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About This SiteThe mission of this website is to share information on adult stem cell research at a level that is accessible to everyone, lay people as well as scientists and doctors. Everyone should understand why adult stem cells are important, not only because new advances in medicine are likely to come from this field of research, but also because of the potential to enhance the circulation of a person's own adult stem cells and therefore optimize health and wellbeing. About the Author
Dr. Rivka Rachel received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude in Biomedical Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1989, and attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, also in Milwaukee, graduating in 1992. During medical school she was awarded the Frankow Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement and was elected a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin Having determined since high school to pursue the goal of becoming a brain surgeon, after medical school she began a residency in Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals. While fascinated by the ability to treat neurological conditions surgically and convinced that there is nothing so beautiful and awe-inspiring as the living human brain under the microscope, the inability of medicine to cure many neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and aggressive forms of glioma, was unsatisfying. "How many times can you tell a patient or family members that someone will likely never walk again or smile or ever do the things that they have always done?" she asked herself. Columbia University The desire to contribute to human health and wellbeing on a more basic level led Dr. Rachel to pursue graduate studies in neuroscience at Columbia University in the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior. There she was introduced to molecular biology in the laboratory of Eric Kandel, author and editor of the preeminent neuroscience textbook Principles of Neuroscience, and co-recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Medince or Physiology for his work on learning and memory. After a year in the Kandel lab, Rivka's sense of wonder at viewing life under the microscope led her on to the laboratory of Carol Mason, a respected neuroanatomist, where she completed her PhD thesis on development of the visual system in albino mice and received her degree with distinction. During work on transgenic mice for this project, she discovered a novel mouse mutant with a defect in a gene important for neural development. The gene defect in this mutant, named Circletail for its curly tail in heterozygotes, was eventually identified through collaborations with laboratories in England and the National Institutes of Health as Scribble, a gene important for planar polarity in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Scribble interacts with other genes including Vangl2, also in the planar polarity pathway, to accomplish the orderly arrangement of cells in the plane of a tissue. Examples of tissues that show planar polarity include the compound eyes of Drosophila (fruit flies), the scales and fur of various animals, and the inner ear of mammals. National Cancer Institute This first-hand introduction to genetics led Rivka in 2001 to a top-notch genetics laboratory at the National Cancer Institute run by Nancy Jenkins and Neal Copeland (now at A-Star in Singapore). First as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a staff scientist at NCI, she investigated numerous mouse models of human disease, including retinal degeneration, lymphoma, and nervous sytem development. She would have continued this work indefinitely, were it not for the onset of a serious illness in a close family member. She left NCI in 2006, to care for her family. During the course of investigating treatment options, Rivka found a product that stimulates the natural release of adult stem cells. Realizing the potential of adult stem cells to repair and regenerate tissues throughout the body, she began searching the scientific literature for results on adult stem cell research. The fascinating results of this search are visible here in the form of short synopses of articles relevant to anyone interested in improving their health and understanding what adult stem cells can do. Dr. Rachel currently serves as a consulting editor for International Biomedical Consultants and is an Independent Distributor for StemTech HealthSciences, producer of StemEnhance. The opportunity to combine her long-term research and healing-related goals has come full circle with the ability to help people experience the benefit of a natural means of optimizing their health.
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