September 22,2007
Jack reports that he feels stronger, experiences fewer arhythmias and less fatigue.
Our 50th class reunion was so delightful. I was so looking forward to it, but Jack was really up for it and praying for strength and good health. His prayers were answered. He was up way past his bedtime three days in a row, with minimal daytime napping. We are still sharing anecdotes and memories and laughs. We couldn't get enough of each other. I thought about starting a class reunion blog, as it was so major an event for me. It's so awesome to live this long and see how beautiful people turn out. A full catastrophe life (a term borrowed from Jon Kabot-Zinn) makes people really shine in their golden years. A day of golf, an initial informal social, a Mass celebrated by a classmate priest, a dinner with program, a brunch cruise on the Mississippi weren't enough ... we gathered Monday for a farewell breakfast.
I will try to get the photos and the other data on the blog, soon. My excuse= I'm staining the deck and some other tasks which woulda-shouda-coulda been done in Spring.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
9-4-07
Cell Processing Lab
The cell lab will take the pheresis product and evaluate the cells in the product. This is done with a cell count, viability (what percentage is alive vs. dead), and by phenotype.
The phenotype tells us what kinds of cells are in the product (lymphocyte, monocyte, granulocyte, etc.) All cells have antigens on their surface. There are hundreds of different antigens that can characterize a cell type. Any given cell will have numerous antigens to tell us what kind of cell it is, what level of maturity it is at, if it is activated, and other information. CD34 cells are stem cells, which means they are partially programmed but are still immature enough to be "pushed" in different directions to mature into a variety of cell types. Cells that express the CD34 antigen are in extremely low percentages in the general circulation. The Neupogen you were given tells the bone marrow to push these cells out into the circulation before they are mature. A blood sample was taken on the two days prior to pheresis so we could monitor how your system was responding to the Neupogen. The pheresis collects all the white cells including the CD34+ cells. The processing we do selects only the CD34+ cells to give back directly to the heart muscle. The antigens on the surface of the cells are proteins; antibodies are made to each individual protein and then chemically linked to a fluorescent tag. The cells are incubated with different antibodies and then looked at on a machine called a flowcytometer. The flowcytometer forces the cells in single file through a flow cell, a laser beam "hits" each cell as it passed though the flow cell and the different fluorescent tags emit light at various wavelengths which is collected by the computer. We can then look at the results and calculate the number of CD34+ cells we have and the purity of those cells in the products. This same technology is used to purify the CD34+ cells from the pheresis product; this is done on the Isolex Machine. The antibody to the CD34 antigen is attached to a metal bead (very tiny beads, dozens of beads can attach to one cells), instead of a fluorescent tag. The pheresis product is incubated with the beads. The bead-cell combination is then exposed to a strong magnet. This "pulls out" the CD34+ cells only and all other cells are washed away. The bead-cell complex is then incubated with a reagent that detaches the bead and washed the cells into a separate bag. We take the selected cells and evaluate them fo1' purity, viability, and sterility before preparing the syringes that go to the cardiologist for injection. - Ruth Siebenlist
The cell lab will take the pheresis product and evaluate the cells in the product. This is done with a cell count, viability (what percentage is alive vs. dead), and by phenotype.
The phenotype tells us what kinds of cells are in the product (lymphocyte, monocyte, granulocyte, etc.) All cells have antigens on their surface. There are hundreds of different antigens that can characterize a cell type. Any given cell will have numerous antigens to tell us what kind of cell it is, what level of maturity it is at, if it is activated, and other information. CD34 cells are stem cells, which means they are partially programmed but are still immature enough to be "pushed" in different directions to mature into a variety of cell types. Cells that express the CD34 antigen are in extremely low percentages in the general circulation. The Neupogen you were given tells the bone marrow to push these cells out into the circulation before they are mature. A blood sample was taken on the two days prior to pheresis so we could monitor how your system was responding to the Neupogen. The pheresis collects all the white cells including the CD34+ cells. The processing we do selects only the CD34+ cells to give back directly to the heart muscle. The antigens on the surface of the cells are proteins; antibodies are made to each individual protein and then chemically linked to a fluorescent tag. The cells are incubated with different antibodies and then looked at on a machine called a flowcytometer. The flowcytometer forces the cells in single file through a flow cell, a laser beam "hits" each cell as it passed though the flow cell and the different fluorescent tags emit light at various wavelengths which is collected by the computer. We can then look at the results and calculate the number of CD34+ cells we have and the purity of those cells in the products. This same technology is used to purify the CD34+ cells from the pheresis product; this is done on the Isolex Machine. The antibody to the CD34 antigen is attached to a metal bead (very tiny beads, dozens of beads can attach to one cells), instead of a fluorescent tag. The pheresis product is incubated with the beads. The bead-cell combination is then exposed to a strong magnet. This "pulls out" the CD34+ cells only and all other cells are washed away. The bead-cell complex is then incubated with a reagent that detaches the bead and washed the cells into a separate bag. We take the selected cells and evaluate them fo1' purity, viability, and sterility before preparing the syringes that go to the cardiologist for injection. - Ruth Siebenlist
Thursday, August 30, 2007
8-30-07 More overview
Hey, isn't it interesting? ...or maybe it's a little tedious and long? You only have to read it. I'm copying this flyer by typing it all. Maybe someone can tell me how to scan info to this blog, because I'm not much of a typist.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Aug.29, 2007 HAVE A HEART
My name is Catherine Desmond. My husband, Jack (aka John, Tony) had his own stem cells implanted in his heart. I should say, maybe he had stem cells implanted. Chances are he had a placebo implanted.
