Archive for the ‘Bone Marrow Stem Cells’ Category

Berlin, Jan 3 : German scientists have developed a prototype of artificial bone marrow, which can simplify the treatment of leukemia in a few years, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) announced Friday.

Scientists from KIT, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and the University of Tubingen have artificially recreated basic properties of the natural bone marrow in a laboratory, Xinhua reported.

The haematopoietic stem cells provide replenishment of red blood cells or immune cells, so they can be used for the treatment of leukemia, in a way that the diseased cells of the patient are replaced with healthy haematopoietic stem cells from a matched donor.

However, at present not every leukemia patient can find a matchable donor, so a simple solution to this problem would be to increase hematopoietic stem cells.

As the hematopoietic stem cells retain their stem cell properties only in their natural environment, the scientists need to create an environment that resembles the stem cell niche in the bone marrow.

To accomplish this goal, the German scientists created with synthetic polymer a porous structure that mimics the structure of the spongy bone in the area of the hematopoietic bone marrow.

In the artificial bone marrow, the researchers directed isolated hematopoietic stem cells freshly from umbilical cord blood and incubated them for several days.

Analyses with different methods showed that the cells actually proliferate in the newly developed artificial bone marrow.

Now the scientists can study the interactions between materials and stem cells in detail in the laboratory to find out how the behaviour of stem cell is influenced and controlled by synthetic materials.

This knowledge could help to realise an artificial stem cell niche for the targeted increase of stem cells to treat leukemia patients in 10 to 15 years.

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German scientists develop artificial bone marrow

Ed Schwartz has been an ecological crusader for most of his life, striving for years to preach the benefits of Mother Nature and preserve a clean and natural environment for everyone. His fight, indeed, has been everyone's fight.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ED SCHWARTZ

Ed Schwartz gets a helping hand and a haircut from his son, Kyle. A registry drive is being held Sunday to find a donor for Ed Schwartz, who is battling a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia.

But Schwartz is now facing a new, personal battle, one that he and those close to him hope will rally community support. Known fondly to many throughout the metropolitan area as Eco Ed and the Eco-Warrior, Schwartz was diagnosed in November with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-multiplying cancer that invades the blood and bone marrow.

A village resident and frequent guest columnist for The Ridgewood News, Schwartz needs a stem cell transplant from a donor unrelated to his family. On Sunday, Jan. 5, residents are encouraged to attend a donor drive to help find Schwartz's match - someone who can donate the needed white blood cells - though thousands of other patients in need of a transplant can also benefit from the program's donors.

This Sunday's drive is similar to one held last month for 19-year-old Anthony Daniels, a Ridgewood High School graduate who was diagnosed in 2011 with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Acute myeloid leukemia begins in bone marrow, specifically in cells that should develop into specialized white blood cells. In AML cases, cell DNA becomes mutated, and that damaged genetic material is passed on during cell reproduction. In addition, those cells fail to fully mature.

Over time, according to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the immature cells "take over the bone marrow and displace" regular red and white blood cells and platelets. In many AML cases, the cancer will progress rapidly into the blood and may spread to other body parts, including lymph nodes, liver and brain.

The effects of cancer came on "out of left field," said Schwartz, noting that he never showed any symptoms until they hit all at once in early November. He noted that a trip to the emergency room was followed the next day with the diagnosis and immediate chemotherapy treatments. He hopes to undergo stem cell transplant surgery as soon as a donor is found.

Since then, Schwartz has stopped working at his full-time job and put other projects, such as volunteering on the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee, on hold as well. His wife also is taking time off from work to care for him.

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Eco-Warrior from Ridgewood seeks support for new fight

London (PRWEB UK) 3 January 2014

Research on how to harness the potential use of stem cells for common conditions is a worldwide subject of scientific discovery spanning over 3 decades. Incredible results in laboratory experiments have been recorded in 2013 for areas such as tissue regeneration for coronary disease, diabetes, cancer, Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease. All stem cells, whether gathered from an early embryo, a foetus or an adult, have two key properties.

Stem cells have the ability to replicate themselves as needed and can generate any specialised cells that make up the tissues and organs of the body with proper direction. This opens up an exciting potential for the generation of therapies for repair and replacement of damaged and diseased tissues and organs, as models for the testing of new drugs and helping us to understand at a cellular level what goes wrong in many conditions. 1

Stem cells derived from bone marrow or fat has been found to improve recovery from stroke in experiments using rats. This study was published in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy early last year. Treatment with stem cells improved the amount of brain and nerve repair and the ability of the animals to complete behavioural tasks. Using stem cell therapy holds promise for patients but there are still many questions which need to be answered, regarding treatment protocols and which cell types to use. 2

Other areas in which stem cell transplants are already being successfully used in the clinic trials are for treatment for spinal lesions and the regeneration of epidermal surfaces and in leukaemia, where stem cells are replaced during stem cell-containing bone marrow transplants. 3 These treatments demonstrate the potential of stem cells and intensive research is being performed all over the world to improve our understanding of stem cells and how these can be used therapeutically for PD.

Recently published research by a team of scientists in Wales has shown early signs of being able to regenerate damaged heart tissue. By experimenting at Cardiff and Swansea university laboratories, a team of scientists working in the private sector hopes to develop new treatments for heart failure over the next five years.

In a statement for the research team Ajan Reginald said, "We've identified what we think is a very potent type of stem cell which is heart specific. The interim analysis looks very positive and very fortunately the study does show some signs of early regeneration. What the therapy does is reproduce more cells in large numbers to regenerate the part of the heart that is damaged. The first stage of clinical trial is now completed which was focused on safety. 4

Further research during the next five years will produce more alternative solutions to diseases which currently have treatment but no permanent cures for. 5

References

1.http://www.hta.gov.uk/_db/_documents/stem_cell_pack_200806170144.pdf 2.http://www.parkinsonsnsw.org.au/assets/attachments/research/Stem-Cells.pdf 3.http://stemcellres.com/content/4/1/11 4.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25560547 5.http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/abstract/S2213-6711(13)00126-4#Summary

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Chemist Direct reports continued benefits of stem cell research for potential tissue regeneration

A Vietnamese girl adopted by a Swiss family underwent a stem cell transplant last Friday, months after she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Joon Gremillet, 18, is under special care at the Geneva General Hospital with visits restricted to protect her from infections, given that her immune system drops close to zero, according to a post on the blog site Help Joon, which was opened to look for a matching donor by her adoptive father Patrick Gremillet, a senior program coordinator at the United Nations Development Program.

