Recently, Shenzhen’s Beike Biotechnology held the first annual 2008 China Stem
Cell Stem Cell Technology Forum, a gathering that was attended by over 300 of
the world’s most renowned stem cell biologist and researchers. The
Mandarin-language conference included many participants from China, while others
attended from the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and Malaysia. The
focus of the conference was on advanced induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell
research and therapeutic uses of stem cells. The event was held at the China
Medical City complex in Taizhou, China and chaired by Dr. Sean Hu, who also
serves as Chairman of Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
Beike is a
controversial company because it has already begun treating patients with
injections of stem cells, usually a combination of umbilical cord cells and stem
cells derived from each patient. Beike claims to treat over 250 patients per
month, a total of more than 3,000 so far. Approximately 70% to 80% of the
patients report themselves satisfied with their treatments, and the treatments
have the ability to produce at least some therapeutic effect in 86% of its
patients, according to statistics provided by Beike.
Beike has not
submitted its techniques to the rigors of a double-blind clinical test. Nor has
it done the otherwise necessary animal testing. Nevertheless, the company points
to its success with the majority of its patients as sufficient proof that its
stem cell therapies are a valuable addition to the medical arsenal.
Beike charges its patients between $20,000 and $30,000 for several
rounds of stem cells injections, which it says can help cure diseases such as
Alzheimer’s, atoxia, heart conditions, multiple sclerosis, optic nerve
hypoplasia, and spinal muscular atrophy . Although most patients come from
China, its therapies draw significant numbers of patients from the West. The
former Lord Mayor of Manchester, Audrey Jones, for example, flew to China for a
round of stem cell injections to treat her cerebellar atrophy and came back to
England proclaiming herself much improved. Before the Beike therapy, she was
confined to a wheelchair. Now she plans to walk into Manchester City Hall
without aid. Beike’s web pages are replete with similar success stories for a
wide variety of diseases (www.stemcellschina.com).
Stem cells are commonly used
for bone marrow transplants in the West, but experts say that bone marrow, which
constantly undergoes renewal, is a better candidate for basic stem cell
injections than Beike’ specialties of nerve/heart/spinal cord problems. Stem
cells will not necessarily find the correct nerve to repair without coaxing,
according to the experts. They believe a set of simple stem cell injections is
unlikely to correct septo-optic dysplasia, for example. On the other hand, Dr.
