Cool Down with New Adult Stem Cell Videos

The hot days of summer have arrived, but so have some very cool adult stem cell successes! A Swedish group constructed a new windpipe using adult stem cells for a patient with throat cancer. He's alive and well now, thanks to his adult stem cells growing new tissue.

Scientists have shown that adult stem cells can relieve angina pain in heart patients, experiencing significant relief using what the doctors called "this pre-installed mechanism for self-repair." A new trial has started using a patient's own adult stem cells to treat stroke as much as 19 days after the stroke hits. The treatment is similar to using a child's own umbilical cord blood stem cells to treat cerebral palsy. Chloe Levine, diagnosed with cerebral palsy, was re-infused with her own cord blood adult stem cells when she was two years old, and experienced a dramatic turnaround and improvement in her physical condition, opening new doors for her life.

Opening new doors for patients is what inspires Dr. Richard Burt of Northwestern University Medical School. Years ago he had an idea that rebooting the immune system and using adult stem cells might help patients with autoimmune diseases. Now, 14 years later, Burt and his team are helping patients suffering from 23 different diseases. His technique is also being used in centers around the world. As he says, "It just means that I've helped, in some small way, to change this world." You can see these new video stories about Chloe and Dr. Burt at FRC's powerful Stem Cell Research Facts site. Adult stem cells are changing the world, one patient at a time!