THIS IS AN ARTICLE ON THE BEIKE BIOTECH COMPANY THAT OVERSEES MY TREATMENT

Firm uses stem cells to develop treatments not available in U.S.
By DOUGLAS JORDAN

Beike Biotech is a China-based company that has made national news in this country for its innovative new treatments offering hope to patients previously considered beyond the capability of a medical cure. Many American patients have gone overseas to Beike for treatments not available in the U.S.


Those treatments involve the use of stem cells, which can potentially be used to repair and replace damaged human tissue. Stem cell research and treatment is legally limited in this country due to political and philosophical debate.

However, most of the debate revolves around the use of embryonic stem cells, which are obtained from human embryos and often result in the loss of the donor embryo. Beike uses stem cells obtained from the blood of umbilical cords from live births, material that has historically been discarded as medical waste.

"By using cord stem cells, it takes the controversy out of the process," said Carol Petersen, whose grandson, Cameron, received the treatment in September. "I'm an advocate for this now, and I think we need to build a government-funded, for the public, cord blood bank."
Petersen said that Cameron's treatment was "extremely successful" and that the results were better than she had anticipated.

"He could not see at all before this procedure," she said. "Now, he sees and recognizes faces, and responds to visual stimulation from up to two feet away.
"We won't know the full extent of the improvement until he is old enough to communicate better, but it's clear that it's a miraculous difference."

In addition to ONH, Beike has used stem cells to treat other conditions, such as Alzheimer's, ataxia, autism, ALS, brain trauma, cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral palsy, Guillain-Barre, encephalatropy and spinal cord injury.
Some in the U.S. medical community have been skeptical about the new treatments. However,


Kirshner Ross-Vaden, vice president of foreign patient relations for Beike Biotech, said that 86 out of 100 foreign patients with spinal cord injury have improved, such as regaining control of bowel movements and being able to sense hot and cold.
"The doctors who actually have experience in this field, and who know something about what stem cells can do, have been very supportive," Ross-Vaden said. "Because what we do is new, it's bound to arouse some criticism, and there's nothing wrong with that."
Dr. Shalesh Kaushal is a professor of opthalmology at the University of Florida 's Vitreoretinal Service and director of the UF Retina Service. He has worked extensively with research involving stem cells taken from bone marrow.

"From what I've seen so far of what Beike Biotech is doing, I would say that I am cautiously optimistic," Kaushal said. "There appears to be no overt danger to the patient from this procedure, and stem cells have shown an ability to rejuvenate or regenerate tissue."
Kaushal also said that umbilical cord blood banks are becoming more prevalent in the U.S. , and that many doctors advocate that parents save their children's cord blood in these banks.
He said that foreign medicine is not backward, as some people in this country seem to think.
"Many of them are better clinicians than those trained in the U.S. ," he said. "Because they simply see more patients. If you have a billion people in your country, how can you not have more experience?"

Dr. David Klein, a Port Charlotte ophthalmologist who has also studied the procedure, said what he's seen of Beike's work has been very good.
"From what I've seen, this is not some fly-by-night operation," he said. "There's a lot of good science behind what they're doing. I think they're on the brink of some wonderful things."
Beike was founded in 2005 with funding from Beijing University , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the City of Shenzhen . It is also supported by the China State National Fund. Beike supplies stem cells for treatment at 11 hospitals in China and one in Thailand .

Firm uses stem cells to develop treatments not available in U.S.
By DOUGLAS JORDAN

Beike Biotech is a China-based company that has made national news in this country for its innovative new treatments offering hope to patients previously considered beyond the capability of a medical cure. Many American patients have gone overseas to Beike for treatments not available in the U.S.
Those treatments involve the use of stem cells, which can potentially be used to repair and replace damaged human tissue. Stem cell research and treatment is legally limited in this country due to political and philosophical debate.
However, most of the debate revolves around the use of embryonic stem cells, which are obtained from human embryos and often result in the loss of the donor embryo. Beike uses stem cells obtained from the blood of umbilical cords from live births, material that has historically been discarded as medical waste.
"By using cord stem cells, it takes the controversy out of the process," said Carol Petersen, whose grandson, Cameron, received the treatment in September. "I'm an advocate for this now, and I think we need to build a government-funded, for the public, cord blood bank."
Petersen said that Cameron's treatment was "extremely successful" and that the results were better than she had anticipated.

