CordLife聖誕心思思 得一賞二

柏金遜病人佳音

現今醫學昌明，器官移植已是一般常見手術，毫不稀奇。不但器官能換，細胞也可以；最普遍的是輸血，所輸者，主要是紅血球（細胞）。血液中還有白血球，但這是不能輸的，因為會引起免疫系統相斥，有致命的風險。全世界的血庫都須用到特別的過濾設備，盡量清理掉白血球，但暫時還未有一個方法能達到百分百。另外一種普及的細胞移植是更換骨髓細胞，在技術方面，這樣做完全沒有問題，但經移植而進入病人的身體後，新來的骨髓細胞會向後者施以攻擊，這現象叫Graft- versus-Host Reaction。

一般來說，除非捐贈者與接受者是孖生兒，否則一定有排斥的問題。避開排斥的方法之一是，選用嬰兒臍帶血中的幹細胞。這些細胞還未能懂得分辨「我」和「非我」，故能乖乖地支持病人的需要。幹細胞是一種「百搭」細胞。將它們移植到胰，它們便會轉為胰細胞；移植到心臟，便能代替衰老的心肌細胞。不過，幹細胞的供應是一個很大的問題。最優質的幹細胞來自胚胎。本來，醫生可以從流產或墮胎過程中取得幹細胞，但這一定會引起道德上的爭議。有沒有一個兩全其美的解決辦法，一方面不會產生排斥，另一方面也不致惹出道德官司？有一個「橫式分化」（Transdifferentiation）的做法，可能可以做到。

在2010年，一組史丹福大學學者發現，若將三個屬於神經細胞的轉錄因子（Transcription Factor）塞入「基質成纖維細胞」，後者便會轉而成為神經細胞（Nature, Vol.463, pp .1035-1041）。在今年6月出版的《美國國家科學院學報》，一組瑞典學者進一步發現，若將三個轉錄因子增加為五個轉錄因子，那些由「基質成纖維細胞」轉變而成的神經細胞，會再而轉成「多巴胺神經細胞」（Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol.108, pp.10343-10348），可用以修補柏金遜病人的神經。

顧小培博士<柏金遜病人佳音> (信報,10月10日)

'It was a miracle': Toddler saved by cord blood transplant in S.A.

SAN ANTONIO -- Her parents call her their “miracle child.” A South Texas baby has a second chance at life thanks to a successful cord blood transplant in San Antonio.

At 10 months old, Valentina DeLeon’s parents knew there was a problem. She weighed only 13 pounds. She was a sickly child with a frightening diagnosis: severe combined immune deficiency (SCID). It’s a rare disorder made famous by the so-called “Bubble Boy” in the 1970s.

 “She was super skinny,” recalled Valentina’s mother, Karina Chapa. “She was sick all the time. She was vomiting. She was throwing up all the time. She wasn’t eating.”
The child's Rio Grande Valley doctors sent her to Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio.
Dr. Ka Wah Chan ordered high-dose chemotherapy for Valentina and then a cord blood transplant.
Donated cord blood from a stranger turned out to be a match for this baby in need. The cells helped create a new, stronger, normal immune system for a girl who faced a grim diagnosis without it.

“The cord blood is thrown away anyway,” Chan explained. “Nobody saves cord blood. But it can be used. And it can particularly be used in this type of situation when you can do a transplant and save a life.”

Today, five months after transplant, Valentina weighs more than 9 kilograms. That’s 21 pounds. Her doctors are cautiously optimistic about her long-term prognosis.
Valentina’s parents are finally able to take her home to the Valley. They’re grateful to the woman who donated a by-product of birth that used to be considered medical waste.
“It’s changed her life and it was a miracle,” Chapa said. “She’s alive and she’s healthy and I’m just thankful. Very thankful.”

Source: Kens 5-TV, 12th September 2011

Brother's stem cells could be gift of life

Stephanie Payne with Tayler, left, who has cystic fibrosis,
and his younger brother Jordan. Times photo Wayne Martin.

 LITTLE Jordan Payne doesn’t know it yet, but one day he could well be the key to saving his brother’s life.


The three-year-old’s big brother Tayler has cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic condition that thickens the body’s mucus and blocks tiny tubes in various organs.

About one in 3000-3500 children in New Zealand are born with CF and need regular physiotherapy to keep their airways clear, prevent lung damage and reduce infection.

When Jordan was born his parents decided to save his umbilical cord blood, which is full of stem cells that could help with his brother’s illness in the future.

Watching Tayler tear around the house with his best mate in tow, it is easy to forget he has a life-threatening illness.

Twice a day the four-year-old is given chest percussion by his mum Stephanie, which involves tapping his chest to shift the mucus from his lungs.

“He’s a little star,” she says. “He just sits there and takes it all.

“But he’s at the stage where he asks why he has to have physio and Jordan doesn’t.”
A hand sanitiser unit positioned at the Paynes’ front door is a telling sign of the care the family takes to safeguard Tayler’s health.

When the little boy develops a cough or cold he has to be treated with antibiotics as soon as possible to stop the infection in its tracks.

“Cystic fibrosis is a lifetime illness,” says Stephanie.

“They are born with it and they carry it through for the rest of their lives. It’s not ‘if’ he ever gets unwell, it’s ‘when’.”

However, she and her husband Brett try to resist the urge to wrap their son up in cotton wool as much as possible, so he can have a normal childhood.

“Bacteria is a big concern,” Stephanie told the Times.

“You have to be mindful, but you can only do the best you can. And we’ve had a lot of luck with him.”

A few days a week Tayler goes to Superstart Pre-school in East Tamaki, which has been incredibly accommodating of his needs.

In the past, the centre has waived the family’s childcare fees and donated the same amount from its own pocket to the Cystic Fibrosis Association.

