STEM CELLS MAY EASE ARTHRITIS
N.H. researcher talks solutions
The Center for Wellbeing clinical director Dr. Jeffrey Donatello joined Boston Herald Radio’s “The Rundown” program yesterday to talk about his company’s use of stem cells in Portsmouth, N.H., to help with arthritis. Here are excerpts:
Q: How did you get started with stem cell research?
A: A long time ago, probably seven or eight years ago, I started to see the future and reality of what’s going on and I knew eventually, once the FDA cleared this, it would just go gangbusters. So I was one of the first in New England to start this up about a year and a half ago, working mainly with arthritic degenerative joints. And that’s what we’re finding now: The stem cells work really well for that type of problem.
Q: Does this have to come from the top down that the federal government supports this?
A: It’s not an approved way of doing things because it’s not a drug, so the FDA hasn’t approved it, but they’ve cleared it and said it’s safe and they know it’s safe so it’s rigorously tested to make sure that there are no side effects from it, and that’s where we’ve ended up now. A year to two years later, the masses are now starting to see it because the early adopters have already gone through it . ... There are close to 700 regenerative medicine offices around the country that offer stem cells.
Q: Now, where do the stem cells come from?
A: They’re donated. There are cord banks around the country that go around to different hospitals and their umbilical cord drive — so the cells come from the actual tissue in the umbilical cord — we use what’s called Wharton’s jelly . ... And what these cells do is they target the areas of inflammation. ... There’s a lot of inflammation from arthritis, these cells target it and they are able to regenerate tissue. Until this point nothing no matter what you do ... no one is regenerating tissue, and that’s what we have on our side; we can actually grow new tissues with these stem cells.
Q: Is this something that can possibly help those in their 50s?
A: Absolutely ... there’s a reason why Tom Brady is one of the oldest in the NFL. Once you hit 40, 45 you don’t produce enough stem cells on your own. So we’re able to take these stem cells from a vibrant source, a safe source, a healthy baby, a healthy mom, donated and we’re able to use them in a way that gives you way more stem cells, billions and billions when they’ve multiplied, to make your immune system heal tissue in a way that we never could before.
Q: Could you see pro athletes starting to use this technique going forward?
A: It’s not that I could see it, it’s happening. And what’s happened is all around the world for 20 years they’ve been using umbilical cord derived stem cells for osteoarthritic conditions very successfully and the FDA was pressured to get this in the United States because people had been traveling around the world to get help and it’s right here now.