Archive for the ‘Allograft Tissue’ Category

Active teenager defies the medical odds thanks to tissue donor

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

We are pleased to introduce our 2011 Tournament of Roses Donate Life float rider 

In 2006 Parker Simpson was an active teenager, ambitious academically and involved in a number of sports including football, lacrosse and wrestling. It was that year, as a high school sophomore, that a sports injury to his ankle soon landed him on the doctor’s table. Parker discovered that he had developed osteomyelitis, a staph infection of the bone, in his tibia and fibula. But he couldn’t have foreseen that this was the beginning of a trying medical journey that would test the resolve of both him and his family for years to come.

Parker was faced with possible amputation of his leg several times as a result of the infection. A successive back injury was further complicated due to the existing illness in his bones. He underwent numerous operations to combat the ankle and back afflictions, resulting in a fused ankle and foot, and yet his young body was just beginning its battle to survive. Read more

AlloSource perspective on use of amniotic membrane to repair human articular cartilage

Monday, July 26th, 2010

I found this article very interesting and intriguing as it relates to the repair of articular cartilage utilizing amnion tissue, the membrane that encases the placenta.  As the article conveys, it is a versatile tissue that has the potential to serve as a solution to the challenges of healing wounds and other soft tissue ailments.  What is also great is that it makes use of the placenta following c-section births, when it would otherwise be discarded.  Most recently, several companies have begun manufacturing and distributing amnion to assist surgeons with procedures involving neurology, spine and orthopedics.  I look forward to providing the medical community with new ways to use amnion.  Check out the article I read to learn more about how amnion tissue could be used in the future. 
- Tom Carter, Product Manager

Association of Organ Procurement Organizations Annual Meeting: First-person account from AlloSource Rep

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

AOPO Logo

The theme of this year’s 27th annual meeting of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) was Focus on the Future.

The Tissue Council Meeting headed up the agenda on day one. The Tissue Council membership is made up of representatives from many different OPOs and tissue banks across the country.  The highlight of the council meeting was a panel discussion held between attendees and senior representatives from the major tissue processors in the US.  The panelists discussed the changing landscape of tissue banking and what they foresee the course of tissue transplantation will be in the future, including cells/live cell grafts as the future of tissue donation. 

Read more

Transplant Speakers International highlights tissue transplantation, AlloSource allograft recipient

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Frank Bodino, President of Transplant Speakers International, called attention to the importance of tissue donation this week in the company’s newsletter.  The newsletter also features the moving story of Manuel Salazar, a quadruple amputee who received life-saving allografts from AlloSource. To read more about tissue donation and Manuel’s story, check out the newsletter here.

New York Bill Proposes Change to Organ Donation

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

A recent bill sponsored by New York State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky proposes that all New Yorkers be automatically registered as organ donors. Under the new bill, residents would have to actively opt-out of being an organ donor, with the hope that bill will increase the number of registered donors. Read more about the proposed bill here.

If passed, this law would be the first of its kind in the nation. What do you think about the opt-out bill?

Allograft recipient named Tai Chi master of the Year

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

We are pleased to congratulate tissue recipient May Chen on being named Tai Chi master of the Year 2010 by the 12th World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Five years ago, we were fortunate to meet Chen,  an internationally recognized martial artist and Tai Chi instructor and a truly inspiring person.  Chen risked losing her career following a severe knee injury, but has experienced a remarkable recovery following a transplanted allograft from AlloSource. Chen has returned to martial arts competition with great success and has become a friendly advocate of tissue donation. (Chen represented AlloSource as a float rider aboard the 2009 Donate Life float in the Tournament of Roses Parade.)

Congrats, May!

China’s Strides, and Pitfalls, in Regenerative Medicine

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

China is quickly becoming a powerhouse in the field of regenerative medicine; however, despite the country’s obvious commitment to the cause and rapid successes in the field, they are also being questioned by worldwide authorities on regenerative medicine for their willingness to use unverified stem cell techniques in Chinese clinics and hospitals. Though they are continuing to make great strides, the lack of governmental regulation places a burden on the burgeoning research. A recent article on ScienceProgress.org details the intricate struggle.

What do you think about the Chinese approach to regenerative medicine? What, if any, are the implications for the US?

Help for Haiti

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

When helping was critical, the AlloSource team sprang into action.

AlloSource is one of the largest suppliers of allograft skin for burns in the nation. Burn skin is central to our mission and helps us play a part in saving people’s lives each and every day.

We service major medical centers in our core communities as well as in other communities across the nation and AlloSource is first to get the call when a crisis event happens. On January 26 we got the call again.

U.S. Air Force C-130 airplanes landed in Tampa, Florida last week with severely burned survivors of the Haitian earthquake inside. The patients were immediately transferred to Tampa General Hospital, one of our large allograft burn skin customers. The procurement coordinator at Tampa General was looking for all the skin that we could provide them to cope with their immediate and future needs. Tampa has implemented their disaster plan for burns and is now working around the clock on surgeries in the burn center.

Immediately the AlloSource team sprang into action releasing 55 square feet of skin. Read more

Donate Life Float at 2010 Rose Parade

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Check out a few photos from the stunning float, featuring AlloSource’s float rider Manuel Salazar, a courageous quadruple amputee and tissue recipient.

For a third consecutive year, Donate Life was among the Rose Parade float award winners. This year’s “New Life Rises” entry won the prestigious Theme Trophy for Excellence in Presenting the Parade Theme, “A Cut Above The Rest.”

Additionally, ABC conducted a text-message poll allowing their millions of viewers to select their favorite float. The winner: Donate Life!

Manuel Salazar appears on local FOX segment

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

We are very proud to this year be sponsoring Manuel Salazar as a float rider in the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade aboard the Donate Life float. Manuel was rendered a quadruple amputee following a devastating construction site accident. Thanks to his incredible spirit and determination as well as allograft tissue transplants, Manuel now thrives as a quadruple amputee.

Check out the FOX story here: http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-donatelife-120609,0,5087399.story

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