StemCell Therapy

Public release date: 24-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 24, 2012A naturally occurring line of immunodeficient pigs can support the growth of human tumors injected under their skin, offering a promising new large animal model for studying human cancers and testing new drugs and treatment strategies. The ability of human melanoma cells and pancreatic carcinoma cells to grow in these pig models is described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com). The article is available free online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

Mathew Basel and colleagues, Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS) and Iowa State University (Ames), highlight the advantages that pig disease models offer, as they are anatomically and physiologically more closely related to humans than traditional rodent animal models. As a result, findings from studies in large animal models such as pigs are more likely to translate into similar outcomes in humans. The authors present their findings in the article "Human Xenografts Are Not Rejected in a Naturally Occurring Immunodeficient Porcine Line: A Human Tumor Model in Pigs" (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/biores.2012.9902).

"This novel animal model has the potential to become a highly useful model in cancer research studies, in addition to providing significant opportunities for drug discovery and other translational applications," says Editor-in-Chief Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

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About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal that provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website (http://www.liebertpub.com).

Originally posted here:
Novel pig model may be useful for human cancer studies

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -07/24/12)- The Biotechnology Industry has been soaring in 2012 as companies -- both large and small -- have shown impressive growth. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) and the First Trust NYSE Arca Biotech Index ETF (FBT) year-to-date are up 38 percent and 37 percent, respectively, outperforming the broader market by a wide margin. The Paragon Report examines investing opportunities in the Biotechnology Industry and provides equity research on StemCells, Inc. (STEM) and Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (KERX).

Access to the full company reports can be found at:

http://www.ParagonReport.com/STEM http://www.ParagonReport.com/KERX

Despite having to negotiate a more challenging regulation process biotech companies have continued to show investors strong gains in 2012. The FDA Amendments Act of 2007 forced regulators to increase standards for approvals of new drugs, introducing mandatory risk evaluation and mitigation strategies. According to a Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology report from IMAP, several pharmaceutical firms have altered their drug portfolios from primary care driven blockbusters towards specialties such as oncology, immunology and inflammation, where the medical need is "so high that prices are more easily accepted by the regulators."

Paragon Report releases regular market updates on the Biotechnology Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at http://www.ParagonReport.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

StemCells is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery. The company recently announced preclinical data demonstrating that its proprietary human neural stem cells restored memory and enhanced synaptic function in two animal models relevant to Alzheimer's disease. Shares of the company have soared nearly 90 percent this year.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals is focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of medically important pharmaceutical products for the treatment of renal disease. Keryx is developing Zerenex (ferric citrate), an oral, ferric iron-based compound that has the capacity to bind to phosphate and form non-absorbable complexes. Shares of the company have rebounded nearly 50 percent over the last three months.

The Paragon Report has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned publicly traded companies. Paragon Report is compensated by other third party organizations for advertising services. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at: http://www.paragonreport.com/disclaimer

Continue reading here:
StemCells and Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Showing Strong Gains as Biotechnology Industry Soars in 2012

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2012) Stem cells hold great promise for the medicine of the future, but they can also be a cause of disease. When these self-renewing, unspecialized cells fail to differentiate into diverse cell types, they can start dividing uncontrollably, leading to cancer. Already several decades ago, Weizmann Institute scientists were among the first to demonstrate the link between cancer and the faulty differentiation of stem cells. Now a new Weizmann Institute-led study, published in Molecular Cell, reveals a potential molecular mechanism behind this link.

The scientists managed to uncover the details of a step in the process of DNA "repackaging" that takes place during embryonic stem cell differentiation. It turns out that for the cells to differentiate properly, certain pieces of the packaging of their DNA must be labeled by a molecular tag called ubiquitin. Such tagging is required for turning on a group of particularly long genes, which enable the stem cell to differentiate. The researchers identified two switches: An enzyme called RNF20 enhances the tagging, whereas a second enzyme, USP44, does the opposite, shutting it down. Furthermore, it appears that both these switches must operate properly for the differentiation process to proceed efficiently. When the scientists interfered with the tagging -- either by disabling the "ON" switch RNF20, or by deregulating the activity of the "OFF" switch USP44 -- the stem cells failed to differentiate.

