StemCell Therapy

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

14-Oct-2014

Contact: Greg Williams newsmedia@mssm.edu 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine @mountsinainyc

A Mount Sinai-led research team has discovered a new kind of stem cell that can become either a liver cell or a cell that lines liver blood vessels, according to a study published today in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The existence of such a cell type contradicts current theory on how organs arise from cell layers in the embryo, and may hold clues to origins of, and future treatment for, liver cancer.

Thanks to stem cells, humans develop from a single cell into a complex being made up of more than 200 cell types. The original, single human stem cell, the fertilized embryo, has the potential to develop into every kind of human cell. Stem cells multiply (proliferate) and specialize (differentiate) until millions of functional cells result, including liver cells (hepatocytes), blood vessel cells (endothelial cells), muscle cells, bone cells, etc.

In the womb, the human embryo early on becomes three "germ" layers of stem cells the endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The long-held consensus was that the endoderm goes on to form the liver and other gut organs; the mesoderm the heart, muscles and blood cells; and the ectoderm the brain and skin. Researchers have sought to determine the germ layer that yields each organ because these origins hold clues to healthy function and disease mechanisms in adults.

"We found a stem cell that can become either a liver cell, which is thought to originate in the endoderm, or an endothelial cell that helps to from a blood vessel, which was thought to derive from the mesoderm," said Valerie Gouon-Evans, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and lead author for the study. "Our results go against traditional germ layer theory, which holds that a stem cell can only go on to become cell types in line with the germ layer that stem cell came from. Endothelial cells may arise from both the endoderm and mesoderm."

Cell Growth Plusses and Minuses

Beyond the womb, many human organs contain pools of partially differentiated stem cells, which are ready to differentiate into specific replacement cells as needed. Among these are stem cells that "know" they are liver cells, but have enough "stemness" to become more than one cell type.

By advancing the understanding of stem cell processes in the liver, the study offers insights into mechanisms that drive liver cancer. The rapid growth seen in cells as the fetal liver develops is similar in some ways to the growth seen in tumors. Among the factors that make both possible is the building of blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen.

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Stem cell discovery challenges dogma on how fetus develops; holds insights for liver cancer and reg

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

13-Oct-2014

Contact: Karen Kreeger karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu 215-349-5658 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine @PennMedNews

PHILADELPHIA Roberto Bonasio, PhD, an assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and a core member of the Penn Epigenetics Program is one of the recipients of a 2014 New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH Director's New Innovator Award, totaling $1.5 million over five years for each of the 50 recipients this year, supports highly innovative research and creative, new investigators who exhibit strong potential to make great advances on a critical biomedical or behavioral research problem. The initiative, established in 2007, supports investigators who are within 10 years of their terminal degree or clinical residency, who have not yet received a research project grant (R01), or equivalent NIH grant, to conduct unusually innovative research.

Bonasio studies the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic memory, which are key to a number of biological processes, including embryonic development, cancer, stem cell pluripotency, and brain function. In particular, he will be looking at gene expression controlled by epigenetic pathways that alter the chemical structure of chromosomes and allow for multiple cell identities to arise from a single genome. These pathways are also critical in the brain and their improper functioning can cause mental retardation, cognitive decline, and psychiatric disorders.

Bonasio has chosen ants as a model system. With colleagues Shelley Berger, PhD, who directs the Penn Epigenetics program; postdoctoral mentor Danny Reinberg, PhD, New York University; and Jrgen Liebig, PhD, Arizona State University, Bonasio has established the ant Harpegnathos saltator as a laboratory model to study epigenetics, the process by which a single genome gives rise to a variety of physiological outcomes.

This phenomenon is particularly evident in ants, as they live in caste-based societies in which most of the individuals are sterile females, limited to highly specialized roles such as workers and soldiers. Only one queen and the relatively small contingent of male ants are fertile and able to reproduce. Yet despite such extreme differences in behavior and physical form, all females within the colony appear to be genetically identical.

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Also see the University of Pennsylvania release.

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Penn Medicine researcher receives New Innovator Award from National Institutes of Health

MIAMI (PRWEB) October 13, 2014

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. has launched a new corporate website (http://www.stemcellsgroup.com) designed to better highlight its six stem cell-related operating companies and provide up-to-date information on upcoming conferences, corporate news, stem cell research findings and more.

The website offers detailed information on each stem cell division including:

For more information about any of the Global Stem Cells Group operating companies, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)regenestem(dot)com, 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.

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Global Stem Cells Group Launches New Corporate Website

MIAMI (PRWEB) October 13, 2014

Regenestem, one of the largest membership networks of regenerative medicine clinics worldwide, has announced the launch of a new stem cells clinic in Antofagasta, Northern Chile. The clinic, to be headed by renowned stem cell specialists DRA Maria G. Soledad Gonzalez and Angel Gallegos Freire, M.D., will provide the latest advancements in stem cell treatments and protocol for a variety of eye conditions and diseases including macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, as well as the latest anti-aging and aesthetic treatments and therapies.

