Yes, thanks. Would also like to know if they prepare the infusion from
stem cells derived from the patients own tissue - that would be the
ultimate. Please keep us up to date on the progress of this study.
....hope your disease didn't/doesn't stop you from flying. I have a
private ticket myself, and want to start up again.
--
- Rufus
xUSNFlyer wrote:
> Rufus,
>
> From what I have read and what the RN told me if it is approved it will
> be a treatment, but as with virtually everything else it would depend on
> the individual and severity of their Crohn's. The RN said that you
> might need an injection of the stem cells every 6 months or maybe a
> year. I wish the data from the Phase 2 study that anon referenced was
> available, but they are now accepting applications for Phase 3 and it is
> on the "Fast Track" for FDA approval. For myself, I would prefer an
> injection or infusion once a year instead of my current regimen of 100mg
> of Immuran and 1gram of Pentasa daily. The RN I spoke with that though
> this is just a treatment now, she feels that it could lead to replacing
> the NOD-2 gene (the one that causes Crohn's) through stem cells.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Ken
>
>
>
> "Rufus" <not@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:%KR9k.231260$yE1.156323@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> This would be another therapy, right? Not a "cure"?..
>>
>> --
>> - Rufus
>>
>> anon wrote:
>>> For some reason, my original post of this article came with an
>>> attachment, so I am reposting it--this time, without any attachments,
>>> I hope.
>>> Newsday.com
>>> Researchers to test stem cells to treat Crohn's
>>> BY DELTHIA RICKS
>>>
>>> delthia.ricks@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>
>>> June 18, 2008
>>>
>>> Stem cells may force Crohn's disease into retreat, say Long Island
>>> medical investigators who are embarking on a pioneering analysis that
>>> targets patients who've failed other therapies.
>>>
>>> Cases of Crohn's disease have skyrocketed since World War II, jumping
>>> tenfold in the United States and raising questions about the
>>> disease's genetics and demography. It is one of two disorders - the
>>> other is ulcerative colitis - that are known as inflammatory bowel
>>> diseases. Before the 20th century there was no recorded evidence of
>>> either.
>>>
>>> Dr. Robert Richards, director of clinical research in the
>>> gastroenterology division at Stony Brook University Medical Center,
>>> is embarking on a clinical study involving the infusion of adult stem
>>> cells, which he and other researchers theorize may force the
>>> condition into retreat. His analysis is part of a multicenter trial
>>> nationwide, focusing on patients with moderate to severe forms of the
>>> disease.
>>>
>>> Patients had "basically tried all of the medications that are out
>>> there for Crohn's and have not done well or have become intolerant to
>>> [standard] treatment," Richards said.
>>>
>>> The stem cells are drawn from the bone marrow of adult donors and
>>> processed into an infusible preparation. Because stem cells are
>>> essentially blank slates capable of morphing into any kind of cell,
>>> researchers believe that when infused into the intestinal tract, they
>>> will help remodel cells there and relieve symptoms.
>>>
>>> Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can occur anywhere along the
>>> tract from the mouth to the anus. Symptoms may wax and wane but the
>>> inflammation can lead to scarring, which dramatically disrupts
>>> intestinal function. Some people are racked with painful diarrhea
>>> tinged with blood.
>>>
>>> Current therapies include anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics.
>>> Additional treatments include those that quell the activity of
>>> certain parts of the immune system. Among the theories explaining the
>>> cause of Crohn's is that it is triggered by turncoat cells, so that
>>> the body is at war with itself.
>>>
>>> Two weeks ago the Food and Drug Administration announced an
>>> investigation into three drugs that tamp down the immune system,
>>> following 30 re****ts of children and young adults who developed
cancer.
>>>
>>> Edda Ramsdell, executive director of Long Island's division of the
>>> Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, said the stem cell
>>> research could provide a new avenue. "This is exciting but there
>>> probably isn't a single answer. People react differently to
>>> treatments," she said.
>>>
>>> Dr. R. Balfour Sartor of the University of North Carolina, scientific
>>> adviser to the foundation, said it's always im****tant to explore new
>>> therapies, including stem cells. "I am frustrated by the lack of
>>> current medical and even surgical cures of this disease," said
>>> Sartor, who will speak next month on Long Island about his new
>>> dietary theory.
>>>
>>> Richards' stem cell study will run for a year. Patients will range
>>> between 18 and 70.
>>>
>>> CROHN'S DISEASE EXPLAINED
>>>
>>> Crohn's tends to run in families, and susceptibility genes have been
>>> identified. People of Ashkenazi Jewish descent have a higher
>>> incidence compared with other ethnic groups. The disorder is not
>>> especially prevalent among Sephardic Jews.
>>>
>>> First described in 1930 by Dr. Burrill Crohn of Mt. Sinai Hospital in
>>> Manhattan. Before the 20th century there was no recorded evidence of
>>> Crohn's or ulcerative colitis, both inflammatory bowel diseases.
>>> Generally, colitis is viewed as serious, but not as devastating as
>>> Crohn's.
>>>
>>> Crohn's is diagnosed more often in industrialized countries where
>>> sugar consumption is very high, and less so in underdeveloped
>>> countries, though scientists note an increase worldwide. Some
>>> scientists think excessive sugar consumption may affect the
>>> genetically susceptible to Crohn's by altering the balance of
>>> bacteria that inhabit the intestinal tract.
>>>
>>> Long Island is dispro****tionately affected by people with Crohn's
>>> disease, based on genetics and demographics. The Crohn's and Colitis
>>> Foundation of America estimates 30,000 Long Islanders have Crohn's
>>> disease, or ulcerative colitis. Nationwide, more than 1 million
>>> people have an inflammatory bowel disease.
>>>
>>> Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.
>>>
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