StemCell Therapy

MIAMI (PRWEB) November 11, 2014

GlobalStemCellsGroup, Inc. has announced plans to host a minimum of four international symposiums on stem cell research in 2015. The symposiums will be held in three Latin American countriesChile, Mexico and Colombiain which Global Stem Cells has established state-of-the-art stem cell clinics staffed with expert medical personnel trained in regenerative medicine, through the Regenestem Network.

The fourth symposium will be held in Miami.

The decision follows the success of the Global Stem Cells Groups first International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, held Oct. 2, 3 and 4 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas says the Buenos Aires event, combined with its steady growth of new clinics throughout Latin America, has provided additional motivation to schedule more stem cell symposiums in an effort to further educate the medical community on the latest advancements in stem cell therapies.

Thanks to Global Stem Cells Groups growing network of world-class stem cell researchers, treatment practitioners and investors committed to advancing stem cell medicine, the company is rapidly moving closer to its goal of helping physicians to bring treatments into their offices for the benefit of patients.

More than 900 physicians, researchers and regenerative medicine experts from around the world attended the Buenos Aires symposium, and Novas expects that number to grow with upcoming conferences.

We will continue to bring together a variety of committed stem cell advocates from the U.S., Mexico, Greece, Hong Kong and other regions around the globe, to be joined by a team of knowledgeable speakers, each one presenting the future of regenerative medicine in their field of specialty, Novas says.

Regenerative medicine as a field is still in its infancy, according to Global Stem Cell Group President and CEO Benito Novas.

Our objective is to [open a dialogue among the worlds medical and scientific communities in order to advance stem cell technologies and translate them into point of care medicine to the best of out abilities, Novas says. Our mission is to bring the benefits of stem cell therapies to the physicians office safely, efficacy and compliance with the highest standards of care with safety, efficacy and complying with the highest standard of care the world has to offer.

The purpose of each symposium is to bring top stem cell scientists together to share their knowledge and expertise in regenerative medicine, and begin the process of separating myths from facts when it comes to stem cell science and technology.

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Global Stem Cells Group Announces Plans to Hold Four International Symposiums on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine ...

Miami, FL (PRWEB) November 05, 2014

Global Stem Cells Group, its subsidiary Stem Cell Training, Inc. and Dr. J. Victor Garcia have announced plans to conduct the Adipose Derived Harvesting, Isolation and Re-integration Training Course in Barcelona, Spain Nov. 22-23. 2014.

The two-day, hands-on intensive training course, which will be conducted by Garcia, was developed for physicians and high-level practitioners to learn techniques in harvesting and reintegrating stem cells derived from adipose tissue and bone marrow. The objective of the training is to bridge the gap between bench science in the laboratory and the doctors office by teaching effective, in-office regenerative medicine techniques.

For more information, visit the Stem Cell Training, Inc. website, email info(at)stemcelltraining(dot)net, or call 305-224-1858.

About Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions.

With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

About Stem Cell Training, Inc.:

Stem Cell Training, Inc. is a multi-disciplinary company offering coursework and training in 35 cities worldwide. Coursework offered focuses on minimally invasive techniques for harvesting stem cells from adipose tissue, bone marrow and platelet-rich plasma. By equipping physicians with these techniques, the goal is to enable them to return to their practices, better able to apply these techniques in patient treatments.

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Global Stem Cells Group to Hold Practical, Hands-on Training Course on Adipose-derived Stem Cell Harvesting, Isolation ...

MIAMI (PRWEB) November 04, 2014

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. has been named exclusive distributor for Adistem medical solutions, and Adilyfe, a new regenerative medicine products company founded by Adistem Ltd. Scientific Founder Vasilis Paspaliaris, M.D. in Melbourne, Australia and set to launch in early 2015. Paspaliaris made the announcement at the First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine held in Buenos Aires, Argentina Oct. 2-4 and hosted by Global Stem Cells Group.

Adistem-Adilyfe will manufacture a group of products for use in stem cell treatments, therapies and training through the Adimarket Division of the Global Stem Cells Group. The timing is perfect for GSCGs current expansion into Latin American countries including Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico and Peru, according to Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas.

Vasilis, an accomplished biotech scientist, stem cell researcher and pharmaceutical consultant joined the Global Stem Cells Group Scientific Advisory Board, part of the Regenestem Network.

As always, Dr. Paspaliaris brings excellence to stem cell research, Novas says. His work has already proven critical to improving the quality of life for a range of chronically ill patients all over the world.

We are honored to be representing Adistem and AdiLyfe products in Latin America; we consider the opportunity a strategic commitment to world class stem cell research.

Vasilis says he knew Global Stem Cells Group would be the only choice to represent Adistem and AdiLyfe in Latin America.