Soledad Gonzalez specializes in opthamology at the Laser Surgery Clinic in Higher Vision of Antofagasta since 2003, where he focuses on refractive surgery to treat conditions like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia. He incorporated minimally invasive aesthetic medicine protocols to his practice in 2012 and specializes in the harvest, preparation, activation and application of stem cell therapies for a number of chronic degenerative diseases.

Gallegos Freire, Medical Director, Policlinico Bhpbilliton M: BHP Billiton Spencea in Ubicacin, Chile, specializing in aesthetic and anti-aging stem cell medicine. Gallegos Freire in an active member of the Argentina Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SOARME), Institutional Member of the Medical Association of Argentina (AMA), the Pan-American Society of Aesthetic Medicine (PASAM) and the Antiaging & Aesthetic Medicine International Society (AAAMISO).

The Antofagasta Regenestem clinic is the companys third international stem cell treatment center opened since Global Stem Cells Group opened the Regenestem Asia Clinic in Manila, Philippines in June and the Regenestem Mexico Clinic in Villahermosa Tabasco. These new, state-of-the-art regenerative medicine facilities join the company's growing global presence that includes clinics in Miami, New York, Los Angeles and Dubai. Regenestem Asia facility marks the first Regenestem brand clinic in the Philippines.

The Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem are committed to providing the highest of standards in service and technology, expert and compassionate care, and a philosophy of exceeding the expectations of their international patients.

For more information, visit the Regenestem website, email info(at)regenstem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About Regenestem:

Regenestem, a division of the Global Stem Cells Group, Inc., provides stem cell treatments for a variety of diseases and conditions including arthritis, autism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes and multiple sclerosis at various facilities worldwide. Each Regenestem clinic offers an international staff experienced in administering the leading cellular therapies available.

Regenestem is certified for the medical tourism market, and staff physicians are board-certified or board-eligible. Regenestem clinics provide services in more than 10 specialties, attracting patients from the United States and around the world.

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Regenestem Names Renowned Stem Cell Specialists to Launch New Regenerative Medicine Clinic in Antofagasta, Northern ...

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Newswise Four scientists from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award that will forward revolutionary stem cell and neuro-science in medicine. The four UCLA researchers were among only 50 scientists nationwide to receive the New Innovator Award, the most of any institution represented.

Each recipient received a $2.3M award for their respective projects. These included Dr. Reza Ardehali, assistant professor of cardiology, for his research investigating novel ways to use stem cells to regenerate heart tissue; Dr. Elissa Hallem, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, for her work studying interactions between animal parasites and their hosts to foster the further understanding of human parasitic diseases; Dr. Sririam Kosuri, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, for his project developing new biological system technologies to solve outstanding problems in gene regulation; and Dr. Lili Yang, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, for her work developing a new method to track special immune cells for use in new cellular therapies.

"These New Innovator Award grants are an important acknowledgement of our cutting-edge research and will help our faculty drive the revolutionary advances we are seeing in stem cell and neuro-science," said Dr. Owen Witte, professor and director of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center. "Every cellular therapy that reaches patients must begin in the laboratory with novel ideas and experiments that will lead us in new directions in medicine and ultimately improve human life. That makes these awards invaluable to our research effort."

The NIH Director'sNew Innovator Award is designed specifically to support unusually creative investigators with highly innovative research ideas at an early stage of their career. The award seeks to support exceptionally creative new scientists whose research complements ongoing efforts by NIH.

Dr. Reza Ardehali: Unlocking the Secrets to Regenerating Heart Tissue

Dr. Ardehali's cutting-edge work focuses on both human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, known as human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC), to provide insights into the mechanisms involved in the differentiation and specification of heart cells. hPSC have the unique ability to become any cell type in the body. His lab recently identified several novel surface markers that can highly enrich early cardiovascular progenitor cells. When delivered into functioning human hearts that are transplanted in laboratory conditions, the progenitor cells integrate structurally and functionally into the host myocardium. These studies established the basis for future hPSC-based cardiac therapy.

Dr. Ardehali and his colleagues were also the first to directly measure limited division in the cells that make up heart muscle (cardiomyocytes), proving that cardiomyocytes divide and that such cell division is rare. This discovery resolves an important controversy over whether the heart muscle has the power to regenerate and is critical for future research that may lead to regenerating heart tissue to repair damage caused by disease or heart attack.

His 2013, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state's stem cell research agency, New Faculty Physician Scientist Translational Research Award allowed Dr. Ardehali to initiate the preclinical studies on stem cell based therapies for heart disease that were pivotal for his success in the 2014 New Innovator Award competition. The NIH grant affirms the critical success of the project-to-date, and emphasizes the creativity of Dr. Ardehali's research and its potential to have a significant impact on the creation of novel regenerative approaches to treat heart disease.

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Four UCLA Scientists Receive Prestigious Innovator Award for Pioneering Research Using Stem Cells

The liver is a special organ that performs a whole host of essential functions. The liver stores iron, vitamins and minerals; it detoxifies alcohol, drugs, and other chemicals that accumulate in our bloodstreams, and it produces bile (used to dissolve fats so that they can be degraded), and blood-based proteins like clotting factors and albumin. The liver also stores sugar in the form of glycogen. All of these tasks are undertaken by a single cell type, the hepatocyte (otherwise known as a liver cell).

