Gordie Howe’s Stem Cells Treatments Support a Growing Appeal for These Therapies Among Athletes and Baby Boomers
The Story of Gordie Howe’s Stem Cell Treatment
In October 2014, Gordie Howe, the legendary hockey player, faced a life-threatening stroke that left him severely debilitated. Despite medical efforts, including an experimental stem cell treatment in Mexico, his condition continued to deteriorate. However, after receiving neural and mesenchymal stem cells, Howe showed remarkable signs of improvement, including regaining mobility and cognitive function.
The Impact of Stem Cell Therapy on Gordie Howe’s Recovery
- Experimental Treatment: Howe’s treatment involved injecting neural and mesenchymal stem cells into his spinal canal, aiming for brain repair and anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Recovery Milestones: Within hours of the procedure, Howe exhibited unexpected improvements, such as walking unaided for the first time since his stroke.
Stem Cell Therapy: Appeal Among Athletes and Baby Boomers
Athletes’ Interest in Stem Cell Therapy
Athletes, prone to injuries and degenerative conditions, increasingly turn to stem cell therapy for its potential regenerative properties. Icons like Bart Starr and John Brodie have also pursued such treatments.
Growing Popularity Among Baby Boomers
The aging population, particularly baby boomers, seeks stem cell therapies to address age-related ailments such as joint degeneration and chronic conditions.
Controversies and Regulatory Challenges
Despite its appeal, stem cell therapy faces scrutiny due to regulatory issues and varying international standards. The FDA is developing guidelines to regulate these treatments, distinguishing between approved clinical trials and unauthorized clinics.
Regulatory Landscape and FDA Guidelines
- Current FDA Oversight: Most stem cell therapies require FDA approval, with exceptions for minimally manipulated cells.
- Unauthorized Clinics: Concerns persist over unauthorized stem cell clinics operating outside regulatory frameworks.
Future Directions and Considerations
As research and public interest in stem cell therapy continue to grow, ongoing debates over efficacy, safety, and regulatory oversight shape its future in medical practice.
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Global Stem Cells Group Affiliate University of Santiago Biotechnology Lab Applies for RTA Certification
MIAMI, April 30, 2016–Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas announced that the University of Santiago has become the latest GSCG affiliate to apply for Regenerative Technologies Alliance (RTA) certification. RTA certification represents the highest standards of excellence in current medical and laboratory practices against established standards.
The announcement comes less than a week after Global Stem Cells Group announced a mutual endorsement for an Asian-Pacific alliance with the university to host a regenerative medicine and stem cell symposium July 1-2 at the 
university’s Santiago campus. Through the alliance, the two organizations have established a working agenda for collaborative initiatives and educational programs in stem cell and regenerative medicine research and development for 2016 – 2020.
Experts in the field of regenerative and cell-based medicine conduct the RTA certification program. The Regenerative Technologies Alliance, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization operated by Regenetech and supported by individuals and institutions committed to bringing peer oversight and transparency to the regenerative and cell-based medicine industry, provides certification for:
- Laboratory Facilities that provide the processing of human tissue for the development of cell-based applications
- Clinical facilities seeking to participate in authorized studies that are approved by Institutional Review Boards (IRB)
- Medical facilities providing cell-based medical therapies to patients.
According to Benito Novas, CEO of Global Stem Cells Group, the certification process will be conducted under the direction of David B. Audley, RTA Chair and General Secretary. Audley is a highly regarded medical marketing and management services consultant who co-founded MedTourGlobal after 10 years in the emerging field of regenerative medicine.
Santiago was the city chosen for the first RTA accreditation in Latin America. This type of accreditation differs from traditional accreditation processes in that it examines all aspects of service and patient care, considers the progress of the location and the potential for receiving international patients, as well as meeting quality expectations.
The alliance between Global Stem Cells Group and the University of Santiago extended an invitation to Audley and started the RTA application and review process to assess the reception, harvesting, bio-processing and application of stem cells, in the university’s Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Laboratory and Providencia Stem Cells Center. This international certification opportunity includes evaluating and reinforcing physicians working in those areas, and validating the processes and bio-technological resources against international standards.
RTA delegates are expected to visit the University of Santiago facility in July to conduct a physical inspection of the premises. The goal is to create a cell therapy hub in Santiago that can accommodate the needs of patients in neighboring countries seeking stem cell and regenerative medicine treatments. Strong patient demand in the United States and Europe have also created a growing interest in the medical tourism industry.
