StemCell Therapy

Dublin, Dec. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Asia-Pacific 3D Cell Culture Market 2019-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research conducted shows the 3D cell culture market in the Asia-Pacific would be fast progressing in terms of revenue, with a CAGR of 13.11% over the forecasting years 2019-2027.

India, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand, ASEAN countries and Rest of APAC countries together constitute the Asia-Pacific 3D cell culture market.

Several R&D projects are being initiated in South Korea to cater to the rising demand for stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine. In September 2017, the Cell Therapy World Asia 2017 was held in the country. Several cell therapy companies in Asia gathered for the conference to discuss the best practices & innovations in this field. Such factors are promoting the growth of the South Korean 3D cell culture market.

It has been anticipated that the 3D cell culture market in Japan would witness growth, owing to the country releasing new products in the market. Pluristem Therapeutics received a patent for their technology of using 3D cell culturing methods, that allow the creation of cell therapies from fat cells.

The Government of Japan has been focusing increasingly on Cell-based regenerative medicine, which indicates further advances in 3D cell culture technology over the projected period. In 2014, Japan-based Reprocell acquired Reinnervate Ltd., a spin-off of Durham University, agreeing to invest in the researches conducted in the university laboratories for scaffolding structures that support the growth of 3D cells.

COMPETITIVE OUTLOOK

The biggest brands in the 3D cell culture market are Merck KGaA, 3D Biotek, LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Corning Inc., InSphero, Lonza Group AG, and Synthecon, Incorporated.

Key Topics Covered

1. Asia-Pacific 3D Cell Culture Market - Summary

2. Industry Outlook

2.1. Market Definition2.2. Porter'S Five Forces Model2.2.1. Threat Of New Entrants2.2.2. Threat Of Substitute2.2.3. Bargaining Power Of Buyers2.2.4. Bargaining Power Of Suppliers2.2.5. Threat Of Competitive Rivalry2.3. Economic Technological, And Political & Legal Outlook2.4. Regulatory Outlook2.5. Key Insight2.6. Market Attractiveness Index2.7. Market Drivers2.7.1. Growing Cancer Prevalence2.7.2. High Demand For Organ Transplantation2.7.3. Promising Developments Using Regenerative Medicine2.8. Market Restraints2.8.1. Lack Of Skilled Professionals2.8.2. Incompatibilities Of The Preferred Analytical Technologies With 3D Cell Culture2.9. Market Opportunities2.9.1. Increasing Usage Of 3D Cell Culture In Organ Transplantation And Drug Screening2.9.2. Technological Advancement2.10. Market Challenges2.10.1. Lack Of Availability Of Data For Research On 3D Cell Culture2.10.2. Challenges Associated With 3D Cell Culture In Performing Experiments

3. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By Technology

3.1. Scaffold-Based3.1.1. Hydrogels3.1.2. Polymeric Scaffolds3.1.3. Micropatterned Surface Microplates3.2. Scaffold-Free3.2.1. Hanging Drop Microplates3.2.2. Spheroid Microplates Containing Ultra-Low Attachment (Ula) Coating3.2.3. Microfluidic 3D Cell Culture3.2.4. Magnetic Levitations & 3D Bioprinting3.3. 3D Bioreactors

4. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By Application

4.1. Cancer4.2. Tissue Engineering & Immunohistochemistry4.3. Drug Development4.4. Stem Cell Research4.5. Other Applications

5. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By Component

5.1. Media5.2. Reagents And Consumables

6. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By End-User

6.1. Biotechnology And Pharmaceutical Organizations6.2. Research Laboratories And Institutes6.3. Hospitals And Diagnostic Centers6.4. Other End-Users

7. 3D Cell Culture Market - Regional Outlook

7.1. Asia-Pacific7.1.1. Country Analysis7.1.1.1. Japan7.1.1.2. China7.1.1.3. India7.1.1.4. Australia & New Zealand7.1.1.5. South Korea7.1.1.6. Asean Countries7.1.1.7. Rest Of Asia-Pacific

8. Company Profiles

8.1. Becton Dickinson And Company8.2. Tecan Group Ltd.8.3. Promocell Gmbh8.4. Corning Inc.8.5. Nano3D Biosciences, Inc.8.6. 3D Biotek, Llc8.7. Merck Kgaa8.8. Emulate8.9. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.8.10. Ge Healthcare8.11. Insphero8.12. Lonza Group Ag8.13. Vwr Corporation8.14. Synthecon, Incorporated

Story continues

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/reo3ym

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.comLaura Wood, Senior Press Managerpress@researchandmarkets.comFor E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

Excerpt from:
Study of the 3D Cell Culture Market in Asia-Pacific, 2019-2027: Projecting a 13.11% CAGR, Driven by Promising Developments Using Regenerative Medicine...

3D illustration of cells releasing exosomes

Scientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of tiny nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes.

Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice with gliomas, which constitute about 80 percent of malignant brain tumors in humans.

The technique takes advantage of exosomes, fluid-filled sacs that cells release as a way to communicate with other cells.

While exosomes are gaining ground as biologically friendly carriers of therapeutic materials because there are a lot of them and they dont prompt an immune response the trick with gene therapy is finding a way to fit those comparatively large genetic instructions inside their tiny bodies on a scale that will have a therapeutic effect.

This new method relies on patented technology that prompts donated human cells such as adult stem cells to spit out millions of exosomes that, after being collected and purified, function as nanocarriers containing a drug. When they are injected into the bloodstream, they know exactly where in the body to find their target even if its in the brain.

Think of them like Christmas gifts: The gift is inside a wrapped container that is postage paid and ready to go, said senior study author L. James Lee, professor emeritus of chemical and biomolecular engineering at The Ohio State University.

And they are gifts that keep on giving, Lee noted: This is a Mother Nature-induced therapeutic nanoparticle.

The study is published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

In 2017, Lee and colleagues made waves with news of a regenerative medicine discovery called tissue nanotransfection (TNT). The technique uses a nanotechnology-based chip to deliver biological cargo directly into skin, an action that converts adult cells into any cell type of interest for treatment within a patients own body.

By looking further into the mechanism behind TNTs success, scientists in Lees lab discovered that exosomes were the secret to delivering regenerative goods to tissue far below the skins surface.

The technology was adapted in this study into a technique first author Zhaogang Yang, a former Ohio State postdoctoral researcher now at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, termed cellular nanoporation.

The scientists placed about 1 million donated cells (such as mesenchymal cells collected from human fat) on a nano-engineered silicon wafer and used an electrical stimulus to inject synthetic DNA into the donor cells. As a result of this DNA force-feeding, as Lee described it, the cells need to eject unwanted material as part of DNA transcribed messenger RNA and repair holes that have been poked in their membranes.

They kill two birds with one stone: They fix the leakage to the cell membrane and dump the garbage out, Lee said. The garbage bag they throw out is the exosome. Whats expelled from the cell is our drug.

The electrical stimulation had a bonus effect of a thousand-fold increase of therapeutic genes in a large number of exosomes released by the cells, a sign that the technology is scalable to produce enough nanoparticles for use in humans.

Essential to any gene therapy, of course, is knowing what genes need to be delivered to fix a medical problem. For this work, the researchers chose to test the results on glioma brain tumors by delivering a gene called PTEN, a cancer-suppressor gene. Mutations of PTEN that turn off that suppression role can allow cancer cells to grow unchecked.

For Lee, founder of Ohio States Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices, producing the gene is the easy part. The synthetic DNA force-fed to donor cells is copied into a new molecule consisting of messenger RNA, which contains the instructions needed to produce a specific protein. Each exosome bubble containing messenger RNA is transformed into a nanoparticle ready for transport, with no blood-brain barrier to worry about.

The advantage of this is there is no toxicity, nothing to provoke an immune response, said Lee, also a member of Ohio States Comprehensive Cancer Center. Exosomes go almost everywhere in the body, including passing the blood-brain barrier. Most drugs cant go to the brain.

We dont want the exosomes to go to the wrong place. Theyre programmed not only to kill cancer cells, but to know where to go to find the cancer cells. You dont want to kill the good guys.

The testing in mice showed the labeled exosomes were far more likely to travel to the brain tumors and slow their growth compared to substances used as controls.

Because of exosomes safe access to the brain, Lee said, this drug-delivery system has promise for future applications in neurological diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

Hopefully, one day this can be used for medical needs, Lee said. Weve provided the method. If somebody knows what kind of gene combination can cure a certain disease but they need a therapy, here it is.

Follow this link:
A New Gene Therapy Strategy, Courtesy of Mother Nature - Global Health News Wire

Hong Kong-based Food Tech accelerator Brinc just announced their latest cohort and there are some inspiring startups working to solve some of the worlds more pressing issues including malnutrition, the rise of diabetes and the environmental footprint of livestock farming. From food safety to cleaner protein to increased nutrient density, we round up the five most impressive and sustainably-minded companies in the Fall 2019 batch.

Founding date: 2018

Founding Team: Carrie Chan & Mario Chin

Headquarters: Hong Kong

Sustainable Food Mission: Avant Meats is a food tech startup cultivating fish and seafood products using cellular technology and tissue engineering of a small sample of swim bladder and fish cells under lab conditions. Demand for seafood delicacies in traditional Chinese cuisine has seriously threatened some fish species and marine ecosystems, and the industry is mired with traceability issues. Set to debut their first fish maw product in 2023, the company hopes to tackle both issues to help Asian seafood eaters consume sustainably with knowledge of how their seafood has been produced.

Founding date: 2016

Founding Team: Prakash Ramadass, Monisha Reddy, Swaminathan Detchanamurthy, Suganya Baskaran

Headquarters: India

Sustainable Food Mission: Seagrass Tech has developed a cultivation and harvesting technology platform that uses seawater and non-arable tsunami affected land to grow marine microalgae, which can be used as a natural colourant in F&B, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products while capturing carbon dioxide.