These experiments might explain the significance of molecular defects identified in a number of cancers, for example, the abnormally low levels of RNF20 in certain breast and prostate cancers and the excess of USP44 in certain leukemias. Notably, faulty differentiation of stem cells is often a hallmark of the more aggressive forms of cancer. This research was led by Prof. Moshe Oren of the Molecular Cell Biology Department, with Prof. Eytan Domany of the Physics of Complex Systems Department and Dr. Jacob Hanna of the Molecular Genetics Department. The team included Weizmann Institute's Gilad Fuchs, Efrat Shema, Rita Vesterman, Eran Kotler, Sylvia Wilder, Lior Golomb, Ariel Pribluda and Ester Feldmesser, as well as Zohar Wolchinsky of the Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology; Feng Zhang and Xiaochun Yu of the University of Michigan in the US; Mahmood Haj-Yahya and Ashraf Brik of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; and Daniel Aberdam of the Technion and the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in France.

This study belongs to a relatively new direction in cancer research: Rather than focusing on the genes involved, it highlights the role of epigenetics -- that is, processes that do not modify the gene code, itself, but affect the way its information is interpreted within the cell. Understanding the epigenetic roots of cancer will advance the search for effective therapies for this disease.

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More here:
Judging DNA by its cover: Explaining the link between stem cells and cancer

Public release date: 23-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Yivsam Azgad news@weizmann.ac.il 972-893-43856 Weizmann Institute of Science

Stem cells hold great promise for the medicine of the future, but they can also be a cause of disease. When these self-renewing, unspecialized cells fail to differentiate into diverse cell types, they can start dividing uncontrollably, leading to cancer. Already several decades ago, Weizmann Institute scientists were among the first to demonstrate the link between cancer and the faulty differentiation of stem cells. Now a new Weizmann Institute-led study, published in Molecular Cell, reveals a potential molecular mechanism behind this link.

The scientists managed to uncover the details of a step in the process of DNA "repackaging" that takes place during embryonic stem cell differentiation. It turns out that for the cells to differentiate properly, certain pieces of the packaging of their DNA must be labeled by a molecular tag called ubiquitin. Such tagging is required for turning on a group of particularly long genes, which enable the stem cell to differentiate. The researchers identified two switches: An enzyme called RNF20 enhances the tagging, whereas a second enzyme, USP44, does the opposite, shutting it down. Furthermore, it appears that both these switches must operate properly for the differentiation process to proceed efficiently. When the scientists interfered with the tagging either by disabling the "ON" switch RNF20, or by deregulating the activity of the "OFF" switch USP44 the stem cells failed to differentiate.

These experiments might explain the significance of molecular defects identified in a number of cancers, for example, the abnormally low levels of RNF20 in certain breast and prostate cancers and the excess of USP44 in certain leukemias. Notably, faulty differentiation of stem cells is often a hallmark of the more aggressive forms of cancer. This research was led by Prof. Moshe Oren of the Molecular Cell Biology Department, with Prof. Eytan Domany of the Physics of Complex Systems Department and Dr. Jacob Hanna of the Molecular Genetics Department. The team included Weizmann Institute's Gilad Fuchs, Efrat Shema, Rita Vesterman, Eran Kotler, Sylvia Wilder, Lior Golomb, Ariel Pribluda and Ester Feldmesser, as well as Zohar Wolchinsky of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Feng Zhang and Xiaochun Yu of the University of Michigan in the US, Mahmood Haj-Yahya and Ashraf Brik of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Daniel Aberdam of the Technion and the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in France.

This study belongs to a relatively new direction in cancer research: Rather than focusing on the genes involved, it highlights the role of epigenetics that is, processes that do not modify the gene code, itself, but affect the way its information is interpreted within the cell. Understanding the epigenetic roots of cancer will advance the search for effective therapies for this disease.

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Prof. Eytan Domany's research is supported by the Kahn Family Research Center for Systems Biology of the Human Cell, which he heads; the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research - Weizmann Institute of Science Exchange Program; the Leir Charitable Foundations; and Mordechai Segal, Israel. Prof. Domany is the incumbent of the Henry J. Leir Professorial Chair.

Dr. Jacob Hanna's research is supported by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; Pascal and Ilana Mantoux, France/Israel; the Sir Charles Clore Research Prize; Erica A. Drake and Robert Drake; and the European Research Council.

Prof. Moshe Oren's research is supported by the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation; the Robert Bosch Foundation; the estate of Harold Z. Novak; and the European Research Council. Prof. Oren is the incumbent of the Andre Lwoff Professorial Chair in Molecular Biology.

See the article here:
Judging DNA by its cover

MOBILE, Alabama -- Damaged and aged heart tissue of older heart failure patients was rejuvenated by stem cells modified by scientists, according to research presented today at the American Heart Associations Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2012 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

The study is simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The stem cell research could lead to new treatments for heart failure patients, researchers said.