Wow! More than two months ago, Jack went through this procedure after a few weeks of testing and screening. We were so excited and upbeat and couldn't stop talking about the experience. Donna Perry gave me encouragement and info on blogging, and then I procrastinated about writing on the blog. Actually, we left for a family reunion in South Dakota. That was so much fun and Jack was so up for it, I thought I'd do a family reunion blog ... but .. guess what!
Jack does have a few health issues so his life isn't easy. It would be great to have a stronger heart with better circulation. The other challenges might dwarf a little, if this works.
Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care in Milwaukee is participating in this national study and have put out a flyer describing the study:
Could your own Stem Cells help fight your Angina?
Consider this medical research study
Thank you for your interest in our study.
It is estimated that approximately 6 million people in the U.S. have angina. Because angina typically presents itself through episodes of severe, constricting chest pain cause by a lack of oxygen to the heart, it can be a frightening condition to live with. Although there are current treatments available for angina, not all treatments work well or are effective for everyone. As a result, new treatment options are being explored today, including one option that utilizes a patient's own stem cells.
Everybody's body produces stem cells. Stem cells are simple cells produced by bone marrow that can develop into blood cells or other types of cells. Researchers are interested to learn whether using a patient's own stem cells can lessen the symptoms of angina by helping to restore blood vessels in the heart.
Local doctors are currently conducting a medical research study evaluating the tolerability, safety and effectiveness of an investigational medical treatment involving the use of one's own stem cells into areas of the heart with poor blood flow.
About the Investigational Treatment
The procedure first involves removing an amount of blood from an arm or groin vein using a needle. Specific types of stem cells called CD34+ cells are then separated out of the blood. It is believed that CD34+ cells play a role in new blood vessle generation. These CD34+ cells are then inserted back into areas of the heart that are not receiving enough blood flow, through a small tube called a catheter.
About Your Participation
To pre-qualify for this study you must:
> Be 21 years of age
> Have had a medical diagnosis of chronic angina
>Be identified as unsuitable for conventional revascularization.
Qualified participants will receive a study-related medical evaluation and the investigational treatment at no cost.
If it is determined you are eligible and you decide to participate in this study, your participation could last up to 14 months and you will visit the clinic on at least 13 separate occasions.
During the study visits, various medical tests and evaluations will be performed to monitor your safety and measure your progress throughout the study. These tests and evaluations will include, but not be limited to, physical examinations, chest x-rays echocardiograms and cardiac MRIs.
If you are a woman, you will also be given a pregnancy test to confirm you are not pregnant. If you are pregnant, you will not be allowed to participate in the study.
You will also not be allowed to participate in this study if you have an allergy to E-coli derived proteins, or have been diagnosed with sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait.
About the Study
The primary purpose of this study is to determine the tolerability, safety and effectiveness of one's own stem cells delivered into areas of the heart with poor blood flow.
Upon entering the study, participants will be randomly assigned (similar to picking numbers out of a hat) to one of three treatment groups:
> Group #1 will receive (by injection) 1 x 10 to the fifth power (100,000) cells/kg body weight
> Group#2 will receive (by injection) 5 x 10 to the fifth power (500,000) cells/kg body weight
>Group #3 will receive (by injection) placebo (a substance that looks like your own cells but contains no active ingredients)
You will have a 33% chance (1 in 3) of being in Group#1, a 33% chance (1 in 3) of being in Group#2, and a 33% chance (1 in 3) of being in Group#3. Therefore, there is a 2 in 1 chance that you will receive your CD34+ stem cells.
Neither you nor your doctor will know which procedure you are receiving. The study is designed this way so that the researchers can be certainthat any results are due to the investigational treatment , and not just because the participants think thay are suppose to respond in a certain manner. However, your doctor will be given access to this information should it become necessary due to medical reasons.
Wow! More than two months ago, Jack went through this procedure after a few weeks of testing and screening. We were so excited and upbeat and couldn't stop talking about the experience. Donna Perry gave me encouragement and info on blogging, and then I procrastinated about writing on the blog. Actually, we left for a family reunion in South Dakota. That was so much fun and Jack was so up for it, I thought I'd do a family reunion blog ... but .. guess what!
Jack does have a few health issues so his life isn't easy. It would be great to have a stronger heart with better circulation. The other challenges might dwarf a little, if this works.
Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care in Milwaukee is participating in this national study and have put out a flyer describing the study:
Could your own Stem Cells help fight your Angina?
Consider this medical research study
Thank you for your interest in our study.
It is estimated that approximately 6 million people in the U.S. have angina. Because angina typically presents itself through episodes of severe, constricting chest pain cause by a lack of oxygen to the heart, it can be a frightening condition to live with. Although there are current treatments available for angina, not all treatments work well or are effective for everyone. As a result, new treatment options are being explored today, including one option that utilizes a patient's own stem cells.
Everybody's body produces stem cells. Stem cells are simple cells produced by bone marrow that can develop into blood cells or other types of cells. Researchers are interested to learn whether using a patient's own stem cells can lessen the symptoms of angina by helping to restore blood vessels in the heart.
Local doctors are currently conducting a medical research study evaluating the tolerability, safety and effectiveness of an investigational medical treatment involving the use of one's own stem cells into areas of the heart with poor blood flow.
About the Investigational Treatment
The procedure first involves removing an amount of blood from an arm or groin vein using a needle. Specific types of stem cells called CD34+ cells are then separated out of the blood. It is believed that CD34+ cells play a role in new blood vessle generation. These CD34+ cells are then inserted back into areas of the heart that are not receiving enough blood flow, through a small tube called a catheter.
About Your Participation
To pre-qualify for this study you must:
> Be 21 years of age
> Have had a medical diagnosis of chronic angina
>Be identified as unsuitable for conventional revascularization.
Qualified participants will receive a study-related medical evaluation and the investigational treatment at no cost.
If it is determined you are eligible and you decide to participate in this study, your participation could last up to 14 months and you will visit the clinic on at least 13 separate occasions.
During the study visits, various medical tests and evaluations will be performed to monitor your safety and measure your progress throughout the study. These tests and evaluations will include, but not be limited to, physical examinations, chest x-rays echocardiograms and cardiac MRIs.
If you are a woman, you will also be given a pregnancy test to confirm you are not pregnant. If you are pregnant, you will not be allowed to participate in the study.
You will also not be allowed to participate in this study if you have an allergy to E-coli derived proteins, or have been diagnosed with sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait.
About the Study
The primary purpose of this study is to determine the tolerability, safety and effectiveness of one's own stem cells delivered into areas of the heart with poor blood flow.
Upon entering the study, participants will be randomly assigned (similar to picking numbers out of a hat) to one of three treatment groups:
> Group #1 will receive (by injection) 1 x 10 to the fifth power (100,000) cells/kg body weight
> Group#2 will receive (by injection) 5 x 10 to the fifth power (500,000) cells/kg body weight
>Group #3 will receive (by injection) placebo (a substance that looks like your own cells but contains no active ingredients)
You will have a 33% chance (1 in 3) of being in Group#1, a 33% chance (1 in 3) of being in Group#2, and a 33% chance (1 in 3) of being in Group#3. Therefore, there is a 2 in 1 chance that you will receive your CD34+ stem cells.