We are proud of our relationship with Global Stem Cells Group, we couldnt ask for better partners, Vasilis says.

To learn more about the Global Stem Cells Group, visit the website at http://www.stemcellsgroup.com, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call 305.224.1858.

About Global Stem Cell Group:

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Global Stem Cells Group Named Exclusive Distributor for Adistem and Adilyfe Companies and Product Lines

Pioneers of transplantation John Gurdon
Interview with Sir John Gurdon, developmental biologist and forefather of stem cell medicine. The footage, produced by Figment Productions, formed part of an exhibition organised by the MRC...

By: Medical Research Council

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Pioneers of transplantation John Gurdon - Video

One kind of stem cell, those referred to as 'facultative', form part -- together with other cells -- of tissues and organs. There is apparently nothing that differentiates these cells from the others. However, they have a very special characteristic, namely they retain the capacity to become stem cells again. This phenomenon is something that happens in the liver, an organ that hosts cells that stimulate tissue growth, thus allowing the regeneration of the organ in the case of a transplant. Knowledge of the underlying mechanism that allows these cells to retain this capacity is a key issue in regenerative medicine.

Headed by Jordi Casanova, research professor at the Instituto de Biologa Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB) of the CSIC and at IRB Barcelona, and by Xavier Franch-Marro, CSIC tenured scientist at the Instituto de Biologa Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), a study published in the journal Cell Reports reveals a mechanism that could explain this capacity. Working with larval tracheal cells of Drosophila melanogaster, these authors report that the key feature of these cells is that they have not entered the endocycle, a modified cell cycle through which a cell reproduces its genome several times without dividing.

"The function of endocycle in living organisms is not fully understood," comments Xavier Franch-Marro. "One of the theories is that endoreplication contributes to enlarge the cell and confers the production of high amounts of protein." This is the case of almost all larval cells of Drosophila.

The scientists have observed that the cells that enter the endocycle lose the capacity to reactivate as stem cells. "The endocycle is linked to an irreversible change of gene expression in the cell," explains Jordi Casanova, "We have seen that inhibition of endocycle entry confers the cells the capacity to reactivate as stem cells."

Cell entry into the endocycle is associated with the expression of the Fzr gene. The researchers have found that inhibition of this gene prevents this entry, which in turn leads to the conversion of the cell into an adult progenitor that retains the capacity to reactivate as a stem cell. Therefore, this gene acts as a switch that determines whether a cell will enter mitosis (the normal division of a cell) or the endocycle, the latter triggering a totally different genetic program with a distinct outcome regarding the capacity of a cell to reactivate as a stem cell.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Mechanism that allows differentiated cell to reactivate as a stem cell revealed

Professor Ryan Lister says he is humbled by the award.

A scientist from the University of WA says he is humbled to be awarded the Prime Minister's prize for life science.

Professor Ryan Lister researches epigenomes - the chemical compounds surrounding DNA - and is one of six people to receive a prize for science from Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Canberra.

Professor Lister has mapped how genes are turned on and off, revealing why a leaf cell is different from a root cell or a stem cell different from a skin cell.

He said he hoped his research could be used to improve the understanding of the human brain, transform stem-cell medicine and advance agriculture.

"We need to be able to understand how the different cell types of our bodies form and how they form in healthy states, so that we can understand why they might be disturbed in various disease states," Professor Lister said.

He said the epigenome played a pivotal role in normal development and disease or stress states in humans, animals and plants.

"What we've been able to do is create the first maps of how the brain epigenome changes during development," he said.

"What this will allow us to do in the future is to look at a range of neurological disorders to see whether these chemical signposts added to the DNA are changed or disturbed or altered within these various disease states.

"We're also researching how the epigenome might affect plant development and the growth and health of crops.

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UWA scientist Ryan Lister wins Prime Minister's prize for life science

Oct 27, 2014

In a study that will provide the foundation for scientists to better replicate natural stem cell development in an artificial environment, UCLA researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research led by Dr. Guoping Fan, professor of human genetics, have established a benchmarking standard to assess how culture conditions used to procure stem cells in the lab compare to those found in the human embryo.

The study was published online ahead of print in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are cells that can transform into almost any cell in the human body. Scientists have long cultured PSCs in the laboratory (in vitro) using many different methods and under a variety of conditions. Though it has been known that culture techniques can affect what kind of cells PSCs eventually become, no "gold standard" has yet been established to help scientists determine how the artificial environment can better replicate that found in a natural state (in vivo).

Dr. Kevin Huang, postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Fan and a lead author of the study, analyzed data from multiple existing research studies conducted over the past year. These previously published studies used different culture methods newly developed in vitro in the hopes of coaxing human stem cells into a type of pluripotency that is in a primitive or ground-zero state.