Since patients with heart failure are normally elderly, their cardiac stem cells arent very healthy, said Sadia Mohsin, Ph.D., one of the study authors and a post-doctoral research scholar at San Diego State Universitys Heart Institute in San Diego.

We modified these biopsied stem cells and made them healthier. It is like turning back the clock so these cells can thrive again.

Modified human stem cells helped the signaling and structure of the heart cells, which were biopsied from elderly patients, according to information provided by the American Heart Association.

Researchers modified the stem cells in the laboratory with PIM-1, a protein that promotes cell survival and growth. Cells were rejuvenated when the modified stem cells enhanced activity of an enzyme called telomerase, which elongates telomere length.

Telomeres are caps on the ends of chromosomes that aid cell replication. Aging and disease results when telomeres break off.

There is no doubt that stem cells can be used to counter the aging process of cardiac cells caused by telomere degradation, Mohsin said in a statement.

The technique increased telomere length and activity, as well as increasing cardiac stem cell proliferation, all vital steps in combating heart failure, health officials have said.

While human cells were used, the research was limited to the laboratory. Researchers have tested the technique in mice and pigs and found that telomere lengthening leads to new heart tissue growth in about four weeks.

View original post here:
Stem cells used to rejuvenate damaged heart tissue, study shows

CLEARWATER, FL--(Marketwire -07/23/12)- Biostem U.S., Corporation, (HAIR) (HAIR) (Biostem, the Company), a fully reporting public company in the stem cell regenerative medicine sciences sector, enters into an agreement with Pizarro Hair Restoration Clinics to offer The Biostem Method of stem cell hair re-growth treatments.

Biostem U.S., Corporation announced today that it has entered into a contractual affiliate agreement with Dr. Marina Pizarro and her multi-location practice, Pizarro Hair Restoration Clinics http://www.DrPizarro.com. Additionally, Dr. Pizarro will serve as the Medical Director for the company.

Dr. Pizarro's Orlando, Florida office will serve as the national training center for future Biostem U.S. affiliates.

Dwight Brunoehler, Chief Executive Officer for Biostem, stated, "We have been seeking the right partner to become our first affiliate. We have also been seeking a qualified Medical Director as well as a first rate training facility to accommodate the many requests for affiliation that we have received nationwide from physicians wanting to offer our services to their clientele. The Company is extremely fortunate to have filled these multiple needs in one place. Dr. Pizarro's impeccable credentials and extensive experience rank her among the best in her field. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship."

According to Dr. Pizarro, "I have been following the discovery and development of hair re-growth technology on the cellular level for some time. Biostem's unique approach using Platelet Rich Plasma along with other proven treatments has shown to be highly effective for many qualified male and female patients. I am excited to be able to offer this service to my patients, and to be on the ground floor of this growing industry."

Dr. Marina Pizarro holds the distinction of being the first female hair transplant physician in the industry and belongs to the elite group of surgeons who have performed over 30,000 hair transplant procedures in their careers. She received her Medical Degree from Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico in 1985. After completing her residency in Orlando, Dr. Pizarro worked with world renowned hair transplant surgeon Dr. Constantine Chambers building one of the largest hair restoration practices in history. After five years, and performing thousands of procedures around the world while lecturing at hair restoration conventions, Dr. Pizarro opened her first two facilities in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida in 1994 specializing in hair transplantation for both men and women. She currently has three facilities in Florida with the addition of her clinic in Tampa. Dr. Pizarro is a member of The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and the European Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.

About Biostem U.S., Corporation:

Biostem U.S., Corporation (HAIR) is a fully reporting Nevada corporation with offices in Clearwater, Florida. Biostem U.S. is a technology licensing company with proprietary technology centered on providing hair re-growth using human stem cells. The company also intends to train and license selected physicians to provide Regenerative Cellular Therapy treatments to assist the body's natural approach to healing tendons, ligaments, joints and muscle injuries by using the patient's own stem cells. Biostem U.S. is seeking to expand its operations worldwide through licensing of its proprietary technology and acquisition of existing stem cell related facilities. The company's goal is to operate in the international biotech market, focusing on the rapidly growing regenerative medicine field, using ethically sourced adult stem cells to improve the quality and longevity of life for all mankind.

The company's Board of Directors is headed by Chairman, Scott Crutchfield, who also acts as Senior Vice President of World Wide Operations for Crocs, Inc. (CROX) and includes Crocs, Inc. original member, Steve Beck.