When your liver fails, you get really sick. This was greatly illustrated to me by one of my colleagues where I teach whose wife suffered extensive liver damage as a result of her battle with lupus (short for systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease). Now that this dear lady has had a liver transplant, she is a new person. What a difference a healthy liver makes.

What can regenerative medicine do for patients with failing livers? Human pluripotent stem cells, either embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells, can be directed to differentiate into liver cells in culture, but the liver cells made by these cells are very immature. They express proteins commonly found in fetal liver cells (for example, alpha-fetoprotein) and they also lack key enzymes associated with adult cells (such as cytochrome P450s). Rashid and others in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (2010; 120: 3127-3136) showed this. The development of three-dimensional culture systems have increased the maturity of such cells, but there is still a long way to go (see T Takebe and others, Nature 2013; 499:481-484 and J Shan and others, Nature Chemical Biology 2013; 9: 514-520).

Two papers from the journal Cell Stem Cell might show a way forward to making mature liver cells for regenerative liver treatments without destroying embryos or even using and pluripotent stem cell lines. These papers utilize the procedure known as direct reprogramming, otherwise known as direct lineage conversion. Direct reprogramming requires the forced overexpression of particular genes that causes the cells to switch their cell types.

In the first of these papers, Pengyu Huang and his colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, China overexpressed a three-gene combination in mouse embryonic fibroblasts that converted the cells into hepatocytes at an efficiency of 20% after 14 days in culture. This gene combination, known as 3TF (HNF4/HNF1A/FOXA3), converted the mouse embryonic skin cells into mature liver cells that made blood proteins and drug-processing enzymes. The only problem was that these mature cells could not grow in culture because they were mature. Therefore, Huang and others infected these cells with a virus called SV40, which drove the cells to divide. Now these cells could be grow in culture and expanded for further experiments.

When transplanted into the livers of mice with failing livers, the induced liver cells made by Huang and others restored proper liver function and allowed the mice to survive.

A second paper by Yuanyuan Du and others from the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at Peking University in Beijing, China, used a large gene combination to make mature liver cells from human skin fibroblasts. This gene combination included eight genes (HNF1A/HNF4A/HNF6/ATF5/PROX1/CEBPA/p53 ShRNA/C-MYC) that converted the human skin cells into liver cells after 30 days in culture at an efficiency of nearly 80%. Again, these cells metabolized drugs as they should, made blood proteins, took up cholesterol, and stored glycogen. Du and others compared the gene expression profile of these human induced hepatocytes or hiHeps to the gene expression profile of liver cells taken from liver biopsies. While there were differences in gene expression, there was also significant overlap and a large overall similarity. In fact the authors state, these results indicate that hiHeps show a similar expression profile to primary human hepatocytes.

Next, Du and others used three different mouse models of liver failure in all three cases, the hiHeps were capable of colonizing the damaged liver of the mouse and regenerating it. Mind you, the hiHeps did not do as good a job as human primary hepatocytes, but they still worked pretty well. This shows that this direct reprogramming protocol, as good as it is, can still be optimized and improved.

These studies show that the production of highly functional human hepatocyte-like cells using direct reprogramming is feasible and represents an exciting step towards the production of a supply source of cells for drug development, and therapies for liver disease.

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Beyond the Dish | A developmental biologist muses about ...

Boston, Massachusetts (PRWEB) September 25, 2014

The ASCTCs (website) Director James L. Sherleys first BioPharm America (conference website) experience got off to a remarkable beginning on Day 1 of the conference. After an impromptu decision to participate in the events Perfect Pitch competition, which involved about 40 company contestants, ASCTC tied for second place. As one of a few companies in the stem cell and regenerative medicine space at the conference, this success led to some attendees referring to Sherley as that stem cell guy. Sherley smiled, I take it as a fun compliment. I do think it was the unique presence of ASCTC as one of a few stem cell companies present in a sea of drug development companies that contributed to our success.

However, the ASCTCs pitch to a panel of Pharma investors was in fact more about drugs than stem cells. Sherley pitched the companys partnership venture with AlphaSTAR Corporation (ASC; website) located in Long Beach, California. ASC develops computer simulation analyses to predict the integrity failure of complex composite materials used to build aircraft, racing cars, and other high stress vehicles like the space shuttle. The two companies have integrated their respective expertise to produce a first-of-its-kind computer simulation-based technology for identifying, at the beginning of the drug development pipeline, drug candidates that are toxic to tissue stem cells. Such toxicity causes drugs to fail in expensive preclinical studies and clinical trials, and even after marketing.

At the conference, Sherley commented, I think we are starting to get their [drug companies] attention now. In his pitch of the new AlphaStem tissue stem cell toxicity technology, he emphasized that the ASCTC projects that this technology could save the U.S. Pharma industry about $4 billion of the estimated $40 billion that it spends on failed drug candidates each year. Besides reducing cost and accelerating the development of needed new drugs, the AlphaStem technology would reduce that exposure of patients to particularly harmful drug candidates.