Utilizing recently-published gene expression profiles of human preimplantation embryos as the benchmark to analyze the data, Dr. Huang and colleagues found that culture conditions do affect how genes are expressed in PSCs, and that the newer generation culture methods appear to better resemble those found in the natural environment of developing embryos. This work lays the foundation on the adoption of standardized protocol amongst the scientific community.

"By making an objective assessment of these different laboratory techniques, we found that some may have more of an edge over others in better replicating a natural state," said Dr. Huang. "When you have culture conditions that more consistently match a non-artificial environment, you have the potential for a much better reflection of what is going on in actual human development."

With these findings, Dr. Fan's lab hopes to encourage further investigation into other cell characteristics and molecular markers that determine the effectiveness of culture conditions on the proliferation and self-renewal of PSCs.

"We hope this work will help the research community to reach a consensus to quality-control human pluripotent stem cells," said Dr. Fan.

Explore further: Technique to make human embryonic stem cells more closely resemble true epiblast cells

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Team proposes benchmark to better replicate natural stem cell development in the laboratory environment

San Diego, California (PRWEB) October 28, 2014

The top stem cell clinic in San Diego, Telehealth, is now offering regenerative medicine procedures for the knee to help restore cartilage and avoid the need for joint replacement. The procedures are outpatient and performed by Board Certified doctors at Telehealth. Call (888) 828-4575 for more information and scheduling.

Hundreds of thousands of knee replacements are performed every year in the US, with most being extremely successful. However, it is a major surgery and there is a chance of complications such as infection or blood clot. Therefore, it is advisable to consider a stem cell procedure for the arthritic knee in an effort to delay or avoid the procedure.

Telehealth provides the procedures with several options, including platelet rich plasma therapy, bone marrow or fat derived stem cells, along with amniotic derived procedures. All of the procedures are outpatient and low risk.

In most cases, the procedures are covered in whole or partly by insurance. Telehealth will perform an insurance verification prior to one's procedure. The Board Certified doctors at the stem cell clinic in San Diego treat patients from a broad area in Southern California. There are several locations including La Jolla, Orange and Upland CA.

In addition to stem cell procedures for knee arthritis, TeleHealth also provides regenerative medicine options for tendon and ligament injuries, sports injuries along with hip, shoulder and ankle arthritis.

For those interested in avoiding knee replacement with a procedure that can potentially preserve or repair arthritic cartilage, call Telehealth at (888) 828-4575 and visit http://stemcelltherapyincalifornia.com/ for more information.

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San Diego Stem Cell Clinic, Telehealth, Now Offering Knee Procedures for Cartilage Restoration

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Oct-2014

Contact: Scott LaFee slafee@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California - San Diego @UCSanDiego

In a push to further speed clinical development of emerging stem cell therapies, Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UC San Diego Health System was named today one of three new "alpha clinics" by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state's stem cell agency.

The announcement, made at a public meeting in Los Angeles of the CIRM Governing Board, includes an award of $8 million for each of three sites. The other alpha grant recipients are the City of Hope hospital near Los Angeles and University of California, Los Angeles.

"A UC San Diego alpha clinic will provide vital infrastructure for establishing a comprehensive regenerative medicine clinical hub that can support the unusual complexity of first-in-human stem cell-related clinical trials," said Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, deputy director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center, director of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center stem cell program and the alpha clinic grant's principal investigator.

"The designation is essential in much the same manner that comprehensive cancer center status is an assurance of scientific rigor and clinical quality. It will attract patients, funding agencies and study sponsors to participate in, support and accelerate novel stem cell clinical trials and ancillary studies for a range of arduous diseases."

The alpha clinics are intended to create the long-term, networked infrastructure needed to launch and conduct numerous, extensive clinical trials of stem cell-based drugs and therapies in humans, including some developed by independent California-based investigators and companies. These trials are requisite before any new drug or treatment can be approved for clinical use.

The clinics will also emphasize public education to raise awareness and understanding of stem cell science in part to combat "stem cell tourism" and the marketing of unproven, unregulated and potentially dangerous therapies and help establish sustainable business models for future, approved stem cell treatments.

"Everything we do has one simple goal, to accelerate the development of successful treatments for people in need," said C. Randal Mills, PhD, CIRM president and CEO. "Stem cell therapies are a new way of treating disease; instead of managing symptoms, cellular medicine has the power to replace or regenerate damaged tissues and organs. And so we need to explore new and innovative ways of accelerating clinical research with stem cells. That is what we hope these alpha stem cell clinics will accomplish."

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UC San Diego named stem cell 'alpha clinic'

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Newswise In a study that will provide the foundation for scientists to better replicate natural stem cell development in an artificial environment, UCLA researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research led by Dr. Guoping Fan, professor of human genetics, have established a benchmarking standard to assess how culture conditions used to procure stem cells in the lab compare to those found in the human embryo.

