xeno - precursor stem cell treatment

[copdREsearch]

my older brother in vancouver, canada is 66 years old and has severe COPD is insisting on having "fetal stem cell treatment".

could any patients share their experiences with me concerning treatment with xenotransplantation "fetal precursor stem cell treatment"?

these are the companies offering:
http://www.fetal-cells.com/index.php?Content=whatwhy
http://labdom.com/fcti.php
http://www.stem-cell-transplantation.com/index.htm#link14

please let me know - if you have any positive or negative experiences to share?

thank you kindly,

rupen

 

[barbara]

My only thoughts are if these types of treatments were reversing lung disease, a lot more would be heard about it. There is a lot of negative press about Dr. Rader which can be found by doing an internet search. His price alone gives me the shivers.

Personally, for me, I don't believe xenotransplantation is ready for prime time yet. There's a lot of research, but where's the proof that it is regenerating lung tissue in humans? The cost of these treatments is too prohibitive for me, but if your brother has money to spend trying it and insists on it, will he even listen to you?

 

[copdREsearch]

thank you barbara, i know & feel the same way about many of these treatments offered.

my brother does not have the funds to afford any of these, but we as his family will put the moneys together and finance this - if this is his last wish & if we cannot convince him otherwise.

thank you, rupen

 

[Vancouverman]

dear rupen,
dont do it!

 

[Cburg]

Fetal Precursor Stem Cells

Dear Rupen,
Did you end up doing this? I am looking at the same course of action.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Mike

 

[Vancouverman]

Dear mike, rupen

all you get is cancer from allogene fetal stem cells !!!


Fetal stem cells cause tumor in a teenage boy
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=embryonic-stem-cells-cause-cancer-i-2009-02-19

 

[Vancouverman]

rupen, mike,

How much money do you have ? If you get lung progenitor stem cells treatments, then chances are relatively high that there are changes and probably improvements in your lung disease...

What I want to say is, that fetal stem cells are not good at all....

 

[Cburg]

Stem Cells

Hi Vancouverman,

Thank you for the reply! So; you are saying that fetal cells are expensive?

I am a kidney patient, by the way. I am interested in Xeno cells because I am weak, and wonder if my own cells are potent enough?

What do you think of this: progenacell.com
progenacell.com/2012/?p=kidney_diseases

They say that it is safe. I think they use the later term fetal cells, after differentation.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Mike

 

[Jswet]

Greetings

I am new here and am happy to be a part of your forum.

 

[Jswet]

Barbara

May I ask what type of cell therapy you have had and how much it cost u?

 

[Jswet]

VancouverMan

What are "allogene fetal cells"???? That article did not mention anything even close to that. Not sure I follow your comment in this thread.

 

[Jswet]

fetal cells

Also, those were human fetuses....yuck. THAT is just wrong IMHO.

 

[barbara]

Jswet - Welcome to the forum. I think he meant to say allogenic -
(Being genetically different although belonging to or obtained from the same species). In other words, the stem cells are derived from humans, but not from the patient himself. If treatment is with your own stem cells, that is called autologous stem cell treatment. If that is not what he meant, perhaps he will see the post and clarify what he is talking about.

I have had several different treatments. Costs vary. Are you considering treatment?

 

[Jswet]

cell therapy - Barbara

Barbara,

I was just wondering what type of cell therapy you have undergone and if the results were good, bad or whatever. Can you explain the actual procedure you had performed. i am here to be educated and so would like to learn from you.

Thank you Barbara!

John

 

[Jswet]

cell therapy - Barbara

YES! That is why I am on here trying to learn.

John

 

[barbara]

Jswet - I have had many different types of treatment. The only one that I can say that has had lasting significant effect on me is the treatment I got last February. It was a peripheral blood treatment, however, I also had other therapies along with it (growth factors, enzymes, supplements). It was a non invasive treatment involving a very small amount of blood. This is in contrast to another unsuccessful peripheral blood treatment I had that required a much larger amount of blood to be drawn. I had the treatment in February with Dr. Feinerman in Aventura, FL.

He offers other types of stem cell treatments, but I opted for the peripheral blood treatment.

If you look through the threads in the pulmonary section, you can find posts I have made concerning my different treatments. Here is a quick overview of the different types of stem cell treatments I've experienced:

Adipose derived stem cell treatment - requires liposuction to remove a small amount of fat, usually from your abdomen. This is an invasive procedure. A skilled, experienced doctor is imperative! I had an inexperienced doctor who removed the fat from my leg. The entire procedure was done incorrectly and I feel it endangered my life. I call it the treatment from hell. It was overseen by Abel Pena who now operates Nova Cells Institute in Mexico. At the time, he was working for Larry Howard, owner of a company called Nepsis which then became BioGenesis, which then became BioRegenesis, which then became Heygen, which then became PluriGenesis and who knows what has happened to the company now. I still have damage in my leg, however, acupuncture has relieved the pain quite a bit. It is imperative to get any kind of invasive procedure done by a very experienced, skilled doctor.

Marrow extract - This procedure is also invasive. I have had several marrow extracts however and had no problem with any of them. Anesthesia is usually required.

Placenta derived stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells - I've had both. No problem with either of them for me. Dr. Ramirez administered this treatment and I felt comfortable with his expertise and also the sources where he obtained the stem cells.

Please feel free to ask away. This is what the forum is for.

 

[Jswet]

Thank you Barbara!

So you had peripheral blood treatment....what exactly does THAT mean? Did they add growth factors? Where do the growth factors come from and what exactly are they?

I assume that the peripheral blood came from another source/donor? What assurance is there that that human donor does not have diseased cells or tissue? How do they manufacture or process the product used and what did it cost to be treated?

Thanks again Barbara!

John

 

[barbara]

Peripheral blood is the blood that circulates throughout your own body. My own blood was used.

There are many different types of growth factors. I would not assume to know how they are all obtained. That would be a question you could ask of a doctor if you decide to look into treatment. Here's a link to an explanation of growth factors and the many different types that exist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_factor


Your questions are fairly broad and difficult to answer. Processing can be different depending on what method a particular doctor/lab uses. You will find that this is proprietary information in many instances.

As for cost, stem cell treatments are all over the board. When you contact a clinic that offers stem cell treatment, make sure to ask what all is included in the price they quote and if there is any reduction in cost for subsequent treatments if you should need them. It's also a good idea to ask if there will be supplements or other types of treatments that should be continued once you return home. This way you can factor that in to the total cost.