For further information on Biostem U.S., Corporation can be obtained through http://www.biostemus.com or by contacting Fox Communications Group at 310-974-6821.

Read more here:
Biostem U.S., Corporation Enters Into Medical Affiliate Agreement With Pizarro Hair Restoration Clinics

Public release date: 23-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dean Forbes dforbes@fhcrc.org 206-667-2896 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

SEATTLE Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have opened a clinical trial to test the theory that giving a patient a new immune system can cure severe cases of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract.

Funded by an infrastructure grant from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the initial goal of the Crohn's Allogeneic Transplant Study (CATS) is to treat a small number of patients with treatment-resistant Crohn's disease by transplanting matched bone marrow cells from a sibling or unrelated donor. Such a bone marrow transplant replaces a diseased or abnormal immune system with a healthy one.

The idea of swapping out the immune system is based on evidence that Crohn's is related to an abnormal immune response to intestinal bacteria and a loss of immune tolerance. There is strong evidence that genetic abnormalities in the immune regulatory system are linked to the disease, according to CATS principal investigator George McDonald, M.D., a transplant researcher and gastroenterologist in the Hutchinson Center's Clinical Research Division.

Although the CATS clinical trial represents a new direction for bone marrow transplantation, the procedure has precedent. The Hutchinson Center, which pioneered bone marrow and hematopoietic cell transplantation to treat blood cancers, has used allogeneic transplants to cure patients who suffered from both leukemia and Crohn's, with subsequent disappearance of the signs and symptoms of Crohn's. Similar experiences have been reported from studies done in Germany.

While autologous stem cell transplants in which the patient's own hematopoietic cells are removed and then returned after high-dose chemotherapy is given to suppress the immune system have been used to treat Crohn's patients, the benefits have not always been permanent, probably because the risk genes for Crohn's are still present. "Autologous transplantation following chemotherapy beats the disease down but the Crohn's tends to come back," McDonald said.

More information about CATS can be found on the website http://www.cats-fhcrc.org, which includes a patient-eligibility questionnaire. In general, patients must be 18 to 60 years of age and have failed all existing conventional treatments but be healthy enough to undergo a bone marrow transplant. A matched donor of bone marrow must be found from either a sibling or an unrelated person who has volunteered to donate marrow. Private insurance must cover the cost of the transplant and related medical expenses.

Crohn's disease is usually discovered in adolescents and young adults but can occur from early childhood to older age. The incidence of Crohn's disease varies in different parts of the world with rates of four to nine persons per 100,000 people in North America. According to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, a leading advocacy organization, Crohn's may affect more than 700,000 Americans. Of those affected by Crohn's, about 10 percent suffer from the most severe form for which no treatment is completely effective.

Symptoms of Crohn's may include pain, fever, diarrhea and weight loss. Substantial progress has been made in medical treatment of Crohn's disease over the last 15 years. However, even with the best immunosuppressive therapy, less than half of patients with moderate to severe Crohn's achieve long-term relief. When patients stop taking their medicines, their intestinal inflammation returns. Some severe infections have been seen in patients who took prolonged courses of medicines that suppress the immune system.

Follow this link:
Clinical trial seeks to cure advanced Crohn's disease using bone marrow transplant

Study represents new use of bone marrow transplantation

Newswise SEATTLE Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have opened a clinical trial to test the theory that giving a patient a new immune system can cure severe cases of Crohns disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract.

Funded by an infrastructure grant from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the initial goal of the Crohns Allogeneic Transplant Study (CATS) is to treat a small number of patients with treatment-resistant Crohns disease by transplanting matched bone marrow cells from a sibling or unrelated donor. Such a bone marrow transplant replaces a diseased or abnormal immune system with a healthy one.

The idea of swapping out the immune system is based on evidence that Crohns is related to an abnormal immune response to intestinal bacteria and a loss of immune tolerance. There is strong evidence that genetic abnormalities in the immune regulatory system are linked to the disease, according to CATS principal investigator George McDonald, M.D., a transplant researcher and gastroenterologist in the Hutchinson Centers Clinical Research Division.

Although the CATS clinical trial represents a new direction for bone marrow transplantation, the procedure has precedent. The Hutchinson Center, which pioneered bone marrow and hematopoietic cell transplantation to treat blood cancers, has used allogeneic transplants to cure patients who suffered from both leukemia and Crohns, with subsequent disappearance of the signs and symptoms of Crohns. Similar experiences have been reported from studies done in Germany.

