Cleveland quietly becoming leader in adult stem cell industry

[Jeannine]

Cleveland quietly becoming leader in adult stem cell industry

Emerging field finds fertile ground to grow
Friday, August 14, 2009
June Q. Wu
Plain Dealer Reporter
George Reed, 73, still remembers the day his cardiologist told him there was nothing more he could do. Coronary bypass surgeries, stent procedures, defibrillators and pacemakers - he'd been through it all.

A "no-option patient," the doctors called him. Another invasive procedure was out of the question. His heart, weakened by diffuse coronary artery disease, wouldn't be able to take it, his doctors said

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1250238637222100.xml&coll=2

[Kaye]

I was a little surprised to see they wrote about ONE patient. Four years, $235 million, 310 patients and 51 clinical trials. The article seemed more interested in jobs and the economy than healing. It's always about the ALL MIGHTY DOLLAR! This is not progress.

[barbara]

Kaye - I have to agree with you. It sounds like the never ending research jobs program. Think how many could have had autologous stem cell treatment for the kind of money they are spending. I realize research is needed and it may take time. I think we have been patient. But enough is enough. Let's move on to some real trials. Look what Zee is finding out at the NIH. They have nothing meaningful going on. This is very disheartening for those of us with terminal and chronic diseases. They are researching us to death.

[Jane]

A physician friend suggested to me last week that the reason for so much research is that they all are looking to get a Nobel Prize. Just research, no cure.

[barbara]

That's an interesting and insightful comment. If they don't get moving, it should become the Nobel booby prize.

[SammyJo]

The important point to me as an MS patient: this is the first autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplant in the USA - that doesn't involve ablation of the immune system as step 1, using chemo/radiation. The trial isn't funded yet, and won't start befor spring 2010, nor complete until 2013, so we are still years away from legal procedures in the US.

But this does lend further credence to this technique, which can be obtained now in other countries.

Here is the trial description, but they said don't call until next spring for enrollment. Cleveland Clinic. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00813969