Letter to BusinessWeek: Setting the Record Straight on Adult Stem Cells

I'd like to thank BusinessWeek Magazine for printing the following letter to the editor regarding our patient, Calvin Miller.

Read Letter at BusinessWeek.com

Setting The Record Straight On Adult Stem Cells

I would like to clarify information in "Biotech, finally" (News: Analysis & Commentary, June 13): Calvin Miller was the first off-trial patient treated by Siriraj Hospital in Thailand with adult stem cells harvested by a process pioneered by TheraVitae Ltd. This process does not use bone marrow. We draw 250cc of blood and expand the cells in the laboratory for about a week. Then they are implanted back into the patient. We can get the cells by drawing a small amount of blood instead of doing a painful bone marrow extraction. This process will soon allow the use of adult stem cells for treatment on a large scale.

Jay D. Lenner Jr.
TheraVitae Ltd.
Bangkok