StemCell Therapy

An extremely comprehensive article about stem cell programs in opthalmology by Irving J. Arons

A Primer on the Use of Stem Cells in Ophthalmology
by Irving J. Arons

I recently came across an interesting news release from International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) announcing that it had formed a new business unit, Cytovis, to focus on stem cell programs in ophthalmology, including CytoCor for the cornea and CytoRet for the retina.

That got me thinking about how little I knew about what was going on in stem cell research in ophthalmology, despite having written about two developments in the field, the London Project to Cure Blindness and the University of California Irvine (UCI) program to develop an artificial retina based on stem cell research.

I decided to become better informed by taking a closer look at what was happening in this field, and presenting that story.

Introduction
Commenting on a EuroRetina Meeting held earlier in 2008, John Morrow of Newport Biotech Consultants noted, as reported by Ophthalmology Times Europe in September 2008, “Stem Cells are looked upon as either an ethical train wreck or the gateway to the alleviation of human illness, depending on which side of the political spectrum one resides. This unfortunate notoriety has resulted in unprecedented coverage in the media, but this has not done much to advance the cause of this technology. Yet recent ophthalmologic research suggests that the medical applications of stem cells hold notable promise for the treatment of ocular degenerative conditions and that realization of this potential may come about in the near future.”

I think Dr. Morrow’s thoughts eloquently sum up the subject. Stem cell research is politically charged but holds tremendous promise for the future, especially in ophthalmology.

What are Stem Cells?
Every organ and tissue in our bodies is made up of specialized cells that originally come from a pool of stem cells in the very early embryo (“embryonic stem cells”). Throughout our lives we rely to a much more limited degree on rare deposits of stem cells in certain areas of the body (“adult stem cells”) to regenerate organs and tissues that are injured or lost, such as our skin, our hair, our blood and the lining of our gut.

Stem cells are like a blank microchip that can be programmed to perform particular tasks. Under proper conditions, stem cells develop or “differentiate” into specialized cells that carry out a specific function, such as in the skin, muscle, liver, or in the eye. Additionally, stem cells can grow extensively without differentiating and give rise to more stem cells...

To read the full article, please visit - http://irvaronsjournal.blogspot.com/2010/09/primer-on-use-of-stem-cells-in.html

OCEANSIDE, CA – August 26, 2010 – International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), http://www.internationalstemcell.com, announced today that the recent action of a federal district judge blocking federal funding of embryonic stem cell research is not expected to have negative effects on ISCO’s therapeutic programs using its human parthenogenetic stem cells.

According to ISCO’s Chairman Ken Aldrich, “Because we have never depended on federal or state money to fund our research, the new ruling is simply not applicable to any of our programs in the US or any of our international efforts. Although we believe anything that restricts legitimate scientific research is detrimental to science and our Country and hope the ruling is quickly reversed, the ruling could in a strange way benefit ISCO by creating additional incentives for researchers to use our parthenogenetic stem cell lines.”

Because ISCO’s technology, parthenogenesis, does not destroy or damage a viable human embryo, its parthenogenetic stem cell lines (“hpSC”) offer an alternative way to continue research previously done with embryonic cell lines without raising ethical issues about the destruction of life. Published peer-reviewed papers have shown hpSC to be “pluripotent”, a characteristic shared with embryonic stem cells that allows them to become tissues leading to all the cells found in the human body. Therefore, ISCO’s hpSC lines offer an alternative to the ethical issues that continue to be problematic for embryonic stem cells.

When enacted, legislation prohibiting the creation of a human embryo for research purposes prohibited both successful methods, such as fertilization, as well as less understood methods such as parthenogenesis. Parthenogenetic methods since developed by ISCO do not create human embryos that could become viable human beings, yet can result in pluripotent hpSC lines with potential therapeutic value. “The recent court ruling may cause Congress to revisit its legislation. If so, then ISCO’s research showing its hpSC lines present an alternative to embryonic stem cells, without raising the ethical concerns about the creation or destruction of viable human life, may lead to Congress allowing federal funding of hpSC in future legislation. ISCO would then be free to provide hpSC lines to federally-funded researchers and move more of our work back into the US from foreign jurisdictions”, said Jeffrey Janus, Senior Vice President of ISCO and one of its founders.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB)
International Stem Cell Corporation is a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). These proprietary cells avoid ethical issues associated with use or destruction of viable human embryos and, unlike all other major stem cell types, can be immune matched and be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals across racial groups. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology, develops a line of cosmeceutical products via its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care and advances novel human stem cell-based therapies where cells have been proven to be efficacious but traditional small molecule and protein therapeutics do not. More information is available at ISCO's website, http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements pertaining to anticipated technological developments and therapeutic applications, the potential benefits of collaborations, affiliations, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "should," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Key Words: Stem Cells, Biotechnology, Parthenogenesis

CONTACTS:
International Stem Cell Corporation
Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman
760-940-6383
kaldrich@intlstemcell.com
Or
Jeffrey Janus
Sr. Vice President, Operations
760-640-6383
jjanus@intlstemcell.com

This is Ken Aldrich and I am Chairman of International Stem Cell Corporation and I thought I should comment briefly on the recent decision of the federal district court of the District of Columbia concerning stem cell research.

