5TH ANNUAL RALLY WILL BE HELD SEPT 22TH, 2012

5th ANNUAL RALLY FOR ALI

IN SEARCH OF A CURE FOR DIABETES

ALL DONATIONS WILL GO TO HARVARD STEM CELL INSTITUTE

PICNIC FOR A CAUSE

KRAUSE’S GROVE, 2 Beach Road, Halfmoon, NY

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2013

1:00 PM TO 6:00 PM ~ RAIN OR SHINE

$30.00 per adult ticket at gate - $20.00 for children under 12

includes donation to Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

5 hour picnic with soda, beer, games, raffles, 50/50, live music

JAMBONE - THE BEAR BONES PROJECT - BLUE HAND LUKE

SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY AWARD-WINNING IRISH STEP DANCER

GRACE CATHERINE MOMROW (Ali’s cousin)

Abundant food and dessert being served 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Those who wish to join a pre-picnic motorcycle cavalcade around the beautiful Tomhannock Reservoir in Ali’s honor will meet at the Troy Plaza on Hoosick Street at 10:00 A.M. for sign up and the cavalcade will kick off at 11:00 A.M. sharp.

For more info: https://www.facebook.com/Rally4Ali


For Further Information

Contact

For the Run, Wally Urzan

518-368-4826

For the Picnic & Cause

Alison Fisk

AFisk10302@aol.com




Thursday, September 29, 2011


Deadly Progression of ALS Reversed in an Amazing Stem Cell First

Last May, 39-year-old Ted Harada was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's one of the worst diagnoses anyone could get.
He and his doctors expected his health to have severely declined by now. But thanks to an experimental stem cell treatment, he has tossed his cane and is once again playing in the pool with his three kids.
"Every day is a good day for me right now," Harada told me. "I've made some quantum leaps after the surgery and... I'm maintaining the drastic improvements I've made."
The prognosis for ALS is likely death in fewer than three years after gradually losing your ability to move, speak and breathe. Harada got exactly that horrible news after losing strength in his left leg and feeling short of breath after just a few stairs or walking to the mailbox. His hands became too weak to open a Ziploc bag.
Then his neurologist told him about an experiment at Emory University that was recruiting ALS patients to test a stem cell treatment.
The surgeons told Harada that injecting the stem cells into his spine likely would not help him personally, and might even cause harm. But the study would hopefully help scientists find an effective treatment in the future. Harada had nothing to lose and expected nothing - he became study subject number 11 and underwent surgery on March 9.
It's incredibly moving to hear Harada talk about his recovery, which he knows might be temporary.
"I've always been the kind of dad to wrestle on the floor with my kids and tickle them and make them giggle, and that was going away before," Harada told me. "Now when we get in the pool and they want to play Marco Polo, I can do that."
The Emory surgeons injected 1 million neural stem cells into 10 locations in Harada's spine (earlier patients received fewer cells; the dosage was gradually increased as the trial progressed). All of the cells came from a single voluntarily aborted and donated two-month-old fetus. Using technology developed by Neuralstem, scientists multiplied the cells and created enough of them to treat all of the patients in this trial and beyond.
"We took one small part of the spinal cord and isolated one million stem cells which are now going to, we hope, treat millions of people around the world," Dr. Karl Johe, chief scientific officer at Neuralstem told me.
Going into the study, expectations were low. As a safety precaution, the FDA forced the researchers to inject only one-quarter the number of stem cells they originally planned to use. The investigators hoped to show the cells were safe to use, but anticipated little more.
Two of the 12 patients died during the trial, one after a heart attack and another because of progress of his ALS. The rest of the patients' conditions have remain unchanged.
The researchers hope the Food and Drug Administration will allow them to add six more patients to the trial so they can collect more data on the treatment's safety. Neuralstem is also awaiting approval to begin the first phase of a fetal stem cell trial in chronic spinal cord patients.
Unregulated stem cell outlets, such as the one promoted by Republican presidential candidateRick Perry, claim success treating ALS and just about every other disease you can imagine. But they haven't gone through the painstaking methodology required to run an FDA-approved human clinical trial, which demands reams of data with the goal of assuring safety and eventually proving efficacy. Such trials can also help convince insurance agencies to cover the treatments. Otherwise, rogue outlets will continue charge up to 10s of thousands of dollars for treatments.
"We go through the FDA process, which is excruciatingly slow, but we do that because it's what the law says we have to do," Johe said.
Update: The original version of this article said the Emory and Neuralstem researchers are awaiting FDA approval for a phase two clinical trial. They are actually waiting for approval to add six more patients to their phase one trial.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011


StemCells, Inc. to Feature at 2011 World Stem Cell Summit

Speakers to Address the Science, Technology and Clinical Development of the Company's Human Neural Stem Cell Platform