“They are just amazing,” says Stephanie. “The kindy has been so supportive. I feel he’s in such safe hands and they have an extremely good safety policy.”

The mum-of-three is running a fundraiser at the Pakuranga Scout Hall from 10am-2pm this Saturday to put the spotlight on Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week, which runs from August 15-21.

It will feature a white elephant sale to raise money and awareness of CF, and a gala with entertainment such as bouncy castles, face painting, raffles and a sausage sizzle.
“Everything goes to the association,” says Stephanie. “Usually the money is used to buy equipment and medication. A nebuliser is really expensive, and its maintenance is expensive too.”

Quality household items, clothes and toys are being sought for the bric-a-brac sale at 474 Pakuranga Road, and they can be dropped off at Stephanie’s home.

“For me, it’s more important to raise awareness than money, because so many know so little – if anything – about cystic fibrosis,” she says.

“The hard thing is they look so well on the outside.”

She hopes advances in medicine will one day make use of Jordan’s banked stem cells and a difference to the life of her eldest son.

“I’m so optimistic about his future now,” she says.

“There’s a lot of research now, and the possibility of Jordan saving his life one day.
“You talk with other parents and you become more hopeful.”

Source: Times Newspapers, New Zealand,  8 August, 2011

康盛人生臍帶血庫 9月份講座

萬能幹胞製人工心肌 為「人工心臟」鋪路

港大李嘉誠醫學院幹細胞及再生醫學研究組總監李登偉及其研究團隊，獲研資局撥款6000萬元，利用5年時間研發「萬能幹細胞」製造「人工心臟」技術和安全性，為未來將「人工心臟」移植至人體鋪路。（尹錦恩攝）

為「人工心臟」鋪路

【明報專訊】研資局早前撥出約2.5億元作主題研 究，其中6000萬元撥作研究「萬能幹細胞複製人類心臟」。項目統籌港大李嘉誠醫學院幹細胞及再生醫學研究組總監李登偉指出，現已可透過培育「萬能幹細 胞」，以一個月時間製造出一條直徑1毫米的心肌，期望利用5年時間加強研究，為長遠製造首個「人工心臟」並移植人體鋪路。

李登偉說，人體器官各由不同細胞組成，其中腦部和心臟細胞無法增生。以心臟為例，若病人患上中風、心血管閉塞等疾病，將導致大量心臟細胞壞死，令其他細胞的工作量大增導致心衰竭，理論上只有器官移植才能根治問題，因此近年科學家致力研究「人工心臟」。

獲6000萬元研發

過 去10年，科學界利用病人的皮膚抽取細胞，培育出人工誘導的「萬能幹細胞」，並將之培育成不同器官的細胞。李登偉說，最新技術已成功將1000萬個心肌細 胞，利用生物工程技術，將細胞放入預先準備的「生物框架」，將細胞整齊排列並固定位置，砌成一條長幾毫米、直徑1毫米的心肌，並與正常心肌一樣可收縮心跳 及傳送心電；連同培育細胞的時間，約需1個月才能製造一條心肌。

他表示，現時成功在實驗室製造心肌，不等於已可造出「人工心臟」，以及立即移植至人體，「今次希望能解決製造『人工心臟』的一連串問題，包括研究如何確保人工心臟移植入人體後不會出現排斥問題，以至『人工心臟』的耐用性、安全可靠度等」。

研究團隊正着手設計「人工心臟」的藍圖，包括如何大規模培育不同器官的細胞，以至將細胞排列成器官亦是一大難題，研究團隊將在研究過程中改善現有儀器，甚至研發新儀器解決大量生產的問題。

現時幹細胞治療法只有骨髓移植一種，其他所謂幹細胞仍未廣為醫學界認同。李登偉估計，單是通過美國食品及藥物管理局審批，可能需時5至10年，現階段難以評估實際何時有望應用在人體身上。

資料來源: 明報, 新浪網 (2011年7月27日)

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Lab-made organ implanted for first time

This is the artificial trachea, covered in the patient's cells.

(CNN) -- For the first time, a patient has received a synthetic windpipe that was created in a lab with the patient's own stem cells and without using human donor tissue, researchers said Thursday.

Previous lab-generated transplants either used a segment of donor windpipe or involved tissue only, not an organ.

In a laboratory in London, scientists created a trachea, which is a tube-like airway that connects at the voice box and branches into both lungs.
On June 9, doctors implanted this synthetic windpipe into a 36-year-old man with late-stage tracheal cancer at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. The patient is doing well and is expected to be released from the hospital Friday, said Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, professor of regenerative medicine there.

Tracheal cancers are extremely rare, accounting for less than 1% of all cancers.
After the patient's initial diagnosis in 2008, he had exhausted every treatment available, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, Macchiarini said. The patient, an Eritrean who had been studying in Iceland, is the subject of a BBC documentary airing Thursday in Sweden.
His tumor had almost blocked his windpipe, doctors said.

Rather than waiting for a transplant, his doctors suggested growing an organ. Scientists created a Y-shaped framework for the new trachea, modeling it after the specific shape of the patient's windpipe.

The form was made of polymers that had a spongy and flexible texture. Stiff rings around the tube mimicked the structure of a human trachea.

The form was then bathed in a solution containing the patient's stem cells "to get the cells to grow on the sponge material," said David Green, president of Harvard Bioscience. Stem cells can divide and turn into a range of cell types, including those in organs.

His company worked on the stem cell solution, which is seen as a pink liquid in the photo at left. The purpose was to "seed" the synthetic windpipe -- as you would seed a new lawn -- to grow on the structure.

"Stem cells from the own patient were growing inside and outside," Macchiarini said. "This structure was becoming a living structure."

