Adult Stem Cells Helps Free Organ Transplant Patients from Immune Suppressing Drugs

A wonderful breakthrough in transplant medicine is also another testimony to the apparent healing power of adult stem cells. Bone marrow transplanted from the organ donor to the organ recipient at the time of the transplant apparently can eventually result in the recipient being liberated from anti-rejection drugs. From the story:

The treatment involved weakening the patient's immune system, then giving the recipient bone marrow from the person who donated the organ. In one experiment, four of five kidney recipients were off immune-suppressing medicines up to five years later...

[Dr. David]Sachs' treatment involved weakening each kidney patient's immune system with intravenous drugs several days before the transplant. After the transplant, the patient got an infusion of marrow from the donor to create a new immune system.

The stem cells from the marrow reprogram the body by allowing new immune cells to grow that don't try to attack the donated organ. The patients took anti-rejection drugs but were weaned several months later. Four of the five patients developed a hybrid immune system--where recipient and donor cells live together in the body--for a short time. They were able to stop taking anti-rejection drugs and had healthy kidney function two to five years later.

Great news and a wonderful advance for non-controversial biotechnology.

Adult Stem Cells Effectively Treat HUMAN Type 1 Diabetes Patients

Patients' own blood stem cells combined with immune suppression have provided effective treatment of Type 1 diabetes in human patients, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. From the report:

During a 7- to 36-month follow-up (mean 18.8), 14 [out of 15] patients became insulin-free (1 for 35 months, 4 for at least 21 months, 7 for at least 6 months; and 2 with late response were insulin-free for 1 and 5 months, respectively). Among those, 1 patient resumed insulin use 1 year after AHST...The only acute severe adverse effect was culture-negative bilateral pneumonia in 1 patient and late endocrine dysfunction (hypothyroidism or hypogonadism) in 2 others. There was no mortality.

Conclusions High-dose immunosuppression and AHST were performed with acceptable toxicity in a small number of patients with newly diagnosed type 1 DM. With AHST, beta cell function was increased in all but 1 patient and induced prolonged insulin independence in the majority of the patients.

Repeat after me: Embryonic stem cells offer the best hope...Embryonic stem cells offer the best hope...Embryonic stem cells offer the best hope...Embryonic stem cells offer the best hope.......