Founding date: 2019

Founding Team: Sofia Giampaoli

Headquarters: Argentina

Sustainable Food Mission: Cell Farm is the first cultured meat startup in Latin America, and are developing a cow stem cell bank to provide high-quality, efficient and certified starter materials for the cultured beef industry. They are currently standardising their biotech process to produce meat from animal stem cells by performing a non-invasive microbiopsy from different cow species, and then differentiating those cells into muscle and fat tissue that mimics the taste and texture of different types of beef products.

Founding Date: 2019

Founding Team: Luciano Bueno

Headquarters: United States

Sustainable Mission: The only non food startup in our roundup, Galy is producing cotton in the lab from cells, rather than from plants. With their biomaterial technology, Galys cotton is not only grown 10 times faster and of a higher quality than conventionally produced cotton, but also requires 78% less water, 81% less land and generates 80% fewer gas emissions. Currently, Galy is selling their cellular cotton yarns to brands and the textile industry.

Founding date: 2016

FouFounding Team: Kushal Aradhya

Headquarters: India

Sustainable Food Mission: Naka Foods has developed a vegetarian microalgae-based convenient cereal bar, the 4PM Bar, which is made with oats, cashews and spirulina and enriched with probiotics. They are looking to create more nutrient-dense food items with microalgae technology, including a plant-based chicken product that is currently under the R&D process.

Lead image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Read more:
5 Inspiring Startups Looking To Change The World From Cell-Based Cotton To Micro-Algae Chicken - Green Queen Media

University of Houston associate professor of pharmacology Bradley McConnell is helping usher in a new age of cardiac pacemakers by using stem cells found in fat, converting them to heart cells, and reprogramming those to act as biologic pacemaker cells. He is reporting his work in theJournal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology.

The new biologic pacemaker-like cell will be useful as an alternative treatment for conduction system disorders, cardiac repair after a heart attack and to bridge the limitations of the electronic pacemaker.

"We are reprogramming the cardiac progenitor cell and guiding it to become a conducting cell of the heart to conduct electrical current," said McConnell.

McConnell's collaborator, Robert J. Schwartz, Hugh Roy and Lillian Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of biology and biochemistry, previously reported work on turning the adipogenic mesenchymal stem cells, that reside in fat cells, into cardiac progenitor cells. Now those same cardiac progenitor cells are being programmed to keep hearts beating as a sinoatrial node (SAN), part of the electrical cardiac conduction system (CCS).

The SAN is the primary pacemaker of the heart, responsible for generating the electric impulse or beat. Native cardiac pacemaker cells are confined within the SAN, a small structure comprised of just a few thousand specialized pacemaker cells. Failure of the SAN or a block at any point in the CCS results in arrhythmias.

More than 600,000 electronic pacemakers are implanted in patients annually to help control abnormal heart rhythms. The small mechanical device is placed in the chest or abdomen and uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat normally. In addition to having the device regularly examined by a physician, over time an electronic pacemaker can stop working properly.

"Batteries will die. Just look at your smartphone," said McConnell. "This biologic pacemaker is better able to adapt to the body and would not have to be maintained by a physician. It is not a foreign object. It would be able to grow with the body and become much more responsive to what the body is doing."

To convert the cardiac progenitor cells, McConnell infused the cells with a unique cocktail of three transcription factors and a plasma membrane channel protein to reprogram the heart cells in vitro.

"In our study, we observed that the SHOX2, HCN2, and TBX5 (SHT5) cocktail of transcription factors and channel protein reprogrammed the cells into pacemaker-like cells. The combination will facilitate the development of cell-based therapies for various cardiac conduction diseases," he reported.

Reference: Raghunathan et al. (2019).Conversion of human cardiac progenitor cells into cardiac pacemaker-like cells. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjmcc.2019.09.015.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

Go here to read the rest:
Scientists Take Stem Cells and Convert Them to Heart Pacemaker Cells - Technology Networks

MELVILLE, N.Y., Dec. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (BioRestorative or the Company) (OTC: BRTX), a life sciences company focused on stem cell-based therapies, announced today feature coverage in the news outlet, IEEE Pulse, a magazine of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. According to IEEE, it is the worlds largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology.

To view the IEEE Pulse Magazines article featuring BioRestorative, click here.

The published cover-story article features commentary from Francisco Silva, Chief Scientist and Vice President of Research and Development for BioRestorative, regarding BRTX-100, the Companys lead therapeutic candidate for chronic lumbar disc disease. Once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes the sale of BRTX-100, we would ship it to your doctor, and with a 30-minute procedure the material would be injected into your disc in a 1.5 ml solution, explains Silva. He elaborates on the product, discussing growing and expanding stem cells from the patients bone marrow under hypoxic conditions that mimic those in the normal intervertebral space. We are enriching the cells to be able to survive in this harsh environment, says Silva.

In addition to BRTX-100, the magazine article also highlights BioRestoratives other research pursuit, its ThermoStem program, utilizing brown adipose (fat) derived stem cells to target treatment of metabolic diseases and disorders, like diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.

BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (www.biorestorative.com) develops therapeutic products using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells. Our two core programs, as described below, relate to the treatment of disc/spine disease and metabolic disorders:

Disc/Spine Program (brtxDISC): Our lead cell therapy candidate, BRTX-100, is a product formulated from autologous (or a persons own) cultured mesenchymal stem cells collected from the patients bone marrow. We intend that the product will be used for the non-surgical treatment of painful lumbosacral disc disorders. The BRTX-100 production process utilizes proprietary technology and involves collecting a patients bone marrow, isolating and culturing stem cells from the bone marrow and cryopreserving the cells. In an outpatient procedure, BRTX-100 is to be injected by a physician into the patients damaged disc. The treatment is intended for patients whose pain has not been alleviated by non-invasive procedures and who potentially face the prospect of surgery. We have received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial using BRTX-100 to treat persistent lower back pain due to painful degenerative discs.

Metabolic Program (ThermoStem): We are developing a cell-based therapy to target obesity and metabolic disorders using brown adipose (fat) derived stem cells to generate brown adipose tissue (BAT). BAT is intended to mimic naturally occurring brown adipose depots that regulate metabolic homeostasis in humans. Initial preclinical research indicates that increased amounts of brown fat in the body may be responsible for additional caloric burning as well as reduced glucose and lipid levels. Researchers have found that people with higher levels of brown fat may have a reduced risk for obesity and diabetes.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including, without limitation, whether the Company will be able to consummate the private placement and the satisfaction of closing conditions related to the private placement and those set forth in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

CONTACT:Email: ir@biorestorative.com

Read this article:
BioRestorative Therapies Featured in IEEE Pulse Magazine's Cover Story About Stem Cell Therapies for Low Back Pain - GlobeNewswire

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

The 2010s will go down in history as a decade of many newsworthy health-related stories, many of which were not good news -- Ebola, measles, antibiotic resistance. But in the years since 2010 there were also many promising discoveries in medicine, life-saving drugs approved, and great strides taken addressing national health crises. Some of these stories will have lasting effects for generations to come.

24/7 Tempo reviewed multiple news archives and dozens of articles published since 2010 to select 15 of the most positive health news stories that made headlines.

Some of the most talked about stories over the last few years have influenced health guidelines, treatment of serious disease, and even government policy.

Reports of significant research developments in the treatment and prevention of chronic and other conditions gave hope to millions of Americans. Some of the good news broke as recently as just a few months ago these are the 15 biggest health topics of 2019.

Click here for 15 of the best health news over the last decade.

CT scans in high risk patients can reduce overall lung cancer mortality

Year: 2011

Category: Diseases

The tremendous effort by researchers and health institutions to develop a cure for cancer over the decades since the legislation for the War on Cancer was enacted in 1971 will likely continue. Any good news on developments are worth noting. The 2011 National Lung Screening Trial showed a reduction in lung cancer mortality of 20% in high risk patients receiving low-dose CT (LDCT) compared to chest X-ray. The CDC recommends that people at high risk of developing lung cancer -- heavy smokers, people who have smoked as recently as 15 years, and people who are 55 years or older -- undergo annual LDCT scans because of potential risks.

In 2016, there were 218,229 new cases of lung cancer, and 148,869 people died from the disease in the United States, according to the CDC. The American Cancer Society estimates 142,670 deaths from lung cancer in 2019. A major reason for the disease's high mortality rate is that the tumor does not typically cause symptoms until it spreads, making early screening especially crucial to improving survival rates.

Blame SUVs: These 9 cars will be killed in 2020

Pass the ketchup, hold the beef: Americans crave Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat in 2020

Melanoma drug approved

Year: 2011

Category: Treatment

After more than a decade of no new potential drugs for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, the FDA approved vemurafenib, sold under the brand name Zelboraf, in 2011 for patients with metastatic melanoma with the BRAF(V600E) mutation or for those who have tumors that cannot be surgically removed.

Zelboraf was seen as a major development because it can improve melanoma patients' quality of life -- the drug is a simple pill taken twice a day -- and it may extend survival rate. In a trial, the length of time melanoma patients who received Zelboraf lived without the cancer getting worse was almost double the length of patients who did not take the drug.

Since 2011 several drugs have been approved to treat melanoma, and survival rates of this deadly cancer have improved.

Gene editing is now possible

Year: 2012

Category: Technology

Gene editing is the process of changing an organisms DNA. After decades of research around the world, scientists made a major breakthrough with the discovery of clustered repeats of DNA sequences, known as CRISPR.

