Reflections on 9/11

I struggled with the idea of including a brief entry in the StemSave blog for the 10^th anniversary of 9/11.  Not because my voice would be any more or less poignant than the many moving recollections, reflections, analysis and reporting that have appeared these last few days as the anniversary drew close but because, after 10 years, I thought enough time had passed to make the day a little less emotional for me and my family.  You see, I live with my wife, Allene and our two children, Dakota and Oliver, just two blocks from the World Trade Center Site [in a neighborhood called Tribeca].  We have lived there since 1999.

As downtown New York rose from the ashes, as our neighborhood evolved and thrived following the attacks of 9/11, as the demands of everyday life and family commanded attention and as time put more distance between our daily lives and ‘that’ day, I came to believe that I had become proficient at suppressing the experiences, images and emotions of 9/11.   But this year was a little different.  Perhaps it was the opening of the memorial or the heightened collective attention being paid to 9/11; maybe it was the elevated terrorist alert status, or all the extra security near the site and in our neighborhood but, whatever it was, I discovered that, while I may have gotten better at suppression, the emotions that found their way back into my consciousness this year had diminished little from that fateful day 10 years ago.

After watching this year’s opening 9/11 ceremonies and observing a moment of silence, my son Oliver asked me if I was OK because, as I was explaining the meaning of the ceremony to him, my voice kept cracking and tears welled up in my eyes.  As I write, trying to put thoughts into words and words into some sort of coherent narrative, I am consumed with emotion.  I have many very visceral memories of that day.  However, two stand out.  The first is of a policeman, who, when the North Tower was collapsing, grabbed my 9 month pregnant wife, put her in doorway for protection and stood over her, covering her until the danger passed.  He then he took off to help others.  We did not get his name and never got to thank him.  The second was the sight of fireman and policemen – New York’s bravest and finest – making their way toward the World Trade Center while everyone else was evacuating; trying to put as much distance between themselves and the collapsing buildings as possible.

As this blog entry demonstrates, I am not preternaturally a writer which, mercifully, brings me to the Empire State of Mind 9/11 Tribute video attached to this blog post.  It has been seen by millions of people and continues to generate traffic on YouTube.  For me, it hits several emotional chords but I feel particularly blessed that my son Dakota, born 7 days following 9/11, was one of the many neighborhood children chosen to be part of this tribute.  My unborn son did not experience 9/11 himself, but ten years later, he helped my wife and I to say thank you in a way we could not and for that I am especially grateful.

If you have not seen the video, I encourage you to view it, comment on it and it and pass it along to your friends and family.

Sincerely,

Art Greco, CEO

StemSave, Inc.

About 25.8 million children and adults in the United States – 8.3% of the population – have diabetes.  They live their lives in complete dependence on insulin treatments. Scarcity of donor pancreas and the side effects of immunosuppressive agents limit this therapeutic option. A recent study published in Journal of Dental Research provides evidence for the potential of dental pulp stem cells to be used in autologous transplantation therapy in diabetes. In this study, DPSCs obtained from deciduous teeth were extracted and exposed to various factors that allowed for their differentiation into cells of the pancreatic lineage and when these cells were challenged with glucose, they released insulin, thereby demonstrating functionality and potential for use in diabetes therapeutics. DPSCs provide a non-pancreatic, non-invasive source of cells that have the potential to cure the almost 26 million people suffering from diabetes. Studies such as the one presented not only validate dental stem cell banking but encourages further exploration of other potential uses of DPSCs in regenerative medicine. Read More

Stem cells and tissue regeneration

Mar 1, 2011

By Vicki Cheeseman, Associate Editor

Much is going on in the dental industry with regard to the research of stem cells. George T-J Huang, DDS, MSD, DSc, the chair of endodontics at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, has recently researched the reprogramming of dental stem cells into cells that may be used for tissue regeneration. DentistryIQ had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Huang about this latest research and how he feels it will impact the dental profession.

Click here to read more articles about stem cells.

DentistryIQ: Please explain your latest research findings.

Dr. George Huang: Dental stem cells are about 10 times easier than commonly used skin fibroblasts to be reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). Once reprogrammed, they can be guided to differentiate into most of the cell types in our body; therefore, they are very useful for tissue regeneration.

DentistryIQ: Please explain your scientific findings from the recent study in which you regenerated dental pulp and dentin for the first time in a mouse experimental model.

Dr. Huang: The findings suggest that it is very possible that we can regenerate diseased dental pulp and repair the tooth without going through the traditional root canal procedures.

DentistryIQ: Is there a PDF or Web site link that would give us more information about your recent studies?

Dr. Huang:  Yes, you can visit this link , go to Endodontics … faculty … and my name.

DentistryIQ:  How are dental stem cells collected and stored?

Dr. Huang: Cells are isolated from the freshly extracted teeth — usually third molars — then allowed to grow in culture dishes, and frozen down in liquid nitrogen.

