Different Stem Cell Treatments Both Produce Results For Two Similar Spinal Cord Injury Patients In China

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 02 Jul 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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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. One method involved surgical transplantation of stem cells directly into the spinal cord, while the other patient received the stem cells without surgery. The announcement was made following a two month rehabilitation and evaluation period by physicians in the patients' native countries of the U.S.A. and Romania. Details can be found on the news website, http://www.stemcellschina.com.

Treatments with umbilical cord blood stem cells have been performed for years for patients with leukemia and other diseases. However, the treatment of stroke patients and those with other neurological diseases with stem cells from human umbilical cords has become increasingly popular only recently. Today, these treatments are being taken forward by countries outside the United States, including China, as FDA approval takes longer.

In the first half of April 2006, Beike provided umbilical cord stem cells for the treatment of Gerald Allen, a 27-year-old American with an incomplete spinal cord injury at the c5-c6 disk level that occurred in 2002. Romanian citizen Razvan Iordache also suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury at the c5-c6 level in 1996. Gerry Allen underwent surgical implantation of umbilical cord stem cells during a two-and-a-half hour procedure at Beike, complemented by both intravenous injections and injections into the cerebral spinal cord fluid. Razvan Iordache had stem cell injections into his spinal cord fluid and an intravenous injection without the surgery. Due to national regulations neither patient could receive treatment in their own countries.

Both patients had been doing rehabilitation for years before coming to China, with little to no improvement. Gerald Allen's doctors in the United States had actually stopped prescribing rehabilitation. After the treatments, Gerald gained increased mobility in both his legs and arms, regained the sensation of hot and cold on his body, and he could even perspire below his neck again. When he returned to the United States, his doctor immediately prescribed rehabilitation again due to the progress and he was able to take steps backwards and just recently could take a step forward.

Gerald Allen said, "I was pretty skeptical before going for treatment but the guys at stemcellschina.com put me in touch with some other patients who had been treated by Beike, and that calmed my nerves. I am really happy that I went. Being able to grab things more easily or take steps backward does not sound like a big deal, but for me it is awesome. Sweating may also not sound like much, but I live in Florida and now I can go outside again during the day for more than ten minutes without passing out. The best thing is that two months out I am still improving and I am not going to quit until I can walk again."

Razvan Iordache re-gained sensation below his chest down to his legs and is now able to move his fingers, stomach muscles and feet, along with great improvement in bladder control. He said, "It is a general boost in the quality of my life. I am most happy about being able to move my fingers and feet. I still have a long way to go but I am improving and my therapist has said that I have made more progress in three months than I have the last years."

Dr. Sean Hu, chairman of Beike, said, "We are very happy for both of the patients and have put these cases out to the public to spread awareness that there are different procedures available when treating patients with umbilical cord stem cells. We will continue to publish these patients' progress through China Stem Cell News at http://www.stemcellschina.com. Thanks to this website, we at Beike and others in China like us can showcase the latest and best global stem cell treatments."

For more details on Razvan Iordache, see:
http://www.stemcellschina.com/content/view/176/103.

For more details on Gerald Allen, see:
http://www.stemcellschina.com/content/view/181/15.

About Beike Biotech Company, Limited

Beike is a leading bio-technology company founded with capital from Beijing University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Shenzhen City Hall. It is also supported with funds from the China State National Fund. The research and clinical work is a collaboration of Beijing University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China's No. 3 Army Medical University, Zhongshan Medical University, Guiyang Medical College and Zhengzhou University.

http://www.beikebiotech.com