By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com June 24, 2013 12:16 PM REUTERS FILE PHOTO InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) is verifying media reports that at least three politicians from Mindanao died after undergoing stem cell treatment in Germany. Citing media reports, PMA president Dr. Leo Olarte said the three politicians went through the procedures as they were trying to seek cure for pneumonia, liver cancer, and heart disease. Hindi pa natin masasabi kung namatay sila because of stem cell therapy or because of other illnesses.Kailangan pa nating mag-imbestiga, said Olarte, who is also the spokesman of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine. He said the three could have been given stem cells from sheep and rabbits since these are allowed as sources of stem cells in Germany. We were told that the two died one year after (their respective) procedures.One of them died in April, yung isa noong (the other one in) May, he said. Olarte admitted PMA still does not have the identities of the politicians but the PMA will send a team to Mindanao to coordinate with their members there to trace their families. He said while the PMA … Continue reading →

Jocelyn R. Uy Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication Date : 24-06-2013 This stem cell therapy could be hazardous to your health. The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) on Sunday warned Filipinos against availing themselves of the so-called xenogenic stem cell therapy from foreign doctors who fly into the country and perform the procedure in five-star hotels in Metro Manila. The doctors organisation also announced that it had already tapped the help of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police to look into the scam, which it said tainted the legitimate practice of stem cell or regenerative medicine in the country. Dr. Leo Olarte, PMA president and spokesperson of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM), disclosed that the two medical groups had received complaints from patients and their relatives who had undergone such stem cell procedures allegedly performed in the country by German doctors. Based on the complaints, Olarte said the patients were asked to check in at a five-star hotel in the capital, where they were injected with animal-based stem cells at around 1 million pesos(US$22,800) per shot. These foreigners are not even licensed to practice medicine in the country and are in violation of the Medical … Continue reading →

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo (PIA) - Stem cell therapy is now available in Iloilo, specifically at St. Paul's Hospital (SPHI), a premier health care provider here. The first hospital-based stem cell and regenerative medicine facility in this city was recently launched, with a signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) by SPHI, the MedicalConglomerate of Asia, Africa and Oceania, Inc. (MCAAO), and the Iloilo City government. SPHI Kidney Center Head and Stem Cell medicine coordinator Dr. Helen Caro-Pastolero said the partnership venture identifies SPHI as the medical hub and the MCAAO as technology service provider, with the city government providing support for the medical tourism-categorized project. St. Paul's hospital administrator, Sister Rosamond Marie Abadesco said ''After months of preparation and planning we are now almost ready to open this innovative program for the people of Iloilo.'' Stem cell medicine is an innovative program involving the engineering of living cells and tissue which are preserved to enhance organ functions. The therapy offers treatment for diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson's Diseases, Alzheimer's disease, among other disorders. Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said the launching of SPHI's stem cell medical service ''definitely puts the city in the medical tourism industry map and gives an additional boost to … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Myles Gough myles.gough@unsw.edu.au 61-407-061-209 University of New South Wales The Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN) at UNSW is hosting the fourth International Nanomedicine Conference from 1 3 July in Sydney. The conference will bring together world-leading experts to highlight research into new drugs, targeted drug delivery systems, diagnostics and imaging, and regenerative medicine. The ACN is an interdisciplinary research centre comprising UNSW scientists, engineers and clinicians who are working together to develop new treatments that could deliver a mighty blow in the fight against currently incurable diseases, including a range of chemo-resistant cancers. Nanomedicine involves the development of new treatment and detection strategies in medicine that arise from nanotechnology, such as the synthesis of nano-sized particles that have been engineered to perform a very specific function inside the body. One nanometre is equivalent to one-billionth of a metre and is roughly 60,000 times thinner than a human hair. A single strand of DNA is just three nanometres wide. At this sub-microscopic scale, materials sometimes exhibit curious physical, chemical and biological properties. These can be exploited to create particles that release drugs in a highly controlled way or to develop … Continue reading →