Wheelchair-Bound Stroke Victim Walks Again After 'Unprecedented' Stem Cell Trial At Stanford (washingtonpost.com) 92
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Washington Post: Stanford researchers studying the effect of stem cells injected directly into the brains of stroke patients said Thursday that they were "stunned" by the extent to which the experimental treatment restored motor function in some of the patients. The results, published in the journal Stroke, could have implications for our understanding of an array of disorders including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and Alzheimer's if confirmed in larger-scale testing. The work involved patients who had passed the critical six-month mark when recoveries generally plateau and there are rarely further improvements. Each participant in the study had suffered a stroke beneath the brain's outermost layer and had significant impairments in moving their arms and-or legs. The one-time therapy involved surgeons drilling a hole into the study participants' skulls and injecting stem cells in several locations around the area damaged by the stroke. These stem cells were harvested from the bone marrow of adult donors. They suffered minimal adverse effects such as temporary headaches, nausea and vomiting. "Their recovery was not just a minimal recovery like someone who couldn't move a thumb now being able to wiggle it. It was much more meaningful. One 71-year-old wheelchair-bound patient was walking again," said Steinberg, the study's lead author and chair of neurosurgery at Stanford who personally performed most of the surgeries. Steinberg said that the study does not support the idea that the injected stem cells become neurons, as has been previously thought. Instead, it suggests that they seem to trigger some kind of biochemical process that enhances the brain's ability to repair itself. "Patients improved by several standard measures, and their improvement was not only statistically significant, but clinically meaningful," Steinberg said. "Their ability to move around has recovered visibly. That's unprecedented. At six months out from a stroke, you don't expect to see any further recovery."
Braaaains! (Score:1)
The breakfast of champions
Re: Braaaains! (Score:1)
Well no. I know it's custom for us /. Ers to not read the article but it's stem cells harvested from bone marrow for breakfast :)
There will be no shortage of volunteers. (Score:4, Interesting)
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First of all, not everyone that suffers a struck is 80 years old.
Second of all, you're a repugnant human being.
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If you vote socialist your unknowing agreeing with GPs post. Look into the treatment of the elderly in Europe.
I think you spelled "pretty much most of the world" wrong.
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So the rest of the world is worse and that gives socialism or Europe a free pass?
Although I think more of the Nazis when it comes to euthanizing those who are a "burden on society".
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Who's asking for a free pass? Even some US states allow euthanasia. Euthanasia has noting to do with "burden to society" and everything to do with ending useless suffering that would be illegal if we made a dog go through it.
Euthanasia is like abortion - it's my body, my decision. Same as DNR orders.
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i have seen no shortage of 'university' graduate 20somethings that are not adding any real positive value to the economy or society....and most likely never will... business puts up with them for now due to the current shortage in north america/western EU countries until we can offshore or import labour or automate as much as possible ... i have actively working 70 year olds that are very skilled in comparison.
The point however is this is research and testing which helps everyone regardless of age.
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My grandparents are reaching a period in their lives when things are becoming very difficult.
This.
My grandparents made it abundantly clear when I was growing up that they only wanted to live as long as they were not a burden on anyone else. My grandmother lived to be 91, and the last two years she was living her worse nightmare. She would have been much happier if we had given her a big 90th birthday party with a permanent sleeping potion after the last guest has left.
I'm friends with an 88 year old that was an absolute mental giant in his time. He is now reduced to mumbling to himself with most
Re: There will be no shortage of volunteers. (Score:2)
Funny nobody includes themselves in the list of extra population in the world. Usually it's some African in a village using very little resources that is considered a resource burden by someone driving an aluminum and steel SUV typing on a smartphone that uses tantalum capacitors and lithium ion batteries. Karma we can hope for is them getting pulled over for texting and driving.
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The concept of murder in political posts usually refers to killing evil people without their permission.
As good as most dogs are, they're not people and don't have the rights of people. The dog's owner rightfully gets to choose.
