A press conference yesterday in the nation’s capital highlighted the amazing success stories of patients who have been treated with their own adult stem cells and the doctors who are on the cutting edge of this exciting and ethical field of research. AdvanceUSA had the pleasure to attend this press conference (see photos below) at the National Press Club sponsored by our friends at FRC and Do No Harm.
Dr. David Prentice led the discussion in which doctors and patients explained the benefits of using adult stem cell treatments. One of the main purposes of the event was to show that there are indeed ethical and effective alternatives to research that destroys human embryos. The U.S. Senate will soon vote on whether to override or sustain President Bush’s veto of an unethical stem cell funding bill so this information is critically important. Another purpose was to raise awareness of a new bill (H.R. 2807) proposed by Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) and Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) which intensifies support for the ethical kinds of stem cell research already showing great promise for treatments and cures. The bill has been called “The Patients First Act," focusing attention on the fact that ethical research is already treating real people right now.
To hear a recording of the event click here. For more information on adult stem cell research click here.
See the photos and captions below to learn more about this important press conference.
Can you see the difference? Dr. Amit N. Patel, MD, MS, shows before and after pictures of heart muscle tissue that had received bone marrow stem cells from the patient’s own body in his presentation aptly named “Mending a Broken Heart.” The increased blood vessel growth is obvious. Later, Dr. Patel had the audience in rapt attention when he showed actual footage of heart surgery in which a patient received adult stem cell injections.
Dr. David Prentice began the meeting with a presentation on the basic science behind stem cell research in which he emphasized the wealth of medical research supporting the use of ethical adult stem cell research rather than its unethical embryonic counterpart.
Dr. Julio Voltarelli, M.D., Ph.D. is a specialist in immunology from São Paulo, Brazil who has successfully used adult stem cell transplantation to treat Juvenile (Type 1) diabetes. Of the 15 patients Dr. Voltarelli treated, 14 saw immediate improvement and only 2 of those have had relapses since their treatment. Dr. Voltarelli stressed the need for more such research with larger numbers of participants.
Jaider Furlan Abbud (center of photo) is a dental surgeon from São Paulo, Brazil who experienced adult-onset Type 1 diabetes soon after his thirty-first birthday. After receiving chemotherapy to destroy his overly aggressive immune system, Abbud was treated with his own adult stem cells by Dr. Voltarelli and has experienced remarkable improvement. He no longer needs insulin injections and says his quality of life has drastically improved.
Stephen Sprague was suffering from the late stages of myelogenous leukemia and was told he did not have long to live. After chemotherapy he was in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant but was not likely to receive one. Fortunately, even though few mothers were donating their infants’ cord blood in 1997, Sprague was almost a perfect genetic match for a cord blood donor. Almost 9 years after the cord blood transplant, he is now fully cured of his leukemia and has lived to see three grandsons born. Sprague now considers himself a “Cord Blood Crusader” and is a consultant for the New York Blood Center’s National Cord Blood Program (http://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org/).
Doug Rice (retired Marine) was told he had little time to live because of congestive heart failure. After hearing about adult stem cell research, he borrowed $40,000 so he could travel to Bangkok, Thailand where he received an injection of his own stem cells. As the Spokane Spokesman-Review reported:
“Rice was the subject of an April 2006 story in The Spokesman-Review after he flew to Thailand to have his own reproduced adult stem cells injected back into his heart by a biotech company called TheraVitae.
Since returning to Bangkok in January for a second procedure at a cost of $40,000, Rice's ejection fraction -- the measure of how well his heart is pumping blood -- has risen from a low of 15 percent to 40 percent.”
Doug wants to see such treatments available in the U.S. and says that “embryonic [stem cell research] is a waste of time and unethical.” Doug's website is douglastrice.org.
Dr. David Prentice (bio)
From left to right: Spephen Sprague, Doug Rice, Dr. Patel, Dr. Abbud
For more information on adult stem cell research click here.
*Photography by Daniel Herbster