First described in 2012, CRISPR, or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is the basis for potentially world-changing gene editing technology, or, as some might say, DNA hacking. It may be used to develop treatments for a range of diseases, including cancer and genetic disorders. In 2015, CRISPR was successfully used for the first time to save a life. Two baby girls, 11-month and a 16-month-old, received gene editing treatment to help them fight leukemia.

While the gene-altering tool is bringing revolutionary change to health fields, it has also raised serious ethical concerns. Misuses and inadvertently harmful uses of CRISPR include those for creating designer babies, and causing environmental ripple effects by eliminating disease-spreading insects.

FDA says trans fat should not be considered 'safe'

Year: 2013

Category: Eating

Trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, have been widely used for years, most notably in fast foods. Trans fats can raise the levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, lower the levels of good-for-you HDL cholesterol, and increase the risk of heart disease, the No. 1 killer in the United States. And now they are on their way out.

In 2013, the FDA officially announced trans fats should not be considered safe in human food. In 2015, the agency gave food manufacturers three years to phase out the use of trans fats in their products. The deadline was June 18, 2018, although the FDA granted a one-year extension in the use of artificial trans fats in some cases. The ban will be fully implemented in Jan. 1, 2020.

HIV prevention pill

Year: 2014

Category: Diseases

About 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with HIV every year, according to the CDC. Despite advancements in treatment and years of research into the infection, HIV does not have a cure. In 2014, the CDC issued new guidelines that recommend a pill to people at high risk of HIV as a prevention method. High risk people include gay or bisexual men, injection drug users, and women with an HIV+ partner.

The agency said that the pill, sold under the brand name Truvada, may lower the risk by as much as 90% when taken consistently. Truvada has been used to treat HIV since 2012 when the FDA approved the drug. Truvada contains tenofovir and emtricitabine, which when used in combination with other antiviral medication may keep the HIV virus from establishing a permanent infection.

A new way to treat cavities

Year: 2015

Category: Treatment

In 2015, the FDA approved a painless new way to treat tooth decay called silver diamine fluoride (SDF). It's a liquid that is applied directly to cavities to stop the decay. The FDA gave it a "breakthrough therapy designation" two years later.

As a non-invasive and fairly cheap method (it costs about $20-$25 per tooth), SDF treatment, which must be prescribed by a dentist, can save people a lot of money. About 91% of American adults have dental decay, and about 27% have untreated tooth decay, according to the CDC. Tooth decay is common among kids as well -- it's the most common chronic disease in children between 6 and 11 years of age.

3D printing of human organs

Year: 2015

Category: Technology

3D printing technology has improved considerably over the past few years. (Today, low-budget 3D printers are available for anyone who can spare $100.) The technology has advanced so much that producing fully functional replacement organs from a person's own cells seems like a not-so-distant possibility. Scientists at Harvard's Wyss Institute have grown a heart tissue that beats just like a normal human heart.

Production for treatment is still years away, however. The technique, called sacrificial writing into functional tissue (SWIFT), has not even been tested on mice yet. But if it works, it can be used to print other organs, too, potentially saving the lives of thousands of people who are waiting for an organ transplant.

Immunotherapy and cancer

Year: 2016

Category: Treatment

Cancer immunotherapy was named the 2016 Advance of the Year by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The therapy is designed to support and boost the immune systems response to cancer cells, rather than targeting the cancer itself. One of the most successful immunotherapies so far is the checkpoint inhibition. It makes the immune response stronger by keeping immune cells activated, which does not normally happen when a person has cancer.

It may take decades until immunotherapy could replace the current standards in cancer treatment of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, but currently hundreds of immunotherapy drugs are being tested in clinical trials on people.

Some benefits of immunotherapy include fewer side effects than radiation or chemotherapy, lower risk of relapse, and making other cancer treatments more effective.

Opioid crisis recognized as national public health emergency

Year: 2017

Category: Public health

Every day over 130 people in the United States die from opioid overdose, including pain medication, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to the National Institutes of Health. In 2017, President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency, giving hope that the federal government's involvement could help fight the worst drug crisis in U.S. history.

The official designation removed certain administrative requirements for accessing federal funds to fight the epidemic, including the use of taxpayers' money to make addiction treatments and naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, drug, more accessible.

The Department of Health and Human Services has renewed the opioid crisis' status as a national emergency several times since 2017. Money has been used to speed up a survey on whether and how often doctors prescribe opioids and help launch anti-addiction programs quicker, according to the a 2018 report by the Government Accountability Office.

Early-stage Alzheimer's treatment

Year: 2019

Category: Diseases

Currently, there is no treatment for Alzheimer's disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Pharmaceutical companies and universities have tried to tackle different aspects of the neurodegenerative disorder, but to no avail. Until just a few months ago.

Biogen, a biotechnology company, announced in October 2019 it would ask the FDA to approve its Aducanumab drug as first treatment for early Alzheimer's disease. The company said that patients in the early stages of the disease who were treated with a high dose of the drug experienced significant improvements in memory, orientation, and language. If Aducanumab is approved, it will be one of a handful of drugs approved to treat the disease.

Smoking rates at all-time low

Year: 2018

Category: Habits

The short and long-term health problems smoking causes have been well-documented for decades. Today cigarette smoking among U.S. adults is at an all-time low -- 13.7% in 2018, according to the CDC.

While smoking regular cigarettes is down, smoking e-cigarettes is on the rise. About 37% of 12th graders reported vaping in 2018, compared with 28% in 2017. A recent Gallup survey found that 20% of 18- to 29-year-olds vape regularly, more than twice the national average for all age groups.

There has been a recent outbreak of lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarettes. At least 47 deaths and 2,290 lung injuries have been confirmed by the CDC as a result of vaping as of Nov. 20, 2019. The agency has identified vitamin E acetate, an additive in some THC-containing e-cigarettes, as the likely cause for the lung injuries.

Cystic fibrosis treatment approved by FDA

Year: 2019

Category: Treatment

About 30,000 Americans live with cystic fibrosis, a fairly common genetic disease that affects the lungs and other organs, limiting one's ability to breathe as the disease progresses. About 1,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.

The FDA approved in 2019 what it called a "new breakthrough" therapy to treat the condition. The medication, sold under the name Trikafta, is available to patients who are 12 years or older and have the F508del mutation, the most common cystic fibrosis mutation. It is found in 90% of the people living with the disease. The treatment can increase the life expectancy of patients, which is now around 44 years.

Second HIV patient goes into remission

Year: 2019

Category: Diseases

A second person since HIV was identified in the 1980s has been said to be in sustained remission. The patient, who was treated in London, has not been given antiretroviral therapy for 18 months, and the virus has remained undetectable. The good news comes more than a decade after the Berlin patient, known as the first person to have been cured from the infection. Both patients received a stem cell transplant.

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is one of the most serious global health challenges. Almost 38 million people live with HIV worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Just over 60% are receiving treatment.

Blood test detects breast cancer 5 years early

Year: 2019

Category: Diagnoses

Even though deaths from breast cancer have declined, the disease remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States, according to the CDC. More than 40,000 women die from it a year.

Improved rates of early detection have helped drive up survival rates. A recent British study offers hope that the condition could now be detected five years before there are any clinical signs of it. The new method is a blood test that identifies the body's immune response to antigens produced by tumor cells. The test may be available in clinics in about five years.

Finding a cure for arthritis

Year: 2019

Category: Treatment

2019 has been an exciting year in the field of health technology and scientific research. In addition to such technological developments as organ printing and gene editing, recent research has shown promise for a cure for arthritis. Millions of people suffering from joint inflammation -- from osteoarthritis, for example, which is the most common form of arthritis -- may be helped.

A recent study published in the Science Advances journal has found that "cartilage in human joints can repair itself [...] to regenerate limbs." The body was previously believed to be unable to do so. People have a molecule that helps with joint tissue repair, and that molecule is more active in ankles and less active in knees and hips. The findings can help develop treatments that may prevent, slow, or even reverse arthritis.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/12/18/the-best-health-news-over-the-last-decade/40796061/

Read the rest here:
This was the best health news over the last decade - USA TODAY

A new study released today in STEM CELLS outlines how fat grafting - which previous studies have shown can reduce and even reverse fibrosis (scar tissue) buildup - also improves the range of motion of the affected limb. The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, was conducted on mice.

DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --A new study released today in STEM CELLS outlines how fat grafting which previous studies have shown can reduce and even reverse fibrosis (scar tissue) buildup also improves the range of motion of the affected limb. The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, was conducted on mice.

The tumor-destroying capabilities of radiation therapy can be a life saver for a person suffering from cancer. But it's a therapy that has several unwanted side effects, too, including causing substantial damage not just to cancerous cells, but any healthy tissue in its path. Over time, fibrosis builds up in the treated area which, in the case of an arm, shoulder, or leg, for example, can lead to painful contractures that significantly limit extensibility and negatively impact the person's quality of life.

The Stanford team irradiated the right hind legs of subject mice, which resulted in chronic fibrosis and limb contracture. Four weeks later, the irradiated limbs of one group of the mice were injected with fat enriched with stromal vascular cells (SVCs). These potent cells already naturally exist in fat, but supplementation of fat with additional SVCs enhances its regenerative capabilities. A second group was injected with fat only, a third group with saline and a fourth group received no injections, for comparison. The animals' ability to extend their limb was then measured at baseline and every two weeks for a 12-week period. At the end of the 12 weeks, the hind limb skin underwent histological analysis and biomechanical strength testing.

"Each animal showed significant reduction in its limb extension ability due to the radiation, but this was progressively rescued by fat grafting," reported corresponding author Derrick C. Wan, M.D., FACS. Fat grafting also reduced skin stiffness and reversed the radiation-induced histological changes in the skin.

