Cooper is stepping into the forefront\u00a0of clinical translational medicine with a\u00a0multi-disciplinary, evidence-based, bench-to-bedside approach to stem cell research.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of hype that stem\u00a0cells are the miracle cure that will do\u00a0everything,\u201d says Spencer A. Brown, PhD,\u00a0Cooper\u2019s director of surgical research. \u201cBut\u00a0too many of these claims aren\u2019t based on\u00a0strict scientific inquiry. We aim to separate\u00a0the hype from the hope in this field with\u00a0step-by-step studies that break new\u00a0ground to prove the safety and efficacy of stem cells in treating a range of diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patient enrollment is now underway\u00a0for the first such study at Cooper, an\u00a0FDA-approved IDE\u00a0(investigation device\u00a0exemption) trial to\u00a0test the safety and\u00a0efficacy of autologous\u00a0adipose-derived\u00a0stromal vascular\u00a0fraction (SVF) cells in\u00a0treating osteoarthritis\u00a0(OA) of the knee. The\u00a0study will collect and\u00a0disassociate adipose tissue and inject the\u00a0SVF into the knee of the same patient.\u00a0The study is controlled, randomized, and\u00a0double-blinded with two SVF treatments\u00a0(high- and low-dose) and a placebo\u00a0control. This study is multi-disciplinary\u00a0with Lawrence S. Miller, MD (PI) from\u00a0Orthopaedics and Steven C. Bonawitz,\u00a0MD and Martha S. Matthews, MD from Plastic Surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are one of only three\u00a0sites in the nation participating\u00a0in this trial, which is the first\u00a0of its kind in human subjects,\u201d Dr. Brown notes. \u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0hopeful this pivotal study\u00a0will answer questions about\u00a0how many cells are needed\u00a0and whether there is an age,\u00a0gender or severity of disease\u00a0in which this treatment won\u2019t\u00a0work. If successful, the treatment can be\u00a0marketed commercially and expanded to OA of other joints.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooper is also\u00a0looking to expand into\u00a0or develop other trials\u00a0that will study the\u00a0application of stem\u00a0cells in treating such\u00a0conditions as septic\u00a0shock in the Trauma\u00a0bay and erectile dysfunction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are already\u00a0involved in a large animal phase looking at\u00a0diabetic wound healing involving stem cells,\u201d\u00a0he says. \u201cThe promise in wound healing\u00a0is very good because stem cell treatment increases the vasculature of wounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, Cooper is the recipient of\u00a0a three-year, $2.2 million award to study\u00a0a newly identified mesenchymal stem cell\u00a0(MSC) and its role in cancer,\u00a0wound healing, and vision\u00a0issues. MSCs are stromal cells\u00a0that can differentiate into a\u00a0variety of cell types, including osteoblasts ( bone cells),\u00a0chondrocytes (cartilage cells),\u00a0myocytes (muscle cells), and\u00a0adipocytes (fat cells that give rise to marrow adipose tissue).<\/p>\n
\u201cThese funds were given by\u00a0a grateful patient whose life was\u00a0saved by Richard D. Lackman,\u00a0MD (chief of orthopaedic oncology at the\u00a0MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper), a\u00a0leader in sarcoma research and treatment,\u201d\u00a0Dr. Brown says. \u201cOur efforts are building\u00a0on the scientific work of Mindy George-Weinstein, PhD, Chief Research and\u00a0Science Officer at Philadelphia College\u00a0of Osteopathic Medicine. The Cooper\u00a0Surgery Department Laboratory now\u00a0includes five PhDs, a research manager, and a full-time research writer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very excited about the\u00a0possibilities of stem cell research and\u00a0the clinical benefits it promises,\u201d he\u00a0continues. \u201cOur hope is to become a center\u00a0of excellence in this area by following\u00a0FDA-approved pathways to prove these\u00a0treatments work, training others in their\u00a0application, working with companies to\u00a0bring medications to market, and offering\u00a0groundbreaking therapeutic options to\u00a0patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you have a patient who may be a candidate for enrollment in the pivotal study\u00a0testing autologous adipose-derived SVF cells in treating knee osteoarthritis,\u00a0please contact Dr. Brown at Brown-Spencer@cooperhealth.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cooper is stepping into the forefront\u00a0of clinical translational medicine with a\u00a0multi-disciplinary, evidence-based, bench-to-bedside approach to stem cell research. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of hype that stem\u00a0cells are the miracle cure that will do\u00a0everything,\u201d says Spencer A. Brown, PhD,\u00a0Cooper\u2019s director of surgical research. \u201cBut\u00a0too many of these claims aren\u2019t based on\u00a0strict scientific inquiry. We aim to separate\u00a0the … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-rmineo","4":"post-1741","6":"format-standard","7":"category-news-updates"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1741"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1742,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1741\/revisions\/1742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}