The stem cells were given physical or chemical cues to create the desired type, Green said.
Once the cells were thriving on the form, the artificial trachea was implanted into the patient.
His body accepted the new trachea, and he even had a cough reflex two days after the surgery, Macchiarini said.
Three years ago, Macchiarini made headlines by implanting an artificial trachea created from donor tissue combined with stem cells from the recipient, Claudia Castillo, whose windpipe had been damaged by tuberculosis.

"The results were quite good, but unfortunately we were still dependent" on organ donation, which can take months, Macchiarini said.

Creating the synthetic structure for the trachea in the current case took 10 to 12 days, compared with waiting months for an organ donor, Macchiarini said.

Earlier this year, regenerative medicine scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported that they had engineered five urethras between March 2004 and July 2007.

They had used a small piece of each patient's own tissue from the bladder, then grew the cells in a lab onto a mesh scaffold shaped like a urethra.

This area of research remains somewhat controversial in medicine, because critics say this could lead to human cloning.

But Macchiarini said making these first artificial organs viable in patients opens doors for future transplants through the relatively new field of regenerative medicine.

"It's a beautiful international collaboration," he said about the recent effort that involved doctors and researches in Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. "If scientists and clinicians work together, we can help humanity."

Source: CNN, 7th July 2011

Study gives hope to patients with genetic disease

Aussie study brings hope to a Templeton family
AMY CLASS

Anahera Inns, 4, with baby brother Tiaki aged
4 months. Blood from his umbilical cord
may one day help Anahera'scystic fibrosis.

Templeton toddler Anahera Inns endures a daily fight to rid her lungs of thick, sticky mucus.

Anahera has cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic lung disease that cannot be cured.

However, a University of Melbourne faculty of medicine study aims to prove that stem-cell-rich umbilical cord blood can treat cystic fibrosis by regenerating lung cells.

Melbourne University medical genetics professor Bob Williamson said the project would eventually use

sibling's cord blood to treat children with cystic fibrosis (CF).

"Sibling cord blood has a one-in-four chance of being a perfect match that will not be rejected by the immune system of the child living with CF," he said.

Progress was slow, since it was essential to prove cells were safe to use in the lung, but the research was "positive", he said. However, a breakthrough on the research could be several years away.

New Zealand cord-blood stem-cell banking facility CordBank had since offered free sibling cord-blood banking to families who had a child with CF, he said.

"Because CordBank has come on board with the project, we are ensuring that affected families are banking precious sibling cord blood now, so they are ready when a breakthrough comes."

With the assistance of CordBank, the Inns family was able to collect the cord blood from Anahara's youngest brother, Tiaki, who was born in February.

The family were given free collection and storage for the next 18 years.

The blood is collected after a baby is born, before the mother's placenta is delivered. It must be transported to Auckland quickly for processing and storage.

So far, seven New Zealand families have taken up the CordBank offer.

Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand chief executive Kate Russell said cystic fibrosis "is an expensive illness and families with a CF child can be placed under severe financial strain".

"People would be surprised at what the Government does not fund in terms of the most basic medical equipment and support for these families," she said.

Cecileah Inns said her daughter had "as normal a life as possible".
The toddler endured vigorous physiotherapy and was nebulised daily to help with lung drainage, she said.

"She's articulate and brave - a right little character. She doesn't know any different."
Anahera enjoyed being a "bossy" big sister to her brothers Mika, 3, and Tiaki, four months, neither of whom has cystic fibrosis.

 Source: The Press, 4th July, 2011

 

Jun 16, 2011

First patients enroll in US stem cell trials on blindness

WASHINGTON - THE first clinical trials that examine the use of stem cells to treat two forms of blindness are ready to begin now that patients have been enrolled, a US company announced on Thursday.

A total of 24 patients have entered two separate trials at an eye institute in California, said representatives from the Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology.

ACT was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration several months ago to begin clinical trials of human embryonic stem cells to treat a form of juvenile blindness known as Stargardt's disease and dry age-related macular degeneration.

Now that patients have been enrolled, the trials aim to check the safety of the treatment before moving on to see whether the therapy can help stop vision loss.

'These trials mark a significant step toward addressing what is one of the largest unmet medical needs of our time, treatments for otherwise untreatable and common forms of legal blindness,' said lead investigator Steven Schwartz at University of California Los Angeles Jules Stein Eye Institute.

Dry age-related macular degeneration is the most common form of irreversible vision loss in people over age 55. There is currently no cure for the disease, which affects around 10 to 15 million Americans and another 10 million people in Europe, the company said. -- AFP

 Source: The Strait Times, 16 Jun 2011

CordLife首宗臍帶血幹細胞治療腦麻痺女童Georgia訪港

本港每 1,000名初生嬰兒中，就有一至兩人因大腦受損患上腦麻痹，影響身體活動及肌肉協調，嚴重者更會因併發症死亡。腦麻痹是不治之症，以往只可靠藥物或手術 紓緩肌肉痙攣情況；近年外國臨床研究發現，將臍帶血注入患者體內，可製造幹細胞刺激腦神經細胞系統，甚至可以修復受損位置，改善腦麻痹引發的症狀。　記 者：袁慧妍

澳洲籍的小女孩 Georgia今年四歲，因母親生產時不順利，導致腦部缺氧，腦組織受損，出生後證實患上腦麻痹。她因為不能控制四肢肌肉，故身體經常抽搐，一日可發作多 達 50次，並出現嚴重的食道逆流。 Georgia的母親 Louise憶述，女兒出生初期經常手腳僵硬，因身體疼痛，終日大哭；對光線、聲音也很敏感，更無法集中精神進行物理治療。

Louise稱，得知 女兒病情後十分徬徨，後來有腦科醫生建議嘗試用臍帶血醫治腦麻痹，她決定放手一博，「幸好為 Georgia儲存了臍帶血，那時只當買一份特別的保險，沒想過會有用」。兩年前 Georgia獲安排到新加坡接受治療，成為新加坡首宗用臍帶血幹細胞治療腦麻痹個案。治療後兩個月其情況已有改善，懂得控制頭部，比以前開朗，也會嘗試 跟着音樂發出不同聲音，現在更是一名愛笑好動的小女孩。

