KIDNEY
DISEASE
Patients with chronic kidney
disease that are candidates for dialysis or transplants should consider
stem cell biotherapy. This is particularly true with individuals that
have persistent impaired renal function as measured by elevated BUN,
Creatinine, abnormal 24 hour creatinine clearance test and decreased
glomerular filtration rate.
To evaluate your condition
it would be desirable for us to see or get a report on either a renal
ultrasound or renal scan. Patients from the age of five years to eighty
years are suitable for this type of treatment.
The source of the stem cells
is umbilical cord blood. The blood is carefully screened to rule out
HIV, Hepatitis B and C and Cytomegalovirus.The stem cells are placed
into media that contain specific growth factors and nutrients that only
promote the development of renal stem cells. This process in the laboratory
takes about three weeks. The cells are then checked for specific surface
markers to be sure they are renal stem cells.
At the time of treatment the
patient is given intravenous renal stem cells and progenitor CD34 and
CD 133 cells over a period of one hour. In some cases the treatment
may be repeated the next day in the same fashion.
The patient is also given
stem cell growth factor and placed on a specific protocol following
treatment to insure the engraftment, survival and safe proliferation
of the cells.
Post procedure the patient
is followed once a month with standard kidney function tests including
BUN, Creatinine, 24 hour creatinine clearance test and glomerular filtration
rate to determine progress.