UK NEWSPAPERS REPORT STEM CELL FIRST FOR THREE-YEAR-OLD WITH CEREBRAL PALSY.

SMART CELLS INTERNATIONAL

November 9, 2010.

UK NEWSPAPERS REPORT STEM CELL FIRST FOR THREE-YEAR-OLD WITH CEREBRAL PALSY.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1327635/Sasha-3-infused-stem-cells-umbilical-cord-treat-cerebral-palsy.html

A three-year-old British girl has taken part in the first-ever trial to treat cerebral palsy with stem cells collected from the umbilical cord and stored at birth.Doctors at Duke University in North Carolina, USA, conducted the trial a year ago, but now the parents of Sasha Browne, Tania and Richard Browne, who live in Dubai, say they are seeing improvements in her walking ability, motor skills and signs of improvement in vision and cognitive ability.

Several UK newspapers have reported the story. The treatment involved umbilical cord stem cells collected and stored by Smart Cells International.

Ends

Iain Macauley
+447788 978800
im@pressrelations.co.uk
www.smartcells.com

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STEM CELL SAMPLES COULD BE REJECTED BY DOCTORS.

SMART CELLS INTERNATIONAL

STEM CELL COLLECTION AND STORAGE

PRESS RELEASE

October 27, 2010.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STEM CELL SAMPLES COULD BE REJECTED BY DOCTORS.

SCI videos here.

A test which measures the number of stem cells in cord blood samples should be made mandatory to prevent heartbreak amongst families for whom stem cell transplantation may be the last chance to save a life.

London-based Smart Cells International Ltd (SCI), the UK’s longest-established stem cell banking service, says thousands of families have no way of knowing whether samples stored for future use with some private banking services will actually work, because the test has not been carried out.

                                       

The test measures a marker on stem cells called CD34, is well-known to stem cell transplant experts and referred to as “the gold standard”, and is carried out by SCI at the time of sample storage – but SCI believes it is the only private UK stem cell banking service to carry out the test, and has been doing so since it launched in 2001.

SCI has consulted an expert in the field – working in a busy NHS Transplant unit - who said samples harvested and then stored without CD34 testing would be summarily rejected by doctors carrying out stem cell treatment.

“Fundamentally, the CD34 test measures the number of stem cells in a sample, and allows doctors planning and then carrying out stem-cell transplants – or ‘infusions’ – to know if and adequate dose is available,” said Amanda Cool, General Manager of SCI.

“As in everything involving medical treatment, there needs to be a minimum dose; in the case of stem cell infusion, that dose is determined according to the weight of a patient and the particular medical situation. If the dose of stem cells is too low, then a bigger dose has to be sourced either from other stored samples, or from other sources such as bone marrow.

“But if CD34 testing has not been carried out, then an accurate measurement of the dose of stems cells cannot be guaranteed.  In fact, transplant doctors will typically not accept cord blood samples for transplant unless CD34 has been carried out and the results provided.

“As well as being a waste of money, it could also mean heartbreak for families who only find out too late that a sample had too low a dose of stem cells, but, because stem cells can be used to re-build the immune and blood-making system after chemotherapy, this could potentially compromise clinical outcome.

“For any stem cell banking service which has not adopted the CD34 test, it could also be hugely litigious: there are tens of thousands of samples stored in the UK, and as well as not knowing the dose of stem cells they may also be rejected by doctors. The only way through it would be to retrospectively test samples at huge cost.

“In a nutshell, stored samples which have not been subject to CD34 testing have limited use. It is like going to your local GP for a prescription of antibiotics, but knowing neither the dose required nor the potency of that dose.

“While the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) inspects stem cell banking and their processes, there is no mandatory test for CD34. SCI’s submission that CD34 should become standard procedure in the private transplant sector is a valid one.”

SCI is the only private UK stem cell banking service to have been involved in successful stem cell transplants.

“Because CD34 testing is considered to be a key element of the storage process, we had never previously recognised that our approach was unique. When we discovered that we are, to our knowledge, the only private stem cell banking service in the UK to apply CD34 testing we were extremely surprised, because samples not tested to CD34 are likely to be rejected by transplant doctors,” said Amanda Cool of SCI.”

Ends 

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

+44 (0)7788 978800

www.smartcells.com

Notes:

Smart Cells, formed in February 2001, collects stem cells on behalf of families worldwide and stores samples at its labs in West Drayton near London Heathrow Airport in the UK. Smart Cells’ lab provides cord blood preparation and storage in an environment designed to comply with all current and foreseeable European medical guidelines and practices.

Stem cell storage expert Smart Cells International has been named London’s Life Sciences Exporter of the Year at the London Export Awards 2010,

Smart Cells International is fully licensed by the Human Tissue Authority and holds licence no 22522.

SMART CELLS’ USA UNIVERSITY PARTNER MOVES ON CEREBRAL PALSY CURE RESEARCH.

SMART CELLS INTERNATIONAL

STEM CELL COLLECTION AND STORAGE

PRESS RELEASE

September 28, 2010.

SMART CELLS’ USA UNIVERSITY PARTNER MOVES ON CEREBRAL PALSY CURE RESEARCH.