The ASCTC was not the only company at the conference active within the regenerative medicine space. On the first evening of the conference, ASCTC was one of several guest companies and academic institutions in the regenerative medicine space that were invited to a VIP dinner co-hosted by BioPharm Americas producer, EBD Group, and the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine. The guest party dined at the Top of the Hub Restaurant on the top floor of Bostons Prudential Tower.

BioPharm America conferences are designed to arrange many one-to-one meetings among participants of diverse expertise in the international pharmaceutical industry. Over the three-day conference, ASCTC Director Sherley met with Pharma executives, contract research organization directors, Pharma business development consultants, and Pharma investment group partners towards establishing new strategic relationships for the company.

On the final morning of the conference, the ASCTC was one of eleven companies selected to present in the Next Generation Company session. Director Sherley focused his presentation on how the ASCTCs unique expertise in tissue stem cell asymmetric self-renewal gives the company its exclusive position in commercialization of technologies for counting, manufacturing, and monitoring human tissue stem cells. Asymmetric self-renewal is the defining property of tissue stem cells that allows them to maintain the genomic blueprint of human tissues while continuously producing the building block cells of body tissues at the same time. Sherley expressed that asymmetrically self-renewing stem cells in organs and tissues of children and adults will eventually be understood as the fulcrum at the center, between the mature industry of pharmaceutical therapeutics and the emerging industry of cell-based therapeutics. Thats the ASCTC vision.

************************************************************************************************************* The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC is a Massachusetts life sciences company established in September 2013 (ASCTC; join mailing list). ASCTC Director and founder, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is the foremost authority on the unique properties of adult tissue stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the three main technical problems production, quantification, and monitoring that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing induced pluripotent stem cells. Currently, ASCTC is employing its technological advantages to pursue commercialization of mass-produced therapeutic human liver cells and facile assays that are early warning systems for drug candidates with catastrophic toxicity due to adverse effects against adult tissue stem cells.

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The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC Presents Its New Company Initiatives At The 2014 BioPharm America ...

Xia Jie.

Medical entrepreneur Xia Jie, whose company Health 100 owns the largest chain of health clinics in China, plans to open overseas facilities to cater for wealthy clients.

That could result in an investment of about $20 million in a regenerative treatment centre in the resort, making it a Mecca for health tourism and athlete injury rehabilitation.

''We're now negotiating with the local medical teams,'' Mr Xia said yesterday through an interpreter while on a four-day fact-finding mission to Queenstown.

''Health 100 really wants to find beautiful cities around the world to take Chinese patients to and Queenstown is one of them.

''The vision is to bring the very high-end customers to have special treatment which is not carried out elsewhere in the world,'' he said.

Health 100 would invest with existing firms Queenstown Regenerative Medicine (QRM), run by Marcelle Noble, and the Queenstown Skin Institute.

Both have small premises at Remarkables Park in Frankton.

Queenstown Skin Institute director Dr Hans Raetz said Mr Xia had indicated plans for a much larger centre, with sites in Remarkables Park, Jacks Point or the Five Mile development off Frankton Ladies Mile already earmarked.

''The size depends on Mr Xia, but we've been talking between $10 million and $20 million.

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Stem cell centre proposed for resort

(PRWEB UK) 22 September 2014

BioKidz is a simple concept which aims to engage children in the importance of stem cell medicine. Aimed at an audience of 4-9 year olds, the company now aims to use it in the 21 countries in which it operates.

BioEden has been invited to speak with parents and teachers later this month, as the BioKidz site aims to be a good source of scientific information for primary school teachers.

The BioEden proposition is very simple one: harvest the stem cells from a naturally shed baby tooth, store the viable cells for future therapeutic use, and guarantee that the cells will be available when needed.

As stem cell medicine is now becoming commonplace, it is important that there is a stem cell match when needed. The easiest way to do this is by harvesting and storing one's own cells, and there is no easier way than from naturally shed teeth.

The company admits that they could be putting the ordinary tooth fairy out of business, but they hasten to add that BioKidz have their own hero in the form of a Super Tooth Fairy who works within their own stem cell laboratories.

Children can meet BioEden the Super Tooth Fairy by visiting http://www.bioeden.com.

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BioKidz: the Children of the Stem Cell Revolution to go Global

Cellular therapeutics -- using intact cells to treat and cure disease -- is a hugely promising new approach in medicine but it is hindered by the inability of doctors and scientists to effectively track the movements, destination and persistence of these cells in patients without resorting to invasive procedures, like tissue sampling.

In a paper published September 17 in the online journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere describe the first human tests of using a perfluorocarbon (PFC) tracer in combination with non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track therapeutic immune cells injected into patients with colorectal cancer.

"Initially, we see this technique used for clinical trials that involve tests of new cell therapies," said first author Eric T. Ahrens, PhD, professor in the Department of Radiology at UC San Diego. "Clinical development of cell therapies can be accelerated by providing feedback regarding cell motility, optimal delivery routes, individual therapeutic doses and engraftment success."