Georgia的治療過程是將臍帶血以靜脈注射方式，由手臂注射入體內，過程約需半小時。一般情況下，可於 6至 12個月內見成效，但療效可以更早出現。中大醫學院腦外科也計劃開展本地的臍帶血治療腦麻痹研究。

或可治療腦退化

港大人類幹細胞中央培植室首席科學主 任陳國強表示，當臍帶血幹細胞進入需要治療的位置時，會轉化成所需的細胞，協助修復傷患處，甚至刺激本來的細胞生長， 05年至今全球有逾百名腦麻痹患者，成功接受臍帶血治療；美國有臨床報告顯示，未來臍帶血有望用作治療腦退化症及柏金遜症。

資料來源: 蘋果日報 (2011年6月13日)

CordLife x Make-a-wish - 愛由心生慈善義賣活動

資料來源: 新報 (2011年6月9日)

CordLife康盛人生已踏入成立十周年，為隆重其事，康盛人生將於今年展開一連串的十周年慶祝活動，與大眾一同分享這份喜悅。為了回饋社會，康盛人生將於 6月10至12日期間與「願望成真基金」（Make-A-Wish® Hong Kong）合作，舉行「愛由心生慈善義賣活動」，藉此幫助更多有需要的小朋友。CordLife亦很高興邀請到著名漫畫家馬仔一同設計義賣品，這些義賣品包括陶瓷製的用餐器具，適合一家大小使用，希望大家到場踴躍支持!

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移植幹細胞治白血病 愛滋神奇消失

全球首宗愛滋病例發現至今剛滿30年，醫學界即傳出治癒患者好消息！一名男愛滋病人為了治療白血病，接受骨 髓幹細胞移植，捐贈者是一名對愛滋病毒(HIV)有免疫力的男子，結果，他體內的HIV竟然消失。這宗全球首見的愛滋病痊癒個案令醫學界振奮，展望研發專 治愛滋的技術指日可待。

45歲的布朗(見圖)現居於三藩市，2007年在德國柏林接受骨髓移植，沒想到術後連愛滋病也痊 癒，後遺症只是輕微神經系統障礙。因曾居於柏林而被稱為「柏林病人」的他接受傳媒訪問時，對於能成為首位愛滋病康復者感到非常高興，「在接受移植那天，我 停止了對愛滋病的治療，此後再沒恢復，現在更已治癒。」有醫生形容這個案為「機能治癒」。

捐者對HIV有免疫力

主診醫生胡特表示，布朗沒服用任何藥物，體內病毒也沒再生存，「他現在可能再也不會有任何HIV的問題了。」美國哥倫比亞廣播公司報道，大約只有1%白種人對HIV有免疫力，而此特徵可能來自幾世紀前對瘟疫免疫的祖先。

不過，科學家也強調，布朗的案例非常特殊，因為這類骨髓移植有致命風險，並不適用於全球3,300 萬名愛滋病患者。30年前發現愛滋病的共同研究者李威博士卻表示，此發現已大大鼓舞「治療研究」方向，突破了這數年來未曾想過的可能性。 　

■《每日郵報》/哥倫比亞廣播公司/路透社 

資料來源: 文匯報, 2011年6月7日

獲臍帶血救命 16歲女孩喜會6歲恩人

6年前，10歲的嘉定女孩張嘉妮（化名）突患白血病，陷入困境。幸虧，一年後，一袋40毫升的臍帶血移植入她 體內，令她重生。5年來，嘉妮逐漸康復並重返課堂，心中卻一直牽掛著當時救她命的臍帶血捐贈者。今年5月28日上午，她終於見到了當年的臍血寶寶—今年才 剛剛6歲的男孩徐熹駿，親手送上一份禮物，了卻多年心願。

嘉妮的爺爺說，嘉妮自小跟著爺爺奶奶和爸爸生活。2005年8月，當時正讀小學3年級的她出現低熱症狀，一檢查白細胞竟高達57萬，被確診為慢性粒細胞白血病。這一結果令這個本不富裕的家庭頓感五雷轟頂，家人傾其所有，為她四處奔走。

5年來一直牽掛捐贈者

當時，醫生告訴他們：「可以試試臍帶血造血幹細胞移植，或許可以救她一命。」這個消息令他們彷彿看 到了希望，爺爺立即帶著血液樣本去臍帶血庫配型。好消息很快傳來，血庫在公共庫中找到了配型質量很高的臍帶血造血幹細胞。得知嘉妮的家庭情況，臍血庫決定 免去全部費用，將血無償捐贈給她。

2006年4月，移植手術完成，一個月後嘉妮就出院了。又經過半年多的靜養休息，她重返課堂，至今健康狀況良好。

身體是逐漸恢復了，可嘉妮心中一直有份牽掛：「不知救我命的捐贈者是誰？長什麼樣？」當臍帶血庫的 工作人員去回訪探望她時，她多次問起捐贈者的情況，說想送份禮物表達感恩的心情。然而，一方面根據中華骨髓庫的規定，捐贈者與被捐贈者在一年之內一般不能 見面；另一方面，考慮到5年之內她的病情並不穩定，臍血庫一直未答應。

今年回訪時，見嘉妮病情已趨穩定，血庫決定安排雙方會面。血庫工作人員立即調取捐贈者的資料，給徐熹駿家打了電話。

恩人之母驚喜「真的救了人」

「接到電話，我們非常驚訝，沒想到臍帶血真的救了人。」熹駿的媽媽夏女士說，寶寶是2005年8月出生的。產檢時，在醫院看到宣傳臍帶血寄存可以救人的資料，家人覺得不失為一樁好事。於是，簽了份協議，拿了個收集袋，熹駿的臍帶血在出生當天被保存了下來。

