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Brain Support Cells From Umbilical Cord Stem Cells

...Oligodendrocytes produce myelin, which insulates nerve cells, making it possible for them to conduct the electrical signals that guide movement and other functions. Loss of myelin leads to multiple sclerosis and other related conditions such as diabetic neuropathy.

The injection of new, healthy oligodendrocytes might improve the condition of patients suffering from such diseases. The teams are also hoping to develop the techniques needed to grow oligodendrocytes in the lab to use as a model system both for better understanding the loss and restoration of myelin and for testing potential new treatments.

First CCSVI treatment, then options like this. Stop the incoming damage, then clean up and repair what can be cleaned up and repaired. Excellent.

Isn't it like the autonomous stem cell treatment that some docs are advocating? In Bulgaria, they take some fat from your buttocks, process it, isolate stem cells and insert them back in the carotid arteries in the neck, so that they do not diffuse around the other parts of the body. Dr. Grozdinski said that it was beneficial for some patients (they had treated like 40 back in September), but I just do not feel like bothering myself right now, I am going to wait for this one. And when I asked about the cells from the cord from my daughter, he rejected the idea on the basis of not being 100% identical. I also believe in the repairing potential of the stem cells, but I am willing to wait now.

I think you are wise to wait. Apparently they are notoriously hard to keep alive, and I personally don't see how anything can survive cryogenic freezing, but they have done some work with marrow-based cells that has has some success. I was in contact at one time with a Florida cord-cell clinic, who had their license pulled by the FDA, and they claimed there was no problem, even with blood typing. Incidentally I read somewhere that that is where T and B cells got their names. T-cells come from stem cells in the thymus, and B cells, from stem cells in the blood.

My brother has had one bone marrow transplant, and the problems with rejection were significant.

That is one reason I have so much faith in this theory: these people are not shysters who belong to be exposed on 60 Minutes for fleecing ALS victims. They are not playing political or legal games. They know this disease looms large in the life of anyone who has it. There are a lot of people working on it now. I don't think the Mayo Clinic would be reconstructing jugulars from leg veins if they did not think it would help. The are some doctors who aren't trying to fleece people. I am definitely a cynic (my nickname at work used to be "Eeyore") but I'm not that bad.

1eye wrote:I think you are wise to wait. Apparently they are notoriously hard to keep alive, and I personally don't see how anything can survive cryogenic freezing, but they have done some work with marrow-based cells that has has some success.

Freezing tissue culture cells is a common laboratory practice. The key is to prevent ice crystal formation. Ice crystals will irreversibly damage the cells. In addition, frogs can survive freezing. When they first sense their skin starting to freeze, they will secrete large amounts of glucose into their tissues. The glucose helps prevent ice crystal formation. There are also antarctic fish that survive subfreezing temperatures by using antifreeze glycoproteins. But I'm getting a little off-topic here...

NHE

NHE wrote:Freezing tissue culture cells is a common laboratory practice. The key is to prevent ice crystal formation. Ice crystals will irreversibly damage the cells. In addition, frogs can survive freezing. When they first sense their skin starting to freeze, they will secrete large amounts of glucose into their tissues. The glucose helps prevent ice crystal formation. There are also antarctic fish that survive subfreezing temperatures by using antifreeze glycoproteins. But I'm getting a little off-topic here...

NHE

Off topic, but interesting! I've heard the same about different techniques of freezing embryos.

I guess diabetics are good candidates for cryo freezing: It's easy to raise the sugar with no endogenous insulin production. My friend said his sugar was so high it was like syrup. ;-|