Global Stem Cells Group Chief Medical Officer Enrique Testart, M.D., heads a medical and scientific team tasked with establishing a new edition of the post-graduate diploma program, “Diplomat in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering” at Santiago University.
The theoretical and practical, 120-hour program will deliver the fundamentals of the most advanced cell therapies and clinical applications currently practiced safely and effectively in more than 35 cities worldwide.
Testart and Novas have collaborated on the push to highlight Chile’s appeal as a destination for patients seeking stem cell therapies for a variety of conditions, and as part of GSCG’s ongoing commitment to expand the reach of stem cell treatments throughout Latin America. Global Stem Cells Group’s Quito, Chile clinical facility is also in the process of earning RTA certification.
Novas says that GSCG aims to have all the company’s clinical facilities earn RTA certification by the end of 2016.
Global Stem Cells Group’s presence in Chile represents one of the largest integrated science and technology organizations associated with tissue engineering and tissue regeneration. GSCG represents the areas of research, development, medical appliances, equipment and protocols for clinical standards, and is fast becoming a global leader in adult stem cell therapies, medical training in stem cell protocols, and the manufacture of high quality products and supplies in regenerative medicine.
Their strategic leadership puts them in the forefront of stem cell research, medical education and patient care. Global Stem Cells Group comprises six companies, each of which works in specialty areas related to the stem cell industry .
To learn more, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, Email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call 305-560-5337.
About Global Stem Cells Group:
Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.
Global Stem Cells Group’s corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCG’s six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.
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Global Stem Cells Group Announces Cell Assisted Fat Transfer Training
MIAMI, April 30, 2016–Global Stem Cells Group and Stem Cell Training, Inc. have announced the addition of a cell assisted fat transfer training course, to be conducted by Alfredo Hoyos, M.D., head of the GSCG Advisory Board, and Enrique Testart, M.D., GSCG Chief Medical Officer.
Two courses are scheduled, one to be conducted in Santiago, Chile August 23-24, and the other in Cancun, Mexico October 11-12.
The training course involves facial fat transfer injection combined with adipose-derived stem cells, to address the primary issues that concern patients in the aesthetic field, including facial aging caused by volume loss.
Hoyos is a plastic surgeon and stem cell expert who founded Stemlab, a Bogota, Colombia facility that conducts extensive research in regenerative medicine in an effort to establish stem cell treatments that can repair damaged tissue in living organisms.
Alfredo Hoyos, MD
Stemlab works to further the development of aesthetic techniques using stromal stem cells derived from adipose tissue. Hoyos is the inventor of high definition liposculpture (HDL) and dynamic definition lipoplasty (4D) techniques as well as other advanced techniques that focus on body contouring.
Testart is a surgeon specializing in child trauma microsurgery. He is also a medical entrepreneur and founder of Consortia Innovas S.A. in Santiago, Chile, an organization dedicated to consulting and clinical health management for clinical management firms and research and development-oriented planners on the latest treatments in regenerative medicine as they become available.
Enrique Testart, MD
Hoyos and Testart will train qualified physicians on cell assisted fat transfer techniques and protocols, during which fat cells are harvested from the patient’s own body and redistributed to other areas of the body to augment sunken or thin regions of the face or body in order to add volume where it is desired.
Lipoinjection for cosmetic treatments can be unpredictable, and has a low rate of graft survival due to partial necrosis. To overcome these problems, cell assisted fat transfer (lipostransfer) was developed as a strategy wherein autologous adipose-derived stem (stromal) cells (ASCs) are used in combination with lipoinjection. A stromal vascular fraction (SVF) containing ASCs is freshly isolated from half of the aspirated fat and recombined with the other half. This process converts relatively ASC-poor aspirated fat to ASC-rich fat, reducing postoperative atrophy of injected fat to a minimal leve
l that clinical trials have found does not change substantially after 2 months. Patients walk away with soft and natural-appearing augmentation.
Cell assisted fat transfer is a promising treatment for facial rejuvenation and soft tissue augmentation because there are no incisional scars or complications associated with foreign materials.
The cell assisted fat transfer training course will be offered through Global Stem Cells Group affiliate Stem Cell
To learn more, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, or the Stem Cell Training website, email 
About Global Stem Cell Group:
Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.
About Stem Cell Training, Inc.:
Stem Cell Training, Inc. is a multi-disciplinary company offering coursework and training in 35 cities worldwide. The coursework offered focuses on minimally invasive techniques for harvesting stem cells from adipose tissue, bone marrow and platelet-rich plasma. By equipping physicians with these techniques, the goal is to enable them to return to their practices, better able to apply these techniques in patient treatments.