Patrick received Joon from a maternity hospital in Hai Phong in northern Vietnam and she has grown up with the family, traveling through Laos, Thailand, US, Austria and France.

Joon, who started her university studies last year in Geneva, was diagnosed with leukemia last May.

She was hospitalized immediately and received chemotherapy before the search began for a bone marrow donor that considerably increases chances of survival.

The father said a donor was a stressful issue as Joon was adopted and there was little chance of finding a matching donor in her current community.

He said there are also few Asians, and Vietnamese in particular, who are enrolled in the international stem cell donor registry.

Fortunately, a compatible donor was found in November, although details are being kept confidential.

Patrick said the donors stem cells were infused into his daughter in a process that lasted nearly two hours.

He said Joon will have to wait for between ten to 30 days before the transplanted cells begin to circulate in her bones and gradually resume production of bone marrow and blood cells. If things go well, she can regain immunity after three months.

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A miracle and a clarion call for more

Clinical Policy Bulletin: Stem Cells for Bone Marrow Transplant

Aetna considers compatibility testing of prospective donors who are members of the immediate family (first-degree relatives, i.e., parents, siblings and children) and harvesting and short-term storage of peripheral stem cells or bone marrow from the identified donor medically necessary when an allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplant is authorized by Aetna.

Aetna considers umbilical cord blood stem cells an acceptable alternative to conventional bone marrow or peripheral stem cells for allogeneic transplant.

Aetna considers medically necessary the short-term storage of umbilical cord blood for a member with a malignancy undergoing treatment when there is a match. Note: The harvesting, freezing and/or storing umbilical cord blood of non-diseased persons for possible future use is not considered treatment of disease or injury. Such use is not related to the persons current medical care.

Notes:

When a covered family member of a newborn infant has a medically necessary indication for an allogeneic bone marrow transplant and wishes to use umbilical cord blood stem cells as an alternative, Aetna covers the testing of umbilical cord blood for compatibility for transplant under the potential recipients plan.

Performance of HLA typing and identification of a suitable donor does not, in and of itself, guarantee coverage of allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation. Medical necessity criteria and plan limitations and exclusions may apply.

See also the following CPBs related to bone marrow and peripheral stem cell transplantation:

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007), cord blood transplantation has been shown to be curative in patients with a variety of serious diseases. Physicians should be familiar with the rationale for cord blood banking and with the types of cord blood banking programs available. Physicians consulted by prospective parents about cord blood banking can provide the following information:

Cord blood donation should be discouraged when cord blood stored in a bank is to be directed for later personal or family use, because most conditions that might be helped by cord blood stem cells already exist in the infant's cord blood (i.e., pre-malignant changes in stem cells). Physicians should be aware of the unsubstantiated claims of private cord blood banks made to future parents that promise to insure infants or family members against serious illnesses in the future by use of the stem cells contained in cord blood. Although not standard of care, directed cord blood banking should be encouraged when there is knowledge of a full sibling in the family with a medical condition (malignant or genetic) that could potentially benefit from cord blood transplantation.

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Stem Cells for Bone Marrow Transplant

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Four year old Hannah Day has spent most of her young life in and out of hospital.

She has Leukemia and its the second time in as many years that she is battling cancer.

She underwent 15 months of chemotherapy for a tumour in her stomach, but weeks later was diagnosed with Leukemia. Hannahs family says her only hope for survival is a stem-cell transplant, but neither her sister nor her parents are a perfect match, so theyre hoping a donor will be found. They set up a web page called Angels for Hannah to try and find a donor.

A stem-cell transplant is her last chance.

To become a stem-cell donor you can fill out a questionnaire online if youre between the ages of 17 and 35, and youll be sent a kit in the mail. A swab of your cheeks will reveal if youre a suitable donor. Once identified as a match, donors will undergo one of two procedures. Stem cells can be harvested from bone marrow under general anesthetic, or throughperipheral blood stem cell donation.

The donor does not experience pain during either procedure.

Our age criteria is 17 to 35 to register, saysMary Lynn Pride from Canadian Blood Services. So were really looking to those young people to step forward to provide an opportunity to help patients like Hannah who are in need. Were also asking young men to step forward because we do have a particular need for young men to register as they have been deemed as the optimal donor patients in need of transplant.

Pride says generally men produce a higher volume of stem cells for donation but also post-transplant there is better recovery for patients with a male donor over a female donor.

We do know that younger donors provide better post-transplant recovery for patients as well as the longevity of ensuring that they are on the registry longer to support patients in need, she says.

Canada currently has 326,000 people who are already registered as potential stem-cell donors. Hannah is one of 750 Canadians who are currently awaiting a stem-cell transplant.

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Stem-cell transplant needed for 4-year-old Hannah Day: How to help

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal Dr. Andrew Cappuccino was finishing a round of golf on Labor Day weekend this year when he got a call from his friend and personal doctor.

The call was to tell to come in for a bone marrow biopsy.

I thought it was a joke at first, Cappuccino said. Within 48 hours I was admitted into the hospital to begin chemotherapy.

Cappuccino was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The orthopedic spine surgeon, known for treating Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett for his cervical spine injury, was thrown for a loop.

Id never been sick a day in my life, Cappuccino said.

Cappuccino and his wife, Helen, had just dropped their youngest of six children off at NYU to begin college. With all of the kids out of the house, Helen told him it was time to get himself a long overdue physical.