NEWARK, Calif., Sep 28, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- StemCells, Inc. STEM -2.35% announced today that three of its senior executives and a key academic research collaborator are scheduled to present at the 2011 World Stem Cell Summit scheduled for October 3-5, 2011 at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, California. The World Stem Cell Summit is the global stem cell and regenerative medicine community's leading event, and allows scientists, patients, advocates, business people, investors, educators, ethicists, policy makers, and government representatives from around the world to meet, share knowledge and collaborate with others in the field.
Ann Tsukamoto, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research & Development of StemCells, Inc., will be a featured speaker during a plenary discussion on "How Stem Cells Are Transforming Medicine -- ISSCR Perspectives," which is scheduled for 9:00 am PT on Monday, October 3.
Aileen Anderson, Ph.D., a professor at the University of California, Irvine, will speak during a session on "Stem Cell Translational Report -- Spinal Cord Injury, Paralysis and MS," which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm PT on Tuesday, October 4. Dr. Anderson has collaborated with the Company to publish numerous preclinical studies to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of the Company's human neural stem cells for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
Stephen Huhn, MD, FACS, FAAP, Vice President and Head of the CNS Program at StemCells, Inc. will be a featured speaker during a session on "Promising Science from Industry Labs." This session is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm PT on Wednesday, October 5.
Martin McGlynn, President and CEO of StemCells, Inc., will discuss the Company's clinical development program during a session on "Key Clinical Trial Updates," which is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm PT on Wednesday, October 5. The Company is currently conducting two clinical trials of its HuCNS-SC(R) cells, one in chronic spinal cord injury and one in a myelination disorder in the brain.
The multiple presentations by the Company's executives and collaborator highlight the groundbreaking scientific achievements and progress in advancing novel discoveries to potential breakthrough therapeutic applications. StemCells, Inc. is pleased to be an integral part of this important and rapidly growing event and to have the opportunity to interact with researchers, clinicians, and patients with an interest in novel stem cell-based approaches to intractable neurodegenerative diseases.
About StemCells, Inc.
StemCells, Inc. is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery. The Company's lead therapeutic product candidate, HuCNS-SC(R) cells (purified human neural stem cells), is currently in development as a potential treatment for a broad range of central nervous system disorders. Clinical trials are currently underway in spinal cord injury and in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in children. In addition, the Company plans to file an IND by year-end 2011 to initiate a clinical trial of HuCNS-SC cells in the dry form of age-related macular degeneration, and is also pursuing preclinical studies of its HuCNS-SC cells in Alzheimer's disease and stroke. StemCells also markets stem cell research products, including media and reagents, under the SC Proven(R) brand, and is developing stem cell-based assay platforms for use in pharmaceutical research, drug discovery and drug development. Further information about StemCells is available at http://www.stemcellsinc.com .
The StemCells, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7014
Apart from statements of historical fact, the text of this press release constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. securities laws, and is subject to the safe harbors created therein. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the clinical development of its HuCNS-SC cells; the timing and prospects associated with filing an IND to initiate a clinical trial in age-related macular degeneration; the Company's ability to commercialize drug discovery and drug development tools; and the future business operations of the Company. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Such statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions that may or may not ultimately prove valid. The Company's actual results may vary materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject, including those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011


Peyton Manning Underwent Stem Cell Treatment For Neck Injury

Peyton Manning Stem Cell
The Huffington Post First Posted: 9/19/11 11:28 PM ET Updated: 9/20/11 10:54 AM ET
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has reportedly undergone a stem cell treatment in Europe because of a neck injury that is so far this season keeping him off of the field and on the sidelines, according to news reports. Manning is currently suffering from a bulging disk in his neck; he has undergone surgery several times this year to correct the injury.
Manning's treatment is not approved in the United States, and involves using the four-time MVP's own fat cells to regenerate the nerves around his neck, AOL Sporting News reported.
The New York Daily News reported that Manningunderwent another neck surgery after undergoing the stem cell treatment.
Athletes are allowed to undergo stem cell therapies"unless a banned substance is used as part of the procedure," an NFL spokesman told The Daily News.
Adult stem cells are able to grow and become a cell for a specific tissue or organ, according to the National Institutes of Health. They are different from embryonic stem cells, which come from fertilized eggs or aborted fetuses. Embryonic stem cells can turn into cells for nearly any tissue in the body.
Popular Science reported that Manning probably underwent a stem cell procedure involving induced pluripotent stem cells, which "can be reprogrammed to become any type of cell."
Manning's treatment is raising the eyebrows of some doctors, who say that the treatment doesn't have any scientific evidence to back it up, ABC News reported. There are also concerns about the message Manning is sending to the public, since people might go on to copy the procedure that might carry extra or unknown risks, according to ABC News.
"There are many proposed therapies that are being tested in clinical trials, and there are more to come," Dr. Lawrence Goldstein, director of the stem cell program at the University of California, San Diego, told ABC News. "But in the absence of reliable evidence, it is impossible to know whether the 'treatment' will make Manning better or worse or merely financially poorer."
GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry also recently underwent an experimental stem cell treatmentwith hopes of relieving a back problem, but doctors were concerned about that procedure as well, saying that the procedure could induce cancer or blood clots.
The Texas governor's procedure was "an unusual choice ... quite controversial because there isn’t good evidence yet, at least in the medical literature, that fat cells work better or even work at all in repairing bones," Cleveland Clinic orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Muschler told the AP.