SCI videos here.

London-based Smart Cells International Ltd (SCI), the UK’s longest-established stem cell banking service, has established a partnership with Duke University in North Carolina, USA, one of the world’s leading healthcare learning centres.

SCI, which operates worldwide, has already been involved with two transplants relating to cerebral palsy treatment at Duke using autologous stem cells stored by SCI clients, where there was no indicator in the family or during pregnancy that cerebral palsy would develop.

“We’ve obviously being paying a great deal of attention to developments at Duke University given the developing partnership, and we’re absolutely delighted that Duke is now running a blind clinical trial and have funding to do so.

“Members of the team at Duke believe the key to at least lessening the severity of cerebral palsy lies within cord blood stem cells, and they have begun a clinical trial to find out if that is true,” said Amanda Cool of SCI.

Duke’s Paediatric Bone Marrow and Transplant program and director of the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, has begun a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-authorised random clinical trial to see if cord blood stem cells have the ability to cure or lessen spastic cerebral palsy in children aged between one and six years.

It is among a handful of authorised clinical trials in the USA involving stem cells.

The study is funded through a $10.2 million grant and has the potential to provide hope for people with cerebral palsy, and their families, as well as opening new doors or establish protocols for the use and gathering of stem cells.

Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance. It is most often caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain before or during birth which results in damage to the portion of the brain that controls muscle tone.

Amanda Cool added: “We understand the goal of the clinical trial is as much about finding a treatment for cerebral palsy as it is about finding out what cord blood can do.”

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

+44 (0)7788 978800

www.smartcells.com

Notes:

Smart Cells, formed in February 2001, collects stem cells on behalf of families worldwide and stores samples at its labs in West Drayton near London Heathrow Airport in the UK. Smart Cells’ lab provides cord blood preparation and storage in an environment designed to comply with all current and foreseeable European medical guidelines and practices.

Stem cell storage expert Smart Cells International has been named London’s Life Sciences Exporter of the Year at the London Export Awards 2010,

Smart Cells International is fully licensed by the Human Tissue Authority and holds licence no 22522.

SMART CELLS INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES NEW STEM CELL COLLECTION PROCESS.

SMART CELLS INTERNATIONAL

STEM CELL COLLECTION AND STORAGE

PRESS RELEASE

June 29, 2010.

SMART CELLS INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES NEW STEM CELL COLLECTION PROCESS.

(Watch SCI videos here)

A new method of collecting and storing stem cells has been launched by Smart Cells International Ltd (SCI), the UK’s longest-established stem cell banking service.

The process allows the collection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the umbilical cord tissue.  

“MSCs have been studied extensively and the potential therapeutic value they offer for treatment in a wide range of diseases is increasing all the time,” said Shamshad Ahmed, SCI Chief Executive. 

“Until recently, the umbilical cord was thrown away, but scientific advances mean stem cells can now be harvested from the cord itself, and stored. We call this service ‘Smart Cord’.

“Clinical trials are underway evaluating MSCs from cord tissue for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes and Stroke, skeletal muscle injury, limb ischemia, and retinal nerve degeneration.

“Advancements in scientific technology to harness the potential of umbilical cord tissue, which is now widely accepted to be a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) means a much wider proportion of the world’s population can benefit from stem cell collection”

The procedures used to procure and cryopreserve this rich source of stem cells have been developed in-house by the Smart Cells team.  By offering this service Smart Cells is achieving a considerable technological milestone offering customers the chance of storing an even greater pool of stem cells for future use.

Shamshad Ahmed, Chief Executive of Smart Cells, said: “We have developed the technology to store umbilical cord tissue-mesenchymal stem cells. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and does not contain mesenchymal progenitors. We have established state of the art facilities for efficient processing and long term storage of cord tissue.

“Just as with the cord blood, parents should also be given the information about the benefits of storing their child’s cord tissue stem cells.”

Just as with cord blood, the collection procedure is a quick, safe, non-invasive and simple procedure. Once delivered to the laboratory facilities, the cord tissue can be efficiently processed and prepared for long term storage. 

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

+44 (0)7788 978800

www.smartcells.com

Notes:

Smart Cells, formed in February 2001, collects stem cells on behalf of families worldwide and stores samples at its labs in West Drayton near London Heathrow Airport in the UK. Smart Cells’ lab provides cord blood preparation and storage in an environment designed to comply with all current and foreseeable European medical guidelines and practices.

Stem cell storage expert Smart Cells International has been named London’s Life Sciences Exporter of the Year at the London Export Awards 2010,

Smart Cells International is fully licensed by the Human Tissue Authority and holds licence no 22522.

Smart Cells International releases new stem cell YouTube videos

Smart Cells International www.smartcells.com has released short (30 to 90 second) videos on YouTube (search stem cells or Smart Cells), including an explanation of the collection and storage process, identifying stem cell treatable diseases, how different ethnic groups can be helped through stem cell collection, storage and transplant, plus background to Smart Cells International. Interviews with Shamshad Ahmed, CEO of Smart Cells, and Amanda Cool General manager of Smart Cells. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqr7Tf8z90Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JemG6r9mW04