What the court did was to announce that it was prohibiting the use of federal funding by the NIH for embryonic stem cell research which is a major blow if the decision is upheld for the stem cell industry. It’s interesting because it actually does not affect International Stem Cell Corporation in any direct negative manner.

The truth of the matter is we have not been able to use federal funding since the very beginning of the company because of a particular provision in the Dickey Wicker amendment that specifically calls out parthenogenic stem cells as a form of embryo, in spite of the fact that they genuinely are not an embryo in fact cannot ever become any living human being and don’t involve the destruction of anything that could become human being. Nevertheless, we have always been caught up in the Dickey Wicker amendment. So we haven’t been hurt by this decision, if anything it has perhaps leveled the playing field for us a bit with the embryonic stem cell group.

But the bottom line is we don’t really think it is good for the country and we hope there will be a change. But we do hope is that perhaps this will open the political debate and as people begin to look at the broader spectrum and realize that parthenogenic stem cell, which is our stock and trade, do not involve the destruction of any embryos, it may be that the specific language of the Dickey Wicker amendment can ultimately be removed and we would then become eligible along with everyone else for federal funding through the NIH and other government programs. If so, it would be a wonderful result. In the meantime, it is a difficult time for everyone in the industry. We’ll keep you informed. Thank you

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), http://www.internationalstemcell.com, today announced that its stem cell therapeutic programs focused on protective, transparent corneas (CytoCor™) in the front of the eye and the light-sensitive retinal tissue (CytoRet™) in the back of the eye will be formalized into a new business unit, Cytovis™. Together these programs will leverage external and internal development, regulatory and commercial expertise in cellular ophthalmology to form a focused portfolio of complementary product candidates designed to address high unmet medical needs with apparent pharmacoeconomic and quality of life benefits.

CytoCor is the brand name for ISCO's corneal tissue that can be derived from the company's proprietary parthenogenetic stem cells or commonly used embryonic stem cells. Research and development with partners Absorption Systems in the US,Sankara Nethralaya in India and Automation Partnership in the UK continues for the purpose of optimizing the tissue for transplantation in the 10 million people worldwide suffering from corneal vision impairment and as an alternative to the use of live animals and animal eyes in the $500+M market for safety testing of drugs, chemicals and consumer products. ISCO's goal in the coming months is to establish funding and infrastructure in India for accelerated development of CytoCor for the therapeutic application and to advance and implement the chemical testing application with partners in the US and Europe.

CytoRet is the brand name for ISCO's stem cell-derived retinal tissue. ISCO is using its parthenogenetic stem cells to develop individual retinal pigmented epithelial ('RPE') cells and layered retinal structures internally and in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Hans Keirstead, Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine. ISCO recently commenced a new research collaboration with UC Irvine to launch the next phase of its retinal studies with that institution, including preclinical trials. Potential therapeutic applications include retinitis pigmentosa, an untreatable inherited disease affecting about 100,000 Americans, and the dry form of age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the elderly of the Western world. ISCO's goal is to establish functional proof of concept for RPE cellular therapy in models of human disease in the next twelve-eighteen months.

Jointly referred to as Cytovis ('cyto' for cellular, 'vis' for vision), these two cellular ophthalmology programs share a number of features and benefits. First, with the aging of the population worldwide and the growing number of work-related eye injuriesin India, China and other major countries, the market opportunity is growing steadily. Second, there are strong pharmacoeconomic and quality-of-life rationales for full or partial vision restoration or delay of vision impairment diseases. Third, delivery of cells and tissues to the confined anatomy of the eye inherently provides for better safety and efficacy than, for example, the systemic circulation or the central nervous system. This will likely result in lower regulatory barriers and shorter and less costly development paths compared to that of anatomically deeper and more widespread diseases. Fourth, a number of eye diseases cannot be treated with surgery or traditional small molecule or protein therapeutics, yet cell and tissue therapy is proven to work but currently limited by availability of safe and sufficient cells and tissue from human donors. Finally, eye care development programs like CytoCor and CytoRet share a number of regulatory, development and commercial aspects that make it feasible for a relatively small team to produce substantial clinical outcomes and achieve competitive presence in the marketplace alone or in collaboration with dedicated partners.