"The greatest benefits were found in mice injected with fat enriched with SVCs," Dr. Wan added. "SVCs are easily obtained through liposuction and can be coaxed into different tissue types, where they can support neovascularization, replace cells and repair injured issue.

"Our study showed the ability of fat to improve mobility as well as vascularity and appearance," he continued. "We think this holds enormous clinical potential especially given that adipose tissue is abundant and can be easily collected from the patients themselves and underscores an attractive approach to address challenging soft tissue fibrosis in patients following radiation therapy."

Furthermore, said co-author and world-renowned breast reconstructive expert Arash Momeni, M.D., FACS, "Our observations are potentially translatable to a variety of challenging clinical scenarios. Being able to reverse radiation-induced effects holds promise to substantially improve clinical outcomes in implant-based as well as autologous breast reconstruction. The study findings are indeed encouraging as they could offer patients novel treatment modalities for debility clinical conditions.

"Excessive scarring is a challenging problem that is associated with a variety of clinical conditions, such as burn injuries, tendon lacerations, etc. The potential to improve outcomes based on treatment modalities derived from our research is indeed exciting," Dr. Momeni added.

"Skin and soft tissue scarring and fibrosis are well-established problems after radiation. The current study, showing that human fat grafting can normalize the collagen networks and improve tissue elasticity in immune deficient mice, provides molecular evidence for how fat grafting functions," said Dr. Jan Nolta, Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS. "The studies indicate that, with the appropriate regulatory approvals, autologous fat grafting could potentially also help human patients recover from radiation-induced tissue fibrosis."

The full article, "Fat grafting rescues radiation-induced joint contracture," can be accessed at https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/stem.3115.

Story continues

About the Journal: STEM CELLS, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. STEM CELLS is co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley.

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes three internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines. STEM CELLS (http://www.StemCells.com) is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. THE ONCOLOGIST (http://www.TheOncologist.com) is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE (http://www.StemCellsTM.com) is dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices.

About Wiley: Wiley, a global company, helps people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our online scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, combined with our digital learning, assessment and certification solutions, help universities, learned societies, businesses, governments and individuals increase the academic and professional impact of their work. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.

SOURCE STEM CELLS

See original here:
Fat grafting improves range of motion in limbs damaged by radiation therapy - Yahoo Finance

(Thomas Peter/Reuters)

A special Morning Jolt today, as I try to run through a long but by no means complete list of good news from the past year that was astoundingly under-reported and discussed, particularly when compared to presidential tweets, discussions of which pop culture offerings werent woke enough, glowing profiles of the eighth or ninth-most popular Democratic presidential candidate, and so on . . .

Weve Made Some Breathtaking Advances

You will be stunned when you realize how many dramatic breakthroughs have been made against some of the most common and deadly diseases and ailments out there.

One: A new blood test could detect breast cancer five years before other clinical signs manifest. This could be available to patients in four to five years. Separately, a new treatment for early-stage breast cancer could wipe out a growth in just one treatment.

Two: Anewthree-drug combination therapy could provide significant help to up to 90 percent of those suffering from cystic fibrosis.

Three: We could soon see a pill that can prevent heart attacks in high-risk patients: Drugmaker Amarin shocked the world last year when along-running clinical trial showed that itsmedicine derivedfrompurified fish oil, Vascepa, substantially reduced the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks in high-risk patients . . . In November,a panel of experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration reviewed Amarinsdata. They voted16 to 0that Vascepa was safe and cuts cardiovascular events.

Four: Israeli researchers think theyve discovered that a molecule designed to help stroke victims may be a new way to wipe out pancreatic cancer, which is one of the toughest cancers to treat.

Five: The Mayo Clinic injected stem cells derived from fat cells into a paralyzed patients spine and the patient is now walking again. This treatment may not work as well for every patient, but it provides new hope for everyone facing paralysis.

You can get stem cells from fat cells? Good heavens, I think Ive found my calling.

Six: A new vaccine could eliminate allergies to cats.

Seven: Earlier this year, UC San Francisco researchers managed to transform human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Eight: In July, researchers successfully eliminated HIV from the DNA ofinfected mice for the first time,bringing themone step closer to curing the virus in humans.

Nine: Two new treatments for the deadly Ebola virus saved roughly 90 percent of the patients who were newly infected.

Ten: Gene therapy developed atSt. JudeChildrens Research Hospital has cured infants born with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, more commonly known as bubble boy disease. The children are producing functional immune cells, including T cells, B cells and natural killer (NK) cells, for the first time.

Keep headlines like the ones above in mind the next time you hear some politician denouncing those greedy pharmaceutical companies.

Turning our attention to the American economy, youve heard about the low unemployment rate. What you may not have heard is that the workforce participation rate for those between 25 and 54 years old is up to 80.1 percent the highest since early 2007.

If thats eleven, then twelve would be the U.S. Census Bureaus latest report on income and poverty, which came out in October. That report found real median family income up 1.2 percent from 2017 to 2018, real median earnings up 3.4 percent, the number of full-time, year-round workers increased by 2.3 million, and the poverty rate declined from 12.3 percent to 11.8 percent, with 1.4 million people leaving poverty.

Thirteen: Despite predictions that Amazon was going to put bookstores out of business, the number of independent bookstores keeps rising each year the most recent figures are 1,887 independent bookselling companies running 2,524 stores.

Fourteen: The cost of lithium-ion batteries is down about 87 percent over the past decade which makes electric vehicles a more cost-effective option for transporting goods and people.

Fifteen: Theres a lot of ugly trade wars and tariffs going on, but there is progress on some fronts. Japan just approved a deal that will lower or remove tariffs on $7.2 billion in U.S. farm goods, including a gradual reduction of its 38.5 percent duty on American beef to 9 percent. Other U.S. products including pork, wine and cheese will also get greater market access, putting the United States on a level playing field with TPP members such as Australia and Canada. The European Parliament voted last month to approve a plan that grants the U.S. a country-specific share of the European Unions duty-free, high-quality beef quota.

Sixteen: In September, for the first time in 70 years, the United States exported more crudeoil and petroleum products than it imported per day. Back in 2006, we were importing 13 million barrels a day. Around that time, America set out to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Thanks to fracking and innovation, we did it.

Turning our attention to the environment, bald eagles, once on the endangered species list, are now so plentiful that San Bernardino National Forest officials are ending their annual count.

Thats seventeen. Number eighteen would arrive from over in the United Kingdom, a new study of endangered carnivorous mammals finds two of the three rarer carnivores (pine marten and polecat) have staged remarkable recoveries, while the third (wildcat) continues to be threatened by hybridisation. Meanwhile, akin to pine martens and polecats, the formerly rare and restricted otter has recovered much of its former range and is increasing in density.

Nineteen: The world is literally a greener place than it was 20 years ago, and data from NASA satellites has revealed a counterintuitive source for much of this new foliage: China and India. A new study shows that the two emerging countries with the worlds biggest populations are leading the increase in greening on land. The effect stems mainly from ambitious tree planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries.

Twenty: NASA also found that abnormal weather patterns in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica dramatically limited ozone depletion in September and October, resulting in the smallest ozone hole observed since 1982.

Twenty-one: A study unveiled in November estimates that humpbacks in the western South Atlantic region now number 24,900 nearly 93 percent of their population size before they were hunted to the brink of extinction. Good news, crew of the Enterprise, you may not need to use a stolen Klingon ship to find two humpbacks to save the future.

Twenty-two: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spotted and recorded video of a kraken okay, a giant squid that was at least 10 feet long only about 100 miles southeast of New Orleans, shortly before their vessel was struck by lightning. Okay, technically this could be bad news.

Turning our attention overseas, you heard about the raid against al-Baghdadi and the collapse of the Islamic State. You probably didnt hear that the number of ISIS fighters in Afghanistan is now reduced to around 300 fighters in Afghanistan, from an estimated 3,000 earlier this year.

Thats twenty-three; twenty-four would be the impact of terrorism. We wont know 2019s numbers until the year ends, but deaths from terrorism fell for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, after peaking in 2014. The number of deaths has now decreased by 52 percent since 2014, falling from 33,555 to 15,952, says the 2019Global Terrorism Index.

Twenty-five: The number of malaria infections recorded globally has fallen for the first time in several years. In 2018, Cambodia reported zero malaria-related deaths for the first time in the countrys history. India also reported a huge reduction in infections, with 2.6 million fewer cases in 2018 than in 2017.

Twenty-six: Tensions between India and Pakistan got worse overall this year over Kashmir, but India and Pakistanmanaged to cooperate on breaking ground on a new peace corridor that will allow more than 5,000 Sikh pilgrims to travel back and forth across the normally impassable border visa-free for the first time in 72 years.

Twenty-seven: Israeli scientists have genetically engineered an E. Coli bacteria that eat carbon dioxide.

Twenty-eight through thirty-one come from the realm of remarkable discoveries about our past. Archeologists made amazing discoveries in the past year. A 1,300-year-old rook found in the Jordanian desert may be the worlds oldest chess piece. They discovered a new humanoid Nazca line in Peru. Sometime fourth century B.C. and sixth century A.D., in what is today Iran, some civilization built a big beautiful wall running about 71 miles; it appears Mexico didnt pay for that one, either. And in Jerusalem, archeologists found that a grand street running from the Siloam Pool to the Temple Mount was built by some guy named . . . er, Pontius Pilate.

You hear about this stuff a lot less because articles and television segments about these developments dont make you more likely to respond in the comments section, more likely to share on social media, more likely to call into a talk radio program, or more likely to vote for a particular candidate. It doesnt make you believe that the world is full of people who are being unfair to you, that youre a victim, or that other people are responsible for your problems.

ADDENDUM: Whatever your day holds, it probably doesnt include chaperoning an elementary school field trip with fourth graders that includes long bus rides to and from our educational destination. Heres hoping not too many kids barf today.