While autologous stem cell transplants in which the patients own hematopoietic cells are removed and then returned after high-dose chemotherapy is given to suppress the immune system have been used to treat Crohns patients, the benefits have not always been permanent, probably because the risk genes for Crohns are still present. Autologous transplantation following chemotherapy beats the disease down but the Crohns tends to come back, McDonald said.

More information about CATS can be found on the website http://www.cats-fhcrc.org, which includes a patient-eligibility questionnaire. In general, patients must be 18 to 60 years of age and have failed all existing conventional treatments but be healthy enough to undergo a bone marrow transplant. A matched donor of bone marrow must be found from either a sibling or an unrelated person who has volunteered to donate marrow. Private insurance must cover the cost of the transplant and related medical expenses.

Crohns disease is usually discovered in adolescents and young adults but can occur from early childhood to older age. The incidence of Crohns disease varies in different parts of the world with rates of four to nine persons per 100,000 people in North America. According to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America, a leading advocacy organization, Crohns may affect more than 700,000 Americans. Of those affected by Crohns, about 10 percent suffer from the most severe form for which no treatment is completely effective.

Symptoms of Crohns may include pain, fever, diarrhea and weight loss. Substantial progress has been made in medical treatment of Crohns disease over the last 15 years. However, even with the best immunosuppressive therapy, less than half of patients with moderate to severe Crohns achieve long-term relief. When patients stop taking their medicines, their intestinal inflammation returns. Some severe infections have been seen in patients who took prolonged courses of medicines that suppress the immune system.

The burden of this disease lays heavily on those who dont respond to any therapy, McDonald said.

Go here to read the rest:
New Clinical Trial Seeks to Cure Advanced Crohn's Disease by Replacing a Diseased Immune System with a Healthy One

2012-07-23 19:43

Tel Aviv - A clinical trial of ALS patients conducted by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics shows its adult stem cell therapy is well-tolerated, appears to be safe and does not present undue risk, according to an interim safety review.

Moreover, in some patients signs of stabilisation of the disease were detected.

Israel-based BrainStorm is developing NurOwn for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

"It's very uncommon to give at such an early point in a clinical study efficacy data, but we cannot ignore the fact on an individual basis we could see improvement in many of the patients involved, each one in different areas," Moshe Neuman, CEO of Biomedical Research Design, which serves as a contract research organisation for the trial, said.

In some patients breathing improved, in others it was muscle strength and in others it was speech, he told Reuters.

Neuman said a final report was expected by the end of the year after each patient has been observed for nine months.

BrainStorm President Chaim Lebovits said the preliminary results demonstrate that the stem cells have the potential not only to stop deterioration but perhaps even cure ALS.

"The coming phases in the trial will have to prove this, but these results also reaffirm our belief that we have an enormous potential of being successful with less severe indications such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's," he said.

Patients in the trial were transplanted with stem cells derived from their own bone marrow and treated with the NurOwn stem cell technology.

Read more:
Israel ALS stem cell trials hopeful

New cells to replace those destroyed in diabetes type 1, cells to help heal a heart attack, cells to cure leukemia this is the promise of stem cells. Some of this is happening now; more will be available in a few years. Stem cells will usher in the era of regenerative medicine, allowing the creation of cells, tissues and organs to treat or cure diseases and injuries. This will be a fundamental alteration in our approach to medical care and a transformational medical megatrend. And it will be very personalized medicine to provide the specific individual with custom tailored new cells and tissues for organ repair or replacement. Extensive use of stem cells as therapy is still in its infancy. Call it infancy because there is so much basic science still to be understood, that it will be quite some years before we will see stem cells being used on any sort of regular basis to treat diabetes, Parkinsons disease, or heart failure after a heart attack. But time flies, many investigators are hard at work and the science may advance quickly. There are exceptions; stem cells are being actively used for a few situations and have been for many years. Among them are bone marrow or stem cell transplantation for diseases like leukemia, some cancers being treated with very high doses of chemotherapy or some individuals, especially children, with immune disorders. Since stem cells have the potential to be of ever increasing importance to medical care, albeit not for a few years, it is important to understand just what a stem cell is, generally how the various types of stem cells differ from each other and how they are either found in the body or produced in the laboratory. The key characteristics of stem cells are that 1) they can replicate themselves and 2) they can become mature cells that make up the tissue and organs of the body. Embryonic stem cells are found in the earliest divisions of the fertilized ovum and can become any of the bodys approximately 200 types of cells (liver, lung, brain) and they have the capacity when placed in tissue culture in the laboratory to divide and to replicate themselves indefinitely. We call them pluripotent in that they can become any of the various types of cells in the body. Think of them as the most fundamental cellular building block that can create the tissues and organs of our body. Adult stem cells, as the name implies, can be found in the bodies of adults (or newborns and children for that matter.) They also can self replicate but when placed in tissue culture it has not been possible to have them replicate indefinitely as embryonic stem cells do. Adult stem cells generally only can differentiate into one type of the bodys cells or tissue, i.e., are unipotent. For example muscle stem cells only become muscle cells but not liver cells. But some adult stem cells, such as those from the bone marrow, can become multiple but not all types of cells. Stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby are more like adult stem cells in that they can develop into some but apparently not all cells types. In effect, they are further along in the chain of differentiation.

