good news! The Japanese government approved stem cell therapy for Parkinson's.

[linaellina]

Since last December, they have accepted 100 patients per month. The treatment involves 5 sessions and sounds very promising. Even if it doesn't cure the disease all together, it improves symptoms and slows down the progress of the disease. Does anyone know more about it?

[Grey_Area]

When they say slows down progress, by how much compared to L-Dopa?

[Gallowglass in reply to Grey_Area]

Levidopa can reduce symptoms but does not slow progress. Vigorous regular exercise is the only thing proven to slow progress…except now it sounds like stem cell treatments can help slow progress!

[Grey_Area in reply to Gallowglass]

Reduce symptoms, delay progress...all the same, euphemisms for failure. The word I want to hear is "cure" or "reverse".

[nednedned]

Maybe thishealthunlocked.com/cure-par...

[Neurosmith]

Looked for a reference source for this and came across the following:

mekostem.com/en/stem-cell-t...

[jeffreyn in reply to Neurosmith]

"The approved stem cell treatment protocol involves administering 150 to 250 million [autologous] adipose-tissue derived stem cells intravenously and 50 million cells into the spinal cord cavity five times at intervals of two to four weeks."

[7springshollow]

L dopa does not slow down the progression. It merely temporarily relieves symptoms.

[7springshollow]

It is very similar to the stem cells treatment offered by Hope Bioscience in Houston Texas. I'm hoping the fact that Japan has approved it will help it get approved here so insurance will cover it. In the meantime it is available through the FDA Right to Try program at Hope.

[CV119 in reply to 7springshollow]

Hi, do you know how the Hope Bio in Houston works? Their website is quite confusing and doesnt say anything about using the individual's own stem cells to provide them with some kind of therapy. I called and emailed them, and i'm awaiting response, but if you could please provide the information you know about this place

[7springshollow in reply to CV119]

If you are going for the Right to Try program you contact them. There is paperwork to fill out which they will email you. Upon receiving the signed paperwork they will schedule an appointment for blood work at their facility in Houston. After you are approved you go to plastic surgeon and he removes a small amount of fat from your abdomen. They culture the stem cells from that. They culture a large amount and freeze them. Then they take some of those cells and culture them to make your treatment. You will pay a banking fee for the development and storage of your stem cells. On infusion day you show up and they administer the cells via infusion in your arm. The FDA doesn't allow them to make any profit from the treatment because it is not approved. The cost is around 6000 per infusion. Let me know if you have any questions. You can see videos on them by looking them up on YouTube. Their stem cells are the best available and many other places doing trials get the cells from Hope.

[CV119 in reply to 7springshollow]

Wow thank you so much for the info. They could have explained that better in the website. Do you know of anyone with PD that has tried something like this with them or somewhere else? Trying to weigh in the cost-benefit

[7springshollow in reply to CV119]

They have been doing FDA approved clinical trials for a few years regarding Parkinson's. They started inv Investigating Parkinson's because someone in a trial for long haul COVID happened to have Parkinson's and once he got the stem cell treatment he told them his Parkinson's symptoms were disappearing. They have a few openings left in their current trial involving donor stem cells. The trial is an opportunity to get treatments at no cost to you. The trial has a placebo group. Everyone has a 50/50 chance to get the stem cells. After the trial is over the people who got the placebo will get the stem cells so eventually you will get 6 free infusions. Pretty much everyone who has gotten the stem cells had shown improvement. I'm getting treatments now from a trial I was in a couple of years ago where I got the placebo. I see improvement and I'm just at my 3rd treatment. The people at Hope are really top rate.

[CV119 in reply to 7springshollow]

Thank you so much for your prompt feedback. I called again, but i guess it's almost 5pm . Do you have a contact person email or phone i could use? i tried the one ending at 8840

[7springshollow in reply to CV119]

David is in charge of the trial. He should get back to you tomorrow. If not let me know.

David T. Gonzalez RN

Clinical Affairs Specialist-Clinical Team Lead

Hope Biosciences Research Foundation

16700 Creek Bend Dr

Sugar Land TX 77478

[e-mail]

hopebio.org

(o)346-900-0340 ext. 101

(c)346-900-0339

[7springshollow in reply to 7springshollow]

Tell him Karen sent you. 😊

[CV119 in reply to 7springshollow]

I appreciate this Karen, I will email him. Will be out of town tomorrow, but will try to return the call as soon as possible. We'll definitely look into this

[Siobhan33 in reply to 7springshollow]

Have you entered the trial at Hope Bio & if so, how's it going?

[7springshollow in reply to Siobhan33]

I'm in my erd trial. I was placebo group in the first 2. I am seeing improvement.

[Siobhan33 in reply to 7springshollow]

I am so happy to hear of your improvement! I sent paperwork to David and am waiting to hear back.

[gomelgo in reply to 7springshollow]

Karen would you be willing to say what types of symptom improvement you are having? I was slated to go there to have the screening done a few weeks ago, and got horrible frozen shoulder and asked to postpone. I also am a bit of a scaredy cat about the tumors.

[CuriousMe12]

Probably best if you quote your Information source.

[Baron1]

Good Morning,

I wrote about this several months ago.

Here is what I found out about the Stem Cell Treatment in Japan.

I inquired about this in September 2023, and they stated that a patient needs to receive 10 treatments over a period of 5 months (one treatment every 2 weeks).

The cost would be $15,000 USD every treatment totalling $150,000 USD after 10 treatments.

Below is the reply that I received.

1. Discovery Package 200 million cells USD15,000 - Banking 5 years - Clinic fee waiver 1 time.

2. Wellness Package 1,000 million cells USD60,000 - Banking 10 years - Clinic fee waiver 3 times.

Adding Cells 100 million cells USD7,000 Banking Only USD10,000 - Period: Lifetime

The above amount does not include fat extraction costs. Please pay separately at the collection clinic.

Administration Location in Japan

The 2nd Nishihara Clinic Osaka 8 Chome-5-10, Noma, Itami-city, Hyogo - I.V.: JPY30,000

- Joint: JPY35,000 (Cash only), or

Trinity Clinic Fukuoka Fukuoka 6-14-22 Matsushima, Higashi-gu, Fukuoka.

They do not provide any further information.

If this treatment is above board, then 10 treatments should show benefits over and above any other clinics who are offering stem cell treatment. Reason being multiple studies have shown that continued treatment in a 12 month period has better sustained improvements with neurological disorders.

Best Wishes,

[Rupa88]

how can yhey show slowing progression in 5 months?

[Farooqji]

Link. Please

[LeharLover62]

I’m not an expert, but I would think this would not slow the progression per se, but it might heal some damaged neurons and essentially reverse the disease clock by a few years. (But I don’t imagine we know for sure.)

[Farooqji]

South Korea’s Biostar Stem Cell Research Institute is a partner of Trinity Clinic Fukuoka, in Japan. Their contact info is:

Contacts

Nature Cell

Sanghoon Song

[e-mail]

or

Access Communication & Consulting Co.

Soyeon Kim, [phone]

[e-mail]

or

Sehui An, [phone]

[e-mail]