SUGAR LAND – If you or someone you know is suffering from the long-term impacts of COVID, you know it’s not easy to find relief. Right now, data indicates symptoms can last months in about one-third of all covid patients, and a psychologist tells KPRC 2 losing those senses is a source of depression in patients. It’s just one of many long-term symptoms that a lab in Sugar Land is looking to treat with stem cells.
Do stem cells work for lingering COVID symptoms?
At Hope Sciences Stem Cell Research Foundation in Sugar Land, Donna Chang is a world leader when it comes to using stem cells to treat disease.
“A stem cell is a cell that has no identity, it can basically become whatever your body tells it to become,” explains Donna Chang, CEO of Hope Sciences Stem Cell Research Foundation
She’s patented a way to multiply stem cells unlike anywhere else - preserving their full integrity while replicating them in a lab. Chang said this is a truer to life replication because this is what the cells normally look like when they regenerate on their own.
FDA approves of stem cell use for chronic COVID symptoms
This has been the key to unlocking how they may be able to treat many diseases, including the chronic symptoms of coronavirus. And the FDA approves. They were so convinced that this may be an effective tool after her data with only 10 patients, they’ve approved one eight times the size. That’s where you come in.
“What we saw was a very quick recovery within the third, between the third and the fourth infusion, we saw almost 100% resolution for those patients. So, we know that in a very short period of time relative to how long we’ve had locked covid this can be resolved,” said Chang.
For everyone desperate to regain their sense of taste and smell, tired of feeling tired, and sick of headaches, this may be the trial for you.
Who can participate in the COVID stem cell trial?
“After covid suffer persistent symptoms that haven’t gone away for at least six months, we expect people to still have symptoms such as loss of taste or smell, brain fog. We do need patients to have at least one neurological symptom, like one of those like loss of taste of smell, brain fog, fatigue, that sort of thing,” explains Chang.
You have to be generally healthy and available for follow-ups for a year and if it works….
“So the risk, risk-benefit, obviously we think that it’s a good fit for a condition like long COVID,” said Chang.
There are warnings about stem cell infusions. The FDA warns that you don’t want to just get stem cells from anywhere. They say you only want to be involved in receiving stem cells if you’re part of a scientific clinical trial.
Here is the direct link for patients to access study information: https://www.hopebio.org/Study?Name=HBPCOVID02
Patients can call HBSCRF directly at (346) 900-0340, and/or visit hopebio.org and enter their information into the Patient Registry (PatientRegistry).
