Terrorists Prompt Stem Cell Research

HD Lighthouse Contributing Editor's Comment: Some say it is only 'when' and not 'if' terrorists will set off a nuclear device. This has spurred stem cell research to fight radiation sickness. The fallout may be the use of one's own stem cells (expanded gene and all) or an immune-close relative to treat Huntington's disease. --Jerry
Posted to the HDL: 01 Jul 2003

Self Is Best
"The use of allogeneic stem cells -- that is, cells from another individual -- may cause significant problems of rejection, delay or failure of the donor cells to work, and in some cases, the development of graft versus host disease, in which the donor cells cause a frequently fatal immune reaction with the cells of the recipient." -- Denis Rodgerson, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of pathology at the UCLA School of Medicine and CEO of NeoStem, Inc.

So says Denis Rodgerson, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of pathology at the UCLA School of Medicine and CEO of NeoStem, Inc. NeoStem is pioneering the emerging field of adult stem cell therapeutics.

The promise of using one's own stem cells against various potentially fatal diseases coincides with a generalized risk that now makes the option of adult stem cell transplantation relevant to every American, Rodgerson said. According to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, Americans are at risk of exposure to life-threatening radiation from a terrorist attack, a nuclear reactor accident, or an act of war.

Despite the recognition that a nuclear event could well occur, we as a society have not prepared for the possibility of lethal radiation exposure, Rodgerson noted. Although the effects of lethal-level radiation exposure are complex and variable, a significant number of people die from failure of the bone marrow -- the body's blood-forming system.

According to Rodgerson, stem cell transplantation is as a close to a cure for radiation sickness as society has. Cells for this kind of transplantation can be obtained from bone marrow or peripheral blood. These stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells, which have been the source of so much controversy. Obtaining the needed stem cells from peripheral blood does not involve embryos or fetuses and, more importantly, stem cell transplantation is an established medical procedure, without ethical or religious taint, he noted.

As it happens, Rodgerson said, not just any kind of stem cells will work. The use of allogeneic stem cells -- that is, cells from another individual -- may cause significant problems of rejection, delay or failure of the donor cells to work, and in some cases, the development of graft versus host disease, in which the donor cells cause a frequently fatal immune reaction with the cells of the recipient.

Fortunately, an alternative exists in the form of the collection and storage of one's own stem cells -- known as autologous cells. Thanks to new drugs that effectively "unlock" stem cells from bone marrow and allow them to circulate in the blood stream, one's own stem cells can be collected and stored, Rodgerson said. This technology has not only proven to be safe and effective, it's less invasive, less costly and far less painful than a bone marrow collection. Hundreds of thousands of such collections take place each year for platelets, red cells, and plasma, as well as stem cells.

"The National Institutes of Health agrees -- the therapeutic use of stem cells will become a cornerstone of medicine within the next two decades," Rodgerson said. "Far from being limited, the supply of stem cells that can prolong life is literally unlimited. Not only can one's own stem cells treat radiation sickness, the evidence indicates that they may be helpful in treating cardiac disease, some forms of cancer and neurological diseases like MS, among many others.

"Where radiation exposure is concerned -- a risk that is no longer remote in these tempestuous times -- each individual can exercise a choice ensuring that his or her own non-irradiated cells would be available following a lethal dose of radiation, or any disease that may require stem cell transplantation," he said.

"Adult stem cell banking in advance of need offers a readily achievable defense against many of the consequences of exposure to radiation," Rodgerson added. "This is enormously important way to use the body's own capabilities to preserve and extend life."

About NeoStem

Based in Agoura Hills, Calif., NeoStem Inc. (www.neostem.com) is pioneering the pre-disease collection, processing and storage of adult stem cells for future medical treatments. NeoStem is engaged in autologous stem cell collection for therapy, which does not involve embryonic or fetal stem cells in any way. NeoStem was founded by former executives and founders of StemCyte, Inc., the world's second largest umbilical cord stem cell bank. In addition to other proprietary intellectual properties in the field of stem cell therapeutics, cellular biology and laboratory medicine, the company has developed and filed numerous patents on the processing techniques and therapeutic applications of adult stem cells for future healthcare needs.

Source: Adopted from Business Wire article on NeoStem --July 1, 2003

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