The study was published online ahead of print in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are cells that can transform into almost any cell in the human body. Scientists have long cultured PSCs in the laboratory (in vitro) using many different methods and under a variety of conditions. Though it has been known that culture techniques can affect what kind of cells PSCs eventually become, no "gold standard" has yet been established to help scientists determine how the artificial environment can better replicate that found in a natural state (in vivo).

Dr. Kevin Huang, postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Fan and a lead author of the study, analyzed data from multiple existing research studies conducted over the past year. These previously published studies used different culture methods newly developed in vitro in the hopes of coaxing human stem cells into a type of pluripotency that is in a primitive or ground-zero state.

Utilizing recently-published gene expression profiles of human preimplantation embryos as the benchmark to analyze the data, Dr. Huang and colleagues found that culture conditions do affect how genes are expressed in PSCs, and that the newer generation culture methods appear to better resemble those found in the natural environment of developing embryos. This work lays the foundation on the adoption of standardized protocol amongst the scientific community.

"By making an objective assessment of these different laboratory techniques, we found that some may have more of an edge over others in better replicating a natural state," said Dr. Huang. "When you have culture conditions that more consistently match a non-artificial environment, you have the potential for a much better reflection of what is going on in actual human development."

With these findings, Dr. Fan's lab hopes to encourage further investigation into other cell characteristics and molecular markers that determine the effectiveness of culture conditions on the proliferation and self-renewal of PSCs.

"We hope this work will help the research community to reach a consensus to quality-control human pluripotent stem cells," said Dr. Fan.

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UCLA Scientists Propose Benchmark to Better Replicate Natural Stem Cell Development in the Laboratory Environment

UCSD oncologist/researcher Catriona Jamieson is principal investigator for the university's $8 million stem cell grant.

To speed up the quest to bring stem cell therapies to patients, a state agency on Thursday granted $8 million each to three academic medical centers pursuing "translational" work -- UC San Diego, UC Los Angeles and City of Hope in Duarte.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine voted 10-1 to fund the "alpha" stem cell clinics, which are intended to bring stem cell treatments to the public.

UC San Diego's proposal supports two stem cell-based clinical trials, both already underway. Catriona Jamieson, an oncologist at the university, is the principal investigator for the grant.

One, a treatment for Type 1 diabetes, was developed by San Diego's ViaCyte. The other, for spinal cord injuries, was developed by Geron of Menlo Park. Geron dropped the trial, but it was picked up by Neuralstem of Germantown, Md. In October, UCSD treated the first patient in the revived trial at the university's Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center.

The stem cell agency, commonly called CIRM, has focused heavily on basic research since its founding by California voters in 2004. But in recent years, the public has become more anxious to see the fruits of $3 billion in bond money given to the agency reach patients. The "alpha" clinics funded Thursday are part of that effort.

Early optimism that treatments would be quickly available was disappointed, mainly because issues of safety had to be resolved first. Therapies that actually place cells in the body posed new risks, because as living things, cells grow and can migrate. Embryonic stem cells can form tumors. Viacyte and Neuralstem grow replacement tissues from embryonic stem cells, so they needed to show that no unconverted cells would accidentally be introduced into the patient.

Skepticism has also grown over the ethics of CIRM officials, mainly regarding conflicts of interests. Many CIRM board members are chosen from institutions that get funded -- a feature written into the agency by Prop. 71. CIRM has adopted reforms to limit board members from voting in matters where they have conflicts. But CIRM's previous president, Alan Trounson, caused more controversy when he joined the board of CIRM-funded Stemcells Inc, just one week after departing the agency.

CIRM President Randy Mills, who replaced Trounson earlier this year, has tried to quell the controversy with new standards to prevent officials like Trounson from appearing to cash in on their agency role. And he has worked with the governing board to rethink how the agency's remaining funds can be best spent.

CIRM has invested heavily in San Diego stem cell programs, most notably contributing $43 million to a $127 million "collaboratory" building across from the Salk Institute in La Jolla. The Sanford Consortium, as it's called, brings together researchers from five institutions: UCSD, the Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology.

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UCSD, other stem cell clinics get millions

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Newswise In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the University of California, Los Angeles, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and University of California, Irvine Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center received a five year $8M grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the states stem cell agency, to establish a CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic center of excellence to conduct clinical trials for investigational stem cell therapies and provide critical resources and expertise in clinical research.

The $8M grant was one of three awarded today by CIRM as part of the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics (CASC) Network Initiative. The joint UCLA/UCI award under the direction of Dr. John Adams, a member of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center and professor in the department of orthopaedic surgery, will accelerate the implementation of clinical trials and delivery of stem cell therapies by providing world-class, state-of-the-art infrastructure to support clinical research.