There are also other types of stem cells that as of now are being produced in the laboratory and which have many of the attributes of embryonic stem cells nuclear transfer, induced pluripotent, and protein-induced pluripotent stem cells, among others. To create the nuclear transfer stem cell, an unfertilized egg is obtained from a womans ovary. The egg has its nucleus extracted by a micropipette and then has the nucleus of an adult cell inserted in its place. This nucleus might be obtained from a skin cell taken from the arm of a patient with a particular problem such as diabetes. The newly created cell is placed in culture and with the appropriate signals begins to act like an embryonic stem cell in that it will divide and replicate itself and with the appropriate signals the daughter cells can become various body cell types. The hope is that these cells, genetically identical to the patient who had the skin biopsy, could be grown up into a vast number of in this example pancreatic islet cells and used to treat this individual patients diabetes.

The induced pluripotent stem cell (or iPSC) also has many of the embryonic stem cells characteristics. It is produced by taking a persons cells such as from the skin of the arm and then stimulating them by inserting a few key genes, using a retrovirus. These genes reprogram the cell to revert to what is similar to an embryonic stem cell. The concern of course is that it is induced using a virus. More recent experiments have found that certain proteins can reprogram the cell just as can the virally-inserted genes. These stem cells are known as protein-induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSC). Both are being evaluated to determine if they can be as effective as embryonic stem cells. With each of these three techniques, a clear hoped for advantage is that a person can donate his or her own cells for transformation into stem cells and from there into whatever cell is of interest, such as pancreatic islet cells that secrete insulin. Such cells transplanted back into the person would be recognized as self and not trigger rejection with a graft vs. host response by the body. This concept with each technique is therefore all about personalized medicine.

Next time I will delve more deeply into adult stem cells followed the next time by embryonic stem cells. But in the meanwhile think of stem cell science as one more of those truly transformative medical megatrends that will revolutionize the practice of medicine in the years to come and in the process improve the healthcare of you and your family.

Link:
Medical Megatrends — Stem Cells — Part I of III

Today, I posted this to Twitter:

3 Innovative Cancer Treatments...But Which Is The Best Bet? seekingalpha.com/a/fjed $GSK $IMUC $VSTM #cancerSC via @seekingalpha — Jim Till (@jimtill) July 17, 2012

The article is about three companies that are working on treatments designed to target cancer stem cells (CSCs). The companies are OncoMed, Verastem and ImmunoCellular Therapeutics. The article is interesting.

Source:
http://cancerstemcellnews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

If you are looking to follow the money
trail at the $3 billion California stem cell agency, next Thursday's meeting of its 29-member board of directors is a good place to start.

“It provides that grantees and
collaborators must share revenues resulting from CIRM funded research
as follows: after revenues exceed $500,000, three times the grant
award, paid at a rate of 3% per year, plus upon earning
$250M(million) in a single calendar year, a onetime payment of three
times the award, plus upon earning revenues of $500M in a single
calendar year, an additional onetime payment of three times the award
and, finally, in the instance where a patented CIRM funded invention
or CIRM funded technology contributed to the creation of net
commercial revenue greater than $500M in a single calendar year, and
where CIRM awarded $5 million or more, an additional 1% royalty on
revenues in excess of $500 million annually over the life of the
patents.”

"The proposed amendments re-strike
the balance both to ensure that industry will partner with CIRM and
to ensure that the State has the opportunity to benefit from
successful therapy development."

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Directors of the California stem cell
agency next Thursday are likely to approve spending $12.4 million to
lure a couple of stem cell stars to the Golden State.

“Major strengths include the
candidate's exceptional productivity and contributions to the fields
of mammalian embryology and kidney development, the significance and
potential of the research program, the PI's proven leadership
capabilities, and the outstanding institutional commitment.”