夏女士笑說，知道臍帶血救了人，家人都挺開心，也很期待這次的會面。「我把這件事講給熹駿聽，告訴他『你的血救了個小姐姐』，6歲的他還似懂非懂的，長大後就會明白了吧。」爸爸媽媽希望，這次兒童節前夕的會面會給小熹駿留下特殊的紀念意義，也是一份「愛的教育」。

資料來源: 香港文匯報, 2011年5月29日

Peegaboo呈獻: 第10屆育兒天地博覽

第10屆育兒天地博覽今天在灣仔會展開幕喇!去年取得空前成就的「至Fit小超人」BB障礙賽、十大最具感染力爸媽等項目將繼續舉辦。今年博覽最大特色是設置了6個充滿互動性的親子體驗區，立即click入CordLife網頁:www.cordlife.com/hkLocal ,即可登記免費入場!各位準父母,會展見 :)

<第十屆育兒天地博覽開幕儀式>

<左起:康盛人生香港總經理張慧儀小姐、星級客戶張燊悅小姐、康盛人生香港市場策劃經理周楚貞小姐>

骨髓移植病床 增9倍至170張

瑪麗去年獲205宗轉介,130宗成功完成幹細胞移植;由於醫管局已預計無法滿足未來需求,故計劃未來2至3年,將全港17張幹細胞移植病床増至170張,為更多病人延續生命。

資料來源: 經濟日報(2011年5月16日)

女童根治腦癌 母感動落淚

儲臍帶 為保障加碼

【都市日報】近年愈來愈多父母為子女儲存臍帶血，務求為寶寶的健康設下保障。最近有臍帶血庫引入新儲存技術，將儲存服務擴大至臍帶中的兩種主要幹細胞，進一步增加治療的保障範圍。

相比起臍帶血，臍帶幹細胞應用仍屬起步階段，但本港大部分臍帶血庫已有提供臍帶儲存服務。一般而言，血庫會抽取臍帶中的間質幹細胞作儲存，但康盛人生(Cordlife)臍帶血庫最近引入最新臍帶處理技術，可從臍帶中同時抽取上皮幹細胞作儲存，以擴大治療潛能。

康盛人生臍帶血庫總經理張慧儀表示，目前已有超過140項臨牀試驗顯示，間質幹細胞和上皮幹細胞對治療身體內的疾病以致愈合傷口，都有幫助。「臍帶血主要用作治療血液有關的疾病，但臍帶幹細胞則可修復多種軟組織或器官，潛在的用途範圍更廣。」

臍帶潛在治療用途廣泛

張表示，父母可以選擇只儲存間質幹細胞或間質加上皮幹細胞，費用由22,500元起。父母可最遲於分娩期前1個月登記臍血或臍帶儲存服務，惟需注意患有丙型肝炎、愛滋病、癌症或某些遺傳病的婦女，都不宜接受有關服務。

臍血與臍帶功效比較

●臍帶血幹細胞

(確認治療用途)白血病、淋巴癌、地中海貧血、代謝疾病等超過80種疾病。

(潛在治療用途)腦痳痹、一型糖尿病、心臟病、中風等。

臍帶幹細胞

●間質幹細胞

(潛在治療用途)修復結構性組織和器官如骨骼、軟骨和肌肉、結合造血幹細胞縮短植入時間、具免疫調節作用。

●上皮幹細胞

(潛在治療用途)修復因潰瘍、燒傷或創傷而受損的皮膚及軟組織，再生器官如角膜、肝臟、胰腺等。

資料來源:都市日報(2011年5月6日)

臍帶血細胞醫癱瘓見曙光

脊髓受損導致癱瘓的病人將現康復曙光。香港大學及中文大學聯同中國脊髓損傷研究協作組，攜手進行全球首次臍帶血細胞髓內移植臨床治療，現已有七名脊髓受損 病人接受治療，正招募更多病人參與。一名下半身癱瘓十多年的病人接受該治療後，無知覺的身體部分受刺激後出現非持續的反應，但仍需接受長遠觀察和評估，才 可確定成效。

據衞生署二○○○年資料，本港有四百五十二名脊髓損傷患者。研究團隊計劃招募二十名癱瘓病人接受治療，目的是評估該手術的安全性及可行性，去年十一月至今已為七名病人進行手術，患者術後將被觀察一年以評估治療的安全性及效果。

術後癱瘓部位有間歇反應

中國脊髓損傷研究協作組董事會聯席主席蘇國輝解釋，脊髓受創令神經纖維及細胞受損，損傷位置有缺口，治療方案是打入匹配的臍帶 血單個核細胞至缺口，刺激脊髓生長，橋接受損部位。他說，臍帶血中含有比骨髓更多的幹細胞，在不少研究中已證實可促進脊髓損傷的動物恢復或改善功能。

港大外科學系助理教授梁嘉傑稱，二十位病人會分成五組，注射不同劑量的臍帶血單核細胞，評估成效及安全性。他稱，其中一名下半身癱瘓了十多年的患者 接受手術兩個月，癱瘓部位對外來刺激有非持續性的間歇性反應，但暫不肯定是否跟手術有關，仍需接受更長久的觀察。蘇國輝稱，團隊正籌劃下一期對四百名病人 進行治療，以獲取更多數據作分析研究。
卅多歲的莊濤十八年前遇交通意外致下半身癱瘓，自此出入依靠輪椅，他得知兩間大學招募病人後不加考慮便參與，「始終都坐咗咁多年輪 椅。」他今年二月接受臍帶血細胞髓內移植手術，暫未有任何不良反應，「對我嚟講今次係一個希望，冇諗過行唔行得番，希望有改善，好番三成已好開心。」

資料來源: 東方日報 (2011年4月21日)