CIRM grant reviewers lauded the UCLA/UCI Consortiums impressive and multidimensional team of experienced personnel that will expand access to patients, attracting national and international clinical trials and accelerating future trials in the pipeline.

The initial stem cell trials supported by the UCLA/UCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic will be two UCLA projects using blood forming stem cells. The first trial will test a stem cell-based gene therapy for patients with bubble baby disease, also called severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), in which babies are born without an immune system. Under the direction of Dr. Donald Kohn, the clinical trial will use the babys own stem cells with an inserted gene modification to correct the defect and promote the creation of an immune system. The second clinical trial, under the direction of Dr. Antoni Ribas, will use patients own genetically modified blood-forming stem cells to engineer and promote an immune response to melanoma and sarcomas.

This CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic grant is an important acknowledgement of our cutting-edge research and will help us to advance the design, testing and delivery of effective and safe stem cell-based therapies, said Dr. Owen Witte, professor and director of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center. The implementation of a standard of excellence in clinical research will improve healthcare and the lives of patients far beyond the longevity of individual trials.

Operating as part of the larger state-wide CIRM supported network, Alpha Stem Cell Clinics provide critical operational support to conduct clinical trials, with focused resources and expertise in stem cell-based clinical research including clinical operations support and patient care coordination personnel.

UCI has established a strong preclinical stem cell research program, and its vital to move ahead to the clinical testing phase, said Sidney Golub, director of UCIs Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. To advance treatments in this field, we all have to work together, and thats what the UCLA-UCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic program represents.

About the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research

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UCLA and UCI Awarded $8M Grant to Launch Collaborative Stem Cell Clinic "Center of Excellence"

MIAMI (PRWEB) October 22, 2014

More than 900 physicians researchers and regenerative medicine experts from around the world attended the First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina Oct. 2-4, 2014.

The event, hosted by Global Stem Cells Group in partnership with Julio Ferreira, M.D., President of the South American Academy Cosmetic Surgery, offered an opportunity for many of the worlds most respected authorities on stem cell and regenerative medicine to showcase advancements in research and therapies on a global level.

An interdisciplinary team of leading international stem cell experts provided a full day of high-level scientific lectures geared to medical professionals. Pioneers and luminaries in stem cell medicine who served as featured speakers at the event included:

Lord David Harrell, PhD., a scientific leader recognized nationally, internationally recognized expert in neuroscience and regenerative medicine and a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board spoke on spoke on the cellular composition of bone marrow with a focus on stem and progenitor cell activities of bone marrow stem and progenitor cells.

Joseph Purita, M.D., Director of The Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics in Boca Raton, Florida, member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board and a pioneer in the use of stem cells and platelet rich plasma for a variety of orthopedic conditions, spoke about the use of PRP and stem cell injections for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. He detailed cutting-edge treatments he now offers to his clinic patients, including extensive use of platelet-rich plasma in conjunction with bone marrow stem cells (BMAC), adipose stem cells (SVF) and fat grafts.

Vasilis Paspaliaris, M.D., CEO of Adistem, Ltd., a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board and a thought-leading and highly experienced clinical pharmacologist and medical scientist discussed the proven differences in efficacy between the mesenchyme stem cells (MSCs) of a young donor and those of an aging donor, primarily due to the younger donor cells ability to secrete more trophic factors.

According to Benito Novas, Global Stem Cells Group CEO, the world-class event was well received at a time when the field of regenerative medicine is on the verge of changing medical science forever.

We wanted the symposium to help clear up old misconceptions and change outdated attitudes by educating people on the wide range of illnesses and injuries stem cell therapies are already treating and curing, Novas says. We set out to establish a dialogue between researchers and practitioners in order to help move stem cell therapies from the lab to the physicians office and I believe we achieved our goals with this symposium.

Our objective is to open a dialogue among the worlds medical and scientific communities in order to advance stem cell technologies and translate them into point-of-care medical practices.

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More than 900 Physicians Converge on Buenos Aires for ...

MIAMI (PRWEB) October 22, 2014

More than 900 physicians researchers and regenerative medicine experts from around the world attended the First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina Oct. 2-4, 2014.

The event, hosted by Global Stem Cells Group in partnership with Julio Ferreira, M.D., President of the South American Academy Cosmetic Surgery, offered an opportunity for many of the worlds most respected authorities on stem cell and regenerative medicine to showcase advancements in research and therapies on a global level.