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- Published in Press Releases
University of Santiago to Endorse Asian-Pacific Symposium
MIAMI, April 30, 2016–Global Stem Cells Group has announced the University of Santiago’s plans to endorse an alliance between GSCG and the university’s Biotechnology Lab to host an Asian-Pacific Symposium and other initiatives for potential stem cell protocol management for 2016 – 2020. The symposium will be held July 1-2 at the university in Santiago, Chile.
In 2015, University of Santiago officials and top Global Stem Cells Group executives began meeting to establish a working agenda and foster initiatives to promote stem cell research and development as a collaborative effort.
Professor Alejandra Moenen, Ph.D., who heads the University of Santiago’s Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, and a team of Ph.D.s from the university will join Global Stem Cells Group to host the Asian-Pacific Symposium. Moenen is an internationally prominent researcher whose work in biological research has been published in 50 major scientific journals worldwide.
The symposium will concentrate on regenerative medicine and stem cell applications to anti-aging and aesthetic medicine. University of Santiago faculty will lead the symposium, and qualified academic and medical groups from around the world will be invited to present their scientific papers. Among them will be Duncan Ross, Ph.D., a Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board member who will present his abstract, “The mechanism of action of stem cells in regenerative medicine is increasingly being understood to be effected through paracrine factors. Central to the question of when and how to treat an individual disease is where and for what duration a transplanted cell will persist to generate these factors.”
A meeting to confirm the Asia-Pacific Symposium alliance was attended by Kevin Maisey, Ph.D., and Jorge LaPorte, Ph.D., both representing the Biology and Biochemistry Department of the University of Santiago. University Dean Silvia Ferrada Vergara has validated the agreement, and the endorsement will be announced at the Asia-Pacific Conference in July.
For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call +1 305 560 5337.
About Global Stem Cell Group:
Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.
Global Stem Cells Group’s corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCG’s six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.
About the University of Santiago:
Celebrating the 166th anniversary of its founding in 2016, the University of Santiago is one of the oldest and most traditional institutions of higher education in Chile. Offering 66 comprehensive undergraduate programs to more than 18,000 students, the university has seven faculties representing departments of Engineering, Humanities, Science, Business and Economics, Chemistry and Biology, Medical Sciences and Technology. The university us moving toward a new era of implementing improved and advanced master’s degree and doctoral degree programs, in addition to the numerous courses and postgraduate programs already in place in a variety of academic and research disciplines.
Since Chile’s 1981 higher education reform, the University of Santiago has concentrated its activities in the metropolitan area, with a particular focus on teaching, research and extension, carried out on the 34-hectare (84 acre) campus in the City of Santiago.
The University of Santiago is known for its participation in national and international projects and the contributions of its scholars to various fields of knowledge. A singular effort has been placed on linking the work of university researchers, who have a close relationship with the socio-economic needs of the country, to improve public health conditions in the country. The University of Santiago is one of Chile’s four Universities noted for successful fundraising efforts to support research and development.
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Global Stem Cells Group and Santiago University to Launch New Edition of Post-Graduate Diploma Program
MIAMI, April 30, 2015–Global Stem Cells Group and the University of Santiago, Chile have announced plans to launch a new edition of the post-graduate diploma program, “Diplomat in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering.” The first of its kind worldwide, the program is designed for physicians and qualified practitioners to bring stem cell therapies into the doctor’s office to treat patients.
The University of Santiago, ranked among the top universities in South America, is the first state university to offer a diploma program in stem cells, tissue engineering and cell therapy.
The program concentrates on advances in cell biology, the clinical and linked characteristics to bioprocessing of stem cells derived from adipose tissue, and other stem cell-based protocols. Based on medical research that emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries to give rise to stem cell therapies, this is a new form of medical treatment in which cells and tissues are used as healing elements, not only to supplement or replace deficient cells, but to induce regeneration and restoration of a lost biological order during the development of a disease or injury.
Alejandra Moenen, Ph.D., who heads the University of Santiago’s Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, was chosen to teach the program. Moenen is an internationally prominent researcher whose work in biological research has been published in 50 major scientific journals worldwide.
Global Stem Cells Group has established the program’s medical and scientific management team, headed by Duncan Ross, Ph.D. and Enrique Testart, M.D., to develop a theoretical and practical, 120 hour program that will deliver the fundamentals of the most advanced cell therapies and clinical applications currently practiced safely and effectively in more than 35 cities worldwide.