 The other grant was larger–$6.7
million–but reviewers raised a number of questions about the
candidate although they recommended it for funding. The review summary ranked the application at 57 and said,

“In summary, this is an application
from an established leader in NSC biology to pursue research focused
on disease mechanisms in PD. Strengths of the proposal include the
quality of the PI, the focus of the project on an interesting
hypothesis, and the leadership in basic science that the candidate
would bring to the applicant institution. Weaknesses included
deficiencies in the research plan, the limited track-record of the PI
in PD research and an institutional environment lacking adequate
support for basic science investigations.“

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Scientists at the University of
California at Davis are set to win nearly half of $113 million
expected to be awarded next week by the California stem cell agency
as it pushes aggressively to turn research into marketplace cures.

• Vicki Wheelock, UC Davis, $19 million,
  for development of a genetically modified cell therapy for
  Huntington's disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder.
  Scientific score 87.
• Antoni Ribas, UCLA, $20 million, for
  genetic reprogramming of cells to fight cancer. Scientific score 84.
• Nancy Lane, UC Davis, $20 million, for
  development of a small molecule to promote bone growth for the
  treatment of osteoporosis. Scientific score 80.
• John Laird, UC Davis, $14.2 million,
  for development of mesenchymal stem cells genetically modified for
  treatment of critical limb ischemia, which restricts blood flow in
  the lower leg and can lead to amputation. Scientific score 79.
• StemCells, Inc., (principal
  investigator not yet known), $20 million, for development of human
  neural stem cells to treat chronic cervical spinal cord injury. The
  company, founded by Stanford scientist Irv Weissman, who serves on
  its board, said earlier this year that it had filed two applications
  in this round, one of which dealt with cervical cord spinal injury.
  No other applicants filed a proposal for such research. Scientific score 79.
• Robert Robbins, Stanford, $20 million,
  development of a human embryonic stem cell treatment for end-stage
  heart failure. Scientific score 68.

In the case of businesses, the awards
come in the form of loans. Grants go to nonprofits. One of the
reasons behind the varying mechanisms is the difference in CIRM's
intellectual property rules for businesses and nonprofits.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Today, I posted this to Twitter:

3 Innovative Cancer Treatments...But Which Is The Best Bet? seekingalpha.com/a/fjed $GSK $IMUC $VSTM #cancerSC via @seekingalpha — Jim Till (@jimtill) July 17, 2012

The article is about three companies that are working on treatments designed to target cancer stem cells (CSCs). The companies are OncoMed, Verastem and ImmunoCellular Therapeutics. The article is interesting.

Source:
http://cancerstemcellnews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

If you are looking to follow the money
trail at the $3 billion California stem cell agency, next Thursday's meeting of its 29-member board of directors is a good place to start.

“It provides that grantees and
collaborators must share revenues resulting from CIRM funded research
as follows: after revenues exceed $500,000, three times the grant
award, paid at a rate of 3% per year, plus upon earning
$250M(million) in a single calendar year, a onetime payment of three
times the award, plus upon earning revenues of $500M in a single
calendar year, an additional onetime payment of three times the award
and, finally, in the instance where a patented CIRM funded invention
or CIRM funded technology contributed to the creation of net
commercial revenue greater than $500M in a single calendar year, and
where CIRM awarded $5 million or more, an additional 1% royalty on
revenues in excess of $500 million annually over the life of the
patents.”

"The proposed amendments re-strike
the balance both to ensure that industry will partner with CIRM and
to ensure that the State has the opportunity to benefit from
successful therapy development."

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Directors of the California stem cell
agency next Thursday are likely to approve spending $12.4 million to
lure a couple of stem cell stars to the Golden State.

“Major strengths include the
candidate's exceptional productivity and contributions to the fields
of mammalian embryology and kidney development, the significance and
potential of the research program, the PI's proven leadership
capabilities, and the outstanding institutional commitment.”

 The other grant was larger–$6.7
million–but reviewers raised a number of questions about the
candidate although they recommended it for funding. The review summary ranked the application at 57 and said,

“In summary, this is an application
from an established leader in NSC biology to pursue research focused
on disease mechanisms in PD. Strengths of the proposal include the
quality of the PI, the focus of the project on an interesting
hypothesis, and the leadership in basic science that the candidate
would bring to the applicant institution. Weaknesses included
deficiencies in the research plan, the limited track-record of the PI
in PD research and an institutional environment lacking adequate
support for basic science investigations.“

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Scientists at the University of
California at Davis are set to win nearly half of $113 million
expected to be awarded next week by the California stem cell agency
as it pushes aggressively to turn research into marketplace cures.

