2. Licensing
Please attribute Dr. Ernesto Gutiérrez, M.D. with
a link to http://asd.worldstemcellsclinic.com
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
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3. Disclaimer
The purpose of this lecture is to provide education
about stem cell therapies in general. Given Dr.
Gutierrez’s experience, it focuses mostly on autologous
stem cell therapies, their potential benefits and current
limitations in the treatment of autism.
The information in these slides is designed to
complement Dr. Gutierrez’s lecture and should not be
interpreted out of context or taken as medical advice.
The information provided here DOES NOT substitute
your medical doctor’s advice.
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4. “Behind the child that makes the most
progress is an actively involved parent”
5. Dr. Ernesto Gutiérrez, M.D.
• President of World Stem Cells, LLC
• President and Medical Director of
World Stem Cells Clinic.
• Professor of Physiology and
Anatomy premed course at Anáhuac
University School of Medicine
• info@worldstemcellsclinic.com
• 1.866.290.9722
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6. What you’ll learn
• What are stem cells.
• How stem cell therapy works
in Autism.
• What is involved in stem cell
therapy.
• What to look for in stem cell
clinics.
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11. Allogeneic Autologous
Genetically different
from the intended
recipient.
Belong to the same
species.
Most commonly from
cord blood donors.
Easily control the
number of cells to be
used.
Harvested from the
same patient.
No chance of rejection.
Common sources are:
bone marrow, adipose
(fat), teeth, peripheral
blood.
Number of cells to be
utilized depends on
patient yield.
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14. Stem Cell Activity
• Stem cells do not cure; they heal.
• Stem cells recognize damaged tissues and
differentiate into the specific cellular populations
required.
• This process happens every day in our bodies.
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15. SCT in Autism
• Stem Cell Therapy (SCT) is a medical treatment that
uses stem cells to replace or repair a patient’s cells
or tissues that are damaged.
• In patients with Autism, SCT is geared towards
addressing the following systems:
• Neurologic
• Gastrointestinal
• Immunologic
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16. Gastrointestinal Regulation
• Patients with autism have a varying degree of
gastrointestinal affliction.
• SCT is believed to assist in repairing the intestinal
wall and regulate function.
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17. Gastrointestinal Regulation
• Mucosal lesions have been described uniquely to
children with autism but not healthy controls.
• This inflammatory condition is associated not only
with lesions on the intestinal wall, but also in the
upper GI tract.
Ichim TE, Solano F, Glenn E, Morales F, et.al. Stem Cell Therapy for Autism. Journal of
Translational Medicine 2007 June 27; 5:30
17
18.
19.
20. Immune Regulation
• Researchers have demonstrated active
neuroinflammatory processes in the cerebral cortex,
white matter, and notably in the cerebellum of
autistic patients.
20
Vargas DL, Nascimbene C, Krishnan C, Zimmerman AW, Pardo CA: Neuroglial activation
and neuroinflammation in the brain of patients with autism. Ann Neurol 2005, 57:67-81.
21. Immune Regulation
• IFN-gamma has been detected at elevated levels in
the plasma of children with autism.
• IFN-gamma is a cytokine which has been implicated
in dementias associated with chronic inflammatory
states.
21
Huang D, Han Y, Rani MR, Glabinski A, Trebst C, Sorensen T, Tani M, Wang J, Chien P,
O'Bryan S, et al.: Chemokines and chemokine receptors in inflammation of the nervous
system: manifold roles and exquisite regulation. Immunol Rev 2000, 177:52-67.
22. Immune Regulation
• Treatment of immune deregulation in autism
ameliorates intestinal and systemic symptoms as
well as neurologic function.
22
Ichim TE, Solano F, Glenn E, Morales F, et.al. Stem Cell Therapy for Autism. Journal of
Translational Medicine 2007 June 27; 5:30
23. Immunomodulatory Effects of SCT
in ASD Treatment
Siniscalco D, Sapone A, Cirillo A, Giordano C, Maione S, Antonucci N: Autism Spectrum
Disorders: Is Mesenchymal Stem Cell Personalized Therapy for the Future? Journal of
Biomedicine and Biotechnology Vol 2012, Article ID 480289.
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24. Brain Hypoperfusion
• Children with autism have been consistently shown
to have impaired, or subnormal CNS circulation, as
well as resulting hypoxia.
• In these children, specific temporal lobe areas
associated with face recognition, social interaction
and language comprehension have been
demonstrated to be hypoperfused.
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Ichim TE, Solano F, Glenn E, Morales F, et.al. Stem Cell Therapy for Autism. Journal of
Translational Medicine 2007 June 27; 5:30
29. Stimulation
• Full medical history and exam.
• Baseline laboratory studies.
• Stimulation in one or two
doses.
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30. Harvesting
• Bone marrow aspirate.
• Outpatient procedure under inhalatory sedation.
NOT GENERAL ANESTHESIA.
• Harvesting of stem cells in sterile and low particle
laboratory.
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31.
32. Expansion
• Under strict sterile conditions.
• Cells are placed in a CO2
incubator to exponentially
increase their numbers.
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35. Therapy
• It is very important to start stimulating the new
stem cells as soon as possible.
• New, different stimuli are in order.
• Depends on the needs of each patient.
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38. What to look for?
• Stem cell harvesting and infusion are medical
procedures and as such, should be provided by
medical professionals (M.D. or equivalent).
• Source of stem cells to be utilized.
• In our experience, SCT for autism MUST include
intrathecal infusion performed by qualified and
experienced physician.
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39. What to look for?
• If autologous: where are the cells harvested? Do they
have to be transported to different locations between
aspirate -> harvest -> infusion.
• If allogeneic: what tests were done on the donors? Where
are the cells brought in from? Under what conditions?
• Valid operational licenses with the local health
authorities.
• Credentials of the physicians who will be involved in
providing care for your child.
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40. What to look for?
• Make sure that there are inclusion and exclusion
criteria set in place for accepting a patient.
• Treatment to be addressed by a medical team made
up of different specialists; it can’t be a one man show.
• Ability to speak directly to at least one of the
physicians who will be personally involved with the
therapy.
• Having all your questions answered according to
your child’s needs and your concerns.
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41. What to look for?
• If traveling to a foreign country:
• Are translation services provided?
• Will the documentation, reports, results and
forms be given in English?
• Who is responsible for emergency medical care
should something happen?
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42. What to avoid
• Claims based exclusively on patient testimonials.
• Evading questions about stem cell sources.
• Claims there is no risk.
• Hidden costs.
• Requirement to commit to several repeat
treatments.
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43. What to avoid
• Being asked for payment before speaking to a
physician or before having your child’s case
evaluated.
• Physicians treating in countries or states they are
not licensed in.
• Treatments performed by non-medical personnel.
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