Tests showed that two genetic mutations in Cappuccinos red blood cells caused the cancer to proliferate, putting him in a lower percentile to be cured. Luckily, one of the Lockport surgeons brothers was a perfect match for bone marrow stem cells.

After 5 and a half months of treatments at Roswell Park, theres an 80 percent chance that Cappuccinos leukemia has been cured.

Cappuccinos wife Helen, a surgical oncologist at Roswell Park, was able to be with him both emotionally and physically throughout his ordeal. Since family members are permitted to stay with Roswell patients, Helens commute to work became much shorter during her husbands hospital stay.

I only had to take the elevator downstairs, Helen said.

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Healing a healer

Thirteen-year-old Julia Jenkins saved all three of her brothers by donating bone marrow twicewithout which her siblings could not have survived a rare blood disorder.

In 2008, Julias two-year-old brother was diagnosed with Burkitts lymphoma, a rare cancer.

"I had asked the Lord, Please don't let it be cancer.' But then when it turned to be cancerous, I had to change my perspective and say, Thank you that's it's curable. If you get it in time, it's curable, you can fight it,'" said their mother, Christy Jenkins.

Then, Julias six-year-old brother John began suffering from severe stomach problems. Exactly two years later after Will's diagnosis, while he was undergoing chemotherapy, John was diagnosed with the same cancer.

While Berkitts lymphoma is not usually genetic, a specialist had the boys tested for XLP, a genetic immune disorder that caused similar symptoms. Both bothers tested positive for it as did their two-year-old brother Matthew.

"Here I was approached with the plate of, 'All three boys need a bone marrow transplant to possibly survive,'" said Christy Jenkins.

Julia, who did not have the disease, was tested for a bone marrow match.

"I remember getting my blood tested, like sticking a needle in my arm," Julia said.

Despite the odds, Julia's bone marrow matched perfectly with all three of her brothers. At eight years old, though, Julia didnt know what a transplant would entail.

"But, I said yes, because they're my brothers," said Julia.

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Girl Saves Three Brothers With Bone Marrow Transplants

ATLANTA, Ga. -

One family is exemplifying the spirit of the holidays. A 13-year-old girl has twice donated bone marrow to her little brothers who suffer from a rare blood disorder.

At 13, Julia Jenkins doesn't always see eye-to-eye with her three little brothers. They can be rowdy and more than a little competitive. But the Jenkins kids share a connection that runs deep.

Julia Jenkins watched one brother get sick and then another and then another. Then she learned that she was the one person who might be able to help save them.

It started in 2008 when Will, then 2, developed a swollen lymph node in his neck. The diagnosis: Burkitt's lymphoma, a rare cancer of the lymphatic system.

"I had asked the Lord, Please don't let it be cancer.' But then when it turned to be cancerous, I had to change my perspective and say, Thank you that's it's curable. If you get it in time, it's curable, you can fight it,'" said Christy Jenkins.

Will started chemotherapy, but then John, who was 6, began having severe stomach problems.

"They diagnosed John with Burkitt's lymphoma two years to the exact day later," said Christy Jenkins.

Doctors at the Aflac Cancer Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta started looking for answers. Burkitt's doesn't usually run in families, but a specialist remembered hearing about a rare, genetic immune disorder called XLP carried by boys that could cause very similar symptoms. Blood tests showed both Will and John had XLP, as did 2-year-old Matthew.

"Here I was approached with the plate of, 'All three boys need a bone marrow transplant to possibly survive,'" said Christy Jenkins.

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Young Girl Donates Bone Marrow To Save 3 Brothers

Stem cell transplants are sometimes used to treat lymphoma patients who are in remission (that is, they seem to be disease-free after treatment) or who have had the cancer come back (relapse) during or after treatment.

In a stem cell transplant, doctors give higher doses of chemotherapy (chemo) than would normally be safe. Giving high-dose chemo destroys the bone marrow, which prevents new blood cells from being made. This could normally lead to life-threatening infections, bleeding, and other problems due to low blood cell counts. To get around this problem, after chemo (and sometimes radiation treatment) is finished, the patient gets an infusion of blood-forming stem cells to restore the bone marrow. Blood-forming stem cells are very early cells that can make new blood cells. They are different from embryonic stem cells.

There are 2 main types of stem cell transplants. The difference is the source of the blood-forming stem cells.

Autologous stem cell transplant: For this type of transplant, blood-forming stem cells from the patient's own blood or, less often, from the bone marrow, are removed, frozen, and stored until after treatment. Then the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the patient through a vein. The cells enter the bloodstream and return to the bone, replacing the marrow and making new blood cells.

This is the most common type of transplant used to treat lymphoma, but it generally isn't an option if the lymphoma has spread to the bone marrow or blood. If that happens, it may be hard to get a stem cell sample with no lymphoma cells in it.

Donor (allogeneic) stem cell transplant: In this approach, the stem cells come from someone else usually a matched donor whose tissue type is very close to the patient's. The donor may be a brother or sister or someone not related to the patient. Sometimes umbilical cord stem cells are used.

This type of transplant is not used a lot in treating non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) because it can have severe side effects that are especially hard for patients who are older or who have other medical problems. And it is often hard to find a matched donor.

"Mini transplant": Many older patients can't have a regular allogeneic transplant that uses high doses of chemo. But some may be able to have what is called a "mini transplant" (or a non-myeloablative transplant or reduced-intensity transplant). For this type of allogeneic transplant, lower doses of chemo and radiation are used so they do not destroy all the stem cells in the bone marrow. The patient is then given the donor stem cells. These cells enter the body and form a new immune system, which sees the cancer cells as foreign and attacks them (called a "graft-versus-lymphoma" effect).

Patients can often do a mini transplant as an outpatient. But this is not yet a standard part of the treatment for most types of lymphoma.

Stem cell transplant is a complex treatment, so it is important to have it done at a hospital where the staff has experience with the procedure. Some transplant programs may not have experience in certain transplants, especially those from unrelated donors.