Read the original post:
The World Is Getting Better. Its Just That No One Tells You About It. - National Review

Meatable, the Dutch startup developing cruelty-free technologies for manufacturing cultured meat, is pivoting to pork production as a swine flu epidemic ravages one quarter of the worlds pork supply and has raised $10 million in financing to support its new direction.

When the company unveiled its technology last year, it was one of several companies working on the production of meat derived from animal cells a method of meat production that theoretically has a far smaller carbon emissions footprint and is better for the environment than traditional animal farming.

At the time, it was one of several companies including Memphis Meats, Future Meat Technologies, Aleph Farms, HigherSteaks and many, many pursuing technologies to bring cultured beef to market. Now, as pork prices rise globally, Meatable becomes one of the first companies to publicly shift gears and turn its attention to the other white meat.

Thats not the only way the company is setting itself apart from its peers in the market. Meatable is also an early claimant to a commercially viable, patented process for manufacturing meat cells without the need to kill an animal as a prerequisite for cell differentiation and growth.

Other companies have relied on fetal bovine serum or Chinese hamster ovaries to stimulate cell division and production, but Meatable says it has developed a process where it can sample tissue from an animal, revert that tissue to a pluripotent stem cell, then culture that cell sample into muscle and fat to produce the pork products that palates around the world crave.

We know which DNA sequence is responsible for moving an early-stage cell to a muscle cell, says Meatable chief executive Krijn De Nood.

To pursue its new path, the company has raised $7 million from a slew of angel and institutional investors and a $3 million grant from the European Commission . Angel investors include Taavet Hinrikus, the chief executive and co-founder of TransferWise, and Albert Wenger, a managing partner at the New York-based venture firm Union Square Ventures.

Meatables De Nood says that the new cash will be used to accelerate the development of its prototype. The small-scale bioreactor the company had initially targeted for development in 2021 will now be ready by 2020 and the company is hoping to have an industry-scale plant online manufacturing thousands of kilograms of meat by 2025, according to De Nood.

Industrial farming is responsible for between 14% and 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions linked to global climate change and Meatable argues that cultured (lab-grown) meat has the potential to use 96% less water and 99% less land than industrial farming. Powering facilities using renewable energy could further reduce emissions associated with meat production, according to Meatable.

Visit link:
Dutch startup Meatable is developing lab-grown pork and has $10 million in new financing to do it - TechCrunch

Jesse and Diane

POWAY, Calif. (PRWEB) December 03, 2019

Bold Brahim aka Jesse, a Spanish Arabian, was 11 years old when he suddenly went non-weightbearing lame on his right front leg. After several weeks of medical management, his condition worsened so his owner, Diane, sought a bone scan and MRI with Dr. Mark Martinelli of California Equine Orthopedics. Results revealed Jesse had a severe injury to his deep digital flexor tendon in his right front hoof capsule. Due to the severity of the injury, Dr. Martinelli recommended treatment with VetStem Cell Therapy and also referred Jesse to Dr. Sylvia Ouellette who specializes in equine lameness diagnosis and treatment.

Diane started an extensive rehabilitation plan laid out by Dr. Ouellette. The initial projection was that Jesses tendon would require a minimum of 15-18 months of diligent rehabilitation if it stood any chance of healing. At the same time, both veterinarians continued to recommend Jesse receive VetStem Cell Therapy to improve his chances of success. After researching the treatment and having a setback in the rehab, Diane agreed to move forward with stem cell therapy.

Dr. Ouellette collected fat from Jesses tailhead in a minimally invasive surgical procedure. The fat was packaged and shipped overnight to the VetStem laboratory in Poway, California. Once received, VetStem laboratory technicians processed the fat to extract Jesses stem and regenerative cells and created an injectable stem cell dose. Jesses stem cell injection was prepared for Dr. Martinelli who received and injected the cells within 48 hours of the initial collection. Jesse received one injection into his injured tendon.

Jesse and Dianes journey was not over yet, however. Jesse continued a rigorous rehabilitation schedule and experienced a few setbacks after which his improving lameness regressed. It was two years after his initial injury when Diane finally received the good news that Jesse was sound.

In a recent update from Diane, she reported that Jesse is now 24 years old and his tendon has remained sound. She stated, Though he has other age-related health issues, the deep flexor tendon has stayed strong and has served him well all of these years.

Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types, reduce pain and inflammation, help to restore range of motion, and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament and joint tissues. In a clinical case series using VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy in horses with tendon and ligament and joint injuries, it was found that VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy helped these horses to return to full work or to the activity level that the owner desired.

About Mark Martinelli, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMRDr. Martinelli received his DVM from Michigan State University. He completed a surgical residency at the University of Illinois and then moved to Scotland where he lectured in equine surgery while completing a PhD in joint disease. He received his Diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1998. Dr. Martinelli owns California Equine Orthopedics where he specializes in the diagnosis and medical or surgical treatment of sports medicine issues of the equine athlete.

About Sylvia Ouellette, DVM, DABVPDr. Ouellette received her DVM from the University of California at Davis in 1995. She currently practices in Oregon at Oakhurst Equine Veterinary Services. In 2005 Dr. Ouellette became board certified as an equine specialist with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She specializes in lameness in the sport horse.

About VetStem Biopharma, Inc.VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian-led Company that was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the profession. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego, California, currently offers veterinarians an autologous stem cell processing service (from patients own fat tissue) among other regenerative modalities. With a unique expertise acquired over the past 15 years and 17,000 treatments by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality. The VetStem team is focused on developing new clinically practical and affordable veterinary solutions that leverage the natural restorative abilities present in all living creatures. In addition to its own portfolio of patents, VetStem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a large portfolio of issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine.

Share article on social media or email:

Continued here:
VetStem Biopharma Shares the Success Story of Jesse Who was Treated with VetStem Cell Therapy - PR Web

ANI | Updated: Dec 02, 2019 12:07 IST

Taipei [Taiwan] Dec 2 (ANI/Digpu): The immunotherapy used by Guang-Li Biomedicine and Taipei Medical University Hospital brings new hope to the terminal patients of solid cancer.The international journals Cell and Science have reported that immune cell therapy is a new generation of anti-cancer weapons. The immuno-cell therapy developed by Guang-Li Biomedicine and Taipei Medical University Hospital uses the human body's immune system to attack tumour cells. This major breakthrough in cancer treatment has prolonged the life of many cancer patients who were previously incurable and even cured them.With cell therapy officially allowed in Taiwan, Guang-Li Biomedicine and Taipei Medical University Hospital are leading Taiwan's many medical institutions and research units in legalizing cancer treatment programs. The Guang-Li Experimental Center took advantage of stem cell storage patents and immune cell preparation technology and successfully submitted application and received approval of CIK immune cell therapy for 12 solid cancers, bringing top medical technology to patients."The clinical trial of the hospital and Guang-Li Biomedicine has been approved. Highly active Cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) can be used on first-to third-stage cancer patients that do not respond to treatment effects, as well as patients in the fourth phase of solid cancer, which is currently a more effective way to prolong life and cure cancer than other therapies", said Lee, Kuan-Der, deputy dean of Taipei Medical University Hospital.The indication of approved projects includes colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, stomach cancer, oesophageal cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma.In the past, cancer treatment, regardless of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, is to remove tumor cells from the outside, but Taiwanese law already allows the use of autologous cells for autoimmune cell therapy, and there are many successful cases for patients with stable cancer. In addition, Taiwan has also opened up autologous chondrocyte transplantation, autologous fat stem cell transplantation, skin repair, wound healing, and articular cartilage regeneration.This story is provided by Digpu. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Digpu)

See more here:
Cell therapy options at Guang-Li Biomedicine and Taipei Medical University Hospital bring hope to cancer patients - ANI News

These days, one quick look at the internet would show you numerous types of diet strategies that all promise weight loss with some additional health loss. And while most of them do work, not a single one of them is gaining traction in the actual health expert world as much as intermittent fasting, which is now being lauded as a really effective way to control the development of chronic illnesses while also helping you lose the pounds you want to shed off.

In fact, research is also showing that when it comes to reducing body mass index (BMI) and improving glycemic control, an intermittent fasting diet can be really beneficial.

Intermittent Fasting

As a diet, intermittent fasting involves cutting calories either in whole or in part while also compressing your eating window time. This can be done every other day, a couple days a week, or even daily. This is because when you go throughout a normal day by eating all your meals in time, your body gets used to using sugar as fuel for energy. This means that the enzymes that both utilize and burn fat thats stored in your body gets regulated. When you follow this diet, however, your body will be pushed to use fat as energy, burning it in the process and helping you lose weight.

As per research, there are also other ways that intermittent fasting can help take your health to the next level. This includes lowering your triglyceride levels, improving the management of your blood sugar, promoting insulin and leptin sensitivity, increasing the production of the human growth hormone, suppressing inflammation and helping reduce the damage done by oxidation, and lowering your overall blood pressure. Additionally, it can also help you reduce the risk of heart disease, improve your immune function, prevent (or reverse) type 2 diabetes, shift stem cells from a dormant state to self-renewal, boost mitochondrial energy efficiency, reproduce cardiovascular benefits you usually obtain from physical exercise, increase longevity, improve cognitive function, protect against neurological diseases, regenerate the pancreas and improve its function, and eliminate sugar cravings since your body adapts to burning fat.