An interdisciplinary team of leading international stem cell experts provided a full day of high-level scientific lectures geared to medical professionals. Pioneers and luminaries in stem cell medicine who served as featured speakers at the event included:

Lord David Harrell, PhD., a scientific leader recognized nationally, internationally recognized expert in neuroscience and regenerative medicine and a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board spoke on spoke on the cellular composition of bone marrow with a focus on stem and progenitor cell activities of bone marrow stem and progenitor cells.

Joseph Purita, M.D., Director of The Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics in Boca Raton, Florida, member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board and a pioneer in the use of stem cells and platelet rich plasma for a variety of orthopedic conditions, spoke about the use of PRP and stem cell injections for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. He detailed cutting-edge treatments he now offers to his clinic patients, including extensive use of platelet-rich plasma in conjunction with bone marrow stem cells (BMAC), adipose stem cells (SVF) and fat grafts.

Vasilis Paspaliaris, M.D., CEO of Adistem, Ltd., a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board and a thought-leading and highly experienced clinical pharmacologist and medical scientist discussed the proven differences in efficacy between the mesenchyme stem cells (MSCs) of a young donor and those of an aging donor, primarily due to the younger donor cells ability to secrete more trophic factors.

According to Benito Novas, Global Stem Cells Group CEO, the world-class event was well received at a time when the field of regenerative medicine is on the verge of changing medical science forever.

We wanted the symposium to help clear up old misconceptions and change outdated attitudes by educating people on the wide range of illnesses and injuries stem cell therapies are already treating and curing, Novas says. We set out to establish a dialogue between researchers and practitioners in order to help move stem cell therapies from the lab to the physicians office and I believe we achieved our goals with this symposium.

Our objective is to open a dialogue among the worlds medical and scientific communities in order to advance stem cell technologies and translate them into point-of-care medical practices.

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More than 900 Physicians Converge on Buenos Aires for Global Stem Cells Groups First International Symposium on Stem ...

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Oct-2014

Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation @nyscf

NEW YORK, NY (October 22, 2014) The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute, through the launch of its repository in 2015, will provide for the first time the largest-ever number of stem cell lines available to the scientific research community. Initially, over 600 induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines and 1,000 cultured fibroblasts from over 1,000 unique human subjects will be made available, with an increasing number available in the first year. To collect these samples, NYSCF set up a rigorous human subjects system that protects patients and allows for the safe and anonymous collection of samples from people interested in participating in research.

A pilot of over 200 of NYSCF's iPS cell lines is already searchable on an online database. The pilot includes panels of iPS cell lines generated from donors affected by specific diseases such as type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, as well as a diversity panel of presumed healthy donors from a wide range of genetic backgrounds representing the United States Census. These panels, curated to provide ideal initial cohorts for studying each area, include subjects ranging in age of disease onset, and are gender matched. Other panels that will be available in 2015 include Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, Juvenile Batten disease, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

"NYSCF's mission is to develop new treatments for patients. Building the necessary infrastructure and making resources available to scientists around the world to further everyone's research are critical steps in accomplishing this goal," said Susan L. Solomon, CEO of The New York Stem Cell Foundation.

NYSCF has developed the technology needed to create a large collection of stem cell lines representing the world's population. This platform, known as the NYSCF Global Stem Cell ArrayTM, is an automated robotic system for stem cell production and is capable of generating 200 iPS cell lines a month from patients with various diseases and conditions and from all genetic backgrounds. The NYSCF Global Stem Cell ArrayTM is also used for stem cell differentiation and drug screening.

Currently available in the online database that was developed in collaboration with eagle-i Network, of the Harvard Catalyst, is a pilot set of approximately 200 iPS cell lines and related information about the patients. This open source, open access resource discovery platform makes the cell lines and related information available to the public on a user-friendly, web-based, searchable system. This is one example of NYSCF's efforts to reduce duplicative research and enable even broader collaborative research efforts via data sharing and analysis. NYSCF continues to play a key role in connecting the dots between patients, scientists, funders, and outside researchers that all need access to biological samples.

"The NYSCF repository will be a critical complement to other existing efforts which are limited in their ability to distribute on a global scale. I believe that this NYSCF effort wholly supported by philanthropy will help accelerate the use of iPS cell based technology," said Dr. Mahendra Rao, NYSCF Vice President of Regenerative Medicine.

To develop these resources, NYSCF has partnered with over 50 disease foundations, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and government entities, including the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), PersonalGenomes.org, the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation, among several others. NYSCF also participates in and drives a number of large-scale multi stakeholder initiatives including government and international efforts. One such example is the Cure Alzheimer's Fund Stem Cell Consortium, a group consisting of six institutions, including NYSCF, directly investigating, for the first time, brain cells in petri dishes from individual patients who have the common sporadic form of Alzheimer's disease.