Link:
Bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant for non ...

It's the Christmas gift one little boys family thought they would never receive a life-saving transplant after a worldwide search for a donor.

But miraculously, two-year-old Gaurav Bains has finally had the operation he desperately needed.

His family have endured a torturous ordeal as the months counted down to a Christmas deadline to find a bone marrow donor with a 100 per cent match.

The young lad had always been ill after being born premature, but earlier this year, after a series of chest infections, he was diagnosed with Monosomy 7 Syndrome, a rare blood condition.

Then in the summer, his family was told his best chance of a healthy life would be if a donor was found before Christmas

Had a match not been found, Gauravs condition meant he would have been likely to develop an aggressive form of childhood leukaemia, which he may not have survived.

But thanks to a huge campaign, and the determination of his family, thousands of people signed up to the donation register from around the country and the world.

And this week the youngster finally had the operation that could save his life.

The whole procedure, which saw donated stem cells passed into his body, only took 90 minutes, and now his family, from Alexandra Road in Tipton, are optimistic.

Dad Sunny Bains, aged 31 and a shopkeeper, said: Everything went alright and he didnt have any side effects.

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Best Christmas ever as Gaurav gets the gift of life

Keith Leishman, a retired RCMP staff sergeant and former CSIS officer, was sent on a critical international mission this year but not the kind youd think.

It had nothing to so with detective work or espionage: Leishman completed a high-stakes medical mission as a volunteer bone marrow stem cell courier.

The 72-year-old South Surrey resident is one of a dozen retired Mounties recruited and trained by the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society to make crucial deliveries of human tissue to B.C. patients awaiting life-saving treatments.

The Bone Marrow Courier Program was set up by the Society and Vancouver Coastal Health in 2012. Formerly, Vancouver General Hospital staff served as couriers, but as more treatments were performed, some staff were away 50 per cent of the year. And, it was costly.

Because of the delicate nature of human tissue transport, not just any volunteer would do. Yet retired Mounties have experience with stressful operations, understand the importance of securing evidence and confidentiality, and are accustomed to dealing calmly and authoritatively with security.

One of the advantages they see with RCMP officers is the experience they have with continuity of possession, Leishman explained. Just like you take a piece of evidence, once we take possession of those stem cells they cant leave our sight until we turn them over at the lab at VGH. There is a very strict protocol in place.

Deliveries must be made within 72 hours of removal from a donor, as the tissue starts to degrade. Samples must be kept at a precise temperature and in sight at all times even while navigating customs and airport security.

Leishman went on his first mission in mid-September, flying to Berlin to collect a sample. He secured it as his carry-on luggage, got it safely through customs but never through X-rays, which damage the material and completed his mission without incident. Others have faced flight delays, airline strikes and bad weather.

Volunteers often spend just 24 hours on the ground.

Its not a holiday, he said. You are focused on getting that package back to someone who is very ill. It could be someones last chance.

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Ex-Mounties serve as couriers for life-saving bone marrow stem cells

Durham, NC (PRWEB) December 18, 2013

A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine demonstrates that the therapeutic value of stem cells collected from fat declines when the cells come from older patients.

This could restrict the effectiveness of autologous cell therapy using fat, or adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSCs), and require that we test cell material before use and develop ways to pretreat ADSCs from aged patients to enhance their therapeutic potential, said Anastasia Efimenko, M.D., Ph.D. She and Nina Dzhoyashvili, M.D., were first authors of the study led by Yelena Parfyonova, M.D., D.Sc., at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow.

Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in most countries. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), stem cells collected from either bone marrow or adipose tissue, are considered one of the most promising therapeutic agents for regenerating damaged tissue because of their proliferation potential and ability to be coaxed into different cell types. Importantly, they also have the ability to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis.

Adipose tissue in particular is considered an ideal source for MSCs because it is largely dispensable and the stem cells are easily accessible in large amounts using a minimally invasive procedure. ADSCs have been used in several clinical trials looking at cell therapy for heart conditions, but most of the studies employed cells taken from relatively healthy young donors rather than sick, older ones the typical patient when it comes to heart disease.

We knew that aging and disease itself may negatively affect MSC activities, Dr. Dzhoyashvili said. So the aim of our study was to investigate how patient age affects the properties of ADSCs, with special emphasis on their ability to stimulate angiogenesis.

The team analyzed age-associated changes in ADSCs collected from patients of different age groups, including some with coronary artery disease and some without. The results showed that ADSCs from the older patients in both groups expressed various age markers, including shorter telomeres, and, thus, confirmed that ADSCs did age. Telomeres, the regions of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, protect it from deterioration.

We showed that ADSCs from older patients both with and without coronary artery disease produced significantly less amounts of angiogenesis-stimulating factors compared with the younger patients in the study and their angiogenic capabilities lessened, Dr. Efimenko concluded. The results provide new insight into molecular mechanisms underlying the age-related decline of stem cells therapeutic potential.

These findings are significant because the successful development of cell therapies depends on a thorough understanding of how age may affect the regenerative potential of autologous cells, said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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Study Shows Therapeutic Potential of Fat-derived Stem Cells Declines As Donor’s Age Rises

In a typical stem cell transplant for cancer very high doses of chemo are used, often along with radiation therapy, to try to destroy all the cancer cells. This treatment also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow. Soon after treatment, stem cells are given to replace those that were destroyed. These stem cells are given into a vein, much like a blood transfusion. Over time they settle in the bone marrow and begin to grow and make healthy blood cells. This process is called engraftment.

There are 3 basic types of transplants. They are named based on who gives the stem cells.

These stem cells come from you alone. In this type of transplant, your stem cells are taken before you get cancer treatment that destroys them. Your stem cells are removed, or harvested, from either your bone marrow or your blood and then frozen. To find out more about that process, please see the section Whats it like to donate stem cells? After you get high doses of chemo and/or radiation the stem cells are thawed and given back to you.

