Age Related Frailty/Stem Cell Trials

Don't know where else to put this, (the flip side of Alzheimers & Dementia)  but of sufficient interest to post, IMO.   University of Miami founding Director of the UM Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute is conducting trials (Phase II) with people in their late 70's wherein stem cells are injected from young donors to observe things like improved walking, lung function, , mobility, inflammation, withering of cells and muscle tissue. Dr. Hare has founded a corp with one partner (an LLC) called Longeveron that has licensed the technology for the stem cell infusion therapy. That corp will sponsor Phase III because he says --- you need a commercial entity to do this....it's very difficult for a university to take on that level of responsibility.  Longeveron will manufacture the "stem cell infusion therapy"  and distribute it if approved by the FDA. As for Dr. Hare's conflict of interest, which he disclosed in the Journals of Gerontology a medical ethicist at UF states that academic researchers  with financial interests in the drugs they are studying is pretty common. The ethicist says, there is a potential for problems but those can be circumvented by disclosure and how you manage conflict. 

This brings to mind, for example, Dr. Raymond Schinazi formerly at Emory....who profited mightily ....but you know that story.   

But back to the science part....this is really interesting stuff. I can imagine a day when people of independent means (would the "new" insurance ever cover this?) can receive these infusions and avoid so many of the disabilities of age. 

If you cannot find the article (in today's Miami Herald 4A) in its entirety, let me mention that within 6 minutes of the infusion- subjects were able to walk 60 to 70 meters farther during a six minute period than before receiving the infusion. Good luck, Dr. Hare and let's hope it's affordable to the masses.     FYI     Miami