Stem cell treatment gives hope to college student
By JAN JARVISStar-Telegram Staff Writer
HANDOUT PHOTO
Andre Lampkin, 20, is being treated by Dr. Zannos Grekos at a
hospital in Naples, Fla. Lampkin's extremities were damaged by
meningitis.
In March, Andre Lampkin, 20, was facing the amputation of his legs
and arms.
But an experimental treatment using his own stem cells to stimulate
tissue growth is giving the former L.D. Bell High School wide
receiver hope after meningitis damaged his extremities.
Two weeks after treatment, the soles of his feet and palms of his
hands are softening, his circulation has improved, and his right foot
is moving, said Dr. Zannos Grekos, the cardiologist who is treating
Lampkin, now at the hospital in Naples, Fla., where Grekos is
based."It looks like we have already saved his legs and arms," Grekos
said. "Now we're hoping to save most of each foot and his hands."
Lampkin's medical odyssey has taken him from his home in Bedford to a
hospital in an island country for a treatment the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has not approved.
Sudden onset
It began when Lampkin, a freshman attending Cisco Junior College on
an athletic scholarship, returned home for spring break.
That Friday he was fine. But on Saturday while visiting friends, he
complained of having a headache and went to bed early, said Michelle
Gideon, Lampkin's godmother.
The next morning -- Easter Sunday -- she found him lying on a bedroom
floor.
"One side of his face looked totally normal, but the other side was
swollen and looked like he had chickenpox," she recalled.
Lampkin was rushed to Harris Methodist H.E.B. Hospital, where he was
treated for bacterial meningitis. Those chickenpoxlike spots were
signs of clots cutting off blood flow.
Antibiotics helped stabilize Lampkin, who was transferred to Parkland
Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
There doctors planned to amputate his legs at the knees and his arms
at the elbows.
But an aunt searched the Internet for other treatments and found
Grekos, who was using adult stem cells to stimulate tissue regrowth,
improve circulation and reduce diabetic amputation rates. Grekos,
director of cardiology and vascular disease at Regenocyte Therapeutic
in Florida, flew to Dallas to escort Lampkin and his mother to the
facility.
"If there was any hope of helping this young man we wanted to offer
it," he said.
Once Lampkin was in Florida, his blood was drawn and sent to a lab in
Israel.
Although it was Passover and the lab staffers were on vacation, they
agreed to process the blood, Grekos said. The cells were then
replicated into millions of super cells that Grekos' company has
branded "Renocytes." The cells can become almost any type of new cell
or tissue, he said.
Experimental treatment
Luis Parada, director of developmental biology at the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, studies stem cell
research, which he considers still in its infancy. For that reason,
Parada urged caution for anyone considering such experimental
treatment.
Because the FDA has not approved the treatment, such procedures must
be performed abroad.
"The whole basis for the FDA is to ensure when someone claims a
therapy has success it is based on science," Parada said.
Grekos said he has used adult stem cells to treat patients for
cardiovascular, lung and kidney. But he had never used the technology
with a patient who was suffering tissue decay due to meningitis.
Because he had successfully used stem cells to regenerate blood flow
to the heart, Grekos decided to apply the same approach to Lampkin's
case.
A week after Lampkin's blood was drawn, he was flown to the
Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago in the Dominican Republic. There,
millions of stem cells were injected into Lampkin's hands and feet.
Since his own blood was used, there was no risk of rejection, Grekos
said.
Lampkin returned to Florida, where he'll stay at least another week
before coming back to Dallas for further treatment.
Community aid
The L.D. Bell Booster Club has set up a fund to help cover Lampkin's
medical care.
Among the donors are members of Bell's rival football team, Trinity
High School.
When Lampkin was at Bell he was a tremendous competitor, said Gary
Olivo, a coach at the high school.
"He worked very hard and was always determined to give his best
effort," he said.
That same drive is helping Lampkin get through each difficult day,
said his mother, Yolanda Jackson.
Although he cannot use his hands or feet, he's trying to stay
optimistic.
She, too, is hopeful that he'll be able to walk without a prosthetic
and use his hands again.
His blood, once blocked at the knee, is now flowing to his ankles and
moving downward.
"That's a wonderful thing," she said.
The whole basis for the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] is to
ensure when someone claims a therapy has success it is based on
science.
How to help
The L.D. Bell High School Booster Club has established the Andre
Lampkin Fund:
Account 3404619831, any Washington Mutual Bank FA, including Bedford
Financial Center, 2901 Brown Trail, Bedford, TX 76021.
Meningitis
Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that can cause
meningitis.
The MCV4 vaccine targets four of the five strains of meningoccal
diseases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend this vaccine
for those ages 11-55, especially 11- to 18-year-olds.
Teens and young adults are more likely than other groups to get the
disease.
An older vaccine is also available and recommended for certain
children ages 2-10 who are at high risk of meningococcal diseases.
Every year the U.S. has 1,400 to 2,800 cases of meningococcal disease.
Symptoms include high fever, headache, stiff neck and a dark purple
rash.
The disease is spread among people in close contact, such as those
living in college dorms.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Adult stem cell therapy
Cells are extracted from the patient's blood.
Since the patient's own blood is used, there is no possibility of the
body rejecting the stem cells.
The few naturally occurring stem cells are cultivated into millions
of "super cells."
The cells are reinjected into the patient's heart or blood vessels.
It takes two to six months to see results.
Diseases treated include congestive heart failure, coronary artery
disease, ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy and peripheral artery
disease.
Online: www.regenocyte.
JAN JARVIS, 817-548-5423
jjarvis@star-
http://www.star-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
____________________________________________
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
No comments:
Post a Comment