Can Stem Cell Research Help Us to Live Longer? Doctor Johnny Huard's Research at SPRI is Offering Hope.

Update:  Congrats to John Meyer of the Denver Post, whose feature last year on SPRI’s anti-aging and regenerative medicine research was named one of the year’s top 10 “explanatory” stories by the Associated Press Sports Editors. - April 3, 2018

The SPRI overview is below and you can read the Denver Post article here

 

There was a recent article published in the Denver Post reviewing the work Doctor Johnny Huard Ph.D. is conducting at Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) that is allowing the surgeons at The Steadman Clinic to provide cutting edge orthopedic care.

Biologics is transforming orthopedics by using cells that are produced in a patient's body to help them heal.  Dr. Huard is a leading researcher in the science of stem cell and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, and believes that through biologics we can reduce age related injury as well as reduce the time of recovery when injury does occur.

Stem cells are found in multicellular organisms and can differentiate into specialized cells that divide to produce more stem cells.  In adult organisms, stem cells serve as a repair system for the body by replenishing tissue.  "We can use them to repair bone, cartilage, the heart, the bladder,” Dr. Huard said. “We have clinical trials now ongoing for bladder and the heart."

There are three known sources for stem cells in adults (bone marrow, lipid cells, and blood), but the best source might be the umbilical cord just after birth.  Huard, a world class scientist, believes that the best gift you can provide a newborn baby is a frozen (at -80 degrees Fahrenheit) umbilical cord where stem cells can be harvested at a later date.  As we get older, our stem cells deteriorate significally.  We might only be able to harvest 100 stem cells from muscle today, but the umbilical cord contains upward of 10,000 available cells.

While stem cell research isn't seeking to reverse the aging process, it is attempting to prolong age related disease.  The best remedy for this today is exercise.  Huard believes consistent exercise will increase the production of stem cells, and thus delay the aging process.

You can read the entire article in the Denver Post here.