Brian Lundstrom, ISCO's President, says: 'ISCO's proprietary parthenogenetic stem cell technology continues to form the foundation for the company's long term regenerative medicine therapy programs. In the nearer term, CytoCor and CytoRet's unique benefits in the field of cellular ophthalmology offer the potential for partnering and funding at a relatively early stage. Combined with the current and future revenue of Lifeline Cell Technology and the revenue potential of Lifeline Skin Care, scheduled for launch in the 4^th quarter, Cytovis adds significantly to ISCO's diversity and value creation potential for its investor base in a cost-efficient fashion.'

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB)

International Stem Cell Corporation is a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). These proprietary cells avoid ethical issues associated with use or destruction of viable human embryos and, unlike all other major stem cell types, can be immune matched and be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals across racial groups. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology, develops a line of cosmeceutical products via its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care and advances novel human stem cell-based therapies where cells have been proven to be efficacious but traditional small molecule and protein therapeutics do not. More information is available at ISCO's website, http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements pertaining to anticipated technological developments and therapeutic applications, the potential benefits of collaborations, affiliations, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "should," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Key Words: Stem Cells, Biotechnology, Parthenogenesis

International Stem Cell Corporation
Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman
760-940-6383
kaldrich@intlstemcell.com
or
Brian Lundstrom, President
760-640-6383
bl@intlstemcell.com

(HealthDay News) -- An intensive lifestyle change program helped people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and keep it off, a new study shows.

The program also led to improved control of blood glucose levels and reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease, both of which are critical in preventing long-term complications caused by diabetes.

The study included 5,145 overweight or obese people, average age 58.7, with type 2 diabetes. About half were assigned to a lifestyle intervention that included diet changes and physical activity designed to achieve a 7 percent weight loss in the first year and maintain it in subsequent years.

The other participants were assigned to a diabetes education and support group that held three sessions a year to discuss diet, exercise and social support.

After four years, the participants in the lifestyle intervention group had lost an average of 6.2 percent of their body weight, compared with 0.9 percent for the diabetes support group. The lifestyle intervention group also had greater improvements in fitness, blood glucose control, blood pressure and levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. Read more...

Detox and cleanse

(NaturalNews) Many herbal remedies are used to treat symptoms of diabetes and have shown results in naturally lowering blood sugar levels. Scientific research is now shedding new light on the mechanisms used since ancient times to treat diabetes with herbs and nutrition.

Diabetes was noted as far back as Ancient Greece. The name comes from two Greek words meaning the siphon and to run through, which describes the diabetic symptom of excess urine. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, where over twenty three million, almost eight percent of the population, have been diagnosed with the disorder. The number of cases of diabetes doubled from 1990 to 2005 and is expected to double again by 2050. Side effects of diabetes include kidney disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, blindness and hearing loss.

The cause of diabetes is not known but 90% of those with Type 2 diabetes are obese. Most consider that diabetes is triggered by numerous factors, including inheritance, nutrition, obesity, infection, hormonal imbalances, and stress. Read more...

Healthy blood

(HealthDay News) -- Researchers report that germs living in your gut could affect your risk of developing colon cancer.

The findings suggest that signs of the existence of some germs "are more frequently detected in subjects with polyps, early lesions that can develop into cancer, while other bacterial signatures are less frequently observed in such individuals," Tyler Culpepper, a University of Florida researcher, said in a news release.

Culpepper and colleagues studied 91 patients and took biopsy samples from their colons. They analyzed the bacteria in 30 people who had at least one polyp and 30 people who didn't but were of similar age and gender.

Researchers found some bacterial signatures only in those who had polyps and others only in those who didn't. Others were more common in one group or the other.

The findings suggest that future screening tests could aim to detect signs of trouble in the colon by measuring bacteria levels, Culpepper said. Read more...

Detox the body

(HealthDay News) -- Positive brain changes take hold after just 11 hours of practicing a form of meditation, the results of a new study suggest.

The study included 45 University of Oregon students who were randomly selected to be in either a study group that did integrative body-mind training (IBMT) or a control group that did relaxation training. IBMT was adapted from traditional Chinese medicine in the 1990s.

A comparison of scans taken of the students' brains before and after the training showed that those in the IBMT group had increased brain connectivity. The changes were strongest in connections involving the anterior cingulate, an area that plays a role in the regulation of emotions and behavior, Yi-Yuan Tang of Dalian University of Technology in China, University of Oregon psychologist Michael I. Posner, and colleagues found.

The boost in brain connectivity began after six hours of IBMT and became more apparent after 11 hours of practice, according to the report published in the Aug. 16-21 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more...

Memory concentration, loss of memory

Meat allergies may be much more common than previously thought and may even induce potentially fatal anaphylaxis in some people, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia and presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in New Orleans.