Neither you nor your doctor will know which procedure you are receiving. The study is designed this way so that the researchers can be certainthat any results are due to the investigational treatment , and not just because the participants think thay are suppose to respond in a certain manner. However, your doctor will be given access to this information should it become necessary due to medical reasons.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Hello, Welcome
This is my first attempt at blogging. Here is a link. Stem cells spotlighted in Baxter heart studyTreatment believed to reverse heart failureBy Rob WatersBloomberg NewsPublished July 16, 2007
Delmar Chase, 74, has had two coronary bypass surgeries, stents inserted into his arteries to prop them open and a pacemaker to keep his heart beating normally. Still, he gets chest pain when he walks a block.Relief may be on the way. Chase is enrolled in a Baxter International Inc. study, to be completed in 2009, testing if his own stem cells can strengthen his heart. The trial is one of 50 involving 3,200 patients worldwide conducted by academic researchers and a dozen companies racing to market new treatments for heart disease, the No. 1 U.S. killer.In March, Osiris Therapeutics Inc. and Mytogen Inc. showed in separate studies that stem cells improved the pumping of diseased hearts. Two weeks ago, Deerfield-based Baxter said a similar therapy decreased chest pain in two dozen people. Further reports may signal whether these therapies will crack the $33 billion-a-year U.S. cardiac-care market."There's a lot of money to chase and a lot of companies want a piece," said Jose Haresco, an analyst with Merriman Curhan Ford & Co. in San Francisco. "Cardiology is the largest area of health expenditures in the country."Most heart therapies prevent cardiovascular damage by lowering blood pressure or cholesterol. No existing treatment actually reverses heart failure, which weakens cardiac muscle and often follows a heart attack. More than 5 million Americans have the disorder, according to the American Heart Association.The new experiments all use adult stem cells harvested from blood, bone, muscle and fat. In most studies they are gathered from a patient's own organs, purified in the laboratory, then injected back into an individual's heart.In March, Mytogen, based in Phoenix, said it used such a technique to treat 12 heart failure patients, whose hearts pumped more efficiently six months later. In May, Advanced Cell Technology Inc., an embryonic stem cell company based in Alam eda, C alif., agreed to acquire Mytogen for $5 million and assume $1 million in debt.Osiris, based in Baltimore, is developing a treatment using cells gathered from unrelated donors and injected into patients' veins that may be easier for hospitals to use.Up to 5,000 treatments can be made from one donor. "The cells can be produced in quantity, in advance, offering the chance for an off-the-shelf product," said Marc Penn, director of the Bakken Heart-Brain Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.The Osiris procedure reduced risks of irregular heartbeats in patients given the cells within 10 days of a heart attack, compared with patients on placebos, the study found.Though some researchers say stem cells from embryos may be more effective in rebuilding hearts, all American trials use the less controversial adult cells. The U.S. government severely limits funding for embryonic stem cell research.Kenneth Chien, a Harvard University researcher, said hum an stu dies should be put on hold until scientists better understand how stem cells work. He also said the focus of research should shift to more adaptable embryonic cells. Last year, Chien published research identifying a "master" cardiac cell, derived from an embryonic cell, that turns into each of the three major cell types found in the heart.He said scientists should carry out more studies in test tubes and animals before moving to people."What's the best way to deliver cells?" Chien asks. "Injection into the heart, in the bloodstream? Which cells? Bone marrow? Fat cells? We don't really know."Answering such questions is the point of early studies, said Stephen Minger, director of the stem cell biology laboratory at King's College in London. Adult stem cells may serve as a bridge until researchers better understand how embryonic cells work, he said.Minger thinks bone marrow cells may help form new blood vessels, which the damaged heart needs, and that t he ultimate treatment may combine adult cells to stimulate blood flow and embryonic cells to form new muscle.Delmar Chase hopes cells from his bone marrow will strengthen his heart, though he won't learn until 2009 if he was given the cells or a placebo.He was treated in February at the Scripps Institute's Green Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. During the operation, cardiologist Richard Schatz, 54, peered intently at six monitors with images of Chase's heart from a camera on a catheter, a hollow wire threaded into an artery.Guided by the images, Schatz's team manipulated the catheter to areas of the heart getting too little blood and oxygen. Then, using a syringe, they plunged a needle into the heart's wall, discharging either cells or saline.Baxter plans to treat the last of 150 patients in the study by March next year, follow them for a year, then decide whether to finance a larger trial, said Andrea Hunt, the company's vice president for cellula r ther apies.Chase believes the Baxter study is already a success, at least for him. He has needed just one nitroglycerine tablet a week since three weeks after the operation occurred. Before, he was averaging four a day, he said. For that reason, he assumes he got stem cells, not saline."I'm pretty sure we're on the right road," Chase said. "It's the best news I've had in 35 years."