Innocent people should be able to choose whether they live or die - no interference from government, family, or neighbors. (The only exception to this I can think of is parents of young children, who have taken on a responsibility that in most circumstances they should not be allow
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This could save not just suffering but money - round-the-clock care isn't cheap.
So, they'll never implement it?
There's a disincentive in countries that have private insurance (oh, it's experimental - even if it's been proven to work for a decade - so we don't cover it), but for countries with universal health care there would be almost irresistible pressure to get on board.
Before anyone starts the FETUS wars... (Score:2, Redundant)
These were ADULT stem-cells. There is no need to say "See? Fetus stem cells work" *OR* "OMG! They're killing babies!".
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Well, part of that is likely because it would be a public relations nightmare trying to do trials with fetal stem cells. Adult stem cells appear the much more socially acceptable (across the general population) type of stem cell.
Re:Before anyone starts the FETUS wars... (Score:5, Informative)
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Embryonic stem cells (or pluripotent stem cells -- meaning they can become any type of cell) are hard to get.
Adult stem cell transfers have been around for a while (~50 years)...and most of it was based on the older Bone Marrow Transfers.
Note: Adult stem cell transfers (non Autologous (Self)) still have to deal with Host vs. Graft disease.... it's great when it works...but it's also a die roll and can flat out kill you.
Re: Before anyone starts the FETUS wars... (Score:1)
Here is a can of red paint, but you aren't allowed to use it and if you do you'll be punished horribly.
Here is a can of blue paint, and you can do whatever you'd like with it.
By pjw's logic, the color red is worthless because it isn't used anywhere and clearly can't make art or be useful on a house.
But blue is the perfect color, just look at all the stuff it's used for, practically everything.
I wish red didn't suck so bad.
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Exactly, particularly when Red would be so awesome if we knew how to use it right
I would imagine that stem cells harvested from a bunch of clones of myself would present ZERO Host vs. Graft response and provide an abundant supply of stem cells to infuse in any aging or broken parts of my body
Get with it people, and I want my damned flying car too
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The other part would be the fact that adult stem cells solve the rejection issues and therefore are more useful therapeutically.
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I don't see how it matters what age the stem cells are. GVHD is caused by the mismatch in the genes of the stem cells and the donor. That doesn't change just because the stem cells are a little younger. In cord blood transplants, they still try to match the donor to the donation.
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Well, part of that is likely because it would be a public relations nightmare trying to do trials with fetal stem cells.
... only in America. It is less of a issue in Europe, and a non-issue in China.
Question: Instead of harvesting the stem cells from the bone marrow of donors, why didn't they harvest the stem cells from the bone marrow of the patients themselves? That would eliminate any immune reaction. Stroke victims generally still have healthy marrow.
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"Question: Instead of harvesting the stem cells from the bone marrow of donors, why didn't they harvest the stem cells from the bone marrow of the patients themselves? That would eliminate any immune reaction. Stroke victims generally still have healthy marrow."
I don't think it's an issue. The study noted that the stem cells die off pretty quick. They just appear to make the brain cells go "Hey guys! Lets hold hands!" and the patients brain just starts making new connections.
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Well, part of that is likely because it would be a public relations nightmare trying to do trials with fetal stem cells.
... only in America. It is less of a issue in Europe, and a non-issue in China.
Actually you cannot do fetal stem cells research in Italy (and it is a good thing).
Re:Before anyone starts the FETUS wars... (Score:5, Interesting)
And "OH" -- the most interesting part (I didn't read the article cited in TFA, but I've read a few on this subject and know one of the folks in the trial) is that the stem cells die off pretty quick. They just seem to "spark" brain cells to go "Hey guys! Lets hold hands" and magically make new connections.
Re:Before anyone starts the FETUS wars... (Score:5, Insightful)
And "OH" -- the most interesting part (I didn't read the article cited in TFA, but I've read a few on this subject and know one of the folks in the trial) is that the stem cells die off pretty quick. They just seem to "spark" brain cells to go "Hey guys! Lets hold hands" and magically make new connections.