One advantage of autologous stem cell transplant is that you are getting your own cells back. When you donate your own stem cells you dont have to worry about the graft attacking your body (graft-versus-host disease) or about getting a new infection from another person. But there can still be graft failure, and autologous transplants cant produce the graft-versus-cancer" effect.

This kind of transplant is mainly used to treat certain leukemias, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. Its sometimes used for other cancers, like testicular cancer and neuroblastoma, and certain cancers in children. Doctors are looking at how autologous transplants might be used to treat other diseases, too, like systemic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn disease, and systemic lupus erythematosis.

A possible disadvantage of an autologous transplant is that cancer cells may be picked up along with the stem cells and then put back into your body later. Another disadvantage is that your immune system is still the same as before when your stem cells engraft. The cancer cells were able to grow despite your immune cells before, and may be able to do so again.

To prevent this, doctors may give you anti-cancer drugs or treat your stem cells in other ways to reduce the number of cancer cells that may be present. Some centers treat the stem cells to try to remove any cancer cells before they are given back to the patient. This is sometimes called purging. It isnt clear that this really helps, as it has not yet been proven to reduce the risk of cancer coming back (recurrence).

A possible downside of purging is that some normal stem cells can be lost during this process, causing the patient to take longer to begin making normal blood cells, and have unsafe levels of white blood cells or platelets for a longer time. This could increase the risk of infections or bleeding problems.

One popular method now is to give the stem cells without treating them. Then, after transplant, the patient gets a medicine to get rid of cancer cells that may be in the body. This is called in vivo purging. Rituximab (Rituxan), a monoclonal antibody drug, may be used for this in certain lymphomas and leukemias, and other drugs are being tested. The need to remove cancer cells from transplants or transplant patients and the best way to do it is being researched.

Doing 2 autologous transplants in a row is known as a tandem transplant or a double autologous transplant. In this type of transplant, the patient gets 2 courses of high-dose chemo, each followed by a transplant of their own stem cells. All of the stem cells needed are collected before the first high-dose chemo treatment, and half of them are used for each transplant. Most often both courses of chemo are given within 6 months, with the second one given after the patient recovers from the first one.

Link:
Types of stem cell transplants for treating cancer

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

18-Dec-2013

Contact: Kevin Punsky punsky.kevin@mayo.edu 904-953-2299 Mayo Clinic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Abba Zubair, M.D., Ph.D, believes that cells grown in the International Space Station (ISS) could help patients recover from a stroke, and that it may even be possible to generate human tissues and organs in space. He just needs a chance to demonstrate the possibility.

He now has it. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), a nonprofit organization that promotes research aboard the ISS, has awarded Dr. Zubair a $300,000 grant to send human stem cells into space to see if they grow more rapidly than stem cells grown on Earth.

Dr. Zubair, medical and scientific director of the Cell Therapy Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Florida, says the experiment will be the first one Mayo Clinic has conducted in space and the first to use these human stem cells, which are found in bone marrow.

"On Earth, we face many challenges in trying to grow enough stem cells to treat patients," he says. "It now takes a month to generate enough cells for a few patients. A clinical-grade laboratory in space could provide the answer we all have been seeking for regenerative medicine."

He specifically wants to expand the population of stem cells that will induce regeneration of neurons and blood vessels in patients who have suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, the kind of stroke which is caused by blood clot. Dr. Zubair already grows such cells in his Mayo Clinic laboratory using a large tissue culture and several incubators -- but only at a snail's pace.

Experiments on Earth using microgravity have shown that stem cells -- the master cells that produce all organ and tissue cell types -- will grow faster, compared to conventionally grown cells.

"If you have a ready supply of these cells, you can treat almost any condition, and can theoretically regenerate entire organs using a scaffold," Dr. Zubair says. "Additionally, they don't need to come from individual patients -- anyone can use them without rejection."

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Mayo Clinic researcher to grow human cells in space to test treatment for stroke

by Jos Domen*, Amy Wagers** and Irving L. Weissman***

Blood and the system that forms it, known as the hematopoietic system, consist of many cell types with specialized functions (see Figure 2.1). Red blood cells (erythrocytes) carry oxygen to the tissues. Platelets (derived from megakaryocytes) help prevent bleeding. Granulocytes (neutrophils, basophils and eosinophils) and macrophages (collectively known as myeloid cells) fight infections from bacteria, fungi, and other parasites such as nematodes (ubiquitous small worms). Some of these cells are also involved in tissue and bone remodeling and removal of dead cells. B-lymphocytes produce antibodies, while T-lymphocytes can directly kill or isolate by inflammation cells recognized as foreign to the body, including many virus-infected cells and cancer cells. Many blood cells are short-lived and need to be replenished continuously; the average human requires approximately one hundred billion new hematopoietic cells each day. The continued production of these cells depends directly on the presence of Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), the ultimate, and only, source of all these cells.

Figure 2.1. Hematopoietic and stromal cell differentiation.

2001 Terese Winslow (assisted by Lydia Kibiuk)

The search for stem cells began in the aftermath of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Those who died over a prolonged period from lower doses of radiation had compromised hematopoietic systems that could not regenerate either sufficient white blood cells to protect against otherwise nonpathogenic infections or enough platelets to clot their blood. Higher doses of radiation also killed the stem cells of the intestinal tract, resulting in more rapid death. Later, it was demonstrated that mice that were given doses of whole body X-irradiation developed the same radiation syndromes; at the minimal lethal dose, the mice died from hematopoietic failure approximately two weeks after radiation exposure.1 Significantly, however, shielding a single bone or the spleen from radiation prevented this irradiation syndrome. Soon thereafter, using inbred strains of mice, scientists showed that whole-body-irradiated mice could be rescued from otherwise fatal hematopoietic failure by injection of suspensions of cells from blood-forming organs such as the bone marrow.2 In 1956, three laboratories demonstrated that the injected bone marrow cells directly regenerated the blood-forming system, rather than releasing factors that caused the recipients' cells to repair irradiation damage.35 To date, the only known treatment for hematopoietic failure following whole body irradiation is transplantation of bone marrow cells or HSCs to regenerate the blood-forming system in the host organisms.6,7

