Comeback stories are inspiring. They give us hope for the future. This story is about Dream Alliance, a horse whose comeback story to recover from Achilles tendon injuries will offer hope for many. Wondering why this is a big story? Read on.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in our body that connects the calf muscle with the heel bone. The Achilles tendon goes through a lot when we run or jump or lead an active life. This is the reason that many athletes and players suffer from Achilles tendon injuries. However what makes it worse is, almost 25 to 45% of these injuries need surgery and the patients’ lives largely depend on the crutches.

Dream Alliance went through an Achilles tendon injury while running in a race in 2008. He cut a tendon in the front leg. His condition was so critical that he was almost considered to be euthanized. But a stem cell treatment helped him recover from his injury and at the same time get back on his career. The process was very simple. Bone marrow was collected from the hip of the horse and mesenchymal stem cells were isolated. The mesenchymal stem cells were moved to a petri dish in order to create millions of cells. Once the required amount of cells were produced, they were injected into the affected tendon directly.

The procedure conducted by the researchers at the University College of London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital proved successful for the horses. Now the team is conducting a stem cell clinical trial to treat Achilles tendon injuries in humans. Andrew Goldberg, the team lead of the study explained, “Tendon injuries in horses are identical to those in humans, and using this evidence from the 1500 treated horses] we were able to persuade the regulators to allow us to launch a small safety study in humans.”

So far the trial involving humans is going well and is showing positive results. One of the patients, who was suffering from Achilles tendon injury said, “I worried, because no one had ever had it before, except a horse. But I was more worried I’d end up in a wheelchair. The difference now is amazing. I can do five miles on the treadmill without pain, and take my dog Honey on long walks again.” The 46-year old used to lead a very busy life until she started feeling a severe ankle pain, as a result of an Achilles tendon injury.

The team at the University College of London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital is still unsure on how this therapy works to heal the tendon injury; however, they have used the mesenchymal stem cells, which have the regeneration ability. They are also known to reduce inflammation. The first case’s being successful is very motivating. Researchers are hopeful that they will be able to find out a definite cure for Achilles tendon injuries for humans. For an effective result, researchers need a large number of patients, so that they can gather the varied data in one single study.

The post A horse, Stem Cells and An Inspiring Comeback Story that May Revolutionize Tendon Repair appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

Recently, close friends Jayesh and Simran delivered a second baby boy, Kiann. Like responsible parents, they believed in their child’s healthy future and went for private cord blood banking in spite of having preserved the umbilical cord for their firstborn a few years ago. In just 3 months’ time, their newborn was diagnosed with osteoporosis. This is possibly a condition where Kiann’s bone formation could be at risk and may lead to a fatality. The couple were optimistic because they were told that stem cell transplantation could actually save their newborn’s life.

In the rarest of cases, when Kiann’s stem cells were taken for testing, the parents found out that Kiann’s cord blood cells contained the same genetic deficiency that caused his disorder. Jayesh and Simran were distraught. But there was light at the end of the tunnel.  Precedence suggested that doctors could explore using donor cells from a close match. In order to treat a genetic disorder known as Fanconi’s anaemia, the first successful sibling-to-sibling cord-blood stem-cell transplant was performed in 1988.

There was hope yet for Kiann. Since Jayesh and Simran had opted to invest in storing their firstborn’s cord blood cells a few years ago, the doctors on testing that sample were able to get a reasonably compatible match. The doctors chose to go ahead with the stem cell transplantation and Kiann is now well on his way to recovery.

So the question that most parents spend a lot of time on is whether there is a need to store the cord blood and tissue for each individual child? In Jayesh and Simran’s case, the fact that they preserved the cord blood cells for both their children actually helped to save the life of their second born child.

According to the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, “Two full siblings have a 25% chance of being a perfect match, a 50% chance of being a half match, and a 25% chance of not matching at all.” However, Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Program Director of the division of Paediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Duke University Medical Center and one of the earliest to perform an unrelated cord-blood transplant in the U.S says, “One of the wonderful things about cord blood banking is that unlike bone marrow, you don’t always need a perfect match in order for it to work.”

Apart from the medical point of view of why one must consider storing the cord blood and tissue for both children, there is an additional take from a parenting perspective. By opting to bank the cord blood and tissue of a single child, most parents forget that it may lead to a regrettable situation where they may realize that they had made an unequal key medical decision.

Storing the stem cells of each child individually will allow you and your children access to a greater number of stem cells through which their future disorders and diseases can be cured. Dr. Jordan Perlow, MD, a maternal-foetal specialist in Phoenix, post attending medical conferences and having examined and analyzed findings about advances in stem-cell treatments now urges his patients to privately cord blood bank if they can meet the expense of it because he’s confident that it might save their child’s life or the life of another family member.

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