1] To Help Readers understand how & why Adult Stem Cell Therapy does NOT have controversial moral & ethical issues, contrary to embryonic stem cell research.
2] To Form a Community among:
~ Potential & Previous Adult Stem Cell Therapy Patients
~ Benefactors, Family & Friends of Loved Ones w/ Dreaded Diseases
~ Caregivers / Medical Professionals / Research Students
~ Register to Join & Show Unity in the Universal Hope for Healing!
3] To Help Members Fund-Raise for Their ASCT

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: For educational purposes only & not to be construed as medical advice

Different Kinds of Adult Stem Cells That Exist & Can Be Isolated From Peripheral Blood, Umbilical Cord Blood & Bone Marrow, etc.
These different types of progenitor stem cells can be isolated, grown in tissue culture & used to treat diseased & damaged specific organs with specific stem cells. Over the years, technologies have been developed that isolate different types of progenitor stem cells from umbilical cord blood in addition to very primitive-almost embryonic-types of stem cells. Thus the stem cells are by their nature able to home in on the affected tissue that needs therapy.

Peripheral Blood Stem Cells [PBSCs} are multi-potent & can be used just like bone marrow stem cells to treat various disorders. Since they can be obtained from drawn blood, PBSCs are easier to collect than bone marrow stem cells,( which must be extracted from within bones), which makes PBSCs a less invasive treatment option than bone marrow stem cells, but PBSCs are sparse in the bloodstream.

Bone Marrow Stromal Cells may differentiate into: cardiac muscle cells & skeletal muscle cells.

Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells are less prone to rejection due to lack of features that can be recognized and attacked by the recipient's immune system & there is less chance that these transplanted cells will attack the recipient's body, a problem called graft versus host disease.

Hematopoietic stem cells [HSCs] form blood cells (red blood cells, B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, monocytes, macrophages & platelets) & immune cells. CD34+ cells have capability to self-renew & are able to differentiate into a variety of specialized cell types as well as mobilize out of the bone marrow & into the circulation. HSCs are used as therapy for all types of cancer, inherited blood disorders like anemia & Thalassemia. HSCs are used as therapy for autoimmune disorders like diabetes & rheumatoid arthritis. So far, HSCs have proven to be anti-tumor. Hematopoietic stem cells may differentiate into three major types of brain cells (neurons, oligodendrocytes & astrocytes); skeletal muscle cells; cardiac muscle cells & liver cells. Hematopoietic stem cells form the type of blood cells called bone marrow stromal cells also called mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells give rise to a variety of cell types: bone cells (osteocytes), cartilage cells (chondrocytes), fat cells (adipocytes) & other kinds of connective tissue cells such as those in tendons.

Neural stem cells in the brain give rise to three major cell types: nerve cells (neurons) & two categories of non-neuronal cells-astrocytes & oligodendrocytes. Brain stem cells may differentiate into: blood cells & skeletal muscle cells.

Epithelial stem cells in the lining of the digestive tract & then give rise to several cell types: absorptive cells, goblet cells, Paneth cells & enteroendocrine cells.

Skin stem cells (epidermal and follicular) occur in the basal layer of the epidermis & at the base of hair follicles. The epidermal stem cells give rise to keratinocytes, which migrate to the surface of the skin to form a protective layer. The follicular stem cells can give rise to both the hair follicle & to the epidermis.

REMOVING THE OCULAR WOOL: STEM CELLS (Preview) A short preview or trailer video for the upcoming documentary
Patient Movement Forms in Opposition to FDA Position that the Patient's Own Stem Cells are Drugs

(click the image above) GET INVOLVED! * Email the FDA / CBER Ombudsman ~ cberombudsman@fda.hhs.gov
* Call The FDA ~ 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
* Write an email to your congress person ~ determine your state representative

I watched the revived debate about embryonic stem cells rekindle and my blood starts to boil. I suffer from multiple sclerosis. It should be I who is rejoicing. So why am I angry?

I am angry because we, the patient community, are being misled by false hope given to a technology that is at best primitive. For a second let us put aside the religious and ethical consequences of embryonic stem cells and focus on “science”.

It is a scientific fact that embryonic stem cells cause cancer when placed in mice. It is also a fact that a child treated with fetal stem cells ended up developing a tumor. Even if the cancer risk was mitigated, embryonic stem cells originate from sources different than the person receiving them. The recipient of embryonic stem cell therapy will need to be on immune suppression for the rest of their lives. These are not trivial points. While there is a possibility that in the future embryonic stem cells may be useful, I don’t have time to wait.

Adult stem cell therapy is being used successfully in the United States and internationally. A simple look at the National Clinical Trials Registry (www.clinicaltrials.gov) shows hundreds of ongoing clinical trials in conditions such as heart, liver, and kidney failure, peripheral artery disease, and even multiple sclerosis. Unfortunately many adult stem cell therapies are not available to patients in the United States. One main reason is that there is no money to be made from commercialization ...

Adult stem cell therapy involving using your own fat stem cells or your own bone marrow stem cells makes for good scientific publications, but because of difficulty in protecting the procedure, companies are reluctant to invest money in widespread implementation. For example, companies can make little money selling disposables for a “medical procedure” but this pales in comparison to the money made by developing embryonic stem cell lines, with “proprietary” methods so that they can protect their investment, as opposed to promoting a therapy that can easily be performed.

For this reason I was forced to travel to Costa Rica to receive adult stem cell therapy with my own fat stem cells. Although I still have some symptoms, overall the improvement was remarkable. Many examples, including published in leading scientific journals, exist of simple adult stem cell procedures benefiting people with diseases like mine. Why don’t we focus on optimizing and implementing what works today instead of chasing a “glorious future” that we have no indication that it exists.

Richard Humphries
Send email to: Richard Humphries