The hematopoietic system is not only destroyed by the lowest doses of lethal X-irradiation (it is the most sensitive of the affected vital organs), but also by chemotherapeutic agents that kill dividing cells. By the 1960s, physicians who sought to treat cancer that had spread (metastasized) beyond the primary cancer site attempted to take advantage of the fact that a large fraction of cancer cells are undergoing cell division at any given point in time. They began using agents (e.g., chemical and X-irradiation) that kill dividing cells to attempt to kill the cancer cells. This required the development of a quantitative assessment of damage to the cancer cells compared that inflicted on normal cells. Till and McCulloch began to assess quantitatively the radiation sensitivity of one normal cell type, the bone marrow cells used in transplantation, as it exists in the body. They found that, at sub-radioprotective doses of bone marrow cells, mice that died 1015 days after irradiation developed colonies of myeloid and erythroid cells (see Figure 2.1 for an example) in their spleens. These colonies correlated directly in number with the number of bone marrow cells originally injected (approximately 1 colony per 7,000 bone marrow cells injected).8 To test whether these colonies of blood cells derived from single precursor cells, they pre-irradiated the bone marrow donors with low doses of irradiation that would induce unique chromosome breaks in most hematopoietic cells but allow some cells to survive. Surviving cells displayed radiation-induced and repaired chromosomal breaks that marked each clonogenic (colony-initiating) hematopoietic cell.9 The researchers discovered that all dividing cells within a single spleen colony, which contained different types of blood cells, contained the same unique chromosomal marker. Each colony displayed its own unique chromosomal marker, seen in its dividing cells.9 Furthermore, when cells from a single spleen colony were re-injected into a second set of lethally-irradiated mice, donor-derived spleen colonies that contained the same unique chromosomal marker were often observed, indicating that these colonies had been regenerated from the same, single cell that had generated the first colony. Rarely, these colonies contained sufficient numbers of regenerative cells both to radioprotect secondary recipients (e.g., to prevent their deaths from radiation-induced blood cell loss) and to give rise to lymphocytes and myeloerythroid cells that bore markers of the donor-injected cells.10,11 These genetic marking experiments established the fact that cells that can both self-renew and generate most (if not all) of the cell populations in the blood must exist in bone marrow. At the time, such cells were called pluripotent HSCs, a term later modified to multipotent HSCs.12,13 However, identifying stem cells in retrospect by analysis of randomly chromosome-marked cells is not the same as being able to isolate pure populations of HSCs for study or clinical use.

Achieving this goal requires markers that uniquely define HSCs. Interestingly, the development of these markers, discussed below, has revealed that most of the early spleen colonies visible 8 to 10 days after injection, as well as many of the later colonies, visible at least 12 days after injection, are actually derived from progenitors rather than from HSCs. Spleen colonies formed by HSCs are relatively rare and tend to be present among the later colonies.14,15 However, these findings do not detract from Till and McCulloch's seminal experiments to identify HSCs and define these unique cells by their capacities for self-renewal and multilineage differentiation.

While much of the original work was, and continues to be, performed in murine model systems, strides have been made to develop assays to study human HSCs. The development of Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) has been crucial for this field (see Figure 2.2). This technique enables the recognition and quantification of small numbers of cells in large mixed populations. More importantly, FACS-based cell sorting allows these rare cells (1 in 2000 to less than 1 in 10,000) to be purified, resulting in preparations of near 100% purity. This capability enables the testing of these cells in various assays.

Figure 2.2. Enrichment and purification methods for hematopoietic stem cells. Upper panels illustrate column-based magnetic enrichment. In this method, the cells of interest are labeled with very small iron particles (A). These particles are bound to antibodies that only recognize specific cells. The cell suspension is then passed over a column through a strong magnetic field which retains the cells with the iron particles (B). Other cells flow through and are collected as the depleted negative fraction. The magnet is removed, and the retained cells are collected in a separate tube as the positive or enriched fraction (C). Magnetic enrichment devices exist both as small research instruments and large closed-system clinical instruments.

Lower panels illustrate Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS). In this setting, the cell mixture is labeled with fluorescent markers that emit light of different colors after being activated by light from a laser. Each of these fluorescent markers is attached to a different monoclonal antibody that recognizes specific sets of cells (D). The cells are then passed one by one in a very tight stream through a laser beam (blue in the figure) in front of detectors (E) that determine which colors fluoresce in response to the laser. The results can be displayed in a FACS-plot (F). FACS-plots (see figures 3 and 4 for examples) typically show fluorescence levels per cell as dots or probability fields. In the example, four groups can be distinguished: Unstained, red-only, green-only, and red-green double labeling. Each of these groups, e.g., green fluorescence-only, can be sorted to very high purity. The actual sorting happens by breaking the stream shown in (E) into tiny droplets, each containing 1 cell, that then can be sorted using electric charges to move the drops. Modern FACS machines use three different lasers (that can activate different set of fluorochromes), to distinguish up to 8 to 12 different fluorescence colors and sort 4 separate populations, all simultaneously.

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2. Bone Marrow (Hematopoietic) Stem Cells [Stem Cell Information]

Researchers in Sweden have successfully grown functioning neural tissues in lab, which has opened up significant new possibilities in medical science including new ways of treating cases of brain damage.

Scientists have already developed sophisticated techniques to grow tissues of other visceral organs such as kidney, liver, trachea, lymph nodes, and veins, and have even performed tissue transplantations in body for organ regeneration.

However, growing neural tissues in the lab is itself tricky as neurons are the most complex cells in our body, and imitating the functional biology of brain has been the most challenging task for scientists trying to unlock the mysteries of human body.

Neural tissues have been grown before in labs, but there is still a long way to go before researchers can achieve in vivo nerve regeneration and differentiation.

