Breast Stem Cell Identified

Breast Stem Cell Identified

Researchers in Australia have discovered the stem cell from which breast tissue develops. According to the press release on EurekAlert, “The identification of the breast stem cell is also likely to provide clues about how breast cancer develops and how rogue cells evade current therapies.” As with other kinds of cancer, doctors have been puzzled by why breast cancer recurs after successful eradication of all the cancerous cells through chemotherapy. The answer may lie in defective stem cells which are not killed by the chemotherapy.

The research was done on mice, and the researchers were able to generate all the components of a mouse breast from a single stem cell, according to an article in The Age. The news is being hailed as a significant scientific advance in cancer treatment. Growing an entire organ from a single stem cell is also a very important feat.

Another Heart Success Story

Another Heart Success Story

This is not exactly news, as I’ve reported on this procedure before, but another person has undergone the procedure wherein stem cells derived from her blood were injected into her heart. She, like other patients, reports feeling stronger and more revitalized, and is no longer a candidate for heart transplantation. The procedure took place in Thailand.

The AP story was reported in an Israeli publication, Israeli Insider. The company Theravitae, which performed the procedure, has an office in Israel; the patient's blood is harvested in Thailand, sent to Israel for stem cell extraction, and returned to Thailand. The story quoted Vincent Pompili, director of interventional cardiology at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, as saying, "It's too early to know the long-term effects of these types of procedures.” They have only been occurring for the past year and a half. According to the article, the CEO of Theravitae, Valentin Fulga, is hoping to begin the process for FDA approved clinical trials in the US within six months.

An article in Israel 21C last month discussed the Pittsburgh woman who underwent the procedure last summer and how she is doing now. That article said,

The interim clinical results of the VesCell therapy were presented last month to the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Dallas. According to the data, 93% of the 65 patients given VesCell treatment reported an increased ability to perform physical exercise, 62% showed improvement in treadmill exercise capacity, and 73% of patients showed an improvement in perfusion defect of the ischemic region.

The Israeli Insider story reports that the total cost of the procedure is about $35,000.

Time magazine also did a short article on Fulga last month. A news release in December announced that Theravitae was selected by the World Economic Forum as one of 36 Technology Pioneers for 2006.

Theravitae’s web site is http://www.theravitae.com/.