Update on Advance Cell Technology Progress

ACT, who were granted permission last year to conduct a human clinical trial treating Stargardt's patients with stem cells, has announced that they can procure embryonic stem cells without embryonic destruction - a positive ethical step. They state that they are also hoping to progress to the second phase of the Stargardt's specific trial in the first half of this year.

Check out the link below:

Advance Cell Technology Update

FYI

Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), who late last year were granted FDA approval to conduct clinical trials for embryonic stem cell treatments for Stargardt's patients, has now also been given approval to use embryonic stem cells to treat patients with Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).. It seems to be a very similar trial, using the same cells to produce new RPE cells for the macular, and it is also in the first phase of safety trials. This trial could also be important for us Stargardt's patients as the conditions are similar. Check out the ACT website:

ACT - Approval for Trials of ESC's for AMD

Treatment on the horizon!!

In November 2010, Advanced Stem Cell Technology in Massachusetts was approved to conduct a human study in patent's with Stargardt's!! What fabulous news!!

From my research, they will be using embryonic stem cells, which are stem cells from embryos from a fertilized egg in vitro - so these eggs are fertilized in a lab and not in a woman's body.

The following website is an article outlining the study:

US starts human blindness trial using stem cells

Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope all goes well in this trial. Hopefully in the near future we will all be able to be treated!

Stem Cell Treatment - Proven or Unproven?

So I came across information about stem cell treatment for Stargardt's currently being performed in Germany. I was over the moon to find this out, very keen to find out more and how I can organise to get this done to restore my sight. I had a look at the company's website - The Xcell Center - to see how the procedure was carried out, the risks and the costs. It all seemed so promising! The company also stated they treat many other conditions from Alzheimer's to Autism. You can check out their website here:

Xcell Center

I thought it wise to further research the treatment the centre offered, and question why it would not be used in my own country, Australia, if it was a proven treatment. I also thought that perhaps I could find someone in Australia to perform the treatment so that I wouldn't have to travel to the other side of the world (even though it would be a great excuse for a holiday!).

I made contact with the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASSC) to find out more about stem cell treatment within Australia and also the reputation of the Xcell Center. I found this organisation extremely helpful and they gave me a very in depth response to my query which was fantastic. They also pointed me in the direction of some other organisations which may have more information.

The main concern that I found was the reputation of the Xcell Center. It seemed that the treatment offered had not been clinically proven and did not have extensive research to back up its results, which I found a little scary. I was also told by ASSC that the particular type of stem cells used by the Xcell Center can only turn into fat, bone or cartilage cells as per the current research. I was also made aware of legal issues surrounding the centre, arising from the fact that the area of stem cell treatment had not previously been regulated.

Below is a couple of articles about the Xcell Center. I think it is important that we can access all the information that is out there regarding new treatments for our condition, so we can make personal judgements and decisions for ourselves. I hope this has been informative for you all and let me know what you think!!

Stop Life Threatening Stem Cell Treatment

The Hope Business   (I find this article very interesting!)