Currently, there is no accepted way to image cells in the human body that covers a broad range of cell types and diseases. Earlier techniques have used metal ion-based vascular MRI contrast agents and radioisotopes. The former have proven difficult to differentiate in vivo; the latter raise concerns about radiation toxicity and do not provide the anatomical detail available with MRIs.

"This is the first human PFC cell tracking agent, which is a new way to do MRI cell tracking," said Ahrens. "It's the first example of a clinical MRI agent designed specifically for cell tracking."

Researchers used a PFC tracer agent and an MRI technique that directly detects fluorine atoms in labeled cells. Fluorine atoms naturally occur in extremely low concentrations in the body, making it easier to observe cells labeled with fluorine using MRI. In this case, the modified and labeled dendritic cells -- potent stimulators of the immune system -- were first prepared from white blood cells extracted from the patient. The cells were then injected into patients with stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer to stimulate an anti-cancer T-cell immune response.

The published study did not assess the efficacy of the cell therapy, but rather the ability of researchers to detect the labeled cells and monitor what happened to them. Ahrens said the technique worked as expected, with the surprising finding that only half of the delivered cell vaccine remained at the inoculation site after 24 hours.

"The imaging agent technology has been to shown to be able to tag any cell type that is of interest," Ahrens said. "It is a platform imaging technology for a wide range of diseases and applications," which might also speed development of relevant therapies.

"Non-invasive cell tracking may help lower regulatory barriers," Ahrens explained. "For example, new stem cell therapies can be slow to obtain regulatory approvals in part because it is difficult, if not impossible, with current approaches to verify survival and location of transplanted cells. And cell therapy trials generally have a high cost per patient. Tools that allow the investigator to gain a 'richer' data set from individual patients mean it may be possible to reduce patient numbers enrolled in a trial, thus reducing total trial cost."

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Better way to track emerging cell therapies using MRIs

Edgar Irastorza was just 31 when his heart stopped beating in October 2008.

A Miami property manager, Irastorza had recently gained weight as his wife's third pregnancy progressed. "I kind of got pregnant, too," he said.

During a workout one day, he felt short of breath and insisted that friends rush him to the hospital. Minutes later, his pulse flatlined. He survived the heart attack, but the scar tissue that resulted cut his heart's pumping ability by a third. He couldn't pick up his children. He fell asleep every night wondering if he would wake up in the morning.

Desperation motivated Irastorza to volunteer for a highly unusual medical research trial: getting stem cells injected directly into his heart. "I just trusted my doctors and the science behind it, and said, 'This is my only chance,' " he said recently.

Over the last five years, by studying stem cells in lab dishes, test animals and intrepid patients like Irastorza, researchers have brought the vague, grandiose promises of stem cell therapies closer to reality.

Stem cells broke into the public consciousness in the early 1990s, alluring for their potential to help the body beat back diseases of degeneration like Alzheimer's, and to grow new parts to treat conditions like spinal cord injuries.

Progress has been slow. But researchers are learning how to best use stem cells, what types to use and how to deliver them to the body findings that are not singularly transformational, but progressive and pragmatic.

As many as 4,500 clinical trials involving stem cells are under way in the United States to treat patients with heart disease, blindness, Parkinson's, HIV, blood cancers and spinal cord injuries, among other conditions.

Initial studies suggest that stem cell therapy can be delivered safely, said Dr. Ellen Feigal, senior vice president of research and development at the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the state stem cell agency, which has awarded more than $2 billion toward stem cell research since 2006.

But enthusiasm for stem cells sometimes outstrips the science. When Gov. Rick Perry of Texas had adult stem cells injected into his spine in 2011 for a back injury, his surgeon had never tried the procedure and had no data to support the experiment. A June review in the New England Journal of Medicine found that "platelet-rich plasma" stem cell therapies praised by a number of athletes worked no better than placebos.

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Stem cell revolution gets closer

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Scientists are celebrating a breakthrough in stem cell research.

A type of human stem cell has been replicated in a lab for the first time in history.

The cells, previously impossible to duplicate, have been recreated to the equivalent of those between seven and nine days old the same as found in an embryo before it implants in the womb.

The creation of the human pluripotent cells opens a door for specialised cells to be created in the future for use in regenerative medicine.

The Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute led the research, which was carried out by both British and Japanese academics.

Professor Austin Smith, director, said: "Our findings suggest that it is possible to rewind the clock to achieve true ground state pluripotency in human cells.

"These cells may represent the real starting point for formation of tissues in the human embryo. We hope that in time they will allow us to unlock the fundamental biology of early development, which is impossible to study directly in people."

The "reset" cells could be used as "raw material" for therapies, as well as diagnostic tools and drug screenings.

Scientists also hope that after further studying, the cells will help them learn more about how an embryo develops correctly, and how miscarriages and developmental disorders are caused.

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Significant milestone in stem cell research at The Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council institute

Prof. Alexander Smikodub

MD Ph.D

Alexander Smikodub jr.