「福島50人」死守核電站，至今已有28人證實受到輻射污染，部分「死士」遭受的輻射量，更相當於普通人一年的200倍。高輻射會破壞負責造血的骨髓細胞，嚴重的更會導致血癌。目前電療證實可以殺死腫瘤，但同時亦會殃及骨髓，抑制造血功能。治療方法是移植血液幹細胞，不過等待他人捐贈卻相當費時，也可能出現排斥現象。

日本一批癌症專家包括東京「虎門醫院」和「日本癌症研究基金會」等四所著名醫學機構的癌症專家，在14日刊出的《刺針》（The Lancet）上載一封信，建議為福島核電站員工抽取並儲存血液幹細胞，希望為福島核電站員工抽取幹細胞，以備輻射影響其造血能力時，可用作自救。

資料來源: 成報,2011年4月19日

科大港美專組支援血癌女生

 【明報專訊】科大二年級生羅葆泳1月初前往美國交流期間不幸患上急性血癌，目前仍在當地留醫。父親羅啟安昨與葆泳所屬科大機械工程學系系主任袁銘輝會面個半小時，會上袁銘輝提出多項建議，包括在香港和美國兩地為葆泳組織支援小組、在港邀請血科專家就葆泳的病情給予意見等。

葆泳出院 回宿舍休養
會上羅啟安表示，葆泳正服用催生白血球的藥物，病情仍未穩定，間中嘔吐，她已暫時出院與母親同住在宿舍休養，每日返回醫院覆診。他續稱，初步搜尋骨 髓後全球只有少數人骨髓脗合，故傾向移植臍帶血，礙於本港甚少為成人進行相關手術，希望留在美國接受移植，估計手術後需留院休養約2至3個月。

袁銘輝在會上表示，過去曾教葆泳其中一科，形容她十分勤力，「每次上堂都坐第一排，將來前途無可限量」。他又指葆泳個案特殊，校方協調需時，日後將由他統籌，科大將組織數名交流生或舊生，在美國直接協助羅太解決日常生活所需及支持葆泳，另在校內成立支援小組協助羅父。
另外，袁銘輝說，校長陳繁昌去信美國明尼蘇達大學校長後，對方已指派專人跟進事件，他目前正與對方跟進保險賠償事宜，包括研究移植骨髓或臍帶血的手 術費用是否可獲賠償，稍後將再按需要研究是否發起籌款。羅啟安會後表示，今次獲科大協助令他放下心頭大石，希望有更多市民登記捐骨髓，增加葆泳尋獲合適骨 髓的機會。

資料來源: 明報專訊

Cord Blood Cures Baby’s Grapefruit-Sized Tumor

 Jamie Page and her husband, Ben, discussed the issue of banking their newborn’s cord blood so frequently before the birth that they finally decided if they didn’t do it, it might be the biggest regret they ever had.

“Medical advances change so quickly. Who knows when this child is 10, 20 years old if she’ll need it,” Page said. “It’s a great medical backup to have.”

It turns out the Pages, who live in Schaumburg, Ill., were absolutely right to save the cord blood.

Page had a normal pregnancy and her daughter, Harlow, was born seemingly healthy on March 19, 2008. But after two weeks, the Pages noticed she was crying a lot and seemed uncomfortable – and it just got worse.

“We were told it was probably just colic, to try different formulas, different ways of putting her to bed,” Page said. “At first I thought they were right. We must have tried six or seven different types of formula and we put gas drops in it, but she was pulling at her stomach . . . I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was.”

When Harlow was just 3 months old, her stomach became distended and she stopped having wet diapers. The Pages ended up in the emergency room, and tests revealed every parent’s worst nightmare: A grapefruit-sized mass was blocking Harlow’s kidney. Doctors quickly inserted a catheter and did a biopsy, which was sent out to several pathologists across the country.

“We were in the hospital for five or six days, letting her kidneys recover, and it was the craziest thing,” Jamie Page said. “In two days, we got four different pathologies – they all had different diagnoses. It resembled different cancers, but nothing they had ever seen before.”

There were no answers for the Pages – doctors didn’t know how to treat Harlow’s cancers, or what her prognosis was. A few pediatric oncologists in nearby Chicago decided it resembled a rare brain cancer, and it should be treated as such – so chemotherapy was the best protocol.

“We were so scared,” Page said. “My dad went through chemo for lung cancer, and it made him much more sick than helping him, we didn’t want to torture her. We just wanted her to be comfortable. At the time, doctors said she only had a few weeks to a few months to live.”

Ultimately, it was Harlow who decided for her parents. Her smile, despite how sick she was, made her parents think, ‘How can we not give this little girl a chance to fight?’

That’s when the Pages asked their doctors about a stem cell transplant. But the doctors were surprised – few families have their own supply of cord blood, they said, and it’s hard to find a match.

That’s when things started looking up for Harlow Page.

The Future of Medicine

After three rounds of chemotherapy, the doctors decided the tumor had shrunk enough for them to go in and remove it surgically, but when they cut Harlow’s abdomen open, the tumor was completely gone.

“We went in thinking she might’ve needed a hysterectomy,” Page said. “All she had left was scar tissue. They called in more surgeons to make sure they were looking in the right place. We were thrilled.”

Because the tumor was so aggressive, a stem cell transplant made sense – it was Harlow’s best option of ensuring that the tumor did not grow back. Still, she would need a double transplant.

The Pages met with the hospital's stem cell transplant team, which included Alexis Baby, a pediatric nurse practitioner.

“As of right now, there is a good prognosis,” Baby said about Harlow. “As each year passes, there is a big step toward relapse-free survival.”

So after five days of intense chemo – at higher rates than previously given – Harlow’s current cells were killed off. On the sixth day, she rested in an isolation room and on the seventh, they started the infusion. By this time, Harlow was 9 months old.