I'm glad you pointed that out; I didn't have a chance to get to this discussion sooner. As a scientist - though not one involved in the study - I find myself wondering if this was a kind of apoptotic response. The stem cells probably found themselves in an unfamiliar environment (they were bone stem cells no longer subjected to bone cell transcription factors, bone cell extracellular matrix, etc) so they may have found themselves with nothing left to do but die. Apoptosis tends to leave tidy little packages in the wake of cell death (as opposed to cells going straight-up necrotic) which may have made some of their contents accessible to other cells. Neurons do live much more dynamic lives than we tend to give them credit for, so they may well have picked up these post-apoptotic packages and then responded to their contents.
:)
One neat thing about such an approach is it should be fairly short lived on the molecular level, which seems to be just what we wanted here. The proteins and mRNA from the stem cells likely was degraded fairly quickly and almost certainly did not form a self-feedback loop. It sounds like magic, but it's really more like a crude attempt at gene hacking
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That is even pope approved and funded. [go.com]
Re:Before anyone starts the FETUS wars... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not taking sides in any "stem cell war," but adult stem cells do seem to be the ones we hear about having these miraculous effects.
A great deal of effort went into making adult stem cells work like fetus ones, thanks to a couple of true geniuses. How much sooner would we have gotten here without that delay?
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They did these trials with fetal stem cells years ago. You can google for teeth growing inside head and other untoward results with fetal stem cells. Adult stem cells are less apt to do the surprising and undesirable things. [And more likely to be available.]
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These were ADULT stem-cells.
Oh? Did anybody ask for their consent before they were ripped from their homes and transported for a foreign land?
Re:Before anyone starts the FETUS wars... (Score:5, Funny)
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Making black pudding with it kicks it up a notch.
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Miracle! (Score:4, Funny)
Re: Miracle! (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't know about you, but when I pray for cures for diseases and handicaps, I ask for researchers to be enlightened.
Re: Miracle! (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't know about you, but I ask why was this person made to suffer in the first place.
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I don't, because all you have to do is look at nature to understand that suffering is a natural part of life.
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If you think that a morally superior deity is actually in control of things then it makes perfect sense. Some suffering can be attributed to human free will but quite a lot can't.
Some religious constructs avoid this problem. Those tend to be ancient and out of favor.
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If you think that a morally superior deity is actually in control of things then it makes perfect sense. Some suffering can be attributed to human free will but quite a lot can't.
Christianity (which may fall into your category of [t]hose tend to be ancient and out of favor.) doesn't assume that a morally superior deity is actually in control of things. Christians believe that a morally superior deity gave this world to man, and man gave it to Satan.
Your mileage will vary.
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There are a great many varieties of Christianity, and I've yet to read of one that has anything even close to your formulation.
It is possible that stating "turned over to Statan" is over stating the case, but in the garden story, Adam and Eve are given free will making it their world where their will has sway versus God's. They then choose the opposite of what God wanted.
Flip to the end in Revelation 21:1 [biblehub.com]:
Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
There would be no reason for a new heaven and a new earth if the current one is God's. If this was God's world, there would be no reason for redemption.
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What does my Mexican gardener have to do with this?
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You missed a bit. (Score:1)
Where's the vaguely related link about the price of wheelchairs going through the roof?
adult donors from where? (Score:2)
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and how were they compensated?
What - you wouldn't volunteer to donate? Sure, it's harder than giving blood, but plenty of people donate blood for free.
Re:adult donors from where? (Score:5, Interesting)
I donate blood every eight weeks (over 10 gallons so far). I have been on the marrow donor list for several years, but have never been matched with anyone. If/when the call comes, I will donate, and have no expectation of compensation. The procedure is very low risk and usually harmless.
Re:adult donors from where? (Score:5, Informative)
Since I am alive and cancer-free today thanks to a bone marrow transplant, George (my new bone marrow) and I thank you and commend you for doing so.