But Paolo Macchiarini and Silvia Baiguera at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm may have identified a way forward.

Organic tissue is grown in a scaffold which replicates the protein-rich environment of tissues in the body, known as extracellular matrix (ECM). The in vitro scaffold thus provides nutrients and biochemical cues to the embedded stem cells to help them grow into differentiated cells.

The researchers contrived a gelatin scaffold with extracellular plasma from rat brain cells to replicate in vivo environment, and then lodged mesenchymal stem cells from another rat's bone marrow into the scaffold. The experiment was successful as the stem cells grew into differentiated neural cells in vitro.

The team believes that the bioengineering technique could be used for surgically treating neurodegenerative disorders and injuries.

Macchiarini hopes of using transplants of bioengineered tissue to replace parts of the brain tissues damaged by gunshots, concussions etc. and in conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's caused by death of brain cells.

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Scientists Grow Functioning Neural Cells in Lab Raising Hopes of Bio-engineered Brain

Dec. 9, 2013 at 10:17 AM ET

Two men who had hoped they might be cured of an HIV infection after getting bone marrow transplants for cancer got some bad news, doctors said Monday. The virus has come back.

The intense and life-threatening treatments for cancer appeared to have wiped the virus out, and the two men took a chance and, earlier this year, stopped taking the HIV drugs that were keeping the virus under control.

At first, no signs of the virus could be found. But their doctors, cautious after decades of fighting a tricky virus, didnt declare a cure.

Its disappointing, said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes of Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, who worked with Dr. Timothy Henrich to treat and study the two men.

But its still taught us a great deal.

The case of the two men shows that even if you make HIV seemingly disappear, it can be hiding out in the body and can re-activate. It might be somewhere other than in blood cells, Henrich said. Other scientists suspect HIV might be able to hole up in organs or inside the intestines.

Through this research we have discovered the HIV reservoir is deeper and more persistent than previously known and that our current standards of probing for HIV may not be sufficient to inform us if long-term HIV remission is possible if antiretroviral therapy is stopped, Henrich said.

Both patients have resumed therapy and are currently doing well. Neither man wants to be named.

Henrich, Kuritzkes and colleagues had actively looked for HIV patients with leukemia or lymphoma who had received bone marrow stem cell transplants.

See the article here:
AIDS virus comes back in men who hoped for cure

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New research suggests that outcomes for patients who have undergone stem cell transplants from unrelated or mismatched donors could be improved with the use of a drug called bortezomib, also known as velcade. This is according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Stem cell transplants are treatments carried out in an attempt to cure some cancers affecting the body's bone marrow, such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

The treatment involves very high doses of chemotherapy (myeloablation) or whole body radiotherapy to clear a person's bone marrow and immune system of cancerous cells.

After this process, the killed cells are replaced with healthy stem cells through a drip that flows into a vein. These stem cells can be from the patient's own body or from a donor - preferably a sibling.

According to researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute who conducted the study, stem cells from unrelated or mismatched donors are likely to lead to worse patient outcomes following transplantation.

These patients tend to have a higher mortality rate as a result of the treatment and are more likely to experience graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). This is a disease in which the transplanted cells attack the immune system of the recipient.

According to the researchers, recipients of mismatched donor transplants have a severe GVHD rate of 37%, a 1-year treatment-related mortality rate of 45%, and a 1-year overall survival rate of 43%.

Recipients of unrelated donor transplants have a severe GVHD rate of 28%, a 1-year treatment-related mortality rate of 36%, and a 1-year overall survival rate of 52%.

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Stem cell transplantation outcomes 'improved with new drug regime'

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Newswise HOUSTON (Dec. 10, 2013) A first-of-its-kind clinical trial studying two forms of stem cell treatments for children with cerebral palsy (CP) has begun at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.

The double-blinded, placebo-controlled studys purpose includes comparing the safety and effectiveness of banked cord blood to bone marrow stem cells. It is led by Charles S. Cox, Jr., M.D., the Childrens Fund, Inc. Distinguished Professor of Pediatric Surgery at the UTHealth Medical School and director of the Pediatric Trauma Program at Childrens Memorial Hermann Hospital. Co-principal investigator is Sean I. Savitz, M.D., professor and the Frank M. Yatsu, M.D., Chair in Neurology in the UTHealth Department of Neurology.

The study builds on Cox extensive research studying stem cell therapy for children and adults who have been admitted to Childrens Memorial Hermann and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center after suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Prior research, published in the March 2010 issue of Neurosurgery, showed that stem cells derived from a patients own bone marrow were safely used in pediatric patients with TBI. Cox is also studying cord blood stem cell treatment for TBI in a separate clinical trial.

A total of 30 children between the ages of 2 and 10 who have CP will be enrolled: 15 who have their own cord blood banked at Cord Blood Registry (CBR) and 15 without banked cord blood. Five in each group will be randomized to a placebo control group. Families must be able to travel to Houston for the treatment and follow-up visits at six, 12 and 24 months.

Parents will not be told if their child received stem cells or a placebo until the 12-month follow-up exam. At that time, parents whose children received the placebo may elect to have their child receive the stem cell treatment through bone marrow harvest or cord blood banked with CBR.

Collaborators for the study include CBR, Lets Cure CP, TIRR Foundation and Childrens Memorial Hermann Hospital. The study has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affects the ability to move and maintain balance and posture, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain, which affects a persons control over muscles. Treatment includes medications, braces and physical, occupational and speech therapy.

For a list of inclusion and exclusion criteria for the trial, go to http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. For more information, call the toll-free number, 855-566-6273.

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UTHealth Researchers Study Stem Cell Treatments for Children with CP

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

9-Dec-2013

Contact: Jim Ritter jritter@lumc.edu 708-216-2445 Loyola University Health System

MAYWOOD, Il. - Donated umbilical cord blood contains stem cells that can save the lives of patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers.