In a 2015 televised interview, Joseph Purita, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, stem cell pioneer and founder of the American Academy of Regenerative Medicine, said that Santiago University has all the human and physical resources and conditions necessary to become the capital of stem cell research and advances in South America.
Purita’s foresight launched an alliance between GSCG and Santiago University that led way to building an academic program to meet the needs of physicians, engineers, biologists and biochemists required to move regenerative medicine forward.
The Diplomat in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering program will begin in 2016, with a first phase designed to carry it through 2020. A maximum of 15 students will make up groups who will occupy individual biological work stations, study electron microscopy, flow cytometry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and faculty-arranged resources to make this international diploma program a recognized leader worldwide for the training of specialists in the field of stem cell medicine.
Open enrollment will begin April 30 for high-achieving medical professionals with qualified credentials, who will receive dual certification—a diploma in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering from the University of Santiago, and the American Certificate of Protocols from Global Stem Cells Group, and its affiliate, Stem Cell Training, Inc. The course will include practical, hands-on training during which students will apply stem cell harvesting and implantation techniques learned in the laboratory, quantify cell counts, weigh comparisons and ultimately experience stem cell therapy in all its dimensions, to use in different areas of medicine and dentistry.
“Between physicians, biologists, biochemists and engineers, we have collectively built a curriculum that is designed for the new generation of medicine,” says Testart, Global Stem Cells Group Chief Medical Officer. “But even more important, we will provide a new generation of patients with therapies that will enable them to improve their quality of life for years to come, and to enjoy the longevity given us in the modern world.”
“The Diplomat in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering program will offer medical professionals invaluable lessons in this new art of stem regenerative healing, as well as the scientific and practical methodologies involved in stem cell medicine,” says Benito Novas, Global Stem Cells Group CEO.
Educational strategies will be taught in theory and in practical hands-on classes, during which students can raise questions and work on problem solving.
For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call +1 305 560 5337.
About Global Stem Cells Group:
Global Stem Cells Group is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.
Global Stem Cells Group’s corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCG’s six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.
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- Published in Press Releases
Global Stem Cells Group to Hold Intensive, Two-day Training Course on Stem Cell Harvesting, Isolation and Re-integration Sept. 27 and 28 Following International Symposium
Global Stem Cells Group announced plans to hold a two-day, hands-on intensive stem cell training course at the Servet Clinic following the First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in Santiago Chile, Sept. 26, 27 and 28, 2014.
Global Stem Cells Group, its subsidiary Stem Cell Training, Inc. and Bioheart, Inc. have announced plans to conduct a two-day, hands-on intensive stem cell training course at the Servet CordónVida Clinic Sept. 27 and 28 in Santiago, Chile. The “Adipose Derived Harvesting, Isolation and Re-integration Training Course,” will follow the Global Stem Cells Group First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at the Santiago InterContinental Hotel Sept. 26, 2014.
Global Stem Cells Group and the Servet CordónVida Stem Cell Bank Clinic of Chile are co-organizing the symposium, designed to initiate a dialogue between researchers and practitioners and share the expertise of some of the world’s leading experts on stem cell research and therapies.
Servet CordónVida is a private umbilical cord blood bank that harvests and stores the hematopoietic-rich blood stem cells found in all newborns’ umbilical cords after birth. The hematopoietic tissue is responsible for the renewal of all components of the blood (hematopoiesis) and has the ability to regenerate bone marrow and restore depressed immune systems.
Umbilical (UCB) stem cells offer a wealth of therapeutic potential because they are up to 10 times more concentrated than bone marrow stem cells. In addition, UCB cells have a generous proliferative capacity with therapeutic potential that is very similar to embryonic stem cells, without the ethical debate associated with embryonic stem cell research and use.
UCB cells are the purest adult stem cells available, coming from newborns who have not been exposed to disease or external damage. Many parents today are utilizing cord banks like Servet CordónVida to store their newborn’s UCB cells safely for future medicinal use if the need arises.
Global Stem Cells Group and Servet CordónVida represent a growing global community of committed stem cell researchers, practitioners and investors whose enthusiasm is a direct result of the hundreds of diseases and injuries that stem cell therapies are curing every day. Global Stem Cell Group’s First International Symposium on Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine will host experts from the U.S., Mexico, Greece, Hong Kong and other regions around the globe who will speak on the future of regenerative medicine and share experiences in their field of specialty. The Global Stem Cells Group is hoping the symposium will open lines of communication and cooperation, explore new and exciting techniques in stem cell therapies, and create an environment of education and learning.
- Published in Press Releases