Doctor Carlos Pineiro weighs a woman at the town's health center in Naron, on September 13, 2018. Intermittent fasting can be adopted in different regimens and contribute to weight loss. Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images

Go here to see the original:
Intermittent Fasting: Reasons Why You Should Embrace This Eating Plan - Medical Daily

Agriculture

Published on December 2nd, 2019 | by Chanan Bos

December 2nd, 2019 by Chanan Bos

Image: Screenshot of Multus Media website

As everyone knows, while real meat is extremely tasty and hard to part with for a lot of people, it is also extremely wasteful, requires a lot of water, plants, and the energy to grow an animal. At the same time, this produces a lot of CO2 and methane thanks to processes like respiration and digestion. Also, killing animals for meat presents some ethical dilemmas.

In any case, this article is about Multus Media, a UK-based startup that doesnt make lab-grown meat. Multus Media plans to supply a lot of companies that will grow the meat. Acquiring and programming the stem cells needed for cultivated meat is only one part of the problem, while the other part is finding ways to feed those cells without growing a whole digestive system or whole animal. What we are talking about here is a very important component called the growth medium.

Right now, the cost of serum-free growth medium is approximately $100 per liter and represents about 80% of the total cost of production of clean cultivated meat. In order to make clean meat a competitive alternative to regular meat, the price of the growth medium needs to fall down all the way to just $1 per liter. Multus Media has found a way to reduce the current price by about 80%, but is unwilling to give an exact number because this is based off of preliminary data and it is still finalizing the results, however, if one thing is clear then its that significant progress has been made here.

The way Multus Media achieved this milestone was by genetically altering yeast to produce the complex proteins required for the growth medium which are then extracted using the fermentation process, so from the outside a factory making growth medium will look a lot like a factory producing beer. If any of this sounds familiar to you, that is probably because the Impossible Burger is made in a very similar way. The secret sauce of the Impossible Burger is a plant-based heme that is present in soy but only in minute quantities, so the company modified yeast to produce much more of this heme and then extracts it using the fermentation process. In some ways this has been done for years to make the proteins found in milk and eggs, but in the case of fake meat they make plant-based heme, and in the case of lab-grown meat they make the proteins needed to grow muscle tissue cells without growing a whole animal.

Currently, the company is attempting to lower the costs further, but by 2021 it hopes to start a commercially viable system for the production of a limited number of growth factors that can then be scaled up. Afterward, the company will start developing growth factors for non-mammalian cells like seafood and poultry such as chicken.

The possibilities of this technology are endless, and just to ignite your imagination let me give you an example. In Japan there is a fish delicacy called Fugu made from an extremely poisonous blowfish, and training a chef to prepare the dish safely takes many years of practice because the slightest mistake will kill the customer. Now imagine growing the delicacy without the actual fish, without any of the poison. Or if we have the DNA of extinct species like the Dodo or the Heath Hen (which Thanksgiving started with rather than Turkeys) we could literally start rediscovering new kinds of foods people havent eaten in centuries. As a matter of fact, bringing an extinct species back to life is more difficult than just growing its meat. Another example is that cultivated meat can be designed to conform to specific criteria, such as what percentage of fat it should have or the percentage of different types of saturated amino-acids it should have, and so on.

This is all part of synthetic biology, which is a fascinating subject we have written on before and will dive deeper into in future videos and articles.Follow CleanTechnica on Google News.It will make you happy & help you live in peace for the rest of your life.

Tags: lab-grown meat, Multus Media

Chanan Bos Chanan grew up in a multicultural, multi-lingual environment that often gives him a unique perspective on a variety of topics. He is always in thought about big picture topics like AI, quantum physics, philosophy, Universal Basic Income, climate change, sci-fi concepts like the singularity, misinformation, and the list goes on. Currently, he is studying creative media & technology but already has diplomas in environmental sciences as well as business & management. His goal is to discourage linear thinking, bias, and confirmation bias whilst encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and helping people understand exponential progress. Chanan is very worried about his future and the future of humanity. That is why he has a tremendous admiration for Elon Musk and his companies, foremost because of their missions, philosophy, and intent to help humanity and its future. He sees Tesla as one of the few companies that can help us save ourselves from climate change.

Visit link:
Lab-Grown Meat In Supermarkets Is Closer Than You Think, Thanks To Growth Medium Breakthrough - CleanTechnica

A new study by Rutgers University researchers suggests that two genes expressed in the intestinal cells that line the inside of the colon may also be involved in cancer development.

Recent studies have shown that intestinal stem cells can increase in animals on a high fat Western diet, potentially explaining an elevated cancer risk from such a diet.Diet being able to control cell proliferation is an interesting research development, particularly the convergence of dietary factors and dysregulated gene signaling driving malignant transformations and promoting an adenoma-to-adenocarcinoma progression.

This new study suggests a novel connection between HNF4A and HNF4G genes, diet and cancer.Genetic expression of HNF4 has previously been shown by to be heavily influenced by the gut microbiota, which in turn can influence a multitude of intestinal disorders.

Non-host gene regulation was further explored in this study by using a high fat diet to test how these genes work, and the researchers discovered they help co-regulate stem cell proliferation, as well as help intestine cells burn dietary fat. This was done by isolating cells from knockout and control mice and observing intestine stem cell proliferation under conditions of high fat and control. Mice that had both HNF4A and HNF4G knocked out were unable to have their stem cells proliferate under high fat conditions.

Intestinal stem cells undergo constant renewal and fuel the continuous turnover of the lining of the intestine. People naturally lose millions of intestinal cells daily, much like they lose skin cells. If this rate of replication is not closely controlled, it can quickly lead to malignancy. Lack of proliferation can be very problematic for the colon and damaging to lower layers of cells.

This [research] is important because scientists have shown that when theres too much dietary fat in the intestine, stem cell numbers increase, boosting susceptibility to colon cancer, said senior author Michael Verzi, an associate professor in the Department of Genetics in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick.

Rutgers scientists believe HNF4A and HNF4G help stem cells burn fat, providing them energy. By linking gene activation, cell replication number, diet and cancer risk, scientists might be able to better understand the cancer development process in high risk patients. Going forward, the researchers plan to continue studying whether these two genes alter stem cell numbers and cancer risk alongside a high fat diet, said Verzi.

Colorectal cancer (of the colon or rectum) is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, over 100,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year. This cancer is also the second most deadliest in the United States, but due to a combination of increased screening and heightened awareness the death rate has been dropping. However, in patients under the age of 55, the death rate of colon cancer has increased each year by 1% since 2007. Approximately 50,000 colon cancer patients are expected to die in 2019.

Read this article:
New Link Discovered Between Cells That Burn Fat and Colon Cancer - Clinical OMICs News

It is an honor to help support the Arthritis Foundation and to work closely with the Orthohealing Center.

POWAY, Calif. (PRWEB) November 26, 2019

Personalized Stem Cells, Inc (PSC), a human adipose-derived stem cell company, recently sponsored an event put on by the Arthritis Foundation and hosted by Dr. Steven Sampson and Dr. Danielle Aufiero of the Orthohealing Center in Los Angeles, California. The event, which took place on October 23, 2019, highlighted the ongoing efforts to promote research, educate the public, and provide support to people with arthritis.

Event attendees included medical doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and other medical professionals. Dr. Sampson presented current and evolving regenerative and stem cell therapies, including PSCs FDA approved clinical trial to treat osteoarthritis in the knee with a persons own stem cells. The Orthohealing Center is one of several approved clinical trial sites and is currently screening and enrolling patients in the clinical trial.

PSC CEO, Michael Dale, stated, It is an honor to help support the Arthritis Foundation and to work closely with the Orthohealing Center. The Foundation and the Orthohealing Center have worked together for many years advocating and spreading awareness for arthritis patients.

PSC provides stem cell therapy for clinical trial investigators and their patients, working within the FDA cell therapy regulations in order to assure consistent manufacturing, quality tested cells, as well as clinical trial and manufacturing oversite for safety and efficacy. PSC was founded by Robert Harman, DVM, MPVM and Michael Dale, both of whom also co-founded VetStem Biopharma and are both experienced serial entrepreneurs.

About Personalized Stem Cells, Inc.Personalized Stem Cells was formed in 2018 to advance and legitimize human regenerative medicine. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego (California), offers qualified physicians who enroll, an FDA compliant autologous stem cell product (from patients own fat tissue) for use in FDA approved clinical trials. PSC is driving development and adoption of stem cell and regenerative medicine within the FDA-IND process by providing cGMP manufactured, quality tested cells, and well-defined clinical trials. PSC has licensed a portfolio of over 70 issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine.

Share article on social media or email:

Excerpt from:
Personalized Stem Cells, Inc. Sponsors Arthritis Foundation Event in Los Angeles - PR Web

Imagine going from being an active individual to not being able to move any part of your body at all.

For Chris Barr, that was his reality when life came to a sudden halt for him two years ago.

Its exactly like it is in the movies where, you know, its like a fish-eye lens opening up. And the doctor says -- Youre paralyzed from the neck down. And you had a really bad neck injury, Chris told Good Morning America.

It was a day like any other for Chris who was out surfing, but things took a turn when he woke up in a hospital bed not remembering what happened last.

The prognosis was -- was bad, said Chris. And bad meaning, you know, probably a 95% to 97% chance that Ill have nothing below my neck.

After the doctor delivered the devastating news that his surfing accident left him with spinal cord injuries, Chris felt hopeless about the life ahead without motion and freedom -- ultimately wanting to end his life and even asked his wife, Debbie, for permission to pull the plug.

But Debbie convinced her husband not to give up so easily and asked him to give it a little more time despite the odds -- and he agreed.

One day at a time, Debbie was there every step of the way in rehab and physical therapy sessions to make small improvements. Things were looking up when he was able to move a toe, his leg and even his hands, but then the progress plateaued.

You ask yourself, Is that all there is? Is this all the further Im gonna go? Is this -- is this it? said Chris.

It wasnt until the Barrs received a phone call from Dr. Mohamad Bydon when things began looking up again.