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The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute announces largest-ever stem cell repository

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Newswise Scientists have described a way to convert human skin cells directly into a specific type of brain cell affected by Huntingtons disease, an ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disorder. Unlike other techniques that turn one cell type into another, this new process does not pass through a stem cell phase, avoiding the production of multiple cell types, the studys authors report.

The researchers, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, demonstrated that these converted cells survived at least six months after injection into the brains of mice and behaved similarly to native cells in the brain.

Not only did these transplanted cells survive in the mouse brain, they showed functional properties similar to those of native cells, said senior author Andrew S. Yoo, PhD, assistant professor of developmental biology. These cells are known to extend projections into certain brain regions. And we found the human transplanted cells also connected to these distant targets in the mouse brain. Thats a landmark point about this paper.

The work appears Oct. 22 in the journal Neuron.

The investigators produced a specific type of brain cell called medium spiny neurons, which are important for controlling movement. They are the primary cells affected in Huntingtons disease, an inherited genetic disorder that causes involuntary muscle movements and cognitive decline usually beginning in middle-adulthood. Patients with the condition live about 20 years following the onset of symptoms, which steadily worsen over time.

The research involved adult human skin cells, rather than more commonly studied mouse cells or even human cells at an earlier stage of development. In regard to potential future therapies, the ability to convert adult human cells presents the possibility of using a patients own skin cells, which are easily accessible and wont be rejected by the immune system.

To reprogram these cells, Yoo and his colleagues put the skin cells in an environment that closely mimics the environment of brain cells. They knew from past work that exposure to two small molecules of RNA, a close chemical cousin of DNA, could turn skin cells into a mix of different types of neurons.

In a skin cell, the DNA instructions for how to be a brain cell, or any other type of cell, is neatly packed away, unused. In past research published in Nature, Yoo and his colleagues showed that exposure to two microRNAs called miR-9 and miR-124 altered the machinery that governs packaging of DNA. Though the investigators still are unraveling the details of this complex process, these microRNAs appear to be opening up the tightly packaged sections of DNA important for brain cells, allowing expression of genes governing development and function of neurons.

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Human Skin Cells Reprogrammed Directly Into Brain Cells

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

20-Oct-2014

Contact: David McKeon 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation @nyscf

Leaders in translational stem cell research from around the world will present the latest advances in stem cell science that are leading to better treatments and cures to disease and injury at The New York Stem Cell Foundation's Ninth Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference.

The opening day of the conference includes a panel discussion on large scale, big data stem cell and genetic initiatives moderated by Susan L. Solomon, JD, CEO and Co-founder of The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), with panelists George Church, PhD, Harvard Medical School; John Greally, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Scott Noggle, PhD, The NYSCF Research Institute; and Eric Schadt, PhD, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Later that day, a discussion on neurodegeneration includes Kevin Eggan, PhD, Harvard University and the NYSCF Research Institute, who will discuss his research identifying an existing drug candidate that may be of use treating ALS and is entering clinical trials in the coming year. The following session on cell reprogramming and cancer includes Michael Milone, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, who will discuss recent research results from his lab and his colleagues including the results of a clinical trial for leukemia featured in The New York Times last week. The first day closes with a conversation on personalized medicine featuring Dieter Egli, PhD, NYSCF Robertson Investigator at the NYSCF Research Institute and Columbia University; Rudolf Jaenisch, MD, The Whitehead Institute; and Sir Ian Wilmut, FRS, FRSE, University of Edinburgh.

On October 23, the day will begin with remarks by Kenneth Adams and Kyle Kimball, President of the Empire State Development Corporation and President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, respectively. The session on translating innovation from the laboratory to the clinic features Stephen Chang, PhD, of the NYSCF Research Institute and Richard Pearse, PhD, of the Harvard Catalyst and eagle-i Network who will discuss their collaboration on the first publicly available induced pluripotent stem cell database. The day will close with a presentation on induced neuronal cells and cell transdifferentiation from the 2014 NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize recipient, Marius Wernig, MD, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine.

Sir Ian Wilmut will give the keynote address on October 22nd and Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch will give the keynote address on the last day of the conference.

The full conference agenda can be found at http://www.nyscf.org/conference

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Stem cell and clinical research advances to be presented at NYSCF's Ninth Annual Conference

Dr. Deepak Srivastava, a leading biomedical research policy expert, will discuss "Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine and Policy Impediments to the New Future" at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 21. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Who: Dr. Deepak Srivastava, the Baker Institute's nonresident scholar for biomedical research policy and the Younger Family Director and senior investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease.

Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy and a professor of physics and astronomy, will give introductory remarks.

