Google stem cell therapy and a whole host of results show up. Stem cell therapy for hair loss, diabetes, cancer and practically everything else. It is touted as the medicine of hope, the panacea for all ills. But to ensure that this potentially-powerful technology is not misused in the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research has come up with a set of guidelines to regulate their use. Under the new guidelines, any use of stem cells in patients will be considered research, not therapy. This means stem cells can now only be used on patients within the purview of an approved, and monitored clinical trial anything outside of this would be considered malpractice. Ananthram Shetty, professor of minimally-invasive surgery at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, said the guidelines are much-needed, welcome move in the right direction. Prof. Shetty, who has been working with stem-cell technology for 27 years, and is often in India to demonstrate their use in research surgeries, said this would prevent anybody and everybody from claiming unproven benefits. Lots of people dont really understand what stem cells are. And those who have a terminal illness are willing to try anything. There are some people who use … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise March 7, 2014, Phoenix, AZ -- Stem cell transplant was viable and effective in halting or reversing degenerative disc disease of the spine, a meta-analysis of animal studies showed, in a development expected to open up research in humans. Recent developments in stem cell research have made it possible to assess its effect on intervertebral disc (IVD) height, Mayo Clinic researchers reported in a scientific poster today at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. This landmark study draws the conclusion in pre-clinical animal studies that stem cell therapy for disc degenerative disease might be a potentially effective treatment for the very common condition that affects peoples quality of life and productivity, said the senior author, Wenchun Qu, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Qu said not only did disc height increase, but stem cell transplant also increased disc water content and improved appropriate gene expression. These exciting developments place us in a position to prepare for translation of stem cell therapy for degenerative disc disease into clinical trials, he said. The increase in disc height was due to restoration in the transplant group … Continue reading →

CBS Chicago (con't) Affordable Care Act Updates: CBSChicago.com/ACA Health News & Information: CBSChicago.com/Health (CBS) Is it the future of pain relief, the end of pain pills, physical therapy and knee or hip replacements? CBS 2s Mary Kay Kleist looks at a new procedure offered at only a handful of places. Its still a bit controversial. But some doctors and their patients swear by it. Linda Morning-Starpoole suffered terrible knee pain, the result of sports injuries when she was younger. Traditional treatment might involve steroid injections, physical therapy and joint replacement. But she wanted an alternative. The thought of me healing me with through my own stem cells is what sold me on the procedure, she says. Heres how it works: Doctors take bone marrow from the hip and spin it in a machine to get the stem cells. Those cellsare then mixed with the patients platelets, a type of blood cell involved in healing. The mixture is injected back into the joint, where the stem cells turn into new tissue, reduce pain and improve function. Here is the original post: Chicago Hospital Evaluates New Stem-Cell Therapy For Pain … Continue reading →