She spent 25 days in isolation to avoid any germs, but got to go home for two weeks before coming back to the hospital for her second round. Because she didn’t have enough of her own stem cells for that round, doctors had harvested her blood earlier and used that.

“As grueling as it was, she was getting her own stem cells,” Page said. “She didn’t need to be on anti-rejection pills like other kids. Some families had to worry about host vs. graft disease. We had enough concerns without worrying about her fighting her own body.”

Cord blood stem cells that are saved at birth are collected from the baby’s umbilical cord with a syringe – and the child does not feel a thing, unlike painful bone marrow extractions. Parents send the cells to a cord blood bank of their choice, where the cells can be stored indefinitely.

The price for banking cord blood varies depending on the company, but the procedure costs around $2,000 to $3,000 (this depends on whether or not you've saved the baby's cord blood tissue), plus an annual storage fee of about $125. 

However, if you feel cord blood banking is too expensive an option for you, Baby urges parents to donate their newborn’s cord blood to a public bank, so it can be available for someone else who might need it.

“Otherwise, it's medical waste, and it’s just thrown away,” Baby said. “There is an option to donate it, but a lot of people don’t know about that, so it’s really unfortunate.”

Science has shown that cord blood stem cells are smarter than average cells: Once they are reinfused into the body, the cells migrate to the injured spot and immediately start the healing process.

Other advantages to using cord blood cells – besides not worrying about rejection – include the fact that the cells are younger and have not yet been exposed to any chemical or environmental factors, Baby said.

Doctors are constantly researching how cord blood can treat patients. Studies are being conducted on cord blood stem cells and their effects on brain injuries, Type I diabetes, neurology and cardiology – and that’s just the tipping point. Doctors think cord blood could be the future of medicine.

Harlow was released from the hospital in February 2009 – almost one year after she was born. Her parents had to literally teach her to swallow and eat again, because she had been nauseous for so long and had skipped solid foods. But by June 2009, she stopped taking all medications, and in September of that year, she was allowed to start attending day care.

Harlow has no recollection of being sick, and is a typical 3-year-old: She loves dancing, singing, gymnastics and watching her favorite movie, “101 Dalmatians.”

“I want to encourage other parents to save their child’s cord blood,” Page said. “I tell all our families and friends it’s the cheapest life insurance you’ll ever buy, and it’s an amazing opportunity for your child. To look at her, you’d never know, which is the best part of all.”

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/28/cord-blood-cures-babys-grapefruit-sized-tumor/#ixzz1I9AELs9T

Stem Cells Aid Recovery of Heart Size and Function after Myocardial Infarction

By Nancy on March 19, 2011

In a small but extremely significant clinical trial, researchers have reportedly used autologous stem cell injections to help damaged heart tissue recover, reducing the size of enlarged hearts and improving heart function, in people who suffered heart attacks.

Dr. Joshua M. Hare, a professor of medicine and director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine and his research team, conducted the experimental trial.The research team treated eight men, who had left ventricular dysfunction due to myocardial infarction, at an average of 5.7 years after the episode.

The men were injected with the  Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), found in the bone marrow of adults, that was removed from the hip bone of each of the patients.

HSCs are multipotent stem cells that can form all types of blood cell including the myeloid cells, originating in the bone marrow or spinal cord.

Two different types of bone marrow stem cells, mononuclear and mesenchymal cells were injected directly to the damaged part of the heart using a special catheter. The researchers did not observe any significant gains while measuring ejection fractions (EF) in the patients, but cardiac chamber dimensions improved and so did the contractility of the heart.

The function of the heart muscle in the treated area improved in three months, positively affecting the heart contraction function while the infarct size reduced by 18.3% after one year. The enlarged heart reduced by 15 – 20% on an average after a year and the patients tolerated the procedures well, without any serious adverse effects.

The researchers stressed the need for larger trials and detailed study and Hare notes, “We can’t say whether that’ll be in three or seven years down the road. It’s hard to speculate precisely. But we’re talking sometime this decade.”

Source: Healthaim

Stem Cell Recipient Positive Mexican Procedure Working

Ed Johns says he feels like a new man.

The effects of his multiple sclerosis are not as pronounced, something he attributes to a stem cell treatment he underwent in Tijuana, Mexico.

He returned Oct. 13 and has noticed a renewed vitality which increases every day, he said.

Before getting the treatment, merely walking down the stairs was difficult, Johns said. Now he's back to using the personal gym machine in the basement of his North Boulevard home.

Johns, like other Americans, went to Mexico to receive the umbilical cord stem cell treatments because such therapies are not available in the United States.

Before going he was depressed, constantly exhausted and relying on a walker to get around his home. Family members and doctors described his condition as declining.

Despite that diagnosis, Johns' physician, Dr. Thaddeus Aversa, said he was cautious of endorsing stem cells as the answer to multiple sclerosis.

Stem cell research is a new area of science that hasn't been around long enough to know the long-term benefits, Aversa said, prior to Johns' trip.

However, Aversa said, Johns had gone the conventional treatment route with drugs designed to prevent the immune system from attacking nerve cells. Those therapies did not seem to help, the doctor said.

Some scientists say stem cells have the potential to repair damaged cells. However, the federal Food and Drug Administration has not signed off on allowing such treatment in America.

The issue is also clouded by political controversy with many conservatives opposing the use of fetal stem cells for the research.

Researchers are also looking at adult brain stem cells for a possible treatment, according to National Multiple Sclerosis Society spokeswoman Becca Kornfield.

"Currently there is no evidence that stem cells taken from umbilical cords can help replace damaged nervous system tissues," Kornfield wrote in an e-mail. "Clinics that claim to be having success in this arena have not published proof of their work so that the medical community can evaluate their claims."

