Stem cell therapy -- beyond the headlines: Timothy Henry at TEDxGrandForks

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Published 2014-03-17

There is considerable excitement about the use of stem cells for cardiovascular disease. Stem cells are unspecialized cells with the unique property to self-renew or make copies of themselves and to differentiate into specialized cells. The goal of stem cell therapy is to enhance the body's natural process of regeneration. There are a considerable number of stem cells currently under investigation for patients with heart attacks, angina, heart failure, and peripheral arterial disease. We have made considerable progress but have many questions left to answer.

Timothy Henry, MD, FACC, is Chief of Cardiology at Cedars Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Henry earned his bachelor's degree at the University of North Dakota, graduated from medical school at University of California, San Francisco, in 1982, and was chief medicine resident from 1982--1986 at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He completed his training as a cardiology fellow, chief cardiology fellow, and interventional cardiology fellow at University of Minnesota in 1991. His research interests include interventional cardiology, acute myocardial infarction and novel therapies, including stem cell and gene therapy, for patients who are not candidates for standard revascularization techniques.

Dr. Henry has published over 250 manuscripts and book chapters and has served on the Research Committee for the Minnesota Affiliate of the AHA and the Emergency Care Committee for the ACC; he currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the AHA Mission: Lifeline Program, the AHA Acute Cardiac Care Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology and on the ACC Interventional Subcommittee. He has served as national principal investigator of multiple large, multicenter trials in acute coronary syndromes, myocardial infarction and angiogenesis including several ongoing cardiovascular stem cell trials including RENEW, ALLSTAR and ATHENA. He is also principal investigator for 1 of 7 NIH Clinical Cardiovascular Stem Cell Centers. He is a fellow at ACC and SCAI and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and the AHA Council on Clinical Cardiology.

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All Comments (21)

@sandylibling3631 7 years ago

My husband didn't want a knee replacement, A doctor at St Vincents in Sydney has rebuilt his cartilage and meniscus using stem cells and he no longer needs a knee replacement.
@JonViscott 10 years ago

I am one of the lucky ones on the ALLSTAR trial. 25 million heart stem cells!
@lisasis2c235 10 years ago

Very encouraging and insightful lecture...I hope their will be more of these discussions about the results of treatment.
@stemcelltreatment 9 years ago

Looking into the future, one of the most exciting developments will be the ability to produce cells on demand ie 3D printed human cells. Using stem cells as the "ink" in a 3-D printer, doctors will be able to build printed organs and tissues on demand. Eventually we will be able to print out new tissues, or create filler/repair patches for existing organs, to regenerate themselves.
@thehumansuccessproject9644 10 years ago

Great insights into the future of Stem cell therapy. Thanks.
@edogelbard1901 9 years ago

I think the presenter, although he is a cardiac surgeon, is a little confused or simply did not do sufficient research into the nuts and bolts of stem cell technology. To put it plainly: it is not a good idea to extract mesenchymal stem cells and keep them in culture for an extended period of time, for the exact same reasons that he stated, later generations don't differentiate as well. Also, this adds the risk of contamination to your samples--> the lab is not as safe for your stem cells as your body is. Genetic, chromosomal, and epigenetic aberration can also be an issue as it has been in old embryonic cell lines, though less likely, but still an issue. Advances in iPSC technology has made these cells far safer for use by improved reprogramming and purification procedures such as flow cytometry, induced factors, etc. possibly eliminating the need for the use of adult stem cells, much less keep them on the shelf, and also, since these cells are induced into a pluripotent state, age is not a limiting factor in their potential for use, since iPSC's from an old patient behave in much the same way as those induced from a young patient. Nonetheless, Adult stem cells, especially marrow derived mesenchymal cells are what these people are familiar with because of their use in past years in a variety of clinical trials. However, though results are promising there have been some bad hiccups, such as in the use of olfactory epithelial fibroblasts, and there is idiosyncrasy between patients in terms of how these cells behave and differentiate which can not be well predicted or controlled, even when using induction factors or purification steps, limiting their potential for use. Lastly, they're limited in number and can obly divide for a limited number of generations before differentiating. Simply put; iPSC's are the future... not only for tissue replacement but for whole organ replacement. Stay tuned.
@luderudecrude 8 years ago

I'm still relatively young, I was athletic until I had a massive heart attack. My heart is pretty fucked up, give me some of these stem cells. I would be a good test subject.
@jeanguerrero8305 2 years ago

Stem cell therapy is very promising. This should be approve for all ages who’s in need and should be covered by insurances. ASD also beneficiary for this research. Although ABA is still a “gold standard” of tx for ASD but later on not a cure. ASD is neurological problem, need medically treated not just treated behaviorally. If ASD is treatable/ curable, then, insurances will save more money for life long therapies of ABAs. However, it was suggested that rehabilitation is still needed after stem cell therapy for ASD.
@Povhc 7 years ago

Can you deposit your own stem cells in some kind of "stem cell bank" for late usage?
@albertshilton5336 3 months ago

Wow. Terrific presentation. I have had stem cell therapy twice. Once with my own cells from adipose tissue. And the other from umbilical cords. Both worked incredibly well. And that is not the placebo effect.
@DrPaulAnstey 5 years ago

There is a difference between embryonic stem cells and fetal stem cells...why is it that this Doc did not discuss this? Embryonic stem cells are known to cause Teratomas....fetal stem cells seem to be where the best results can come from. Sadly this is controversial in the USA. So we are behind the times here in the USA i.t.o. this research. Amazing being that we believe we are the greatest country in the world . The "corporates" control a lot. Very unfortunate. "The con is on...."
@drjosephsmaresca8256 6 years ago

Vitamin C infusions can be helpful for Crohns along with a high fiber diet and meds like sulfasalizine 1-3 gms. Understanding the food triggers like gluten is critical too.
@EmilDean99 9 years ago

I'm in the dynamic study. Feeling great. Thank you
@lyrablanche3281 8 years ago

From Embryonic stage till Adulthood, ‪#‎stem_cells‬ develop & help to maintain, repair damaged organs and tissues. The cells divide into specialized cell in a process known as differentiation.
@cameliahudson6438 5 years ago

How do you "program" the stem cells to develop into the required type of cells (blood vessel or muscle, etc)?
@tohgin9578 2 years ago

Hi doctor, we fully agreed with your presentation. Our company produces stem cells therapy through oral stem cells replacement in a capsules and it works wonders. Our product are already being sold worldwide for the last 14 years
@NG-gb1ov 6 years ago

Great presentation. I was also looking forth to hear about the side effects of embryonic stem cells, etc. if any.
@greywolf777 5 years ago

My knees are bone to bone arthritis I'm miserable at 47. One place uses stem cells from placentas of mothers who delivered a baby successfully( so no compromise of values on the abortion issue). But they charge $2500 per knee that's way out of my price range. I found a new doc who may do stem cell on my knees for $500. A number I can eventually obtain by saving up. I hope it works as well as folks say because the doc was telling me not to get overly excited and think it will be able to miraculously regrow my cartilage.
@jjjj8691 5 years ago

so what is the takeaway from here?
@Rene-uz3eb 1 year ago

15:06 that’s an interesting study which confirmed that this stem cell injection created myocardium, but it did not improve the injection fraction which would have been the whole point. Intracoronary cardiosphere-derived cells for heart regeneration after myocardial infarction (CADUCEUS): a prospective, randomised phase 1 trial, 2012 “However, changes in end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and LVEF did not differ between groups by 6 months.” The above trial was with the patients’ own stem cells though. So doctors assume the body can’t even move its own stem cells to where they are needed? (Which maybe is true in minimally perfused tissue like cartilage)