A STEM CELL JOURNEY

This journey records the history of Dr. Richard Burt using hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for autoimmune diseases. The goal of HSCT for autoimmune disease is to employ standard, generic, non-patented, immune modulating drugs (given over approximately 5 days depending on the conditioning regimen) to convert a chronic autoimmune disease into a one-time acute reversible illness... The terminology used to described this procedure is a stem cell transplant, but in actuality, the effect and toxicity is derived from the conditioning regimen and patient selection. The autologous (your own cells) hematopoietic (blood and immune) stem cells have no therapeutic effect and simply shorten the post conditioning regimen interval of neutropenia. Similar to a red blood cell or platelet transfusion, reinfusion of autologous hematopoietic stem cells are a supportive blood transfusion... The conditioning drugs reduce (remove) your immune cells and stop inflammation within the body. The..