To begin with, I would like to say about my background. I am a biochemist, molecular biologist, genomic scientist and finally a bioinformaticist.
On reading a news article 1), I was surprised at the people's reaction. I was even more surprised at the doctors' comments. Wow, they don't even read research articles. A good scientist is steadily following up and keep right track on the field.
According to Dr. Hedrick's misunderstanding like "ending up in lung", it seems to be true when you observe the stem cell in blood stream for the first 2-3 days. Stem cells are further circulating through blood vessels out of pulmonary ones. Not knowing such a fact was a common sign of ignorance years ago. Now it's 2011. Wake up! Here is an example among thoussands of related publication out there. SM Devine et. al., identified that mesenchymal stem cells distribute widely in tissue after IV injection in primate 2). This was published in 2003. There are lots of research articles to support this.
Besides he also mentioned about two deaths. Wow. I am wondering if he intentionally pretends to be ignorant. It is a very effective caution when you say 'somebody died!’ He may desperately wants people to stay away from other company’s stem cell therapy. One of two patients died on an operation table during open heart surgery. Some people tried to blame stem cell therapy the patient had months ago but he already had the heart condition before going for stem cell injection. The death seems more like a medical accident rather than stem cell related death. The cause of death for the other case was identified as pulmonary embolism because existing blood clot moved to pulmonary arteries and blocked them. It might be related to IV solution but stem cell doesn't cause blood clotting. IV solution could be a big burden if you have a heart condition. Then you might not want to get excess stem cell amount intravenously. Think about it. Patients, 8,000 to 10,000, who have experienced stem cell therapy using RNL BIO's technology are majorly 60s, 70s or even 80s and there is no direct stem cell related death. Amazing. Count how many people are dying at hospital and clinic, or behind the wheel or at some place underprivileged. Anyway you can simply know by reading a CNN article or a press release by International Cellular Medicine Society.
I can't avoid to ask if Dr. Daley is an expert in adult stem cell area?? Today's science is very sophisticated and diversified. Do you want to ask a ENT doctor for your brain surgery? His research interest is in hematology(bone marrow transplant), embryonic stem cell, cancer(yeah leukemia etc) and so on. When he mention about stem cell transplant, it is the hematopoietic stem cell not the mesenchymal stem cell. I don’t believe he has a little knowledge of that. Don't be confused about the bone marrow transplant with the tissue regenerating mesenchymal stem cell. If I had a Toyota, I would tell people Hyundai is a junk. (Actually I don't own either of them). I could partially understand peoples' desire to blame others in selfish motivation but I couldn't forgive them if they told a lie and impersonated an expert in different area where they were.
It is very said to see even doctors are interested in gossips instead of sciences and facts. Do you believe that your brain might be melt down when you eat GMO beans? Dr. Daley, how many patients have been died after you performed bone marrow transplantation therapy? According to study the mortality is up to 30% 5). Patients are dying from various of complications 6). That's a huge death rate. Lots of people are dying!!! You said unproven stem cell therapy is very dangerous? Their stem cell killed zero out of ten thousand. What about your therapy? Why don't you keep quite about 'real adult stem cell' that you don't know well enough and keep focused on how to save your own patients?
References
1. http://www.good.is/post/the-science-behind-rick-perry-s-strange-stem-cell-surgery
2. http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/101/8/2999.short
3. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-14/world/south.korea.stem.cell_1_international-cellular-medicine-society-patient-registry-rnl-bio?_s=PM:WORLD
4. http://cellmedicinesociety.org/home/news/latest/330-icms-conclusions-a-requirements-to-rnlbio
5. http://www.surgery.com/procedure/bone-marrow-transplantation/morbidity-mortality
6. http://www.nature.com/bmt/journal/v36/n9/full/1705140a.html