MD Ph.D

Our clinic offers the advanced and patented methods of fetal stem cell treatment for various conditions and diseases. This method of treatment can be found in wikipedia: Stem cell therapy. Fetal stem cells are non-specialized cells that differentiate (turn) into any other cell type of the body that form organs and tissues. Fetal stem cells that we use for treatment have huge potential for growth, differentiation and are not rejected by the patients body, which allows to achieve unique long-term clinical effects.

We have more than 15 years of experience in stem cell therapy and are the leaders of the industry. Most of the methodic used in the clinic are unique and patent protected in many countries including USA. Since 1994 prof. Alexander Smikodub Sr. was the main researcher, doctor and administrator of the clinic. Now his son, Alexander Smikodub Jr. M.D. continues his fathers venture. During these years more than 6500 patients from all over the world received fetal stem cell treatment, resulting in significant improvement of their conditions, and in case of timely contact with us in complete cure of the diseases still considered lethal by most medical institutions.

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Stem cells are the new word in the medical science, possibly the new revolution. Their importance can be compared with antibiotics discovery or the first successful heart transplantation. They are the inner restorative and regenerative reserve of your body, found in blood, fat layer and bone marrow. After injection of a big stem cells doze, impaired tissues are recovered, regeneration speed is increased and overall condition is greatly improved. We use only material from healthy patients, which passes multiple security checks. They are a perfect material for treating a wide variety of neural and physical diseases.

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Stem cell therapy | Stem cell treatment and medicine ...

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) September 08, 2014

Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute has become an R3 Stem Cell Center of Excellence. Patients are immediately able to benefit from the regenerative medicine procedures at the Center, including bone marrow or amniotic derived stem cells for arthritis, sports injuries, and all types of chronic pain issues. Call R3 Stem Cell for scheduling at (844) GET-STEM.

R3 Stem Cell works with the best Board Certified providers nationwide, bringing the latest cutting edge regenerative medicine procedures to those in need. The top Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Raj, is the medical director of Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute and has performed over 50 stem cell procedures to date. Patients have include elite athletes, celebrities, executives, students, manual laborers and senior citizens. In other words, every walk of life can benefit.

The procedures offered include stem cell therapy for arthritis, back pain, cartilage defects, tendonitis, migraines, fracture healing and ligament injuries. The procedures are often able to help patients avoid the need for surgery and provide excellent pain relief with increased function.

Said R3 CEO Bob Maguire, MBA, Dr. Raj is a highly respected, skilled and compassionate provider who is committed to providing cutting edge options to his patients. It can help them heal faster while achieving pain relief. Thats what R3 Centers of Excellence strive for and have been very successful with to date.

Several different types of regenerative medicine procedures are offered at the R3 Center of Excellence. Amniotic stem cell procedures have shown amazing benefits in small studies to date. The fluid is obtained from consenting donors after a scheduled c-section, with the material being processed at an FDA regulated lab. No fetal tissue is involved or embryonic stem cells.

Bone marrow aspirate stem cell therapy is also offered, with the same day procedure injecting the processed bone marrow into the problem area. A high concentration of stem cells and growth factors sparks an impressive healing process, which can often regenerate damaged tissue.

Platelet rich plasma therapy is also offered, which involves a simple blood draw from patients. Studies are beginning to show that the regenerative medicine procedures work well for helping patients avoid the need for joint replacement surgery and also assisting athletes to get back on the field faster than otherwise.

Financing is available for the procedures at all R3 Stem Cell Centers of Excellence. Call (844) GET-STEM for more information and scheduling with stem cell treatment Los Angeles trusts.

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Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Becomes R3 Stem Cell Center of Excellence

Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/11/13181/stem-cell-banks-envisioned-regenerative-medicine Stem cell banks might one day be used to meet the tissue-transplant n...

Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) Lawrence Goldstein, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Department of Neuroscie...

What are stem cells? - An short educational film by the Irish Stem Cell Foundation Stem cells are master cells of the body want to learn more? Visit http://www.ir...

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Doug Melton talks about the potential of stem cell biology for regenerative medicine, with a focus on finding new treatments for diseases such as diabetes. Doug Melton is Xander University Professor and Co-Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

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Stem cell medicine - Worldnews.com

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Sep-2014

Contact: Laia Cendrs laia.cendros@crg.eu 34-933-160-237 Center for Genomic Regulation

This news release is available in Spanish.

The protein Nanog, a transcription factor, is key to maintaining stem cells in a pluripotent state. Researchers from the Centre for Genomic Regulation have been investigating the role of this protein, and have just published an article in the prestigious journal Cell Reports where they reveal the mechanism whereby Nanog acts. The scientists have discovered that Nanog involves other agents and they have been able to detail their dynamics. In particular, by studying another protein that is also involved in cell reprogramming (beta-catenin) they have been able to improve the knowledge of Nanog's functioning.

Cell renewal is a natural process that takes place constantly in our body. For this to happen, we have stem cells that are responsible for generating new cells to replenish and renew those that die. Stem cells give rise to undifferentiated pluripotent cells which have the ability to become any cell type. These pluripotent cells follow a differentiation path towards specialisation, which can produce any cell type from neurones to skin.

