The world of stem cell research is advancing rapidly, with new findings and discoveries seemingly every week. And yet some things that we knew years ago are still every bit as relevant today as they were then.
Take for example a TEDx talk by Dr. Daniel Kota, a stem cell researcher and the Director, Cellular Therapy – Research and Development at Houston Methodist.
Dr. Kota’s talk is entitled: “Promises and Dangers of Stem Cell Therapies”. In it he talks about the tremendous potential of stem cells to reverse the course of disease and help people battle previously untreatable conditions.
But he also warns about the gap between what the science can do, and what people believe it can do. He says too many people have unrealistic expectations of what is available right now, fueled by many unscrupulous snake oil salesmen who open clinics and offer “treatments” that are both unproven and unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration.
He says we need to “bridge the gap between stem cell science and society” so that people have a more realistic appreciation of what stem cells can do.
Sadly, as the number of clinics peddling these unproven therapies grows in the US, Dr. Kota’s message remains all too timely.
Close-up of the arm of a 70-year-old male patient with a torn biceps muscle as a result of a bowling injury; Photo courtesy Science Photo Library
In the time of coronavirus an awful lot of people are not just working from home they’re also working out at home. That’s a good thing; exercise is a great way to boost the immune system, stay healthy and deal with stress. But for people used to more structured workouts at the gym it can come with a downside. Trying new routines at home that look easy on YouTube, but are harder in practice could potentially increase the risk of injury.
A new study from Japan looks at what happens when you damage a muscle. It won’t help it heal faster, but it will at least let you understand what is happening inside your body as you sit there with ice on your arm and ibuprofen in your hand.
The researchers found that when you damage a muscle, for example by trying to lift too much weight or doing too many repetitions of one exercise, the damaged muscle fibers leak substances that activate nearby “satellite” stem cells. These satellite cells then flock to the site of the injury and help repair the muscle.
The team, from Kumamoto University and Nagasaki University in Japan, named the leaking substances “Damaged myofiber-derived factors” (DMDFs) – personally I think “Substances Leaked by Injured Muscles (SLIM) would be a much cooler acronym, but that’s just me. Gaining a deeper understanding of how DMDFs work might help lead to therapies for older people who have fewer satellite muscle cells, and also for conditions like muscular dystrophy and age-related muscular fragility (sarcopenia), where the number and function of satellite cells decreases.
In an article in Science Daily, Professor Yusuke Ono, the leader of the study, says it’s possible that DMDFs play an even greater role in the body:
“In this study, we proposed a new muscle injury-regeneration model. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of how DMDFs activate satellite cells remains an unclear issue for future research. In addition to satellite cell activation, DMDF moonlighting functions are expected to be diverse. Recent studies have shown that skeletal muscle secretes various factors that affect other organs and tissues, such as the brain and fat, into the bloodstream, so it may be possible that DMDFs are involved in the linkage between injured muscle and other organs via blood circulation. We believe that further elucidation of the functions of DMDFs could clarify the pathologies of some muscle diseases and help in the development of new drugs.”
Every day at CIRM we get emails and calls from people looking for a stem cell clinical trial to help them. Some have arthritis in the knee or hip and want to avoid surgery. Some have a child with autism and want something that will ease the symptoms. Some have cancer and conventional therapies no longer work for them. Many have run out of options. Some are running out of time.
It’s hard to tell
someone who is desperate that you don’t have anything that can help them, that
there are no stem cell clinical trials that would be appropriate for them. Many
often push back, saying they’ve seen ads online and visited websites for companies
that claim to have stem cell therapies that can help them. When I say those
therapies have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, or even
been shown to be safe let alone effective, I can hear the disappointment in
their voice.
I know some will go on to try those therapies anyway, because they have nothing else. I don’t blame them. I might do the same myself.
But before making an informed decision about any therapy it is important for people to have all the facts in front of them.
That’s why we are
holding a special Facebook Live “Ask the
Stem Cell Team About Clinical Trials” event on Thursday, April 25th from noon till 1pm PDT.
We are bringing
together three experts who will help us all understand what’s a good clinical
trial, and what’s a bogus one. They will talk about:
Red flags that a stem cell “clinic” might be
more interested in making money than making you better
Key things to look for to choose a bona fide
stem cell clinical trial
What are the questions you need to ask before
signing up for any clinical
What are good sources of information to turn
to for guidance
The Stem Cell Team
will talk about CIRM’s Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Network, contrasting the time
and resources they devote to offering patients stem cell clinical trials that
are endorsed by the FDA, with clinics that promise people their own fat or
blood cells can fix everything from bad knees to multiple sclerosis.
Our experts include
a doctor and a nurse from the Alpha Clinics Network with years of experience in
running and managing clinical trials, plus our own Geoff Lomax who helps
support the entire network.
It will be an eye
opening, informative and engaging hour and we want you to be part of it. You can either join us on the day and post
questions for the panel to answer, or you can email
them directly to us beforehand at info@cirm.ca.gov.
Also, be sure to “like” our FaceBook
page before the event to receive a notification when we’ve gone
live for this and future events. If you can’t watch the broadcast “live”, not
to worry, we’ll be posting it on our Facebook video page, our website,
and YouTube
channel shortly afterwards.
In the days leading up to the broadcast
we’ll give you the broadcast link that will take you to the event itself.
We look forward to having you join us
for this really important Facebook Live event.
If you are in the San Francisco Bay
Area this week you can join us at our fourth Annual
CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Network Symposium where the topic of
how to choose a clinical trial that’s right for you will be front and center.
The symposium is on Thursday, April 18th from 8.30am
to 4.30pm. It’s open to the public and it’s free.
You can find details about the event,
including how you can register, HERE.
The Stem Cellar 