In an effort to provide the most powerful natural based healing options to demanding patients, I travelled to Canada to met with researchers who are developing technology that may take the standards of PRP therapy to another level! After being contacted by a group of researchers, I agreed to visit their clinic & lab to investigate their findings. We will begin trials of this technology in my office at the Orthohealing Center in Los Angeles innext couple of weeks. This technique apparently can regenerate bone and most likely cartilage at a much more potent rate than platelet Rich Plasma. While Platelet Rich Plasma has inspired me to immerse myself in the field of orthobiologics, there are some limitations. For example tendon studies have shown most but not all patients responded favorably. This most likely results from mo
re complicated cases as well as from reasons we don’t quite understand yet. Therefore we are striving to incorporate the most state of the art technology to encourage the body’s ability to self heal. While it’s great that many doctors are beginning to explore with PRP therapy to promote it’s widespread use, after 3 years and hundreds of injections performed we are loking further.
Posts Tagged ‘stem cells’
Dr Steven Sampson travels to Canada to explore breakthrough Stem Cell technology
Monday, August 31st, 2009NY Times article on cartilage repair using stem cells
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Mimicking Human Cartilage to Repair a Knee
According to the New York Times, Orthomimetics, developed a scaffold approved for use in Europe from a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge.The scaffold is off the shelf & allows stem cells to be absored to regenerate cartilage.
My former colleague Bert Mandelbaum MD was quoted. This treatment may lower the expense typically involved and may be available to more patients because of less preparation time. This is just an example of the progress being made in cartilage repair. Ultimately I feel there will be a trend towards more injection based cartilage repair with less invasive surgery. As technology is advancing with improved live imaging, doctors wont have to open up a joint or insert an obtrusive scope to properly treat it.
New Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and stem cell article: New Frontier in Rheumatology?
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
A new article on PRP was published in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine from the Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. The piece discusses Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and stem cells for management of osteoarthritis. The authors describe a synergistic phenomenon when combining the stem cells with PRP. The platelets help direct the stem cells to proliferate and coordinate repair of damaged cells. I expect more & more literature to emerge on the use of PRP & stem cells to address common orthopaedic injuries.
http://jmm.consultantlive.com/display/article/1145622/1427681
At The Orthohealing Center we will be publishing our data on Knee Osteoarthritis treated with PRP very soon, stay tuned.
PRP Platelet Rich Plasma use in Singapore
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
Following increased PRP use in Europe & the United States, physicians in Singapore are beginning to use PRP( Platelet Rich Plasma) to treat various musculoskeletal & sports injuries. The are establishing themselves as pioneers in biologics. Below is a recent press release which highlights the global use of platelet rich plasma therapy.
SingaporeMedicine is a multi-agency government-industry partnership committed to strengthening Singapore’s position as Asia’s leading medical hub and international health care destination. Hopefully they will record data & publish their results to further promote the efficacy of PRP.
More here.
Botox use getting more attention for healing rather than cosmetic use
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
Recently Botox has been getting more press about it’s applications for conditions other than vanity. Boto
x temporarily weakens muscle and blocks “substance p” which in turn blocks pain. Unlike many other meds, botox has very little side effect & lasts for months. As a result there is increased use across the board in medicine including migraines, neck and low back pain, and buttock pain (piriformis syndrome). Research is being conducted on prostate enlargement (BPH) and overactive bladder. Also patients with tight limbs from strokes or brain injuries receive this treatment to improve function.
The NY Times recently published an article on botox seeing increased use for medical conditions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/business/12botox.html?hpw
Also I published a chapter on botox use for sciatica (buttock pain known as piriformis syndrome).
http://prpinjection.blogspot.com/search?q=piriformis
Stem cell therapy for soldiers in battle?
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
Military medics often struggle to get donated blood to soldiers in battle, which can take weeks to deliver. Also hospitals in the US have seen a sharp drop in donated blood resulting from risks associated with hepatitis and other disease. This supply shortage has increased the cost of transfused blood to hospitals which are already suffering in a recession.
Researchers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) were recently awarded a large grant to implement technology developed from John Hopkins University using nanofibers to mimic marrow to produce blood and stem cells. Theoretically this would decrease the need for transfusions and decrease the costs associated with them.
