolina , where children with cerebral

palsy were infused with their own cord blood stem cells in an effort to heal and

repair damaged brain tissue.

The Levines remembered they had banked Chole's cord blood when she was born. " It

was a miracle, " Dr. Manny Alvarez said on FOX & Friends. " I congratulate you for

banking her cord blood. Stem cells are a new field of medicine and they

certainly can rejuvenate the tissue. " Two months ago, Chloe, 2, received an

infusion of her own stem cells and her progress is remarkable, said her father,

. " Her therapist said she's made a 50 percent recovery, " he said. " She can

walk, run, and do sign language with her right hand. " [8]

 

Spinal Cord Injury

The Australian team at the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research,

Griffith University , continues to produce exciting results. The latest report

published in the journal Brain gives the results of a 3-year clinical trial,

using olfactory ensheathing cells (specialized adult cells that surround nerves)

from the patients' own noses, transplanted into the damaged spinal cord. The

initial one year follow-up has shown no adverse effects from the transplant. 

This was a highly controlled trial, with matched control and transplant

patients, followed for 3 years. Patients were chosen who might be considered

" chronic " -at least 2 years after their spinal cord injury-to control for any

spontaneous recovery. The trial was designed to show the safety of the

transplant. The transplant was safe by all measures, and one transplanted

patient showed improvement over 3 segments in light touch and pin-prick

sensitivity.  The cells were shown to be quite safe, to take well in the

patients, and to safely improve function.[9]

 

Cancer

Fister nearly died four years ago-but a cord blood transplant saved her

life.  It all started when the Medina woman fell at work and developed a bruise

that would not heal. She went to have it checked out and discovered she had

leukemia. She had two bone marrow transplants, but both failed.  Her doctor

suggested trying something different-an adult stem cell transplant from

umbilical cord blood. In the weeks after the cord blood transplant, she became

stronger and her body did not reject the new cells.  She has not been back in

the hospital since November of 2004.

has noticed that her new immune system has had other benefits as well.

When she fell off a table and tore a ligament in her knee, her doctor was

shocked by how quickly she recovered.  And she reports her skin heals faster

too. Laughlin, her transplant physician at University Hospitals Ireland

Cancer Center , says it is not surprising the stem cells have affected more than

her leukemia. These cells not only cure the leukemia or life-threatening blood

disorder, they also participate in the repair of all the organs in the body.[10]

At Kansas State University researchers are working on a method of delivering

cancer drugs that promises to be more efficient and reduce side effects.

Researchers are studying how stem cells can be used to deliver anti-cancer drugs

directly to breast cancer cells via nanoparticles. The researchers are using

adult stem cells isolated from Wharton's jelly, the substance that cushions

blood vessels in the umbilical cord. These types of stem cells can be harvested

non-invasively and therefore are not controversial. " Billions and billions of

these cells are disposed of every day, " Professor Deryl Troyer said, " We think

these cells have a lot of advantages, including their ability to be harvested in

large numbers very rapidly. "   The stem cells tend to travel to tumors and other

pathological lesions. The researchers are using these adult stem cells as

delivery systems by loading the cells with nanoparticles that contain

anti-cancer drugs.[11]

Researchers have discovered adult stem cells in the prostates of mice, and have

grown complete prostates from a single prostate adult stem cell. The team at

California-based Genentech Inc. said human beings have similar stem cells in

their prostates, although so far they have not grown human prostate glands from

the cells. Other researchers said that the research might lead to better ways to

fight prostate cancer and the common enlargement of the prostate that comes with

age. " A total of 14 prostates were generated from 97 single cell transplants, "

the Genentech team wrote in their report, published in the journal Nature. " This

is, to our knowledge, the first report to demonstrate prostate generation from a

single adult stem cell. " [12]

Bill Dubois of Phoenix is an Army veteran: his sister, Sidney Wallace, is a

former Marine.  So it was appropriate that around Veteran's Day of 2008, Dubois

had been cancer-free for a little more than a year thanks to the adult stem

cells his sister donated.  Dubois had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

five years earlier.  Chemotherapy had suppressed the lymphoma for several years,

but it returned.  In the meantime, advances in treatment had shown that an adult

stem cell transplant could give him a better chance of recovery.  His sister was

a perfect match for the transplant, and was happy to donate adult stem cells for

her brother.  A year later and free from lymphoma, Dubois says, " It makes you

want to enjoy every day. " [13]

 

Immune Deficiency

Nine-month-old Granton Bayless has a rare condition called severe combined

immunodeficiency that prevents his body from producing enough T cells to fight

off disease. Admitted to Children's Mercy Hospital on March 28, Granton battled

pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus so severe that holes developed in his

fragile lungs. Medical staff placed him on a ventilator because he could not

breathe on his own. They inserted tubes into his chest to suction air leaking

from his lungs. They administered medicine that paralyzed him so equipment would

not hurt him if he moved and so he would not burn energy or oxygen.

