But, generally, I did not notice any benefits from this treatment process. If anything I actually felt worse during the 4 month period and few months afterwards. I had paused my rapamycin a month prior to the clinical trial, and I have to say that I think the benefits / results I’ve noticed from 3 years of rapamycin far exceeded anything I’ve noticed from a series of 6 plasmapheresis / TPE treatments. I’ve been saying for the past year that I thought I was in the “control” group that didn’t get any actual treatments… but just recently found out that in fact I did get the treatments.
And the results were actually extremely disappointing for me. I had read all the research and have been very, very hopeful about plasmapheresis. If anything, my strong bias towards the TPE type therapy would seem to suggest that I’d at least get a strong placebo benefit.
So - I await more research on this topic. I hope that the Kiprov / Buck Institute / startup collaboration in the clinical study I participated in, results in a paper that demonstrates some significant effect size. Perhaps it provides benefits that you don’t feel. I really hope this works, but right now I’m not yet convinced.
please share with us advice for how to procure the equipment
My preference is the Fresenius Kabi Amicus Separator. I am still researching the options. If there are any problems trying to buy it without a license then you have to find a doctor to buy it for you.
Thanks, your words of encouragement mean a lot to me.
please keep me posted.
I changed my mind about Texas, because I find the laws there too hard to deal with so I will not move to Texas. I am currently planning to move to Florida soon to set this up. I am currently leaning toward Tampa FL but still studying the location options.
We have capital available to help underwrite the venture
This could help a lot, please contact me at david10@davidjpotter.com and let me know a little more about your thoughts on this.
Dr. Kiprov’s latest lecture and the preliminary results of the plasmapheresis clinical trial for aging, which was presented at the A4M Longevity Fest last week in Las Vegas.
I was in group A or B (they haven’t told me which one).
It seems that plasmapheresis may do something beneficial for people. The key issue in terms of cost justification will be how long the benefits last, and how frequently it needs to be done to maintain the benefits.
I don’t know right now. Will go in for full blood test suite this coming week. My data will be confounded because I restarted statins just before the clinical study…
@davidjhp , I applaud your effort. I will travel to Florida, Texas or wherever for a more reasonably priced TPE. No big money left for me after four of those treatments at Kiprov’s clinic.
I met with the Conboys at Berkeley, who thought that a second TPE just two days after the first is of questionable benefit. So I cancelled my treatment nr 2 of that round scheduled for next day, upsetting them all. Got that TPE recently a year later, instead. Too seldom to have an effect?
I have poured over those blue- and redcolored protein markers from the original six-person trial but it’s hard to get a real handle on the magnitude of the benefits of the procedure. In particular, as rapadmin notes, on how long benefits last. Hopefully there will be some independent review of the recent trial.
In any case, a decent price allowing more frequent treatments would be a huge boost.
Ulf - I’m curious, did you get a discount on the 4 treatments? I think the normal price at Kiprov’s clinics is around $6,000 per treatment, is that correct?
No discount. Exactly $6000 for each TPE. A huge subsidy to the clinic. The cost must go down, as you have written about.
Do you have any idea if TPE with most plasma removed is available in Russia, from the communication a few years ago with the biohackers? The plasma dilution done in Russia as per the recent thread seems to be below the volume threshold needed to be effective.
Yes, the volume was low as @DrT has reported getting TPE in Russia (a little easier for him since it sounds like he lives there). Not sure if Americans or Europeans will be venturing to Russia for any sort of medical treatments any time soon given the relationship currently, and the war in Ukraine right now - but it could open up at some point.
But, I suspect another problem is going to become evident and that is the issue of medical supplies from western companies, for western Plasmapheresis equipment. Since these companies operate on a “razors and razorblades” type of business model, they make their money off the tubing and related supplies that are used for each TPE treatment. I suspect these supplies are getting hard to find, and more expensive in Russia. Increasingly they will likely turn to Chinese suppliers for this type of thing, but I don’t believe there are any Chinese companies who have much marketshare in this segment of the market … so this could be an ongoing issue.
See here for DrT’s experience of Plasmapheresis in Russia: Plasma Dilution
I reached out to the Biohackers in Russia who did the TPE by way of Leon Peshkin at Harvard. Leon is a helpful and positive guy, and said he’d forward the message to the Russian biohackers - but I never did hear back from them.
Perhaps our resident Russian doctor (@DrT ) can reach out to the biohackers and see if they are moving forward with doing more of the TPE routines with more frequency and more data?
Yeah, I’m aware of the “Biohackers”. They seem to keep everyone at arm’s length. I checked in on their website and it looks like there hasn’t been much activity for a while. Certainly no reply to any questions about the plasma dilution for a couple of years. Quite frankly, I couldn’t be bothered chasing secretive people.
There may well be a clinic in Moscow that offers such services to “The Elites” but it wouldn’t be easy to find, unless you are one of “The Elites.
I would feel comfortable paying two thousand dollars for TPE and would do this as often as I find it beneficial. For three thousand I would have to think about the frequency.
I obtained the following info from a Haemonetics specialist:
The PCS2 is being discontinued. Likely within 12 months from now, they will stop servicing them, and stop manufacturing consumables (tubing kits, citrate, bags etc). All PCS2 units in the field are being replaced with the newer NexSys PCS. Also they wouldn’t be selling the consumables directly to individuals; they would have to carry out extensive due dilligence to make sure the individual who takes the responsibility is adequately trained in the risks, etc. at which point the bureaucracy becomes too impractical.
It seems that knock off disposable kits compatible with PCS2 are available from Chinese manufacturers, but would carry a risk of improper sterilisation (which can cause contamination) and technical faults (which can cause hemolysis, air embolism).
