Parker Leavitt, The Republic azcentral.com
January 15, 2015
The Lung Institute, a national clinic that uses adult stem cells extracted from fat and blood to treat pulmonary conditions, is set to open next month in Scottsdale, the for-profit company's first location in the western United States.
The new clinic claims its treatment can benefit those suffering from emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis and most forms of lung disease.
Such stem-cell therapy is part of a growing trend — particularly among affluent Americans who can afford it — to treat a variety of health problems with cells taken from their own bodies.
The industry remains largely controversial, with plenty of doubters and detractors who say the science is unproven and potentially dangerous.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research, an independent non-profit organization based in Illinois, cautions against the potential risk of some treatments, which it says could cause cancer or result in infection from the procedure itself. The group suggests patients speak with their doctor about the potential benefits or risks of stem-cell therapy.
For its part, Lung Institute says the treatment helps fight lung conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the world's leading killers. Cells extracted from one organ can create healthy tissue in another organ, the company claims.
The therapy is provided as an outpatient service, and patients can have cells drawn, isolated and planted in the affected area all in the same day. The clinic does not use embryonic, umbilical cord or donor stem cells.
Patients typically visit the clinic for a few hours over three consecutive days. The treatment seeks to slow disease progression, calm inflammation or repair damaged tissue.
Lung Institute first launched in Tampa in May 2013, where the clinic treated nearly 400 patients last year, company spokeswoman Borda Jones Cannariato said. Another location opened Oct. 20 in Nashville and has treated more than 50 patients so far.
The Phoenix-area clinic, opening near Bell and Hayden roads in north Scottsdale, expects to draw patients from across the region, and the company has employees who help make travel arrangements like hotel bookings and transportation from the airport.
The clinic will be relatively small, with just five employees, including a physician. Lung Institute is hiring a receptionist, medical assistant, nurse practitioner and consult specialist for the Scottsdale location, and more job information is available at myregenmed.com/employment.
Several other clinics in the Valley also claim to use stem cells to treat conditions varying from auto-immune diseases to chronic pain and diabetes.
Online medical journal BMJ, formerly British Medical Journal, last March published a study that found widespread discrepancies in trials that used bone-marrow stem cells to treat heart conditions. In the few trials without discrepancies, there was no benefit from the stem cells.
January 15, 2015
The Lung Institute, a national clinic that uses adult stem cells extracted from fat and blood to treat pulmonary conditions, is set to open next month in Scottsdale, the for-profit company's first location in the western United States.
The new clinic claims its treatment can benefit those suffering from emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis and most forms of lung disease.
Such stem-cell therapy is part of a growing trend — particularly among affluent Americans who can afford it — to treat a variety of health problems with cells taken from their own bodies.
The industry remains largely controversial, with plenty of doubters and detractors who say the science is unproven and potentially dangerous.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research, an independent non-profit organization based in Illinois, cautions against the potential risk of some treatments, which it says could cause cancer or result in infection from the procedure itself. The group suggests patients speak with their doctor about the potential benefits or risks of stem-cell therapy.
For its part, Lung Institute says the treatment helps fight lung conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the world's leading killers. Cells extracted from one organ can create healthy tissue in another organ, the company claims.
The therapy is provided as an outpatient service, and patients can have cells drawn, isolated and planted in the affected area all in the same day. The clinic does not use embryonic, umbilical cord or donor stem cells.
Patients typically visit the clinic for a few hours over three consecutive days. The treatment seeks to slow disease progression, calm inflammation or repair damaged tissue.
Lung Institute first launched in Tampa in May 2013, where the clinic treated nearly 400 patients last year, company spokeswoman Borda Jones Cannariato said. Another location opened Oct. 20 in Nashville and has treated more than 50 patients so far.
The Phoenix-area clinic, opening near Bell and Hayden roads in north Scottsdale, expects to draw patients from across the region, and the company has employees who help make travel arrangements like hotel bookings and transportation from the airport.
The clinic will be relatively small, with just five employees, including a physician. Lung Institute is hiring a receptionist, medical assistant, nurse practitioner and consult specialist for the Scottsdale location, and more job information is available at myregenmed.com/employment.
Several other clinics in the Valley also claim to use stem cells to treat conditions varying from auto-immune diseases to chronic pain and diabetes.
Online medical journal BMJ, formerly British Medical Journal, last March published a study that found widespread discrepancies in trials that used bone-marrow stem cells to treat heart conditions. In the few trials without discrepancies, there was no benefit from the stem cells.