"He could not see at all before this procedure," she said. "Now, he sees and recognizes faces, and responds to visual stimulation from up to two feet away.
"We won't know the full extent of the improvement until he is old enough to communicate better, but it's clear that it's a miraculous difference."
In addition to ONH, Beike has used stem cells to treat other conditions, such as Alzheimer's, ataxia, autism, ALS, brain trauma, cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral palsy, Guillain-Barre, encephalatropy and spinal cord injury.
Some in the U.S. medical community have been skeptical about the new treatments. However, Kirshner Ross-Vaden, vice president of foreign patient relations for Beike Biotech, said that 86 out of 100 foreign patients with spinal cord injury have improved, such as regaining control of bowel movements and being able to sense hot and cold.
"The doctors who actually have experience in this field, and who know something about what stem cells can do, have been very supportive," Ross-Vaden said. "Because what we do is new, it's bound to arouse some criticism, and there's nothing wrong with that."
Dr. Shalesh Kaushal is a professor of opthalmology at the University of Florida 's Vitreoretinal Service and director of the UF Retina Service. He has worked extensively with research involving stem cells taken from bone marrow.
"From what I've seen so far of what Beike Biotech is doing, I would say that I am cautiously optimistic," Kaushal said. "There appears to be no overt danger to the patient from this procedure, and stem cells have shown an ability to rejuvenate or regenerate tissue."
Kaushal also said that umbilical cord blood banks are becoming more prevalent in the U.S. , and that many doctors advocate that parents save their children's cord blood in these banks.
He said that foreign medicine is not backward, as some people in this country seem to think.
"Many of them are better clinicians than those trained in the U.S. ," he said. "Because they simply see more patients. If you have a billion people in your country, how can you not have more experience?"
Dr. David Klein, a Port Charlotte ophthalmologist who has also studied the procedure, said what he's seen of Beike's work has been very good.
"From what I've seen, this is not some fly-by-night operation," he said. "There's a lot of good science behind what they're doing. I think they're on the brink of some wonderful things."
Beike was founded in 2005 with funding from Beijing University , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the City of Shenzhen . It is also supported by the China State National Fund. Beike supplies stem cells for treatment at 11 hospitals in China and one in Thailand .

There is no surgery involved in most of the treatments, which were pioneered in part by Ross-Vaden, who is a nurse and medical researcher. Stem cells, sometimes in the millions, are delivered through intravenous injections into the spinal cord fluid. In some cases of spinal cord injury, surgical injections are necessary.

As of Oct. 15, Beike had treated more than 2,000 patients with stem cell injections for diseases.
"Beike's greatest strength, and what differentiates it from other research groups, is that Beike specializes in clinical applications," Ross-Vaden said. "There are many people in countries around the world who could have a better quality of life and live longer with this technology, but they don't have the chance because of politics, religion and bureaucracy."
Ross-Vaden said China is the leader in stem cell research.
"The Chinese government is pouring billions of dollars into research," she said. "They court doctors from other countries to come to China ."
While they do not track the exact number of Americans who leave the country for stem cell injections. Ross-Vaden estimates the number to be "hundreds per year and growing."
For people such as Petersen, and St. Augustine 's Rylee Lovett, Beike offers hope.
Klein said that eventually this form of treatment should be available in the U.S.
"What you want to do is get away from the political debate and let the science take over," Klein said. "Because the bottom line is that the medical community is here to help people get better."
__._,_.___