Aversa said medical journals are often conservative and slow to endorse a new treatment. He said the top medical centers often have different opinions on treatment options for patients.

Johns has not visited his doctor since returning from Mexico, only chiropractors and a masseuse. He was able to verify his payment for the stem cell treatment.

During a recent interview, Johns moved easily with a limp while walking around his kitchen and living room. He relied very little on a small black cane.

He said his balance has returned and he rarely needs to use a support railing when he is in the shower.

"I'm getting ready much quicker," Johns said. "It used to take two to three hours to get ready. Now, it's only one."

Johns' mother said his progress has been a surprise.

"I came home from work and he said he had done a load of laundry, which floored me," Joanne Johns said. "He's just moving better with a better attitude. He takes care of himself and all three dogs during the day."

Joanne Johns flew with her son to Tijuana for the treatment.

"It was pretty good; everybody at the hospital were very professional," Joanne Johns said. "The people down there were just wonderful."

Both said the hospital was smaller than American facilities. The place treats cancer patients with alternative therapies, not chemotherapy. Ed Johns declined to identify the institution at its request.

"It was very clean; the people were amazing," Ed Johns said.

Ed Johns said the doctors started with an IV of saline. As that drained out, they hooked up the first dose of stem cells. Ed Johns described the vial as the size of a triple-A battery.

The procedure ends with three stem cell injections in the back of the neck. The procedure lasts three hours and costs range from $24,000-$28,000.

Ed Johns' son Chris Cahill walked into the basement just as his father was taking another repetition on the machine. The 17-year-old was excited about his father's progress.

"He's getting better slowly but surely," Cahill said. "He's getting better faster than anyone else. It's supposed to take two to three months."

Source: BanderasNews

Researchers Find Indirect Path to Attack Breast Cancer Stem Cells

ScienceDaily (Mar. 20, 2011) — Scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a potential new way of attacking breast cancer stem cells, the small number of cells in a tumor that fuel its growth and spread.

 Researchers found that breast cancer stem cells are regulated by a type of cell derived from bone marrow, called mesenchymal stem cells. These cells are drawn from the bone marrow to the cancer and create a "niche" for the cancer stem cells, allowing them to replicate.

"The importance of this is that we may be able to attack breast cancer stem cells indirectly by blocking these signals from the niche," says study author Max S. Wicha, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Oncology and director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Breast cancer stem cells were first identified by Wicha and colleagues at the University of Michigan in 2003. Cancer stem cells are believed to be resistant to current chemotherapies and radiation treatment, which researchers say may be the reason cancer so often returns after treatment.

Little is known about the cancer stem cell niche -- a type of microenvironment that is highly associated with tumor growth and metastasis. The researchers looked at mesenchymal stem cells, which arise in bone marrow. They found that breast cancers in mice sent out signals which attracted mesenchymal stem cells from the bone marrow into the tumor where these cells interacted and stimulated the growth of breast cancer stem cells.

Researchers then identified two signals from a cytokine network -- a type of protein that affects how cells communicate -- that were responsible for stem cell regulation. These same cytokines play a role in inflammation and drugs that block them have already been approved for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. By blocking these cytokine signals, researchers hope that they can successfully target the cancer stem cell population providing a more effective treatment for breast cancer.

Results of the study appear in the Jan. 15 issue of Cancer Research.

*University of Michigan Health System (2011, March 20). Researchers find indirect path to attack breast cancer stem cells. ScienceDaily.

「認識臍帶及臍帶血幹細胞」講座及參觀實驗室

Cord blood stem cells used to help cure girl of brain cancer in Spain

Picture from EDICIONES EL PAÍS, S.L.

Seville, Spain, Mar 8, 2011 / 02:04 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- A four-year-old girl has become the first patient in Spain to recover from brain cancer after being treated with stem cells from her own umbilical cord blood.

The announcement of the girl's recovery came March 7 from the company Crio-Cord, a stem cell bank in Spain.

Alba was born healthy in 2007, but at age two she was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. Her treatment consisted of extracting the majority of the tumor from her brain. She was then given chemotherapy to reduce and eventually eliminate the remainder of the tumor.

Alba's blood system was destroyed during the final round of chemo, thus requiring a transplant of cord blood stem cells.

The procedure was carried out in 2009 by Dr. Luis Madero of the Department of Oncology and Hematology at the Nino Jesus Hospital in Madrid.
Today, four year-old Alba is a healthy girl.

Periodic Reviews
Sixty days after the transplant, Alba was given new stem cells taken from her peripheral blood in order to accelerate the production of platelets. Fourteen months after the transplant, her blood system was completely restored, and she has since enjoyed a normal life.

Dr. Madero called her case unique in Spain. “The use of stem cells to regenerate the blood system is an extended treatment for this form of cancer,” he said. What makes her case unique, he added, “is that for the first time in our country, the stem cells came from a patient’s own umbilical cord, preserved from birth.”

“In recent years, transplants of cord blood stem cells have become increasingly common. In the case of siblings, these stem cells are the best therapeutic option that exists,” he said.

“Our best investment”
Alba’s father, Santiago, who is a computer engineer, and her mother, Teresa, a literature professor, agreed that keeping the blood from Alba’s umbilical cord was the “best investment” they ever made.

Santiago said he had previously seen a report “on the treatment for Parkinson’s using stem cells … and was sympathetic to the idea of using stem cells to treat degenerative diseases.”

“Keeping the umbilical cord is a wager for the future, a life insurance policy that you don’t know if you will need but that could save a life,” Teresa added.

The head of Crio-Cord, Guillermo Munoz, also said he was pleased at the results of the therapy. He noted that the organization was “proud to have participated in Alba’s healing process.”

Cases like these confirm “that umbilical cord blood is an excellent source of stem cells. Being the youngest cells of their kind in the human body, they have great potential to cure,” Munoz explained.

Source: CNA, U.S.