Oh, and I encourage everyone else to do so as well. It's not difficult, painful, or time-consuming, and it just might save a life....
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You can give blood to anyone that has a compatible blood type. If you are a universal donor, this could be just about anyone. A bone marrow donation is far more personal. You may be the only choice, the only hope for one particular patient, you and no one else.
Re:adult donors from where? (Score:4, Informative)
A decade later, I got a call saying I was a preliminary match, and they needed my permission to unthaw one of the blood samples so they could run a more thorough compatibility test on it. I would receive a letter I'd need to sign consenting to further testing of my blood, plus some additional questions, which I filled out, signed, and returned. Sadly, the second test revealed my marrow wasn't a good enough match to warrant the risk of a transplant. But it did give me some insight into the process.
Donors and recipients are kept anonymous. You won't get to meet each other. There is no compensation, but as the donor you won't have to foot any of the medical bills. If you think about it, this is more like insurance than it is a donation. Because who knows, it could be you who needs the bone marrow transplant in the future. The procedure is low-risk, but they did say the area would be really sore for a week or two, like you'd run a marathon (they take the marrow from your hip). Which I thought was a funny analogy to use since I and I suspect most people have never run a marathon.
Anyway, it's a small price to pay for potentially saving someone's life. Go do it if you haven't yet.
https://bethematch.org/support-the-cause/ [bethematch.org]
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It depends on the country.
In the US, you have the option of making contact with your donor after one year.
Unless your patient is in really sad shape, a bone marrow donation is like giving platelets. You have a needle in each arm. Blood goes out, is filtered for stem cells, and is then put back in.
You are also given special drugs to increase stem cell production and make them readily available in your bloodstream.
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and how were they compensated?
San Bio's SB623 is a stem cell line that was originally derived from adult bone marrow stem cells obtained from a company called Lonza in Maryland.
You can read about this Lonza's product here [lonza.com]. In the product flier, they simply claim that there was "Reasonable compensation for participation" (which is the industry standard non-answer). Word on the street is that you can get $3000/100ml for your bone marrow and in their price sheet Lonzas is charging $429/10ml [lonza.com], so certainly they aren't paying them much more
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The bill to harvest my donor's stem cells was 40K.
Chances are that insurance only paid 1/3rd of that.
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They are one step closer to not have to worry about being wheelchair-bound for the rest of their lives.
Has anyone checked (Score:3)
Is this report based on real research, or is someone just binge-watching Arrow right now?
Was the patient's name "F. Smoak"?
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Also: Ugh, the 'faux computer nerd' crap they're pushing on TV now. Also the ideal of magically injecting a chip with no other prepwork to magically make people walk again. (Not that it can't be done, but I REALLY doubt any that could actually be made prepless and injectable would also be REUSABLE.)
So you've apparently watched Arrow, and don't have issues with all the magical talismans and tattoos, super-powered metahumans, ATOM shrinking suits, Lazarus pits and whatnot else ... but object to the depiction of faux computer nerd crap? :-D
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Why Are We Not Funding This! (Score:2, Insightful)
Way before its time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRtlkcQ6brE
Actually (Score:1)
People love to point out that President George W Bush had a policy that banned federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (The ban was only on tax dollars being used and only on NEW stem cell lines, non-taxpayer dollars on embryonic and even tax dollars on already existing lines were permitted).
What everybody likes to ignore for various partisan political/ideological reasons is that GWB was the first US President to have an official policy of using tax dollars on adult stem cell research. It's not tha
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Re:Blood brain barrier (Score:4, Insightful)
I'd say it's a false supposition. This isn't the first treatment that's been tried for strokes that involves penetration of the BBB. If the action of the barrier being opened was the source of the effect it would have been noticed long ago.
Outstanding. (Score:2)
Tears. No words.
They should have sent a poet.
similar to the classic xkcd (Score:1)
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