From left are Dr. Oz, researcher Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, television personality Montel Williams and Dr. Elisabeth Leamy. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television) From left are Dr. Oz, researcher Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, television personality Montel Williams and Dr. Elisabeth Leamy. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television) From left are Dr. Oz, researchers Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, Dr. Elisabeth Leamy and television personality Montel Williams. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television) From left are Dr. Oz, researchers Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, Dr. Elisabeth Leamy and television personality Montel Williams. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television) Dr. Oz with Sally Temple, scientific director and co-founder of the Neural Stem Cell Institute. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television) Dr. Oz with Sally Temple, scientific director and co-founder of the Neural Stem Cell Institute. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television) Local stem cell researcher to appear on Dr. Oz today Sally Temple has a plea for people considering stem cell therapy to cope with a chronic illness or life-threatening disease: Don't. Not yet. Temple, co-founder of the Neural Stem Cell Institute in Rensselaer and president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, has spent her career studying stem cells. Her pre-taped appearance on "The Dr. Oz Show" airs Tuesday, … Continue reading →

The undercover investigation youre about to see today is going to make you really angry, because were exposing the worst kind of scam one that takes advantage of those most vulnerable, stealing not just their money, but their hope, their dignity. Thats how Dr. Mehmet Oz introduces a series of segments scheduled to run on his daytime television program Tuesday. His quarry: those for-profit clinics offering supposed stem cell treatments for an implausible host of diseases unproven, unlikelyand very expensive cures. We reported on this noisome corner of medical pseudo-sciencelast year, outlining theabsence of scientific support for their treatmentand their intensive marketing pitches to hopeful patients. We reported that in a survey of stem cell tourism, stem cell scientist Paul Knoepfler of UC Davis and bioethicist Leigh Turner of the University of Minnesotaidentified 570 clinicsaround the U.S. offering stem cell interventions. Scores were concentrated in such hotspots as Beverly Hills, Phoenixand New York. Many were offering unproven therapies featuring the termstem cell as a marketing veneer. Dr. Ozs investigation of these clinics is a worthy addition to public awareness. Its must-viewing for patients and families desperate enough to contemplate turning to such clinics for succor, and for state and federal … Continue reading →

Almac Discovery and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)have teamed up to research the effect of ALM201 on cancer stem cells. Early preclinical data suggest ALM201 may render cancer stem cells susceptible to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a mechanism of action that opens the door to use of the drug to prevent recurrence of tumors. RCSIs Professor Tracy Robson, who performed the initial research that led to the development of ALM201, will head up a team tasked with exploring the interaction between the drug and cancer stem cells. ALM201 is a peptide based on the protein FKBPL. Almac Discovery, the cancer R&D wing of the CRO Almac, is now bankrolling research to better understand the mechanism of action behind early evidence of the effect of ALM201 on the cancer cells. Cancer stem cells are a major barrier to successful radiotherapy and chemotherapy and can result in failure of these treatments. Our initial data demonstrates that ALM201 can transform these cells so they are no longer resistant to these therapies, Robson said in a statement. Researchers have recognized the value of targeting the stem cellsa source of the regenerative and drug resistance capacity of cancerssince they were identified near the … Continue reading →