The scientists want to understand the mechanisms that allow stem cells to either differentiate or remain pluripotent. There are also many studies that seek to reverse this process, to enable already differentiated cells to be reprogrammed and become pluripotent. Knowing all the players in these processes is of vital importance for understanding how stem cells work and allowing progress in regenerative medicine.

"We knew that Nanog was somehow involved in keeping stem cells pluripotent; now we know which mechanism it uses and we understand better how it works", explains Luca Marucci, one of the authors of the work from the cell reprogramming and regeneration laboratory at the CRG, led by researcher Pia Cosma. "Studying this process has allowed us to discover not only Nanog's key role in reprogramming, but also the dynamics of another protein, known as beta-catenin. We now know that beta-catenin, just like Nanog, continuously fluctuates in the cell and does not only appear when reprogramming is activated", adds Elisa Pedone, co-author of the work from the same laboratory.

In order to understand and define parameters for the activity of both proteins, the researchers have developed a mathematical model that could explain this dynamic. The model could be useful for understanding the behaviour of these proteins in the cell both over time and in different situations.

We are talking about a basic discovery on the functioning and dynamics of stem cell reprogramming. An ever-more studied process that holds great hope for the medicine of the future. The laboratory at the Centre for Genomic Regulation led by the ICREA research professor, Pia Cosma, is making a definitive contribution to this knowledge. Her group looks at basic mechanisms that orchestrate cell differentiation and reprogramming, right up to concrete reprogramming methods for repairing damage in certain tissues.

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New protagonist in cell reprogramming discovered

Boston, MA (PRWEB) August 29, 2014

A major challenge before new biotechnology start-up companies, especially ones in the biotech start-up dense realm of Boston-Cambridge, is gaining visibility that can lead to important strategic alliances and able investors. James Sherley, the Director of Bostons Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC (ASCTC), has made increasing the local and national visibility of his company an important priority since he started the company in September 2013.

In addition to a social media marketing campaign launched earlier in July of this year, Director Sherley has targeted research and development conferences both nationally and internationally to increase industry awareness of ASCTCs unique portfolio of intellectual property available for licensing and its current commercial development targets. The company is focused on producing two products to address two important needs in drug development and regenerative medicine, respectively, that it is uniquely positioned to address.

ASCTCs most advanced product is an assay that can detect, very early in the drug development pipeline, drug candidates that will ultimately fail because of their toxicity to tissue stem cells. ASCTC developed the new technology in partnership with AlphaSTAR, Corporation, located in Long Beach, California. Currently, such lurking drugs are not detected until after expensive animal testing, more expensive clinical trials, or worse, after marketing. Director Sherley refers to the second product as, A future of pounds and pounds of normal adult tissue stem cells. The company holds a patented technology for mass production of human tissue stem cells. The initial production target is human liver stem cells that can be used to make mature human liver cells for use in drug development and to support liver transplant patients. The company also holds patents for production of pancreatic stem cells and hair follicle stem cells.

The sponsor the 2014 Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Conference, in Boston, September 15-16, Terrapinn, Inc., invited ASCTC to attend as a VIP guest. Although ASCTC will not make a formal presentation at this conference, Director Sherley will participate in a roundtable discussion on the topic, Articulating value for up-and-coming regenerative medicine, stem cell and cell-based therapies.

Later in September (22-24), Director Sherley will present one of the selected Next Generation Presentations for new companies at BioPharm America 2014, also taking place in Boston. In addition to the public presentation, ASCTC will also participate in confidential partnering meetings with potential investors and strategic alliance partners arranged by conference organizers.

In October, Director Sherley will present to a primarily academic research audience a more detailed accounting of ASCTCs computer simulation technology for quantifying tissue stem cells in culture. This technology is the basis for the companys new assay for tissue stem cell toxicity. Director Sherley is particularly interested in the response from several experts in tissue stem cell growth dynamics who are invited speakers. The symposium, which will take place at Rhode Island Hospital, a medical affiliate of Brown University in Providence, has the goal of presenting emerging disruptive research in the area of Novel Stem Cells and Vesicles. Director Sherley is a member of the symposium organizing committee. ************************************************************************************************************* The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC (ASCTC) is a Massachusetts life sciences company established in September 2013. ASCTC Director and founder, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is the foremost authority on the unique properties of adult stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing iPSCs. Currently, ASCTC is employing its technological advantages to pursue commercialization of mass-produced therapeutic human liver cells and facile assays that are early warning systems for drug candidates with catastrophic toxicity due to adverse effects against adult tissue stem cells.

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The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC Participates in Multiple Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Conferences ...

New York, California (PRWEB) August 28, 2014

The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group announces a series of free public seminars on the use of adult stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief, and, Dr. Nia M. Smyrniotis, Medical Director.

The seminars will be held on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, at 2pm and 4pm at the City Limits Diner, at 135 Harvard Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902. Please RSVP at (917) 410-7391.

The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group is an affiliate of the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, which abide by investigational protocols using adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) which can be deployed to improve patients quality of life for a number of degenerative and chronic inflammatory conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (found within a cellular mixture called stromal vascular fraction (SVF). ADSCs are exceptionally abundant in adipose tissue. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly adult autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.

ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys injured cells. The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center only use Adult Autologous Stem Cells from a person's own fat No embryonic stem cells are used. Current areas of study include: Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, Heart Failure, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohns Disease, and degenerative orthopedic joint conditions. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the adult stem cell protocols offered by the Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group or Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Gionis or Dr. Nia directly at (917) 410-7391, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com or http://www.NYStemCellsUSA.com.

About Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center: The Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN); they are located in Manhattan, NY; Miami, Boca Raton, and Orlando, Florida. We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group and the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Health, Office of Human Research Protection; and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information visit our website: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com or http://www.NYStemCellsUSA.com.

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Adult Stem Cell Public Lecture New York Manhattan Regenerative Medicine Medical Group

Released: 28-Aug-2014 12:20 PM EDT Source Newsroom: Mayo Clinic Contact Information

Available for logged-in reporters only

Newswise ROCHESTER, Minn. A Mayo Clinic researcher and his collaborators have developed an online analytic tool that will speed up and enhance the process of re-engineering cells for biomedical investigation. CellNet is a free-use Internet platform that uses network biology methods to aid stem cell engineering. Details of CellNet and its application to stem cell engineering are described in two back-to-back papers in the journal Cell.

This free platform has a broad range of uses for all types of cell-based investigations and can potentially offer help to people working on all types of cancer, says Hu Li, Ph.D., investigator in the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine and Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, and co-lead investigator in the two works. CellNet will indicate how closely an engineered cell resembles the real counterpart and even suggests ways to adjust the engineering.

The network biology platform contains data on a wide range of cells and details on what is known about those cell types. Researchers say the platform can be applied to almost any study and allows users to refine the engineering process. In the long term, it should provide a reliable short cut to the early phases of drug development, individualized cancer therapies, and pharmacogenetics.

CellNet uses 21 cell types and tissues and data from 56 published human and mouse engineering studies as a basis for analyzing and predicting cell fate and corresponding engineering strategies. The platform also offers classification scores to determine differentiation and conversion of induced pluripotent stem cells. It reveals incomplete conversion of engineered microphages and hepatocytes. CellNet can be used for interrogation of cell fate following expression profiling, by classifying input by cell type, quantifying gene regulatory network status, and identifying aberrant regulators affecting the engineering process. All this is valuable in predicting success of engraftment of cancer tumors in mouse avatars for cancer and drug development research. CellNet can be accessed at cellnet.hms.harvard.edu.

Co-lead authors with Dr. Li are Patrick Cahan, Ph.D., and Samantha Morris, Ph.D., of Boston Children's Hospital. The senior investigators are George Q. Daley, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Children's and senior investigator on both studies and James Collins, Ph.D., Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute and the William F. Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University, co-senior investigator on one of the studies.

Investigators are supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, specifically, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the Children's Hospital Stem Cell Program; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation; the Ellison Medical Foundation; the Doris Duke Medical Foundation; the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine and the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine.

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About Mayo ClinicMayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to medical research and education, and providing expert, whole-person care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/.

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New Tool Aids Stem Cell Engineering for Medical Research

A cure for a range of blood disorders and immune diseases is in sight, according to scientists who have unravelled the mystery of stem cell generation.

The Australian study, led by researchers at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, is published today in Nature. It identifies for the first time mechanisms in the body that trigger hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) production.

Found in the bone marrow and in umbilical cord blood, HSCs are critically important because they can replenish the body's supply of blood cells. Leukemia patients have been successfully treated using HSC transplants, but medical experts believe blood stem cells have the potential to be used more widely.

Lead researcher Professor Peter Currie, from ARMI explained that understanding how HSCs self-renew to replenish blood cells is a "Holy Grail" of stem cell biology.

"HSCs are one of the best therapeutic tools at our disposal because they can make any blood cell in the body. Potentially we could use these cells in many more ways than current transplantation strategies to treat serious blood disorders and diseases, but only if we can figure out how they are generated in the first place. Our study brings this possibility a step closer," he said.

A key stumbling block to using HSCs more widely has been an inability to produce them in the laboratory setting. The reason for this, suggested from previous research, is that a molecular 'switch' may also be necessary for HSC formation, though the mechanism responsible has remained a mystery, until now.

In this latest study, ARMI researchers observed cells in the developing zebra fish -- a tropical freshwater fish known for its regenerative abilities and optically clear embryos -- to gather new information on the signalling process responsible for HSC generation.

Using high-resolution microscopy researchers made a film of how these stem cells form inside the embryo, which captured the process of their formation in dramatic detail.

Professor Currie said when playing back these films they noticed that HSCs require a "buddy" cell type to help them form. These "buddies," known as endotome cells, have stem cell inducing properties,

"Endotome cells act like a comfy sofa for pre HSCs to snuggle into, helping them progress to become fully fledged stem cells. Not only did we identify some of the cells and signals required for HSC formation, we also pinpointed the genes required for endotome formation in the first place," Professor Currie said.

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Cell discovery brings blood disorder cure closer