Eventually Granton's parents made the critical decision to go ahead with an

umbilical cord-blood transplant in which cells would slowly attack the virus.

Umbilical-cord-blood cells are taken from a baby's umbilical cord and placenta.

Granton continues to improve: a recent blood test on him showed that 86 percent

of his white cells were donor cells. A recent test showed Granton had produced

" natural killer cells, " which play a major role in fighting infections.  Now

Granton plays with everything in his reach.[14]

 

Heart Tissue Regeneration

Nearly five million people in the U.S. suffer from congestive heart failure. 

For some, a heart bypass procedure will work.  But now, growing your own bypass,

with your own adult stem cells, may be a possibility. That is how Lieutenant

Ronnie Smallwood sees it.  Smallwood suffered from congestive heart failure.  He

was treated by putting some of his own adult stem cells into parts of his heart

muscle.  Smallwood is now feeling much better, and ready to go back to fishing

in his off hours.  He was treated by Dr. Emerson Perin of the Texas Heart

Institute, who has treated a number of heart patients with their own adult stem

cells.  " What we are doing with the stem cells is hopefully creating better

blood flow to areas of the heart that do not get good blood flow, " Dr. Perin

says.[15]

 

Adult stem cells collected at birth from the umbilical cord may help doctors

fashion new heart valves for children born with heart valve defects. The

tissue-engineered valves would have the advantage of growing with the child,

said researchers at the University Hospital of Munich. " If we replace a valve in

a child, they will need surgery several times in their lifetime, because they

will grow out of the devices, so the ultimate goal is to have a construct which

is able to grow with the child and only have to do the surgery once, " said study

author, cardiac surgeon Dr. Ralf Sodian.

Presenting at the American Heart Association's (AHA) annual scientific sessions

in New Orleans , Sodian reported that his team took stem cells from umbilical

cord blood, stored them for 12 weeks, and then seeded them onto eight heart

valve scaffolds. " The whole idea of building a scaffold is a unique idea, " said

AHA spokesman Dr. V. Luepker, the Mayo professor of epidemiology and

community health at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis . " We generally

put progenitor cells in the heart and try to get them to grow muscle cells, and

they're sitting in the middle of other cells. But to build a scaffold that looks

like a heart valve then hope and anticipate that the cord blood cells will take

that hint and differentiate, I think is very innovative. " [16]

 

Bone Healing

Adult stem cells have helped to accelerate the healing of severe leg fractures

for five men and four women in Australia . Those involved suffered the worst

type of compound bone fractures in serious road accidents, some of whom still

could not walk 41 months after their accidents. One man, who suffered a compound

fracture and was still using crutches a year later, regained the use of his leg

the day after the procedure and is now fully recovered, pain free and regularly

runs and plays football. Eight of the ten patients experienced full bone

regrowth. The technique was developed by Dr. de Steiger, director of

orthopedic surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, who told the media that his

team hopes it can be applied to hip replacement procedures as well as accidental

injuries.

The technology was developed by the hospital's regenerative medicine company,

Mesoblast. Dr. de Steiger said it is between three and five years away from

being used in hospitals. In the procedure, bone marrow adult stem cells are

harvested from the patient's pelvis in a non-invasive procedure using a needle.

