Dipnarine Maharaj
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dipnarine Maharaj | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Trinidad |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | M.D., M.B., Ch.B. |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
| Occupation | Medical Doctor, Bone Marrow / Stem Cell Transplant Physician, Hematologist, Oncologist |
| Employer | Founder & Medical Director, South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute; Founder & Medical Director, Stem Cell Cryobank |
| Website | |
| BMSCTI.org StemCellCryoBank.com | |
Dr. Maharaj performs stem cell/bone marrow transplants for patients with leukemia and other cancers and blood disorders. More recently, he has been advocating collecting and storing healthy adult stem cells for future use as the number of approved diseases for treatment with adult stem cells grows. He is also developing clinical protocols using the individual’s own stem cells for the treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders such as strokes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiac diseases.
Maharaj is the author of more than 80 published research papers and abstracts on bone marrow and stem cell transplantation for blood disorders, cancers, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and other inflammatory diseases. He has also developed a new protocol for Parkinson’s disease patients, for which he was awarded a United States Patent. Currently he is running an FDA approved Phase I/Phase II Clinical Trial for solid tumor cancers. He was profiled by Suzanne Somers for his work with cancer in her book Bombshell: Explosive Medical Secrets that will Redefine Aging (2012) where she categorized him as “America’s Leading Expert on Stem Cell Technologies”. In association with A4M (American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine) he created the Stem Cell Fellowship, an educational certification program for physicians interested in adult stem cell patient treatment.
Contents
[hide]Early life and education
Dipnarine Maharaj was born at Palmyra in the suburbs of San Fernando, Trinidad and raised in Scotland. He received his medical degree in 1978 from the University of Glasgow Medical School, Scotland. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine and Hematology at the University's Royal Infirmary. He completed a three-year fellowship in Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation.Following his training, Dr. Maharaj worked with Alan Burnett, M.D., chairman of the United Kingdom Medical Research Council's Acute Leukemia trials. Together, they helped develop the first Scottish Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Program and they were one of the first centers to publish their data on the use of autologous bone marrow transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia.
Career
Dr. Maharaj moved to the United States in 1990 to join the University of Miami’s (UM) bone marrow transplant team which was led by Dr. John Byrnes, who had trained with Dr. George Santos at Johns Hopkins Bone Marrow Transplant Center. Dr. Byrnes and Dr. Maharaj performed the first autologous bone marrow transplant at the University of Miami in 1991.Following a three-year tenure at UM, Dr. Maharaj began a totally outpatient Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Institute at Florida Medical Center in 1995. In 1997, he aligned with Bethesda Health Care System in Boynton Beach continuing as medical director of the Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Institute at Bethesda, developing the outpatient program, and eventutally took the Institute independent by 2001. The Institute is FDA registered, Joint Commission Accredited (JCAHO), and accredited by the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks). It is an affiliate of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer.
During his career in the United States, Dr. Maharaj has conducted research as the Principal Investigator for organizations & corporations such as the American Cancer Society, Immunex, Genentech, Amgen, Biomira, and Genzyme. He currently is on staff at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach, FL where he was awarded Physician of the Month in April 2010.
Professional Associations
- American Medical Association
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Society of Hematology
- International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry and Transplantation
- American Society of Internal Medicine
Honors
1974: British Council Scholarship in Medicine 1976: Certificate of Merit in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Hematology 1977: Macleod Medal and Prize in Medicine and Surgery 1986: Traveling Fellowship, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 1990: Myre Sim Traveling Fellowship, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 2000-2009: Culpepper Foundation Grant 2007: Coley-Bankhead GrantParkinson’s Disease Patent
Dr. Maharaj is one of the inventors of the Parkinson’s treatment that was awarded a U.S. patent in May 2010 (US 7723302). The invention relates to the discovery that in an animal model of Parkinson's disease (PD), administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to rodents having 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD restored the function of dopamine neurons. In these animals, G-CSF treatment increased the number of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), G-CSF treatment partially restored the nigrostriatal pathway, and G-CSF restored the function of dopamine to the level before MPTP treatment. The invention also relates to the discovery that treatment of a human patient with corticobasilar ganglionic degeneration, a rare progressive neurological disorder characterized by Parkinsonism and coritcal dysfunction, with G-CSF resulted in a significant improvement in the patient's Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale evaluations as well as measures of activity of daily living. The invention further relates to the discovery that G-CSF treatment of a patient who had suffered an acute stroke resulted in a significant improvement in neurological function, the patient having minimal observable disability seven years later. The above method can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and spinal cord injuries as well.Cancer Clinical Trials
The South Florida Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Institute, with Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj M.D. as the principal investigator, is running an FDA approved IND (Investigational New Drug) Phase I/Phase II clinical trial (Clinical trial 08001-BMSCTI) studying a novel cancer therapy using transfusions of white blood cells from healthy donors. It will study the ability to transfer naturally occurring cancer-killing activity (CKA) in the granulocytes of selected donors into the body of a cancer patient.The new cancer therapy was developed from the research results from Dr. Zheng Cui of Wake Forest University and Dr. Cui’s studies of natural cancer resistance in a unique strain of lab mouse (SR/CR mice) and in some healthy humans.
Life Extension Foundation Grant
In 2010, Dr. Maharaj received a grant from the Life Extension Foundation for the clinical trial, which provided initial funding to start the study. Dr. Maharaj notes that the critical research could not take place without the help from the Life Extension Foundation.The Life Extension Foundation does not have any financial interest in the outcome of the research project. They simply want to discover the means to possibly help cure cancer. The foundation wants to be able to recommend a validated cure for cancer to the millions of supporters following the organization.
