Jeannine
01-16-2010, 04:36 PM
Running across the border for vital medical treatment
MY OPINION: Stem cell therapy
By Lionel Waxman, Inside Tucson Business
Published on Friday, January 15, 2010
There are at least three distinct stem cell therapies for degenerative and other diseases but the regulation of them is confusing to say the least. It is this confusion that has suppressed the availability of the therapies in the United States.
Fundamentally, the three kinds of therapies being used in the world today all involve the implantation of stem cells in the patient:
? The autologous transplant uses the patient?s own cells, usually extracted from the marrows of the hip. Rejection is avoided since they are the patient?s own cells. Print this storyEmail this storyPost a CommentShareThis
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? Synergeneic transplants where the donor cells are taken from an identical twin.
? Allogenic transplants in which the cells are taken from a more distant relative or from a total stranger.
It is that third kind that has caused considerable consternation because they are often taken from embryonic donors to which there are strong ethical objections. But there is also a procedure that uses cells taken from umbilical cord blood or placentas, the latter of which are otherwise useless and which do not raise ethical objections.
Yet the availability of all three kinds of transplants is avoided by clinics in the U.S.
Stem cell therapy has suffered a bad image because of the use of embryonic sources. But there is rarely a medical necessity to use embryonic cells when the most suitable donor would usually be the patient himself.
These cells have a most remarkable talent. They can circulate through the body and, finding tissue that needs repair, repair it. Obviously, it would be wasteful to use stem cells for so general a purpose, although some might. More typically, the cells are harvested from the patient, bred in order to multiply their numbers, concentrated, and then injected back into the patient?s body near the site needing repair or into a blood vessel that will carry them there.
These remarkable cells, find a problem and fix it. The therapy is almost miraculous. Would that they could run for political office.
Typically, the effect of the repair can be felt within a few hours. For patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson?s, stroke damage and a long list of others, this can represent a new lease on life.
And while that is true, patients with these disorders are usually told therapy is not available or they are sent to other countries to obtain it. Some of the major clinics doing this kind of work are in Germany, China and Mexico.
Stem cell implants are not covered by most insurance so the patient has to raise his or her own money for the procedure. The cost can range from $10,000 to more than $40,000 plus travel expenses. That is for each treatment, of which several may be required over time.
In my research for this column, I scoured the Internet, spoke to government agencies, researchers in the field, and patient support agencies. The confusion was remarkable. I received four kinds of responses to my inquiries: it?s illegal, it?s perfectly legal, we don?t really know, and most often, ?You?ll have to speak to (fill in blank). Hang on, I?ll switch you.?
Considering the toll, medical, social and economic these disorders take it is important that the law on the use of stem cells be clarified. If there were certainty that only embryonic stem cells were proscribed ? which are the only ones to which there are ethical objection ? there would be clinics all over this country, as there are in many others, offering this kind of treatment. That much competition would drive prices down and reduce or eliminate travel expenses.
We don?t know how to prevent these terrible disorders but if these treatments can get the sufferers out of their wheelchairs, out of their nursing homes and back to work, they will pay for themselves many times over economically and in the relief of innocent suffering.
Contact Lionel Waxman at territorial@waxmanmedia or visit his website: www.newflashpoint.com.
Copyright ? 2010 Inside Tucson Business
http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2010/01/15/opinion/columnists/lionel_waxman/doc4b4f44d07db19373557766.txt#blogcomments
MY OPINION: Stem cell therapy
By Lionel Waxman, Inside Tucson Business
Published on Friday, January 15, 2010
There are at least three distinct stem cell therapies for degenerative and other diseases but the regulation of them is confusing to say the least. It is this confusion that has suppressed the availability of the therapies in the United States.
Fundamentally, the three kinds of therapies being used in the world today all involve the implantation of stem cells in the patient:
? The autologous transplant uses the patient?s own cells, usually extracted from the marrows of the hip. Rejection is avoided since they are the patient?s own cells. Print this storyEmail this storyPost a CommentShareThis
ADVERTISEMENT
? Synergeneic transplants where the donor cells are taken from an identical twin.
? Allogenic transplants in which the cells are taken from a more distant relative or from a total stranger.
It is that third kind that has caused considerable consternation because they are often taken from embryonic donors to which there are strong ethical objections. But there is also a procedure that uses cells taken from umbilical cord blood or placentas, the latter of which are otherwise useless and which do not raise ethical objections.
Yet the availability of all three kinds of transplants is avoided by clinics in the U.S.
Stem cell therapy has suffered a bad image because of the use of embryonic sources. But there is rarely a medical necessity to use embryonic cells when the most suitable donor would usually be the patient himself.
These cells have a most remarkable talent. They can circulate through the body and, finding tissue that needs repair, repair it. Obviously, it would be wasteful to use stem cells for so general a purpose, although some might. More typically, the cells are harvested from the patient, bred in order to multiply their numbers, concentrated, and then injected back into the patient?s body near the site needing repair or into a blood vessel that will carry them there.
These remarkable cells, find a problem and fix it. The therapy is almost miraculous. Would that they could run for political office.
Typically, the effect of the repair can be felt within a few hours. For patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson?s, stroke damage and a long list of others, this can represent a new lease on life.
And while that is true, patients with these disorders are usually told therapy is not available or they are sent to other countries to obtain it. Some of the major clinics doing this kind of work are in Germany, China and Mexico.
Stem cell implants are not covered by most insurance so the patient has to raise his or her own money for the procedure. The cost can range from $10,000 to more than $40,000 plus travel expenses. That is for each treatment, of which several may be required over time.
In my research for this column, I scoured the Internet, spoke to government agencies, researchers in the field, and patient support agencies. The confusion was remarkable. I received four kinds of responses to my inquiries: it?s illegal, it?s perfectly legal, we don?t really know, and most often, ?You?ll have to speak to (fill in blank). Hang on, I?ll switch you.?
Considering the toll, medical, social and economic these disorders take it is important that the law on the use of stem cells be clarified. If there were certainty that only embryonic stem cells were proscribed ? which are the only ones to which there are ethical objection ? there would be clinics all over this country, as there are in many others, offering this kind of treatment. That much competition would drive prices down and reduce or eliminate travel expenses.
We don?t know how to prevent these terrible disorders but if these treatments can get the sufferers out of their wheelchairs, out of their nursing homes and back to work, they will pay for themselves many times over economically and in the relief of innocent suffering.
Contact Lionel Waxman at territorial@waxmanmedia or visit his website: www.newflashpoint.com.
Copyright ? 2010 Inside Tucson Business
http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2010/01/15/opinion/columnists/lionel_waxman/doc4b4f44d07db19373557766.txt#blogcomments