Interview with Prof. Dr. Haberland
Until the end of September 2007, Prof. Dr. Nils Haberland was chief physician of the neurosurgery and neurotraumatology department at the Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallsklinik in Frankfurt am Main. Since October 2007, he has assumed an internationally recognized position as the Chairman of the International Spine Center Cairo (ISCC) at the Egypt Air Hospital in Cairo. In addition, he is working for the International Neuroscience Institute (INI) in Hannover. The stem cell concentrates applied by him are prepared in a patented process in cooperation with the XCell-Center.
What moved you to dedicate yourself to adult stem cells as a treatment vehicle?
Because of high tech neurosurgery, we are today in the position of operating on many diseases of the spinal column and the brain with minimal intrusion and with excellent clinical results. Injuries and damage to the spinal cord or to the brain require, however, the additional processes that regenerative medicine can provide in order to, for example, repair the spinal cord of paraplegics. Which diseases have treated with adult stem cells so far? We have applied these modern and new therapies in the first instance in the case of incomplete paraplegic syndromes. We also have experience with stroke patients and are developing initial experience with multiple sclerosis patients.
Can you describe the course of treatment? How do you apply the stem cells?
Operative interventions are minimally invasive procedures. Initially approx. 200ml of bone marrow is harvested under local anesthesia from the rear iliac crest from which the stem cells are isolated in a special laboratory. The prepared stem cells are then applied in the patient either in a lumbar punction or through a direct injection in the damaged region of the central nervous system.
How are the results? Could you mention one or two examples?
In the case of incomplete paraplegia – even in high level cases – we have seen significant clinical improvements already three months after treatment in spasms, bladder-colon disturbances, sensitivity, and motor functions. Not all deteriorations improve. However, this therapy can be repeated after six months or a year thus allowing for further progress. We also saw an excellent result immediately with the first treated patient, a forty year man, who came to us with incomplete traumatic cervical hemiplegic symptoms. After treatment with his stem cells prepared from his own body, a complete regression of his symptoms was indicated. He now works full-time as a businessman. Another patient, a 53 year old man with high level, but still incomplete cervical symptoms of paraplegia, also showed after treatment significant results in the form of a restored bladder functions and a partial restoration of sensory and motor deterioration and spastics.
What risks do you see in the application of adult stem cells?
Until now we saw no specific complications regarding adult stem cell therapy, because we have been removing stem cells from the patient’s own body. The known risks with embryonic stem cell therapy do not exist in this case.
What can you say about the effectiveness of stem cell therapies?
Stem cell therapy takes advantage of the ability to develop stem cells in dependence on the application location in various highly specialized tissues, such as the spinal cord and the brain similar to the processes in embryonic development.