This work may contribute the the global understanding & usage of stem cells to help save lives and cure disease. Clearly in our lifetime we will see more and more stories on stem cells and growth factors unlocking some of the chains of disease.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health_medicine/4296060.html
Barack Obama Pledges to reverse Bush Administration Policy on Stem Cell Research
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
With the election of a new president, there will certainly be change. Recently in the Washington Post & CBS news, it was reported that Barack Obama intends to reverse the Bush policy on stem cell research. It is believed amongst the scientific community that stem cells offer abundant potential for challenging conditions including parkinson’s disease and osteoarthritis among others. However, adult rather than embryonic stem cells are available with current technology and have little controversy associated with their use. The only problem is that harvesting them requires inserting a metal rod into the bone marrow to extract it. Hopefully, soon we will be able to draw adult stem cells from peripheral blood (drawing blood from the arm & processing stem cells). Clearly the orthobiologic field is growing, and we will learn more about the promise of stem cells in the near future whether adult or embryonic cells are utilized.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/09/politics/washingtonpost/main4586410.shtml
New FDA Approved Study with Adult Bone Marrow Stem Cells in Vascular Disease
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Using One’s own adult stem cells taken from bone marrow, researchers are studying the effects of potentially preventing amputation in ischemic (poor blood supply)limbs. Doctors do a minimally invasive procedure obtaining stem cells, then much like PRP or platelet rich plasma they increase the concentration and then inject it. Doctors are injecting multiple sights just beneath the tissue in the blood flow deprived extremity. We look forward to following this study & the results that follow.
http://www.biomet.com/patients/clinical_recruitment_padstudy.cfm
Adult Stem Cells for Arthritis?
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Perhaps the next frontier beyond PRP is Stem Cells. While the topic is the subject of much controversy politically, technology now allows us to utilize adult stem cells opposed to embryonic cells to treat disease.
Stem Cells are the birthplace of platelets rich in healing properties, which can potentially program cells to regenerate tissue & cartilage. Currently stem cells can be retrieved via embryo (controversial in US), umbilical cord, bone marrow, peripheral blood, & in the near future adipose (fat) cells via liposuction.
Peripheral blood, or simply drawing blood from a patient’s arm is the least invasive & most promising method. Patients require a shot or medication to release stem cells from the marrow to the blood stream. It can then be processed & used for injection. In the future patients may have the option to store unused stem cells for future use as well.
Stem cells are being used in the US mostly for cancer patients to assist in recovery from the ill effects of chemotherapy. A few practitioners are using them orthopaedically with reportedly good results in arthritis. Internationally there are centers where patients seek alternative treatment to serious diseases like spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and ALS.
There is an adult stem cell organization which lists numerous articles & personal stories.
New Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) review article for tendon injuries and arthritis
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
In a Jan/Feb 08 issue of Practical Pain Management, the authors describe PRP use in tendon injuries, spine conditions, as well as hip & knee arthritis. The article emphasizes a need for agreed upon nomenclature.
An interesting concept addressed is whether a gel matrix is needed for the platelets to adhere to the target site. Because of their structure tendons & ligaments may not require the gel, however it is not known if adding calcium chloride with thrombin to the PRP is needed in joint spaces like knee & hip arthritis. Further data needs to compare the usage with gel versus without.
The article showed x-rays post prp injection with subtle smoothing of a previously arthritic femoral head (hip bone). It is not clearly known how PRP acts on arthritis, however a particular growth factor found in PRP, TGF-B has been linked to cartilage growth (chondrogenesis). Furthermore, another study showed that PRP influences hyauloronic acid production which balances cell proliferation (angiogenesis). Also, the authors suggested a possible role in serotonin decreasing pain. Lastly, utilizing “stem cells” (the birth place of platelets and their precursors)may offer the most ultimate potential.
http://www.ppmjournal.com/abstract.asp?articleid=P0801F01
http://prpinjection.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-article-on-osteoarthritis-and.html
tendon
PRP Seperation
Inactive Platelet
Cartilage Cells, "chondrocytes"
Tennis Elbow Injection