• Vicki Wheelock, UC Davis, $19 million,
  for development of a genetically modified cell therapy for
  Huntington's disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder.
  Scientific score 87.
• Antoni Ribas, UCLA, $20 million, for
  genetic reprogramming of cells to fight cancer. Scientific score 84.
• Nancy Lane, UC Davis, $20 million, for
  development of a small molecule to promote bone growth for the
  treatment of osteoporosis. Scientific score 80.
• John Laird, UC Davis, $14.2 million,
  for development of mesenchymal stem cells genetically modified for
  treatment of critical limb ischemia, which restricts blood flow in
  the lower leg and can lead to amputation. Scientific score 79.
• StemCells, Inc., (principal
  investigator not yet known), $20 million, for development of human
  neural stem cells to treat chronic cervical spinal cord injury. The
  company, founded by Stanford scientist Irv Weissman, who serves on
  its board, said earlier this year that it had filed two applications
  in this round, one of which dealt with cervical cord spinal injury.
  No other applicants filed a proposal for such research. Scientific score 79.
• Robert Robbins, Stanford, $20 million,
  development of a human embryonic stem cell treatment for end-stage
  heart failure. Scientific score 68.

In the case of businesses, the awards
come in the form of loans. Grants go to nonprofits. One of the
reasons behind the varying mechanisms is the difference in CIRM's
intellectual property rules for businesses and nonprofits.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Its fairly widely known that stem cells can mean life-saving treatments for deadly diseases.

Now, they are being used in the fight against wrinkles and more and more South Floridians are turning to the stem cell makeover.

Donna Pritchit is one of them. The 64-year-old headed into the operating room recently, wanting to turn back the hands of time without it being totally obvious.

I dont want someone to stop and go by and say Oh, she had a facelift. I want to have someone say Donna went on vacation she must be having a great life, she said before the $5,000 procedure began.

Dr. Sharon McQuillan at the Ageless Institute in Aventura marked the areas where she would take fat out of Pritchits belly and place it back into her face.

The retired teacher also hoped it would be her last step in getting rid of embarrassing acne scars.

I never wanted to go out in daylight and have anyone see me, she said.

More South Florida Health News

The outpatient procedure began with traditional liposuction, and then McQuillan and her team processed that fat and concentrated the stem cells so they could be injected into Pritchits wrinkles and in places where she has lost fullness.

Well, stem cells in general are the cells in your body that regenerate tissue and heal tissue, and they make the skin look beautiful and younger, McQuillan explained. And they also the fat to remain alive so that the volume that we create stays, which has been a problem with fat transfer in the past.

Follow this link:
More South Floridians Trying "Stem Cell Makeover"

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

20,000,000. This is the number of peripheral artery disease patients Pluristem Therapeutics, a placenta-based cell therapy company, is working to assist. The company recently released information regarding the effectiveness of cell therapy with intramuscular delivery.

To begin, Pluristem uses stem cells from the human placenta and has created a manufacturing process that produces enough cells to treat 10,000 patients from one placenta.

You usually have to match cells to donors so they do not react. Placental cells are unique because they come from a unique section that combines the mother and the baby. They can be injected without no question age or sex, remarked Zami Aberman, Chairman and CEO of Pluristem.

PLacental eXpanded, otherwise known as PLX, cells release a mix of therapeutic proteins to target local and systemic inflammatory diseases. The cells are developed with 3D micro-environmental technology that doesnt require tissue matching before administration. Unlike other cell therapies that are conducted with intravenous injections, the Pluristem treatment includes intramuscular injections that are injected with a needle into the muscle.

The cells are grown in 3D and not in human. With [this] technology we give them more natural place, grown in better way, produced in an efficient way to become an official product, stated Aberman.

Researchers believe that intravenous treatments will allow them to have a greater variety of possible outpatient settings and local clinics.

The ability for IM injections of PLX cells has significant market implications that potentially broaden the indications and frequency with which our cell therapy can be used. We look forward to conducting additional testing of this very promising approach, commented Aberman in a prepared statement.

The company recently received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin Phase II clinical trial for the PLX-PAD cells, which can treat a type of peripheral artery disease known as Intermittent Claudication (IC),which causes pain when walking.

One thing to mention about the study is it is the first time given to patients with other options, noted Aberman. Its important to mention as the FDA recognized that the safety profile of the PLX in phase one was good and promising enough to move to patients who are in less severe conditions.

Go here to read the rest:
Pluristem Focuses On Therapeutic Cells Delivered Intramuscularly