The cells are cultivated in a laboratory until they have divided to create 15

billion cells over six weeks. Surgeons then apply the adult stem cells directly

to the fractures. One patient in the trial, 36 year-old Giancola, was

walking the following day. " All these patients have avoided the need for having

a second operation to get bone from somewhere else in the body. Instead the bone

is grown outside the body in a lab, " Dr. de Steiger said.[17]

 

Liver Cirrhosis

Doctors at Imperial College , London have published results showing improvement

in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis after treatment with their own adult

stem cells. Nine patients had adult stem cells from their blood collected, the

numbers were boosted in the lab, and then the cells were injected into their

livers. Positive results were seen within one week. Seven of the nine patients

showed significant improvement up to 12 weeks (the extent monitored for this

study), with three patients showing almost complete resolution. Dr. Nagy Habib,

the senior author, said " We are encouraged that the majority of patients in this

study experienced a significant improvement in their liver functions. "

These latest results were published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The new results using adult stem cells to treat liver damage are a follow-up to

previous work done by Habib's group and reported in 2006 and 2007. Positive

results using adult stem cells to treat liver damage in patients has also been

reported by another group in Greece and in Japan.[18]

 

Digestive Tract

Wenman was the first child in the world to receive a life-saving

treatment with bone marrow stem cells.  At age five he faced death after an

overactive immune system destroyed his digestive tract.  Now 12, he was fed

intravenously and suffered constant pain until the treatment.  His younger

brother , then four, was offered the same procedure when he showed

similar symptoms.  Both children have since returned to a normal life.  They are

two of ten children who have now received the treatment. 

Two hospitals in the U.K. , Great Ormond Street Hospital and Newcastle General

Hospital, now offer the adult stem cell therapy.  Dr Neil Shah said the

transplant offered a " last chance " for children with this condition, who could

only be fed intravenously.  He said the stem cells in the marrow seemed to mend

the damaged gut and correct the initial imbalance with the immune system.  Dr.

Shah said the transplant could be seen " as a cure rather than a way of

controlling the condition. " [19]

 

Kidney damage

Adult stem cells are being tested by a Utah research team for prevention and

treatment of kidney damage in a Phase I clinical trial. Two patients recently

underwent the treatment; a total of 15 patients will be recruited for this

trial. This first trial includes patients who have had open-heart surgery, which

can sometimes lead to acute kidney damage. The adult stem cells are obtained

from healthy donor bone marrow and processed so that they are not recognized by

the immune system, eliminating the need for tissue transplant matching. The

adult stem cells are then injected into the bloodstream of the patient.

Once in the kidney, the cells release signals that protect kidney tissue from

damage and stimulate repair. The treatment is based on published work in animals

showing that adult stem cells release signals in the kidney that lead to rapid,

direct improvement of the tissue. The adult stem cells do not stay in the

kidney, but instead transiently provide the signaling that leads to a cascade of

protective and repair mechanisms within the organ. This mechanism has been seen

in other successful repair of tissues by adult stem cells.[20]

 

Pulmonary Hypertension

Lucie Moison has had pulmonary hypertension, a progressive lung disease, for 13

years, and until a year ago was on the waiting list for a lung transplant.  Last

year, doctors at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal took some of her adult stem

cells from her blood, modified them to secrete nitric oxide, and re-injected

them into her body.  Yvan Depatis also suffered from the disease and was treated

with his own modified adult stem cells.  Both patients have responded well, with

what the doctors termed " absolutely fabulous " results after the experimental

treatment.  While not yet a cure, the patients have been able to resume many

normal activities without suffering from shortness of breath.[21]

 

Knee Cartilage Injuries

Scientists have grown a " living bandage " from a patient's own adult stem cells

to heal a common sporting knee injury. Every year about 80,000 men and women in

Britain suffer tears to the meniscal cartilage, which acts as a shock absorbing

cushion between the bones of the upper and lower leg. Many are in their twenties

and thirties.  The tears are frequently the result of twisting the leg during

jogging, football, rugby, horse riding or skiing. Many sportsmen opt to have the

tissue removed. Removal of the loose cartilage allows the athletes to recover,

but it leaves bones in the knees exposed and osteoarthritis may develop.

Scientists at Bristol University have now managed to heal cartilage tissue in a

laboratory with stem cells taken from a patient's own bone marrow. They used the

cells to coat a sponge-like scaffold made from collagen (a fibrous protein),

which was then placed inside the tear in the cartilage. The stem cells pulled

the two pieces of

torn cartilage together.

