Collin County Living Well Magazine May/June 2016 | Page 42
Stem Cells Take Center Stage
By David Ebner
Lung Institute Staff Writer
The world will never forget the momentous day when four young men from Liverpool, England, walked onto the stage
of the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. The
Fab Four strolled onstage, squinting in
the glare of the lights and smiling at the
squealing fans. That grainy, black and
white image became the music history
icon of the “British Invasion.”
Stem cell research appeared on the
world stage with much less fanfare. There
were no screaming fans or standing ovations when doctors conducted the first
investigative stem cell therapy in the
form of a bone marrow transplant in
1956. The painstaking hours scientists
spent researching and studying cells in
laboratories across the world passed unremarked upon in the pages of Life Magazine. Even in 2012, when John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka won a Nobel
Prize for their discovery that “mature
cells can be reprogrammed to become
pluripotent,” enthusiasm was limited
mostly to the medical community.
The advent of stem cell research may
seem inconsequential in comparison to
the rise of the Beatles or Elvis Presley,
but its impact on the medical industry
is nothing less than revolutionary. Adult
stem cells live in the blood, fat and bone
marrow. They can be harvested and
reintroduced into the body as needed.
Stem cells re-specialize into whatever
type of cell they are near. For example,
when bone marrow stem cells are harvested, isolated and reintroduced into
a patient with a progressive lung disease, the new cells have the potential to
morph into lung cells, disease-free and
ready to promote the healing of lungs.
For someone suffering from a debilitating disease, investigative stem cell therapy could mean the difference between
struggling for air and singing “Twist
and Shout” in the shower.
Physicians at the Lung Institute
(lunginstitute.com) have been performing such procedures since 2013, increasing quality of life for over 1,800 patients
with a 82 percent success rate as reported
by the patients themselves. According
to the Lung Institute’s Medical Director, Kevin Huffman, D.O., stem cells are
important because they offer a different
approach. Instead of treating symptoms
simply to make the patient more comfortable, investigative stem cell therapy
targets the disease and can promote
healing, challenging conventional medicine’s mindset that “there’s nothing
more we can do.”
It’s difficult to imagine a medical
breakthrough stealing the show from
the latest trending celebrity. However,
real people have sought these investigative therapies, and are already seeing
these advancements make a difference
in their lives. They may not be screaming like the crazed Beatles fans of the
sixties, but the alternative therapy fan
base grows every day among people
who are breathing easier thanks to companies like the Lung Institute.
Fight lung disease
with investigative
stem cell therapy
Investigational stem cell therapy is an
outpatient, minimally invasive, research
study that may restore lung function
and improve quality of life
Call The Lung Institute at (855) 882-1292
or visit lunginstitute.com/LivingWell
THE NEXT GENERATION
OF INVESTIGATIVE
CELL THERAPY IS HERE.
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COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2016