Bydon, a spinal cord researcher, was leading an innovative trial at the time at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. On the phone, he told Chris about his potentially historic trial that would include him as part of a 10 patient study.

Bydon explained that the trial would take stem cells from Chriss own stomach fat and would be injected into his spinal cord to regenerate and repair the injury -- something unheard of and never done with stem cells before.

Despite the uncertainties that came with being patient number one for the procedure, Chris was game.

You -- you gotta understand its -- you know, youve got absolutely nothing to lose, said Chris. I mean, this is exactly why I stuck around was to do something. Listen -- you know, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to participate in this. You know, whatever happened I was, Yeah, lets do this.

In just a short amount of time after the procedure, Chris said he saw improvements quickly when he first started getting feeling back in his legs -- something he hadnt experienced for almost a year.

After we treated him, the improvements started to come quickly, said Byron. And small things, being able to tie his shoes, you know, things that werent happening.

But, as was the hope with the procedure, Chris surprised everyone -- and even himself -- when he started walking.

Now, Chris milestone has proving that Bydons procedure is a potentially groundbreaking one for spinal cord injuries.

This is a first step in developing a breakthrough, Bydon told ABC News' Will Reeve, who is the director of The Christopher Reeve Foundation, a non-profit foundation "dedicated to curing spinal cord injury," according to its website. The foundation, named in honor of Will Reeve's late father, was not involved in the funding of Bydon's research.

Bydon's research at the Mayo Clinic is a very early Phase 1 study that only includes 10 people and patient response has varied, according to Bydon.

While there is still yet no cure for spinal cord injury, for Chris, the procedure has been a step forward.

I dont know if these are -- are baby steps, or you know, Neil Armstrong steps, he said. But theyre absolutely steps in the right direction.

Follow this link:
Man paralyzed from the neck down walks again thanks to a new medical innovation - ABC News

In Switzerland we know how to make watches. We also know how to stop time, reads the giant poster in the lobby.

Im at Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa in Interlaken to sample their Better Aging program and find out if you really can stop the clock and stay looking young or if such ideas are just cuckoo.

The area certainly has a feel of youthful exuberance about it when I arrive Im greeted by paragliders, their colourful canopies drifting down onto the green across from the hotel. During my stay, not a day goes by without seeing the red and yellow wings in death-defying loops.

I can watch them from my room a smart black, brown and gold chamber housing a hard double bed with two single duvets, the traditional Swiss arrangement presumably designed to prevent greedy partners from hogging the covers. Every evening theres a Swiss truffle on my pillow.

The balcony looks out towards the Bernese Alps and the snowy peaks of Jungfrau, which means young woman or maiden. The setting of my anti-ageing quest really couldnt be better.

My journey begins at Nescens Spa, a bright space with lots of natural light, candles and trailing plants.

Spa director Hans-Peter notes down my vitals and bids me stand on a body analysis machine before Im whisked off to a room with personal trainer Brigitte, an intimidatingly fit-looking 49-year-old with a blonde crop.

Its not all bad news I have more muscle than her but I have a lot of body fat (not exactly news to me). She tells me my visceral fat is of particular concern and, among other things, advises me to avoid fruit with a high sugar content such as pineapple and grapes.

The next step is easier to take a de-stressing massage using anti-ageing Nescens oil. This should smoothe the skin and boost cell recapitalisation. The massage is gentler than others Ive had, and quite relaxing, but I cant say my skin looked different afterwards.

The spa does boast outstanding relaxation areas, however. Comfortable couches with mountain views, a smart sauna and the apex of steam rooms with twinkly lights in its starry ceiling, a fountain in middle and a gentle mint scent wafting through the air.

The next morning we come at the ageing issue via exercise with a morning of gentle Pilates. Its run by another uber-fit blonde, Iris.

Then its time for a Better Aging lunch beetroot, goats cheese and orange salad followed by a delicious sea bream with basillicum and vegetables.

Usually guests on the programme stay for at least four days, during which time meals are matched to help them achieve their fitness goals but this cant be easy with a pizzeria, Sapori, as part of the hotel.

The afternoon is dedicated to more exercise a brisk 5km walk with Iris again, through woodland and along the river, emerald with glacier water.

I have the highest hopes for todays anti-ageing treatment a classic silk bliss facial using Sensai products.

My beautician, Nicole, explains how the silk in the range was previously reserved for the Emperor of Japan. Apparently the products can activate your stem cells to help remove wrinkles.

The facial begins with Sensai Silky Purifying Creamy Soap followed by a steamer to open the pores, and some seriously thorough extraction work.

Next came the Silky Purifying Silk Peeling Mask and a mud soap wash and mask, left for six minutes. Finally came four more serums and creams.

My skin looked blotchy but felt very soft afterwards like a velvety cushion. The blotchiness was gone within half an hour, replaced with a glow. The next morning I could feel a spot coming on my neck but my face was plump, smooth and even.

The next day, after a Better Aging breakfast of light bites including tomatos, olives and smoothies, Im back with Brigitte for Nescens Full Body Training. Im cheered by the sight of some pensioners in the class. How hard can it be?

Quite hard, is the answer a full-on but not unbearable 45 minutes of planks, sit ups, star jumps and stretching giant blue elastic bands.

Afterwards I reward myself with a swim in the stunning pool. The main spa has a white, black and gold theme and incredible views.

It also has a lovely outdoor jacuzzi which you swim out to, with bubble beds, jets to massage your feet and back, and a clearer look at the mountains.

At the end of my trip I was more relaxed, my skin felt smoother and I felt fitter. While I may not look younger, as someone approaching 40 Im certainly less stressed about ageing.

Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa (Picture: Yvette Caster/Metro.co.uk)

Where to stay in Switzerland

Rooms at Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa cost from 296 per night, with breakfast. Better Aging guests get a 50 per cent discount in high season and 25 per cent discount in low season.

The Better Aging program lasts from four days and costs from 2,499 per person, which includes treatments, personal training and meals.

I flew with Swiss Air from Heathrow to Zrich. Flights cost from 177 return.

To get to the spa I took the train from Zrich airport to Interlaken OST via Bern. Return tickets cost from 116 via Switzerland Tourism. The hotel was about five minutes from the station by taxi.

A Swiss Travel Pass offers unlimited travel throughout the rail, bus and boat network. It includes entrance to 500 museums and costs from 185.

For more on Switzerland visit http://www.MySwitzerland.com.

Where to stay in Heathrow

I stayed at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow a decadent way to extend the spa experience.

The lobby features an impressive chandelier and theres dark wood and bronzes throughout.

The hotels spa has just had a revamp, and has a relaxation area, cosy sauna, powerful jacuzzi and beautiful blue and gold steam room.

The revamped Radisson spa at the hotel (Picture: Yvette Caster/Metro.co.uk)

I loved the showers you use between each part of the spa. Im sure they would delight fellow Pratchett fans, bringing to mind the Archchancellors bathroom as they do. There were buttons for cold mist, Caribbean storm and waterfall (but thankfully no Old Faithful).

I also tried their chocolate orange massage a thorough, full body treatment. I wasnt overpowered by scent and only really noticed the mild smell of cocoa when it was applied to my chest. It left me feeling refreshed and smelling sweet.

The hotel has two places to dine, Indian restaurant Anayu and Steak and Lobster. My T-bone steak was pleasant, although the blue cheese sauce was a bit bland, while the skinny fries were deliciously seasoned.

I enjoyed chatting to Radissons virtual host, Edward. You can text him anything 24/7 order room service, ask for late checkout and enquire about hotel services. It was like having my own PA.

Rooms at Radisson Blu Edwardian cost from 76.50 per night. They are offering Stay, Park and Fly packages from 102.50 per night, including parking for trips for eight to 15 days.

Go here to see the original:
The fountain of youth? I tested a better anti-ageing program in Switzerland - Metro.co.uk

Lab-grown steak gets a little muscle

The alt-meat industry has created quite a sizzle, promising delicious burgers, steaks and even sushi that is grown from animal cells in the lab.

But most cellular agriculture still looks like mush. The manufacturing process which starts with animal muscle and fat grown from stem cells in petri dishes is fine for making burgers, but it fails to provide the kind of texture needed for more substantial cuts of meat, like steaks.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

But scientists at Harvard University are reporting in a new study that they have found how to more closely mimic the form and flavour of real meat, by growing the muscle cells of cows and rabbits on a gelatine scaffold. Their research was published in the journal Science of Food.

To mimic this cellular environment, Kevin Kit Parker, a bioengineer at Harvard, and his colleagues decided to make scaffolds out of different concentrations of gelatine, a protein product derived from collagen. When collagen-rich meat cuts, such as beef chuck, are cooked, the heat naturally melts collagen fibres into softer gelatine, giving meat its succulent texture, Parker says.

To make gelatine microfibres, the researchers dissolved commercially available gelatine powder in water and spun it like cotton candy. Rotating the gelatinous slurry at high speeds allowed fibres to form at the bottom of the spinner. Using enzymes, the researchers then cross-linked the fibres to form a strong, woven structure for cells to grow on.

Rabbit and cow cells latched onto the gelatine scaffold, growing until they formed about a square inch of muscle.

To test whether the final product resembled the texture and behaviour of meat that chefs and home cooks use every day, the researchers performed a variety of food industry analyses: simulating cooking by heating the lab-grown meat on a hot plate, compressing it as if with a meat mallet and measuring the force needed to cut each piece of meat. They found that their lab-grown meat fell in between the springiness of a hamburger and a beef tenderloin.

Katsura leaves have a brown sugar scent (Getty/iStock)

Ahautumn, time to sniff that pumpkin spice and katsura?