The team, led by Hollander, professor of rheumatology and tissue

engineering, will now test the treatment on their first patients. Hollander

said: " The stem cells knit across the two sides of the lesion and cause

reuniting of the two sides. We hope that in the patient we can reunite the

cartilage in a strong enough way to heal the wound completely. " Webb, a

rugby fullback who played 33 times for England , became a victim of a meniscal

cartilage injury in 1989. Webb, 45, who became an orthopedic surgeon

specializing in sports injuries after retiring from professional rugby, had

cartilage removed but still needs repeated surgery on his knee. He said the stem

cell breakthrough " offers the opportunity to rebuild the meniscal cartilage if

it cannot be repaired. It may be that the professional sportsmen, who have the

most to lose, will drive the technology forward. " [22]

 

Windpipe Reconstruction

Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own adult

stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. The transplant was

given to Castillo, a 30-year-old Colombian mother of two living in

Barcelona , who suffered from tuberculosis for years. After a severe collapse of

her left lung in March, Castillo needed regular hospital visits to clear her

airways and was unable to take care of her children. Doctors initially thought

the only solution was to remove the entire left lung. But Dr. Paolo Macchiarini,

head of thoracic surgery at Barcelona 's Hospital Clinic, proposed a windpipe

transplant instead.

Once doctors had a donor windpipe, scientists at Italy 's University of Padua

stripped off all its cells, leaving only a tube of connective tissue. Meanwhile,

doctors at the University of Bristol took a sample of Castillo's bone marrow

from her hip. They used the bone marrow stem cells to create millions of

cartilage and tissue cells to cover and line the windpipe. Experts at the

University of Milan then used a device to put the new cartilage and tissue onto

the windpipe. The new windpipe was transplanted into Castillo in June.

Castillo has shown no signs of rejection and is not taking any

immune-suppressing drugs, which can cause side effects like high blood pressure,

kidney failure and cancer. " I was scared at the beginning, " Castillo said in a

press statement. " I am now enjoying life and am very happy that my illness has

been cured. " Her doctors say she is now able to take care of her children, and

can walk reasonable distances without becoming out of breath. Castillo even

reported dancing all night at a club in Barcelona recently. People who might

benefit include children born with defective airways, people with scars or

tumors in their windpipes, and those with collapsed windpipes. [23]

 

Adult Stem Cells from Wisdom Teeth

Japanese scientists say they have created human stem cells from tissue taken

from the discarded wisdom teeth of a 10-year-old girl. The researchers say their

work suggests that wisdom teeth could be a suitable alternative to human embryos

as a source for therapeutic stem cells. Research involving stem cells is seen as

having the potential to treat many life-threatening diseases. The researchers,

based at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

(AIST), say it will be at least five years before their findings result in

practical medical applications.

Stem cells have the ability to develop into other kinds of human cells, and

experts believe they may eventually lead to treatments for some of the most

intractable conditions, such as cancer and diabetes. The AIST researchers said

they had identified a form of stem cell in the wisdom teeth which had the

capability to develop and be grown successfully into other forms of cell outside

the body. The cells they harvested continued to grow in the laboratory for just

over a month.[24]

 

Flexible Adult Stem Cells from Testes

Scientists in Germany have shown that adult stem cells with the same flexibility

as embryonic stem cells can be grown from human testes tissue. Like embryonic

stem cells and iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells, these human stem cells are

pluripotent, showing the ability to grow for long periods in the lab and to form

representatives of most or all tissues of the body. This is not the first report

of pluripotent stem cells from testes.

A different German team had previously published their results producing such

flexible stem cells from mouse testes, and a U.S. group had also published

results of producing these flexible stem cells from mice, while a U.S. company

had claimed they were able to produce flexible stem cells from human testes.

However, the German group is the first to publish evidence (online in the

journal Nature) that such cells can be made from human testes tissue. According

to senior author Skutella, " The advantage these cells have in comparison

to embryonic stem cells is that there is no ethical problem with these cells and

that they are natural. " Skutella is a professor at the Center for Regenerative

Biology and Medicine in Tuebingen, Germany .[25]

 

 

L. Saunders is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Human Life

and Bioethics at Family Research Council. Dr. Prentice is Senior Fellow

for Life Sciences at Family Research Council and a Founding Member of Do No

Harm. Jan Ledochowski and Lukas Lucenic were Witherspoon Fellows at FRC in the

Summer and Spring of 2008, respectively.

