Ahhh...great news, as far as a start at what I was thinking goes...I
sort of consider getting stem cells from someone else to carry some of
the same risks that a transplant might.
If they could use your own, and isolate the defective gene out if
required, that would be as safe as I could think of! I'd certainly be
confident.
Best to you on getting into the trial, and my hopes for a positive
outcome for you.
--
- Rufus
xUSNFlyer wrote:
> Rufus,
>
> Was just reading an article and the stem cells that they are using are
> "adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)", though I still wonder, as you, if
> your own stem cells would work???
>
> When I speak to the RN in the future I will ask about that as I am
> hoping to be in Phase III of the trial here in Kansas (Topeka).
>
> Ken
>
>
> "xUSNFlyer" <xnavyflyer1996@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:2r6dnUF32_pEavrVnZ2dnUVZ_szinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> 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.
>>>>
>
|