Stem cells and regenerative medicine are exciting and emerging fields of biomedical research, according to event organizers. Proposed applications include treating conditions such as blindness, diabetes and heart disease. Regenerative medicine could also help heal failing organ systems and replace damaged tissue. While these fields hold great promise for medicine, external factors limit and, in some cases, stall research, organizers said. Ethical controversies surrounding human embryonic stem cells, policy issues affecting federal and state funding and regulation, and economic pressures all play a role in determining the future of research.

In his presentation, Srivastava will explore the current and future potential of stem cells and regenerative medicine. Following the presentation, he will discuss policy challenges and opportunities with Lane.

The event is sponsored by the Baker Institute's Science and Technology Policy Program and the Health Policy Forum.

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Stem cell, regenerative medicine policies to be discussed at Rice's Baker Institute

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Oct-2014

Contact: Anita Srikameswaran SrikamAV@upmc.edu 412-578-9193 University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences @UPMCnews

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 16, 2014 Despite previous indications to the contrary, the esophagus does have its own pool of stem cells, said researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in an animal study published online today in Cell Reports. The findings could lead to new insights into the development and treatment of esophageal cancer and the precancerous condition known as Barrett's esophagus.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 18,000 people will be diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the U.S. in 2014 and almost 15,500 people will die from it. In Barrett's esophagus, the lining of the esophagus changes for unknown reasons to resemble that of the intestine, though gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD is a risk factor for its development.

"The esophageal lining must renew regularly as cells slough off into the gastrointestinal tract," said senior investigator Eric Lagasse, Pharm.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, Pitt School of Medicine, and director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "To do that, cells in the deeper layers of the esophagus divide about twice a week to produce daughter cells that become the specialized cells of the lining. Until now, we haven't been able to determine whether all the cells in the deeper layers are the same or if there is a subpopulation of stem cells there."

The research team grew pieces or "organoids" of esophageal tissue from mouse samples, and then conducted experiments to identify and track the different cells in the basal layer of the tissue. They found a small population of cells that divide more slowly, are more primitive, can generate specialized or differentiated cells, and have the ability to self-renew, which is a defining trait of stem cells.

"It was thought that there were no stem cells in the esophagus because all the cells were dividing rather than resting or quiescent, which is more typical of stem cells," Dr. Lagasse noted. "Our findings reveal that there indeed are esophageal stem cells, and rather than being quiescent, they divide slowly compared to the rest of the deeper layer cells."

In future work, the researchers will examine human esophageal tissues for evidence of stem cell dysfunction in Barrett's esophagus disease.

"Some scientists have speculated that abnormalities of esophageal stem cells could be the origin of the tissue changes that occur in Barrett's disease," Dr. Lagasse said. "Our current and future studies could make it possible to test this long-standing hypothesis."

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Pitt/McGowan Institute team discovers stem cells in the esophagus

3 hours ago by Vicky Just Naive-like stem cells could potentially be used to treat dementia or reduce organ transplants

Scientists from our university and Berlin have identified a type of human stem cell that appears to be "nave-like" able to develop into any type of cell. The discovery of this cell type could potentially have a large impact on our understanding of how humans develop and on the field of regenerative medicine.

The human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that scientists currently study in the lab are able to develop into several different types of cell but are already pre-determined to some extent.

Published in the top scientific journal Nature, researchers from the Max Delbrck Centre for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany and our university have for the first time discovered human ESCs that appear to behave like "nave" cells able to develop into any type of cell.

These nave-like cells, only previously found in mice, are easy to grow in the lab and could have huge potential for regenerating damaged tissues in the body, potentially leading to treatments for diseases such as dementia or reducing the need for organ transplantation.

Professor Laurence Hurst from our Department of Biology & Biochemistry and a co-author of the study explained: "Most stem cells are primed to some extent to become a certain type of cell. If you use the analogy of a train network, these cells are like one of the main London stations. Trains from Paddington can go to Cardiff or Exeter, but not to Norwich. In the same way, these cells can develop into a fixed number of different cell types.

"However the nave-like cells we've identified are like a central terminus; they are present earlier in the embryo's development and so we think their fates can go in any direction and become any type of cell."

Co-investigator Dr Zsuzsanna Izsvk, (MDC, corresponding author) said: "We were very excited by this discovery it was one of those Eureka moments that rarely happens in science."

The Bath and Berlin team found the nave-like cells by looking at which genes were expressed in very early human embryos. They pinpointed a virus called human endogenous retrovirus H (HERVH) that has become integrated into human DNA and was very highly expressed at just the right time and place in human embryos, where they would expect to see nave-like cells if they existed.

They identified a protein called LBP9, which is essential for the activity of HERVH in early embryos. Using a reporter system that made cells expressing HERVH via LBP9 glow green, the Berlin and our team found that they had purified cells that showed all of the hallmarks of a mouse nave cell.

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Scientists identify "nave-like" human stem cell