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Delmar Chase, 74, has had two coronary bypass surgeries, stents inserted into his arteries to prop them open and a pacemaker to keep his heart beating normally. Still, he gets chest pain when he walks a block.Relief may be on the way. Chase is enrolled in a Baxter International Inc. study, to be completed in 2009, testing if his own stem cells can strengthen his heart. The trial is one of 50 involving 3,200 patients worldwide conducted by academic researchers and a dozen companies racing to market new treatments for heart disease, the No. 1 U.S. killer.In March, Osiris Therapeutics Inc. and Mytogen Inc. showed in separate studies that stem cells improved the pumping of diseased hearts. Two weeks ago, Deerfield-based Baxter said a similar therapy decreased chest pain in two dozen people. Further reports may signal whether these therapies will crack the $33 billion-a-year U.S. cardiac-care market."There's a lot of money to chase and a lot of companies want a piece," said Jose Haresco, an analyst with Merriman Curhan Ford & Co. in San Francisco. "Cardiology is the largest area of health expenditures in the country."Most heart therapies prevent cardiovascular damage by lowering blood pressure or cholesterol. No existing treatment actually reverses heart failure, which weakens cardiac muscle and often follows a heart attack. More than 5 million Americans have the disorder, according to the American Heart Association.The new experiments all use adult stem cells harvested from blood, bone, muscle and fat. In most studies they are gathered from a patient's own organs, purified in the laboratory, then injected back into an individual's heart.In March, Mytogen, based in Phoenix, said it used such a technique to treat 12 heart failure patients, whose hearts pumped more efficiently six months later. In May, Advanced Cell Technology Inc., an embryonic stem cell company based in Alam eda, C alif., agreed to acquire Mytogen for $5 million and assume $1 million in debt.Osiris, based in Baltimore, is developing a treatment using cells gathered from unrelated donors and injected into patients' veins that may be easier for hospitals to use.Up to 5,000 treatments can be made from one donor. "The cells can be produced in quantity, in advance, offering the chance for an off-the-shelf product," said Marc Penn, director of the Bakken Heart-Brain Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.The Osiris procedure reduced risks of irregular heartbeats in patients given the cells within 10 days of a heart attack, compared with patients on placebos, the study found.Though some researchers say stem cells from embryos may be more effective in rebuilding hearts, all American trials use the less controversial adult cells. The U.S. government severely limits funding for embryonic stem cell research.Kenneth Chien, a Harvard University researcher, said hum an stu dies should be put on hold until scientists better understand how stem cells work. He also said the focus of research should shift to more adaptable embryonic cells. Last year, Chien published research identifying a "master" cardiac cell, derived from an embryonic cell, that turns into each of the three major cell types found in the heart.He said scientists should carry out more studies in test tubes and animals before moving to people."What's the best way to deliver cells?" Chien asks. "Injection into the heart, in the bloodstream? Which cells? Bone marrow? Fat cells? We don't really know."Answering such questions is the point of early studies, said Stephen Minger, director of the stem cell biology laboratory at King's College in London. Adult stem cells may serve as a bridge until researchers better understand how embryonic cells work, he said.Minger thinks bone marrow cells may help form new blood vessels, which the damaged heart needs, and that t he ultimate treatment may combine adult cells to stimulate blood flow and embryonic cells to form new muscle.Delmar Chase hopes cells from his bone marrow will strengthen his heart, though he won't learn until 2009 if he was given the cells or a placebo.He was treated in February at the Scripps Institute's Green Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. During the operation, cardiologist Richard Schatz, 54, peered intently at six monitors with images of Chase's heart from a camera on a catheter, a hollow wire threaded into an artery.Guided by the images, Schatz's team manipulated the catheter to areas of the heart getting too little blood and oxygen. Then, using a syringe, they plunged a needle into the heart's wall, discharging either cells or saline.Baxter plans to treat the last of 150 patients in the study by March next year, follow them for a year, then decide whether to finance a larger trial, said Andrea Hunt, the company's vice president for cellula r ther apies.Chase believes the Baxter study is already a success, at least for him. He has needed just one nitroglycerine tablet a week since three weeks after the operation occurred. Before, he was averaging four a day, he said. For that reason, he assumes he got stem cells, not saline."I'm pretty sure we're on the right road," Chase said. "It's the best news I've had in 35 years."
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
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