DentistryIQ: How close are researchers to developing a reliable process for tissue regeneration using stem cells in humans?

Dr. Huang: Depending on the organs, some are already being done or in clinical trials; some are still in large animal studies. Dental stem cells for dental tissue regeneration may take about five to 10 years to be tried in humans. Other countries may start sooner.

DentistryIQ: In your opinion, is there a “best” source of stem cells?

Dr. Huang: That depends on the purpose. So far, adult stem cells are already being used for tissue regeneration or to treat diseases in humans. Adult stem cells are usually best obtained from bone marrow, adipose tissues, the oral cavity, and teeth. Fetal tissues, such as umbilical cord and placenta, are also a good source of stem cells.

DentistryIQ: Do you foresee a time when dental implants and root canals will be obsolete due to the ease and reliability of regenerated tissue using stem cells?

Dr. Huang: About 10 to 15 years from now. Dental implants will still be used, but perhaps less … not obsolete. Tissue regeneration may be more common, but still needs time to know their clinical outcomes.

DentistryIQ: How do you determine a suitable candidate for tissue regeneration?

Dr. Huang: Anyone who is interested in having this alternative approach with the indicated disease conditions and without other health complications is potentially a suitable candidate.

DentistryIQ: Thank you very much for your time, Dr. Huang!

Source:
DentistryIQ

View this informative video on Dr. Huang and his lab work.

The entire interview is also available here.

Since 1981, the American Dental Association observes February as National Children’s Dental Health Month.  In acknowledgment, we commend all of our Providers who recognize the importance of raising awareness among patients and their families of the critical role that proper dental care plays in the overall health of children.  Click here to see how one StemSave Provider celebrates in her practice and community.  For more information on National Children’s Dental Health Month and the Program Planning Guide, visit the American Dental Association web site:  www.ada.org

Columbia University announces new, expanded, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for its Center for Craniofacial Regeneration (CCR). Dr. Jeremy Mao, Professor and Zegarelli Endowed Chair of Dental Medicine and Chief Science Advisor to StemSave and Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and a Science Advisor to StemSave, are co-directors of the CCR. The inauguration of the new laboratory will facilitate and expand the cutting edge research taking place at the CCR and advance the development of stem cell and regenerative technologies to address congenital, genetic and trauma induced dental, oral and craniofacial abnormalities and diseases.

Lead researchers Jennifer L. West, PhD of Rice University and Mary Dickenson, PhD of Baylor College of Medicine have developed a method to grow capillaries and blood vessels – a key element in growing tissue and organs for transplantation.  This breakthrough will advance stem cell based regeneration of tissue and organs by enabling researchers and doctors to grow thicker and more complex cellular structures. Utilizing “Two-Photon Lithography” to control the movement and growth of cells in predetermined patterns the researchers can, for example, recreate the pattern of the blood supply in a kidney. Read more

StemSave Research Center

Dr. Xing Yan, has been awarded a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in the field of salivary gland regeneration utilizing dental stem cells.  Dr. Yan will collaborate with Dr. George Huang, a StemSave Scientific Advisor on this important research project.  The purpose of the research is to study the functional regeneration of salivary glands, using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells reprogrammed from dental pulp stem cells.
 
Options for those who suffer from salivary hypofunction are limited. Studies by Drs. Huang and Yan using dental stem cells to regenerate functional salivary glands are at the scientific forefront of finding real solutions to millions affected by poor salivary function.  Read More

Naidelys Montoya didn’t wait for her son’s baby teeth to fall out. She took the boy to an oral surgeon to have two of the loose ones extracted.

“He was a bit scared,” said Montoya, of Hialeah. “He’s not that brave.”

The dentist shipped the teeth in a temperature-controlled steel container to a lab in Massachusetts, where their stem cells will be spun out, frozen to more than 100 degrees below zero and stored — in case her son, Raul Estrada, 6, might need them for a future illness.

“I believe in this,” Montoya said. “I did as a precaution against things that could happen in the future.”

Montoya and her son have joined a major new medical movement.

In South Florida and around the world, dentists are extracting baby teeth, wisdom teeth and even healthy adult teeth, and researchers are spinning out stem cells that they believe can be used to regrow lost teeth, someday even to repair damaged bones, hearts, pancreases, muscles and brains.

It could put the Tooth Fairy out of business.

“These are teeth we’ve been discarding as dental waste,” said Dr. Jeffrey Blum, the Miami Beach oral surgeon who pulled Raul’s teeth. “We might as well get some use out of them.”

“I can’t help but feel excitement for their potential use in regenerating different tissues in the human body,” said Dr. Jeremy Mao, director of the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at Columbia University. Mao also is chief science advisor to StemSave, a New York City company that freezes the stem cells and stores them for later use.

Much more - read the complete story here: