It is very nice to see 4 year old Brandon Meinke standing his own feet. The situation was unthinkable even before a few months. The boy was suffering from spinal muscular atrophy. This genetic disease affects Brandon’s motor neurons. He is missing the gene that produces a protein to protect his nerves, leaving his nerves to deteriorate and die, causing paralysis.
At Qingdao Cheng Yang Peoples Hospital in Qingdao, China, Brandon received a stem cell injection into his spine every four days with physical therapy in between. It’s a procedure unavailable in the United States.At Qingdao Cheng Yang Peoples Hospital in Qingdao, China, Brandon received a stem cell injection into his spine every four days with physical therapy in between. It’s a procedure unavailable in the United States.
At Qingdao Cheng Yang Peoples Hospital in Qingdao, China, Brandon received a stem cell injection into his spine every four days with physical therapy in between. It’s a procedure unavailable in the United States.Injected stem cells—the cells Brandon received were from umbilical cord blood—migrate to the problem and program themselves to do whatever the body is missing, Martin said.
The treatment cost $20,000. The family raised enough money to cover the treatment and costs while in China, but they still are paying off more than $4,000 in airline tickets.Brandon became a star while sightseeing. Chinese people were infatuated with his blond hair, and teen girls wanted pictures with him.
Since returning from China, he can peddle a bike and do something he never could before—climb stairs. During therapy in Madison, Brandon pulled himself up, held on to railings with both hands and walked up a flight of stairs that were half the size of normal ones.
The Janesville Gazette first wrote about Brandon and his family in September, when they were raising money for the $20,000 cost of treatment and travel. Seven weeks after their return, Brandon’s grandparents, who raise him in their Janesville home, said the trip was worth every penny.
Source: Gazette Xtra.com
Filed under Cord Blood Banking, Stem Cell | Comment Below
Stem cell transplantation may help to treat Spinal Muscular AtrophySeptember 4th, 2008 Good news for the children's suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) as new stem cell research that has been carried out by the Italian researcher's on the diseased mice has shown a positive result. The research was carried out by the researchers of University of Milan on a mice.
New stem cell therapy may relieve spinal muscle atrophy patientsDecember 26th, 2008 An international team of scientist, led by University of Wisconsin- Madison, brings a sigh of relief for victims for spinal muscle atrophy. They have successfully generated nerve cells from skin cells.
Stem cell transplantation provides hope for Spinal muscular atrophySeptember 18th, 2008 Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the motor neuron disease and is considered as one reason of death among the children. It is also the common genetic disorder.
California Stem Cell's (CSC) Spinal Muscular Atrophy trial is waiting for FDA approvalJune 20th, 2009 Families of SMA is currently funding distinct drug discovery programs, Motor neuron replacement program at California Stem Cell and UCI is one of them. the total investment for these programs would be over $16 Million so far to build a California Stem Cell drug pipeline.
An Irvine Start Up Company Is Likely To Test Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment In Humans.June 27th, 2008 California Stem Cell Inc.is all set to hit the headlines very soon. This tiny start up company in Irvine is likely to be the first company of the world to test the embryonic stem cell treatment in humans.
Is It Worth Banking Your Baby's Cord Blood? July 5th, 2005 Cord blood, as it is known, contains stem cells which can be used to cure leukemia and other diseases and may someday treat ailments ranging from diabetes, lupus, muscular dystrophy to Alzheimer's. For "as little as $1,100", the ads read, preserved cord blood taken from your son or daughter could provide "biological insurance" if the child or another family member developed one of those diseases.
Success Achieved Through Two different Stem cell Treatment Procedure for Spinal Cord Injury PatientsJune 29th, 2006 Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. announced the successful treatment of two similar spinal cord injury patients using two different procedures that involved umbilical cord stem cells.
Successful Stem Cell Implant on Diabetic Patient in PeruOctober 15th, 2005 Peru has conducted a successful intra-arterial stem-cell implant in the panchreas of a diabetic patient according to the Central Military Hospital (HMC). The operation, possibly the second of this type worlwide, was jointly conducted by the HMC and the Institute for the Transplant of Organs and Tissues of the Armed Forces and the National Police to help patient's panchreas to produce insulin.