The researchers tested three groups of people across the U.S. Southeast with a history of recurrent anaphylaxis without known cause for an immune reaction to alpha-gal, a kind of sugar found in mammal meat.

Although most allergic reactions are caused by proteins, scientists recently discovered that alpha-gal is responsible for anaphylactic reactions to cetuximab, a cancer drug. Further studies revealed that people who experience immune responses to alpha-gal also develop allergic symptoms within three to six hours of eating mammalian meat.

Alpha-gal is not found in the flesh of bird or fish.

The researchers found that between 20 and 50 percent of participants tested positive for allergy to alpha-gal. Overall, 25 of 60 participants (42 percent) showed signs of meat allergy. Read more...

Female Sexual health

In the past researchers have observed an association between poor mitochondrial function and Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs speech and motor functions and affects five million people worldwide. A new meta-analysis suggests that low expression levels of 10 related gene sets responsible for mitochondrial machinery play an important role in this disorder--all previously unlinked to Parkinson's. The study, published online today in Science Translational Medicine , further points to a master switch for these gene sets as a potential target of future therapies. [More]

Editor's Note: This is an expanded version of the Q&A that will appear in the November 2010 issue of Scientific American.

Name: Greg Graffin [More]

Greg Graffin - BadReligion - Punk rock - Punk - Shopping

Realistic stem cell therapies to replace diseased or damaged tissue may still be years away, but researchers have uncovered a promising new use for these undifferentiated cells: they can be programmed to become patient-specific laboratory models of inherited liver disease. These new tools could be useful for teasing out disease mechanisms and testing new drug therapies.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge's Institute for Medical Research obtained skin cells from 10 patients--seven who had various forms of inherited liver disease, and three healthy controls. They reprogrammed the skin cells, rejuvenating them into an embryolike state (using the four-gene approach described in 2007). The researchers then cultured these so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) in a mixture of chemical factors that triggered their conversion into liver cells, which had the appearance and functional properties of native liver cells.

[More]

Stem cell - Cambridge University - Liver - Medical Research - Disease

Product marketing teams look at the software buying cycle as a consistent series of steps: awareness, consideration, trial, purchase, implementation and renewal.   For years, these steps have been manipulated through solution selling  where the key to success is control.  By knowing the buyer, the steps and the product, a skilled selling team is able to control the process and predict favorable outcomes on a consistent basis.  Oracle, SAP and Mic … Read More

via Inner Lining

GE Healthcare announced that the Smart Patient Room pilot at Bassett Medical Center has been approved by the site’s Institutional Review Board to begin data collection. The innovative technology solution was installed as part of GE’s healthymagination initiative with the goal of helping healthcare providers to reduce patient safety risks and improve patient outcomes.

“GE is developing a unique solution for the healthcare industry that helps hospitals and staff identify and mitigate patient safety risks while offering meaningful solutions to improve patient outcomes,” said Jan De Witte, President & CEO, GE Healthcare Performance Solutions. “GE’s real-time, adaptable solution will provide actionable data to healthcare providers regarding patient safety and potential medical errors which in turn will affect the necessary behavioral changes to avoid preventable errors.”

The Smart Patient Room can collect real-time information from the system to generate actionable data to manage clinical workflow, and uncover opportunities for influencing process and behavioral changes to create a safer patient environment.

developers at Mount Sinai develop a New database and software, called ChEA which can speed up drug discovery at Mount Sinai develop a New database and software, called ChEA which can speed up drug discovery

The ChEA software and ChIP-X database is freely available online at:http://amp.pharm.mssm.edu/lib/chea.jsp.

until ChEA was developed, no centralized database integrated results from, for instance, ChIP-seq and ChIP-chip experiments (these are used to identify how “transcription factor” proteins might regulate all genes in humans and mice). Now this new computational method should help streamline how scientists analyze these gene expression experiments

Insights into the stem cells of chronic myeloid leukemia by I Sloma, X Jiang, A C Eaves and C J Eaves, Leukemia 2010(Sep 23). [Epub ahead of print][PubMed citation]. Abstract:

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has long served as a paradigm for generating new insights into the cellular origin, pathogenesis and improved approaches to treating many types of human cancer. Early studies of the cellular phenotypes and genotypes represented in leukemic populations obtained from CML patients established the concept of an evolving clonal disorder originating in and initially sustained by a rare, multipotent, self-maintaining hematopoietic stem cell (HSC). More recent investigations continue to support this model, while also revealing new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that explain how knowledge of CML stem cells and their early differentiating progeny can predict the differing and variable features of chronic phase and blast crisis. In particular, these emphasize the need for new agents that effectively and specifically target CML stem cells to produce non-toxic, but curative therapies that do not require lifelong treatments.