Sugar, red and Japanese maples: you can drive up and down the East Coast of the US to enjoy their fiery pyrotechnic shows each fall. Along the way, you may want to stop, take a deep breath and try to catch a whiff of the katsura trees sweet scent.

Autumn seems to belong to pumpkin spice, and odours are often overlooked when it comes to fall foliage. We rave about how leaves die colourful deaths and rarely discuss how their scent changes with old age. But right about now, the leaves of the katsura, found all over New York City and in many other parts of the United States, are just beginning to turn.

Autumns earthy scent is the work of fungi and bacteria that decompose plant matter in the soil. But a chemical reaction in katsura leaves conjures fall spice, caramel and burntsugar. As the leaves ignite, changing from plum purple or green to yellow, they abandon the hay-like smell of leftover chlorophyll and adopt a scent more appropriate for a bakery.

Only the best news in your inbox

A team led by Ralf Berger, a flavour researcher in Germany, collected and analysed leaves from katsura trees throughout the year, and found maltol, a chemical compound used in flavour enhancers, perfume and incense.

Scientists have discovered crabs have a better memory than previously thought (Swansea University)

Its right turns only for some crabs in laboratory maze

Shore crabs can learn to navigate a lab-rat-style maze and remember it weeks later, according to a new study. While crabs that have never seen the maze before bump around aimlessly, experienced crabs race to the finish line with no wrong turns. The study, one of the few to look at whether crustaceans can perform such feats, suggests that crabs are quite capable of remembering routes.

Maze running could also be a way to measure the effects of changes in the sea, such as ocean acidification and warming, on crabs cognitive abilities.

The draw of nectar helped butterflies evolve (Getty)

How the butterfly discovered daylight

Once upon a time, perhaps some 300 million years ago, a tiny stream-dwelling insect akin to a caddis fly crawled from the water and began to live on mosses and other land plants. The creature would become the ancestor of the 160,000 species of moths and butterflies that populate Earth today.

A new study explains why nocturnal moths evolved into daytime butterflies. It wasnt to avoid darkness-loving bats, as biologists once thought, but to enjoy an abundant new drink: the nectar of flowering plants.

The researchers reconstructed the ancient timeline using DNA sequences of contemporary moths and butterflies. They calculated that the ancestral moth emerged some 300 million years ago, at the end of the Carboniferous era, well before the oldest known moth fossil, which is only 200 million years old.

The bellbirds song rivals the loudness of a pile driver (AFP/Getty)

He sings very loudly, just not very well

The pressures of sexual selection have made peacocks gorgeous, wood thrushes sonorous and birds of paradise great dancers. The white bellbird has a different quality.

This goofball boasts the loudest birdsong ever recorded, according to a new paper. And he sings the most piercing note right into potential mates faces.

The white bellbird is a favourite among birders in Brazil. When several sing at once, they are deafening, and sound like several blacksmiths trying to compete, says Arthur Gomes, a student who contributed to the research. Until a few years ago, assessing the amplitude, or loudness, of birdsong required an unusual amount of devotion and tech-savvy. But new tools are making the pursuit much easier.

New York Times

Go here to see the original:
Science news in brief: From lab-grown steak to the world's loudest birdsong - The Independent

His quality of life was significantly improved and Oles owner noted that VetStem Cell Therapy exceeded her expectations.

POWAY, Calif. (PRWEB) November 05, 2019

Ole, a German Shepherd, was demonstrating signs of osteoarthritis in April 2019. He was lame and stiff and had difficulty with stairs and jumping. Though his energy level and his willingness to play were normal, it was clear that he was in pain.

Oles owner took him to veterinary surgeon Dr. Holly Mullen of VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center in San Diego, California. Dr. Mullen is an experienced VetStem user and has provided VetStem Cell Therapy services for over sixty patients. Upon examination, Dr. Mullen diagnosed Ole with severe osteoarthritis in his hips as a result of hip dysplasia. In patients with joint dysplasia, the affected joint is malformed causing the bone to rub irregularly, which can eventually lead to osteoarthritis. Ole was also diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his lower, or lumbar, spine. It was apparent that these issues were causing Ole discomfort.

In an effort to provide relief, Dr. Mullen recommended Ole receive VetStem Cell Therapy. Adipose-, or fat-derived, stem cell therapy is used by veterinarians to treat osteoarthritis and soft tissue injuries. VetStem Cell Therapy utilizes a patients natural healing cells which may reduce inflammation, block pain, and regenerate damaged joint tissues.

To begin the process, Dr. Mullen extracted fat from Oles abdomen in a minimally invasive anesthetic procedure. The fat was delivered to the VetStem laboratory in Poway, California where it was received and aseptically processed by trained VetStem laboratory technicians. Oles stem cells were extracted and concentrated from his fat tissue and dosed out into an injection that was delivered back to Dr. Mullen. Within 48 hours of the initial fat collection, Ole received one intravenous injection of his own stem cells.

As a follow up to his first injection, Ole received additional stem cell injections approximately two months later. This time he received one injection into each hip, injections along the muscles in his back, as well as an intravenous injection.

In a 90-day post stem cell therapy evaluation (approximately 90 days after the first treatment), Oles owner reported that he was no longer stiff or painful. She also noticed an improvement in his ability to go up and down the stairs, walk, and jump. His quality of life was significantly improved and Oles owner noted that VetStem Cell Therapy exceeded her expectations.

Dr. Mullens findings were similar at the 90-day examination. She stated, He is doing great! He runs around [the owners] acreage every day with no overt lameness and no signs of painhes strongly ambulatory with a bouncy gait.

Like Ole, many dogs suffer from osteoarthritis and unfortunately, treatment options are somewhat limited. For these patients, VetStem Cell Therapy may be an option. According to owners and veterinarians, greater than 80% of dogs showed an improved quality of life after receiving VetStem Cell Therapy for orthopedic conditions. Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types, reduce pain and inflammation, help to restore range of motion, and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament and joint tissues. In a peer-reviewed study of dogs with chronic osteoarthritis of the hip, it was found that stem cells reduced lameness and pain.

About Holly Mullen, DVM, DACVSDr. Mullen received her DVM from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. She completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship as well as a residency in small animal surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. In 1990, she became a board-certified veterinary surgeon. Dr. Mullen has been providing VetStem Cell Therapy for over a decade.

About VetStem Biopharma, Inc.VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian-led Company that was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the profession. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego, California, currently offers veterinarians an autologous stem cell processing service (from patients own fat tissue) among other regenerative modalities. With a unique expertise acquired over the past 15 years and 17,000 treatments by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality. The VetStem team is focused on developing new clinically practical and affordable veterinary solutions that leverage the natural restorative abilities present in all living creatures. In addition to its own portfolio of patents, VetStem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a large portfolio of issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine.

Share article on social media or email:

Continue reading here:
VetStem Biopharma Shares the Success Story of Ole who was Treated with VetStem Cell Therapy by Dr. Holly Mullen - PR Web

Stem cells from the patients body when isolated and administered at an appropriate time and at the right place, with the right dose, is expected to help the patient in various ways

Stem Cells In The Body

All humans are born and develop from a small tiny structure called an egg. The cells in the egg have a tremendous potential to develop, multiply and form different cells that are functional in the body. These cells are called mother cells or in scientific terms, they are called stem cells. And all human beings have these stem cells preserved in the body. It is these cells that help us in every day wear and tear and also for tissue repair.

The Body Can Heal Itself

Most of the cells in our body have a definite lifespan that need to be replaced by new cells. The stem cell reserves in the body make up for this and it is done without our knowledge! In fact, any cut or injury, external or internal is healed by the bodys innate mechanism. Our intelligent body recognises the signal of injury and recruits the required stem cells. These stem cells transform themselves into the cells that are required for the repair of the injury and it is always many types of cells in various permutations and combinations.

Where Stem Cells Reside

Bone marrow can be considered as the manufacturing unit of stem cells as it is continuously making blood cells and keeps our circulatory system working perfect all the time. Circulating blood is another source of stem cells, because it works as a courier, carrying cells and other essential enzymes, hormones from one organ to the other in the body. The body converts all the extra material into fat which gets accumulated around the belly. This fatty tissue works like a fixed deposit of stem cells.

Stem cells either from the donor (allogenic) or from the patient (autologous) are being used for more than 50 years and especially for treatment. Blood cancers and other blood-related diseases can be cured using a perfect matched donor stem cells obtained from bone marrow. Patients suffering from organ cancers like breast cancer etc. are given autologous stem cells as a supportive treatment along with chemotherapy and/or radiation.

Protocols for these treatments are standardised globally and considered as standard-of-care. In recent years, umbilical cord blood derived stem cells are being used as an alternative to bone marrow, especially in the paediatric age group. People fall victim to numerous degenerative diseases which occur, as the repairing stem cell system from the body fails slowly with age. Stem cells from the patients body when isolated and administered at an appropriate time and at the right place, with the right dose, is expected to help the patient in various ways. It may also replace, rejuvenate or restore the damaged tissues.

Our body carnes its own repairing kit in the form of stem cells and the body tries its level best to make use of these stem cells to ward off diseases. However, it is possible that with age, the bodys power to recruit and make use of the stem cells diminishes slowly. This is when dreadful degenerative diseases like diabetes, arthritis, Parkinsons disease and heart problems, set in. Heres what the clinical applications of regenerative medicine have found novel mechanisms of:

It is increasingly observed that this kind of autologous therapy takes care of the root cause of disease and offers benefits to patients to whom there is no further solution in other modalities of treatment.

Since each tissue and organ of our body is made up of cells that are derived from the egg cell, any disease which is due to derangement or degeneration of cells can be cured using autologous cellular therapy. And though the list can be endless, here are some examples where there have been very promising results:

Follow this link:
How Stem Cells Can Heal The Body - Version Weekly