Now a study lead by a Loyola University Medical Center oncologist has found that growing cord blood stem cells in a laboratory before transplanting them into patients significantly improves survival.

The cell-expansion technology potentially could boost the number of patients who could benefit from life-saving transplants of stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, said Patrick Stiff, MD, lead author of the study. Stiff, director of Loyola's Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, presented findings at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

The ASH meeting is the preeminent annual event for physicians and scientists in hematology. Data from more than 5,300 abstracts were presented, and Stiff's abstract was selected as one of the 2013 meeting's top submissions.

Stem cell transplants can save lives of patients who have no other options. Patients receive high-dose chemotherapy, and in some cases, high-dose radiation as well. The treatment, unfortunately, kills healthy blood cells along with the cancerous cells. To rebuild the stores of healthy cells, the patient subsequently receives a transplant infusion of immature stem cells. Over time, these stem cells develop into new blood cells.

Stem cells are produced in the bone marrow. In many cases, patients receive bone marrow stem cells donated by family members or Good Samaritans who have signed up with a bone marrow registry.

But fewer than 50 percent of eligible patients can find a matching bone marrow donor. In such cases, stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood can be an effective alternative because these cells do not require perfect matches. (The cord blood is donated by parents of newborns, and frozen in a cord blood bank.)

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Breakthrough in treating leukemia, lymphoma with umbilical cord blood stem cells

Bone marrow is the tissue comprising the center of large bones.

It is the place where new blood cells are produced.

Bone marrow contains two types of stem cells: hemopoietic (which can produce blood cells) and stromal (which can produce fat, cartilage and bone).

There are two types of bone marrow: red marrow (also known as myeloid tissue) and yellow marrow.

Red blood cells, platelets and most white blood cells arise in red marrow; some white blood cells develop in yellow marrow.

The color of yellow marrow is due to the much higher number of fat cells.

Both types of bone marrow contain numerous blood vessels and capillaries. At birth, all bone marrow is red.

With age, more and more of it is converted to the yellow type.

Adults have on average about 2.6kg (5.7lbs) of bone marrow, with about half of it being red.

Red marrow is found mainly in the flat bones such as hip bone, breast bone, skull, ribs, vertebrae and shoulder blades, and in the cancellous ("spongy") material at the proximal ends of the long bones femur and humerus.

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Bone marrow - Science Daily

Alot of immune system cells (Leukocytes ect.) are stored in the bone marrow of the large bone such as the femur or tibia. Removing the bone marrow from the patient and putting in new "clean" bone marrow "could" help reduce the risk of relapsing. The problem is that cancer cells do not always get flushed out of the system the way that we hope they will, and any residual cells have a chance of surviving and dividing over and over and over and over again which causes the cancer to come back. Certain chemotherapy drugs help prevent cells from dividing, which in theory will run out the life span of a cancer cell and allow it to die before it spawns new cells, however these drugs act on the entire system and are very hard on the body. So getting a bone marrow transplant may dramatically reduce the risk of relapse down to the point of non existence, but could also have not much effect at all and there is no way of knowing (terribly sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear).

Read this article:
Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant with high-risk relapse leukemia?

Two years ago, Doreen Flynn of Lewiston, Maine, won her case against the U.S. government, successfully arguing that bone marrow donors should be able to receive compensation.

Flynn, a mother of three girls who are afflicted with a rare, hereditary blood disease called Fanconi's anemia, has a strong interest in bone marrow transplantation. At the time of the court ruling, her oldest daughter, Jordan, 14, had already received a transplant, and one of the younger twins, Jorja, was expected to need one in a few years.

Locating a marrow donor is often a needle-in-a-haystack affair. The odds that two random individuals will have the same tissue type are less than 1 in 10,000, and the chances are much lower for blacks. Among the precious few potential donors who are matched, nearly half don't follow through with the actual donation. Too often, patients don't survive the time it takes to hunt for another donor.

Allowing compensation for donations could enlarge the pool of potential donors and increase the likelihood that compatible donors will follow through. So the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was promising news for the 12,000 people with cancer and blood diseases looking for a marrow donor. James Childress, an ethicist at the University of Virginia, and I submitted an amicus brief in the case.

Soon after the verdict, Shaka Mitchell, a lawyer in Nashville, Tenn., and co-founder of the not-for-profit MoreMarrowDonors.org, began collecting funds to underwrite $3,000 donor benefits, which were to be given as scholarships, housing allowances or gifts to charity.

Mitchell also invited a team of economists to evaluate the effects of the ruling on people's willingness to join a registry and to donate when they are found to be a match. The researchers were to specifically assess whether cash payments would be any more or less persuasive than noncash rewards or charitable donations.

Now comes the bad news. On Oct. 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule that would overturn the Ninth Circuit's decision. The government proposes designating a specific form of bone marrow circulating bone marrow stem cells derived from blood as a kind of donation that, under the 1984 National Organ Transplant Act, cannot be compensated. If this rule goes into effect, anyone who pays another person for donating these cells would be subject to as much as five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

The problem with this rule is that donating bone marrow is not like donating an essential organ. Indeed, the Ninth Circuit based its decision on the fact that modern bone marrow procurement, a process known as apheresis, is more akin to drawing blood. In the early 1980s, when the transplant act was written, the process was more demanding, involving anesthesia and the use of large, hollow needles to extract marrow from a donor's hip. But today, more than two-thirds of marrow donations are done via apheresis. Blood is taken from a donor's arm, the bone-marrow stem cells are filtered out, and the blood is then returned to the donor through a needle in the other arm.

The Ninth Circuit panel held that these filtered stem cells are merely components of blood no different from blood-derived plasma, platelets and clotting factors, for which donor compensation is allowed.

The strongest opposition to compensation comes from the National Marrow Donor Program, the Minneapolis-based not-for-profit that maintains the nation's largest donor registry. Michael Boo, the program's chief strategy officer, says of reimbursement, "Is that what we want people to be motivated by?"

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A ban on pay for donors will cost lives - Columbia Daily ...