[1] Adult stem cell success stories: January-June 2008-

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS08G01 ; 2007-

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS07L01 ; 2006-

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS06H01

[2] Adult Stem Cell Treatments-9 Faces of Success,

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=BC06I01

[3] SCOT study.  Accessed at: http://www.sclerodermatrial.org/

[4] Neergaard, n, " Her Own Stem Cells Started Rebuilding Her Immune

System, " CNS News (September 25, 2008). Accessed at:

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=36338

[5] Prentice, , " Making Memories with Adult Stem Cells, " (September 30,

2008). Accessed at:

http://www.frcblog.com/2008/09/making_memories_with_adult_ste.html

[6] Hill, Ruth, " Twin undergoes revolutionary brain injury treatment, " The

Dominion Post (December 3, 2008). Accessed at:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4780241a11.html

[7] Macrae, Fiona, " The teabag: Stem cells in a pack help stroke victim to talk

again, " Mail on Sunday (December 2, 2008). Accessed at:

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/health/article-1091445/The-miracle-teabag-Stem-cel\

ls-pack-help-stroke-victim-talk-again.html

[8] " Cord Blood Stem Cells Reverse Girl's Cerebral Palsy, " Fox News (July 28,

2008). Accessed at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,392061,00.html

[9] Mackay-Sim A et al., " Autologous olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation

in human paraplegia: a 3-year clinical trial, " Brain (August 8, 2008). Accessed

at: http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/awn173v1

[10] Cuda, Gretchen, " Life Giving Cells for All, " NPR (July 9, 2008). Accessed

at: http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/news/12562/ , August 6, 2008

[11] , " Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Transport Anti-Cancer Drugs Directly to

Tumors, " Newswise (July 10, 2008). Accessed at:

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/542521/?sc=rsla

[12] Fox, Maggie, " Geneatech Team Grows Mice Prostate from Stem Cells, " Reuters

( October 22, 2008 ). Accessed at:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE49L66M20081022

[13] Place, , " Sister's stem cells save vet's life " Palladium Times

(November 9, 2008). Accessed at:

http://www.palltimes.com/news/x1196575021/Sister-s-stem-cells-save-Vet-s-life

[14] Skodack, Debra, " Cord blood helping baby with 'bubble boy' disease, " USA

Today (July 11, 2008). Accessed at:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-11-bubble-boy_N.htm

[15] Kim, Margot, " Stem cells healing hearts, " ABC (July 16, 2008). Accessed at:

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/health/health_watch & id=6247685

[16] Gardner, , " Heart Valves Fashioned from Stem Cells in Umbilical Cord

Blood, " Health Day ( November 16, 2008 ). Accessed at:

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=621200

[17] White, , " Adult Stem Cells Greatly Accelerate Bone Regeneration in

Australian Trial, " LifeSiteNews (August 8, 2008. Accessed at:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08080808.html

[18] Prentice, , " Adult Stem Cells Help Liver (No Onions), " September 27,

2008. Accessed at:

http://www.frcblog.com/2008/09/adult_stem_cells_help_liver_no.html

[19] Leach, Ben, " Children saved by world-first bone marrow transplants at

British hospitals, " Telegraph (November 30, 2008). Accessed at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/3536753/Children-saved-by-wor\

ld-first-bone-marrow-transplants-at-British-hospitals.html

[20] Prentice, . " Helping kidneys with adult stem cells, " October 1, 2008

..  Accessed at:

http://www.frcblog.com/2008/10/helping_kidneys_with_adult_ste.html

[21] Arnold, Janice, " JGH doctors excited by new stem cell therapy, " Canadian

Jewish New (June 26, 2008).  Accessed at:

http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content & task=view & id=14924 & Itemid=86

[22] Templeton, -Kate, " Stem Cell 'Living Bandage' Heals Knee Injuries, "

The Times ( November 16, 2008 ). Accessed at:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5163088.ece

[23] Cheng, , " Doctors Transplant Windpipe with Stem Cells, " ABCNews

(November 18, 2008). Accessed at:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=6285957

[24] BBC NEWS, " Stem Cells 'Created From Teeth', " BBC (August 23, 2008).

Accessed at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7576131.stm

[25] Perkel, , " Researchers Create Embryonic-Like Stem Cells From Human

Testes , " Health Day ( October 8, 2008 ). Accessed at:

http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=620144  

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport