Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: December 29, 2010
Summary:
Leukemia patients whose cancers express higher levels of genes associated with cancer stem cells have a significantly poorer prognosis than patients with lower levels of the genes, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is among the first to show that the cancer stem cell hypothesis -- which posits that some cancers spring from and are replenished by a small, hardy population of self-renewing cells -- can be used to predict outcomes in a large group of patients and one day to tailor treatments in the clinic. Alizadeh is a co-senior author of the research, which will be published Dec. 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Human Protein Improves Muscle Function of Muscular Dystrophy Mice
Source: Brown University
Date: December 27, 2010
Summary:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A novel potential therapy based on a natural human protein significantly slows muscle damage and improves function in mice who have the same genetic mutation as boys with the most common form of muscular dystrophy, according to a paper published online Dec. 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: December 27, 2010
Summary:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A novel potential therapy based on a natural human protein significantly slows muscle damage and improves function in mice who have the same genetic mutation as boys with the most common form of muscular dystrophy, according to a paper published online Dec. 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Many cancer cells found to have an 'eat me' signal in study
Source: Stanford University
Date: December 22, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that many cancer cells carry the seeds of their own destruction — a protein on the cell surface that signals circulating immune cells to engulf and digest them. On cancer cells, this “eat me” signal is counteracted by a separate “don’t eat me” signal that was described in an earlier study. The two discoveries may lead to better cancer therapies, and also solve a mystery about why a previously reported cancer therapy is not more toxic.
In the study published Dec. 22 in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers discovered that many forms of cancer display the protein calreticulin, or CRT, which invites immune cells called macrophages to engulf and destroy them. The reason most cancer cells are not destroyed by macrophages is that they also display another molecule, a “don’t eat me” signal, called CD47, which counteracts the CRT signal.
Date: December 22, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that many cancer cells carry the seeds of their own destruction — a protein on the cell surface that signals circulating immune cells to engulf and digest them. On cancer cells, this “eat me” signal is counteracted by a separate “don’t eat me” signal that was described in an earlier study. The two discoveries may lead to better cancer therapies, and also solve a mystery about why a previously reported cancer therapy is not more toxic.
In the study published Dec. 22 in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers discovered that many forms of cancer display the protein calreticulin, or CRT, which invites immune cells called macrophages to engulf and destroy them. The reason most cancer cells are not destroyed by macrophages is that they also display another molecule, a “don’t eat me” signal, called CD47, which counteracts the CRT signal.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
New evidence of stem cells' pivotal role in cancer shown in study
Source: Stanford University School of Medicine
Date: December 21, 2010
Summary:
Leukemia patients whose cancers express higher levels of genes associated with cancer stem cells have a significantly poorer prognosis than patients with lower levels of the genes, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is among the first to show that the cancer stem cell hypothesis — which posits that some cancers spring from and are replenished by a small, hardy population of self-renewing cells — can be used to predict outcomes in a large group of patients and one day to tailor treatments in the clinic. The research is published Dec. 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Date: December 21, 2010
Summary:
Leukemia patients whose cancers express higher levels of genes associated with cancer stem cells have a significantly poorer prognosis than patients with lower levels of the genes, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is among the first to show that the cancer stem cell hypothesis — which posits that some cancers spring from and are replenished by a small, hardy population of self-renewing cells — can be used to predict outcomes in a large group of patients and one day to tailor treatments in the clinic. The research is published Dec. 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Study identifies multitude of genetic regions key to embryonic stem cell development
Source: Stanford University School of Medicine
Date: December 15, 2010
Summary;
More than 2,000 genetic regions involved in early human development have been identified by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The regions, called enhancers, are responsible for triggering the expression of distant genes when embryonic stem cells begin to divide to form the many tissues of a growing embryo. The research is published online Dec. 15 in Nature.
Date: December 15, 2010
Summary;
More than 2,000 genetic regions involved in early human development have been identified by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The regions, called enhancers, are responsible for triggering the expression of distant genes when embryonic stem cells begin to divide to form the many tissues of a growing embryo. The research is published online Dec. 15 in Nature.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells Found to Enhance Survival and Maturation of Key Brain Cells
Source: University of South Florida (USF Health)
Date: December 14, 2010
Summary:
Laboratory culture (in vitro) studies examining the activity of human umbilical cord blood cells (HUCB) on experimental models of central nervous system aging, injury and disease, have shown that HUCBs provide a 'trophic effect' (nutritional effect) that enhances survival and maturation of hippocampal neurons harvested from both young and old laboratory animals. The study is published in the current issue of Aging and Disease.
According University of South Florida researchers, these changes contribute to stroke and dementia in the aging population when neural cells become more susceptible to stressors and disease processes. Because HUCB cells have received attention as an alternative source of stem cells that have been studied and shown to be effective with wide therapeutic potentials, how the cells might be used to repair the diseased, as well as normally aging brain, has become an important question.
The study found that HUCBs were not only able to protect hippocampal neurons taken from the brains of young adult and aged rats, but also promoted the growth of dendrites -- the branching neurons acting as signaling nerve communication channels -- as well as induced the proliferation hippocampal neurons.
Date: December 14, 2010
Summary:
Laboratory culture (in vitro) studies examining the activity of human umbilical cord blood cells (HUCB) on experimental models of central nervous system aging, injury and disease, have shown that HUCBs provide a 'trophic effect' (nutritional effect) that enhances survival and maturation of hippocampal neurons harvested from both young and old laboratory animals. The study is published in the current issue of Aging and Disease.
According University of South Florida researchers, these changes contribute to stroke and dementia in the aging population when neural cells become more susceptible to stressors and disease processes. Because HUCB cells have received attention as an alternative source of stem cells that have been studied and shown to be effective with wide therapeutic potentials, how the cells might be used to repair the diseased, as well as normally aging brain, has become an important question.
The study found that HUCBs were not only able to protect hippocampal neurons taken from the brains of young adult and aged rats, but also promoted the growth of dendrites -- the branching neurons acting as signaling nerve communication channels -- as well as induced the proliferation hippocampal neurons.
Protein Restores Learning, Memory in Alzheimer's Mouse Model
Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Date: December 14, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio restored learning and memory in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model by increasing a protein called CBP. Salvatore Oddo, Ph.D., of the university's Department of Physiology and Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, said this is the first proof that boosting CBP, which triggers the production of other proteins essential to creating memories, can reverse Alzheimer's effects. The finding, reported this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a novel therapeutic target for development of Alzheimer's medications, scientists said.
Date: December 14, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio restored learning and memory in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model by increasing a protein called CBP. Salvatore Oddo, Ph.D., of the university's Department of Physiology and Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, said this is the first proof that boosting CBP, which triggers the production of other proteins essential to creating memories, can reverse Alzheimer's effects. The finding, reported this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a novel therapeutic target for development of Alzheimer's medications, scientists said.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The stemness of cancer cells
Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: December 13, 2010
Summary:
A close collaboration between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Institute for Advanced Study found that the tumor suppressor p53, long thought of as the "Guardian of the Genome," may do more than thwart cancer-causing mutations. It may also prevent established cancer cells from sliding toward a more aggressive, stem-like state by serving as a "Guardian against Genome Reprogramming."
The new work, reported by Geoffrey M. Wahl, Ph.D., and Benjamin Spike, Ph.D., at Salk Institute and Arnold J. Levine, Ph.D., and Hideaki Mizuno, Ph.D., at IAS, Princeton, in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed striking parallels between the increased reprogramming efficiency of normal adult cells lacking p53, the inherent plasticity and tumorigenicity of stem cells, and the high incidence of p53 mutations in malignant cancers.
Date: December 13, 2010
Summary:
A close collaboration between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Institute for Advanced Study found that the tumor suppressor p53, long thought of as the "Guardian of the Genome," may do more than thwart cancer-causing mutations. It may also prevent established cancer cells from sliding toward a more aggressive, stem-like state by serving as a "Guardian against Genome Reprogramming."
The new work, reported by Geoffrey M. Wahl, Ph.D., and Benjamin Spike, Ph.D., at Salk Institute and Arnold J. Levine, Ph.D., and Hideaki Mizuno, Ph.D., at IAS, Princeton, in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed striking parallels between the increased reprogramming efficiency of normal adult cells lacking p53, the inherent plasticity and tumorigenicity of stem cells, and the high incidence of p53 mutations in malignant cancers.
Leukemia: Leukemic Stem Cells Reversed to Pre-Leukemic Stage By Suppressing a Protein
Source: King's College London
Date: 13 December 2010
Summary:
Researchers at King's College London have discovered that leukaemic stem cells can be reversed to a pre-leukaemic stage by suppressing a protein called beta-catenin found in the blood. They also found that advanced leukaemic stem cells that had become resistant to treatment could be 're-sensitised' to treatment by suppressing the same protein.
Professor Eric So, who led the study at the Department of Haematology at King's College London, says the findings, published December 13 in the journal Cancer Cell, represent a 'critical step forward' in the search for more effective treatments for aggressive forms of leukaemia.
Date: 13 December 2010
Summary:
Researchers at King's College London have discovered that leukaemic stem cells can be reversed to a pre-leukaemic stage by suppressing a protein called beta-catenin found in the blood. They also found that advanced leukaemic stem cells that had become resistant to treatment could be 're-sensitised' to treatment by suppressing the same protein.
Professor Eric So, who led the study at the Department of Haematology at King's College London, says the findings, published December 13 in the journal Cancer Cell, represent a 'critical step forward' in the search for more effective treatments for aggressive forms of leukaemia.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Stem Cells Turned Into Complex, Functioning Intestinal Tissue in Lab
Source: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Date: December 12, 2010
Summary:
In a study posted online December 12 by Nature, scientists from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center say their findings will open the door to unprecedented studies of human intestinal development, function and disease. The process is also a significant step toward generating intestinal tissue for transplantation, researchers say.
Date: December 12, 2010
Summary:
In a study posted online December 12 by Nature, scientists from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center say their findings will open the door to unprecedented studies of human intestinal development, function and disease. The process is also a significant step toward generating intestinal tissue for transplantation, researchers say.
Researchers Turn Human Testes Cells Into Insulin-Producing Islet Cells
Source: Georgetown University Medical Center
Date: December 12, 2010
Summary;
Men with type 1 diabetes may be able to grow their own insulin-producing cells from their testicular tissue, say Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers. Their laboratory and animal study is a proof of principle that human spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) extracted from testicular tissue can morph into insulin-secreting beta islet cells normally found in the pancreas. And the researchers say they accomplished this feat without use of any of the extra genes now employed in most labs to turn adult stem cells into a tissue of choice.
Date: December 12, 2010
Summary;
Men with type 1 diabetes may be able to grow their own insulin-producing cells from their testicular tissue, say Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers. Their laboratory and animal study is a proof of principle that human spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) extracted from testicular tissue can morph into insulin-secreting beta islet cells normally found in the pancreas. And the researchers say they accomplished this feat without use of any of the extra genes now employed in most labs to turn adult stem cells into a tissue of choice.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Stem Cells: A 'Stitch in Time' Could Help Damaged Hearts
Source: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Date: December 9, 2010
Summary:
A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has demonstrated the feasibility of a novel technology that a surgeon could use to deliver stem cells to targeted areas ofthe body to repair diseased or damaged tissue, including cardiac muscle damaged by a heart attack. The technique involves bundling biopolymer microthreads into biological sutures and seeding the sutures with stem cells. The team has shown that the adult bone-marrow-derived stem cells will multiply while attached to the threads and retain their ability to differentiate and grow into other cell types. The results are reported in the the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.
Date: December 9, 2010
Summary:
A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has demonstrated the feasibility of a novel technology that a surgeon could use to deliver stem cells to targeted areas ofthe body to repair diseased or damaged tissue, including cardiac muscle damaged by a heart attack. The technique involves bundling biopolymer microthreads into biological sutures and seeding the sutures with stem cells. The team has shown that the adult bone-marrow-derived stem cells will multiply while attached to the threads and retain their ability to differentiate and grow into other cell types. The results are reported in the the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Stem Cell Advance a Step Forward for Treatment of Brain Diseases
Source: University of Rochester Medical Center
Date: December 7, 2010
Summary:
These neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes were derived from a single human neural stem cell.
Scientists have created a way to isolate neural stem cells – cells that give rise to all the cell types of the brain – from human brain tissue with unprecedented precision, an important step toward developing new treatments for conditions of the nervous system, like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases and spinal cord injury. The work by a team of neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center was published in the Nov. 3 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Neurologist Steven Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neurology, led the team.
Date: December 7, 2010
Summary:
These neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes were derived from a single human neural stem cell.
Scientists have created a way to isolate neural stem cells – cells that give rise to all the cell types of the brain – from human brain tissue with unprecedented precision, an important step toward developing new treatments for conditions of the nervous system, like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases and spinal cord injury. The work by a team of neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center was published in the Nov. 3 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Neurologist Steven Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neurology, led the team.
Swiss agency approves clinical trial of UCI-created neural stem cell therapy
Source: University of California - Irvine
Date: December 7, 2010
Summary:
Irvine, Calif., — A therapy developed by Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings of UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center in collaboration with researchers at StemCells Inc. will be the basis of the world’s first clinical trial using human neural stem cells to treat spinal cord injury.
Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, has authorized a Phase I/II clinical trial for chronic spinal cord injury, cases in which inflammation has stabilized and recovery has reached a plateau. The trial will utilize StemCells Inc.’s proprietary purified human neural stem cells and will be conducted at the University of Zurich’s University Hospital Balgrist, one of the world’s leading medical centers for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. The trial will utilize StemCells Inc.’s proprietary purified human neural stem cells and will be conducted at the University of Zurich’s University Hospital Balgrist, one of the world’s leading medical centers for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation.
Date: December 7, 2010
Summary:
Irvine, Calif., — A therapy developed by Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings of UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center in collaboration with researchers at StemCells Inc. will be the basis of the world’s first clinical trial using human neural stem cells to treat spinal cord injury.
Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, has authorized a Phase I/II clinical trial for chronic spinal cord injury, cases in which inflammation has stabilized and recovery has reached a plateau. The trial will utilize StemCells Inc.’s proprietary purified human neural stem cells and will be conducted at the University of Zurich’s University Hospital Balgrist, one of the world’s leading medical centers for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. The trial will utilize StemCells Inc.’s proprietary purified human neural stem cells and will be conducted at the University of Zurich’s University Hospital Balgrist, one of the world’s leading medical centers for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation.
StemCells, Inc. Receives Authorization to Conduct World's First Neural Stem Cell Trial in Spinal Cord Injury
Source: StemCells, Inc.
Date: December 7, 2010
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., --StemCells, Inc. announced today that is has received authorization from Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial in Switzerland of the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) in chronic spinal cord injury. The trial is designed to assess both safety and preliminary efficacy in patients with varying degrees of paralysis who are three to 12 months post-injury, and will progressively enroll patients based upon the severity of injury. Enrollment is expected to begin in early 2011.
The trial will enroll 12 patients with thoracic (chest-level) spinal cord injury, and will include both complete and incomplete injuries as classified by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale. The first cohort will include patients classified as ASIA A. These patients have what is considered to be a "complete" injury, or no movement or feeling below the level of the injury. The second cohort will progress to patients classified as ASIA B, or patients with some degree of feeling below the injury. The third cohort will consist of patients classified as ASIA C, or patients with some degree of movement below the injury. In addition to assessing safety, the trial will evaluate preliminary efficacy using defined clinical endpoints, such as changes in sensation, motor, and bowel/bladder function.
Date: December 7, 2010
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., --StemCells, Inc. announced today that is has received authorization from Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial in Switzerland of the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) in chronic spinal cord injury. The trial is designed to assess both safety and preliminary efficacy in patients with varying degrees of paralysis who are three to 12 months post-injury, and will progressively enroll patients based upon the severity of injury. Enrollment is expected to begin in early 2011.
The trial will enroll 12 patients with thoracic (chest-level) spinal cord injury, and will include both complete and incomplete injuries as classified by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale. The first cohort will include patients classified as ASIA A. These patients have what is considered to be a "complete" injury, or no movement or feeling below the level of the injury. The second cohort will progress to patients classified as ASIA B, or patients with some degree of feeling below the injury. The third cohort will consist of patients classified as ASIA C, or patients with some degree of movement below the injury. In addition to assessing safety, the trial will evaluate preliminary efficacy using defined clinical endpoints, such as changes in sensation, motor, and bowel/bladder function.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Study reveals new possibility of reversing damage caused by MS
Source: University of Cambridge
Date: 6 December 2010
Summary:
Damage caused by multiple sclerosis could be reversed by activating stem cells that can repair injury in the central nervous system, a study has shown. Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh have identified a mechanism essential for regenerating insulating layers - known as myelin sheaths - that protect nerve fibres in the brain. In additional studies in rodents, they showed how this mechanism can be exploited to make the brain's own stem cells better able to regenerate new myelin. The study, funded by the MS Society in the UK and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in America, is published in Nature Neuroscience.
Date: 6 December 2010
Summary:
Damage caused by multiple sclerosis could be reversed by activating stem cells that can repair injury in the central nervous system, a study has shown. Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh have identified a mechanism essential for regenerating insulating layers - known as myelin sheaths - that protect nerve fibres in the brain. In additional studies in rodents, they showed how this mechanism can be exploited to make the brain's own stem cells better able to regenerate new myelin. The study, funded by the MS Society in the UK and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in America, is published in Nature Neuroscience.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Researchers identify protein essential for cell division in blood-forming stem cells
Source: University of Michigan
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---University of Michigan researchers have discovered that a protein known to regulate cellular metabolism is also necessary for normal cell division in blood-forming stem cells. Loss of the protein results in an abnormal number of chromosomes and a high rate of cell death. The finding demonstrates that stem cells are metabolically different from other blood-forming cells, which can divide without the protein, Lkb1. This metabolic difference could someday be used to better control the behavior of blood-forming stem cells used in disease treatments, said Sean Morrison, director of the U-M Center for Stem Cell Biology, which is based at the Life Sciences Institute. The researchers deleted the two genes in blood-forming stem cells of mice -- the first time these genes have been "knocked out" in stem cells -- then observed and measured the effects. Their results are reported in the Dec. 2 edition of the journal Nature.
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---University of Michigan researchers have discovered that a protein known to regulate cellular metabolism is also necessary for normal cell division in blood-forming stem cells. Loss of the protein results in an abnormal number of chromosomes and a high rate of cell death. The finding demonstrates that stem cells are metabolically different from other blood-forming cells, which can divide without the protein, Lkb1. This metabolic difference could someday be used to better control the behavior of blood-forming stem cells used in disease treatments, said Sean Morrison, director of the U-M Center for Stem Cell Biology, which is based at the Life Sciences Institute. The researchers deleted the two genes in blood-forming stem cells of mice -- the first time these genes have been "knocked out" in stem cells -- then observed and measured the effects. Their results are reported in the Dec. 2 edition of the journal Nature.
A Fountain of Youth in Your Muscles
Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
New research from Tel Aviv University has found that "endurance exercises," like a Central Park jog or a spinning class, can make us look younger. The key, exercise, unlocks the stem cells of our muscles. Prof. Dafna Benayahu and her team at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine say their findings explain for the first time why older people who have exercised throughout their lives age more gracefully. They have discovered how endurance exercise increases the number of muscle stem cells and enhances their ability to rejuvenate old muscles. The researchers hope their finding can lead to a new drug to help the elderly and immobilized heal their muscles faster. The results of the study were recently published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
New research from Tel Aviv University has found that "endurance exercises," like a Central Park jog or a spinning class, can make us look younger. The key, exercise, unlocks the stem cells of our muscles. Prof. Dafna Benayahu and her team at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine say their findings explain for the first time why older people who have exercised throughout their lives age more gracefully. They have discovered how endurance exercise increases the number of muscle stem cells and enhances their ability to rejuvenate old muscles. The researchers hope their finding can lead to a new drug to help the elderly and immobilized heal their muscles faster. The results of the study were recently published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Stroke Damage Reversed by Jumpstarting Nerve Fibers
Source: Loyola University
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
A new technique that jump-starts the growth of nerve fibers could reverse much of the damage caused by strokes, Loyola University researchers report in the Jan. 7, 2011, issue of the journal Stroke. Researchers report dramatic results of anti-Nogo therapy in rats that had experienced medically induced strokes. Nogo-A is a protein that inhibits the growth of nerve fibers called axons. It serves as a check on runaway nerve growth that could cause a patient to be overly sensitive to pain, or to experience involuntary movements. (The protein is called Nogo because it in effect says "No go" to axons.) In anti-Nogo therapy, an antibody disables the Nogo protein. This allows the growth of axons in the stroke-affected side of the body and the restoration of functions lost due to stroke.
Researchers trained rats to reach and grab food pellets with their front paws. One week after experiencing a stroke, the animals all had significant deficits in grabbing pellets with their stroke-impaired limbs. There was little improvement over the next eight weeks.
Nine weeks after their stroke, six rats received anti-Nogo therapy, four rats received a control treatment consisting of an inactive antibody and five rats received no treatment. Nine weeks later, rats that had received anti-Nogo therapy regained 78 percent of their ability to grab pellets. By comparison, rats receiving no treatment regained 47 percent of that ability, and rats receiving the control treatment of inactive antibodies regained 33 percent of their pre-stroke performance. Subsequent examination of brain tissue found that the rats that received anti-Nogo therapy experienced significant sprouting of axons.
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
A new technique that jump-starts the growth of nerve fibers could reverse much of the damage caused by strokes, Loyola University researchers report in the Jan. 7, 2011, issue of the journal Stroke. Researchers report dramatic results of anti-Nogo therapy in rats that had experienced medically induced strokes. Nogo-A is a protein that inhibits the growth of nerve fibers called axons. It serves as a check on runaway nerve growth that could cause a patient to be overly sensitive to pain, or to experience involuntary movements. (The protein is called Nogo because it in effect says "No go" to axons.) In anti-Nogo therapy, an antibody disables the Nogo protein. This allows the growth of axons in the stroke-affected side of the body and the restoration of functions lost due to stroke.
Researchers trained rats to reach and grab food pellets with their front paws. One week after experiencing a stroke, the animals all had significant deficits in grabbing pellets with their stroke-impaired limbs. There was little improvement over the next eight weeks.
Nine weeks after their stroke, six rats received anti-Nogo therapy, four rats received a control treatment consisting of an inactive antibody and five rats received no treatment. Nine weeks later, rats that had received anti-Nogo therapy regained 78 percent of their ability to grab pellets. By comparison, rats receiving no treatment regained 47 percent of that ability, and rats receiving the control treatment of inactive antibodies regained 33 percent of their pre-stroke performance. Subsequent examination of brain tissue found that the rats that received anti-Nogo therapy experienced significant sprouting of axons.
CALIFORNIA STEM CELL, INC. FILES IND TO COMMENCE PHASE I CLINICAL TRIAL IN SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY
Source: California Stem Cell, Inc. and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
IRVINE, Calif. - California Stem Cell, Inc. (CSC) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA) announced today that CSC has filed an investigational new drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to commence a Phase I safety study on a jointly-developed stem cell-derived motor neuron transplantation therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I.
SMA is the leading genetic cause of death of infants. It is a disorder that results from a chronic deficiency in the production of the SMN protein, which is essential to the proper functioning of the motor neurons in the spinal cord. SMA is typically marked by the deterioration of the muscles that control crawling, walking, swallowing and breathing.
The trial will study the safety of MotorGraft™ and the surgical procedure required to deliver these cells directly into the spinal cords of patients with SMA Type I and will enroll a very limited number of patients. This IND filing is a major milestone in the search for a treatment for SMA patients.
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
IRVINE, Calif. - California Stem Cell, Inc. (CSC) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA) announced today that CSC has filed an investigational new drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to commence a Phase I safety study on a jointly-developed stem cell-derived motor neuron transplantation therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I.
SMA is the leading genetic cause of death of infants. It is a disorder that results from a chronic deficiency in the production of the SMN protein, which is essential to the proper functioning of the motor neurons in the spinal cord. SMA is typically marked by the deterioration of the muscles that control crawling, walking, swallowing and breathing.
The trial will study the safety of MotorGraft™ and the surgical procedure required to deliver these cells directly into the spinal cords of patients with SMA Type I and will enroll a very limited number of patients. This IND filing is a major milestone in the search for a treatment for SMA patients.
Bone marrow stromal stem cells may aid in stroke recovery
Source: Thomas Jefferson University
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
A research study from the Farber Institute for Neurosciences and the Department of Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson University determines bone marrow stromal stem cells may aid in stroke recovery. The results can be found in Cell Transplantation – The Regenerative Medicine Journal, issue 19(9).
The study examining the effects of a systematic administration of either rat (allogenic) or human (xenogenic) bone marrow stem cells (MSC) administered to laboratory rats one day after their simulated strokes found "significant recovery" of motor behavior on the first day. Early administration was found to be more effective than administration seven days after the simulated strokes.
Date: December 1, 2010
Summary:
A research study from the Farber Institute for Neurosciences and the Department of Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson University determines bone marrow stromal stem cells may aid in stroke recovery. The results can be found in Cell Transplantation – The Regenerative Medicine Journal, issue 19(9).
The study examining the effects of a systematic administration of either rat (allogenic) or human (xenogenic) bone marrow stem cells (MSC) administered to laboratory rats one day after their simulated strokes found "significant recovery" of motor behavior on the first day. Early administration was found to be more effective than administration seven days after the simulated strokes.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Scientists report partial reversal of age-related degeneration in aged mice
Source: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Date: November 29, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have for the first time partially reversed age-related degeneration in mice, resulting in new growth of the brain and testes, improved fertility, and the return of a lost cognitive function. In a report posted online by the journal Nature in advance of print publication, researchers led by Ronald A. DePinho, MD, said they achieved the milestone in aging science by engineering mice with a controllable telomerase gene. The telomerase enzyme maintains the protective caps called telomeres that shield the ends of chromosomes.
As humans age, low levels of telomerase are associated with progressive erosion of telomeres, which may then contribute to tissue degeneration and functional decline in the elderly. By creating mice with a telomerase switch, the researchers were able to generate prematurely aged mice. The switch allowed the scientists to find out whether reactivating telomerase in the animals would restore telomeres and mitigate the signs and symptoms of aging. The work showed a dramatic reversal of many aspects of aging, including reversal of brain disease and infertility.
Researchers said these results may provide new avenues for regenerative medicine, because they suggest that quiescent adult stem cells in severely aged tissues remain viable and can be reactivated to repair tissue damage. In addition, researchers said, these results may provide new avenues for regenerative medicine, because they suggest that quiescent adult stem cells in severely aged tissues remain viable and can be reactivated to repair tissue damage.
Date: November 29, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have for the first time partially reversed age-related degeneration in mice, resulting in new growth of the brain and testes, improved fertility, and the return of a lost cognitive function. In a report posted online by the journal Nature in advance of print publication, researchers led by Ronald A. DePinho, MD, said they achieved the milestone in aging science by engineering mice with a controllable telomerase gene. The telomerase enzyme maintains the protective caps called telomeres that shield the ends of chromosomes.
As humans age, low levels of telomerase are associated with progressive erosion of telomeres, which may then contribute to tissue degeneration and functional decline in the elderly. By creating mice with a telomerase switch, the researchers were able to generate prematurely aged mice. The switch allowed the scientists to find out whether reactivating telomerase in the animals would restore telomeres and mitigate the signs and symptoms of aging. The work showed a dramatic reversal of many aspects of aging, including reversal of brain disease and infertility.
Researchers said these results may provide new avenues for regenerative medicine, because they suggest that quiescent adult stem cells in severely aged tissues remain viable and can be reactivated to repair tissue damage. In addition, researchers said, these results may provide new avenues for regenerative medicine, because they suggest that quiescent adult stem cells in severely aged tissues remain viable and can be reactivated to repair tissue damage.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Coverage Summary: Advanced Cell Technology Receives FDA Clearance For Rare Disease
Below is a summary of media coverage about the announcement by Advanced Cell Technology Inc. that it received FDA approval for the first clinical trial Using embryonic stem cells to treat Stargardt disease, a form Macular Degeneration:
Associated Press, November 25, 2010 at 9:06 PM: "Test OK'd for stem-cell treatment of rare disease":
Los Angeles Times, November 22, 2010, 2:02 p.m.: "FDA clears second clinical trial involving human embryonic stem cells":
Reuters, November 22, 2010 5:20pm EST: "Second U.S. company gets stem cell go-ahead":
Time, November 22, 2010: "FDA Approves Second Trial of Stem-Cell Therapy":
New Scientist, 22 November 2010, 16:36 GMT: "Stem cell trial for blindness gets green light":
Boston Globe, November 22, 2010: "ACT wins FDA’s approval to test stem cell therapy":
Associated Press, November 25, 2010 at 9:06 PM: "Test OK'd for stem-cell treatment of rare disease":
NEW YORK — For only the second time, the U.S. government has approved a test in people of a treatment using embryonic stem cells — this time for a rare disease that causes serious vision loss. Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), a biotechnology company based in Santa Monica., Calif., said the research should begin early next year, following the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
...ACT's experiment will focus on Stargardt disease, which affects only about 30,000 Americans. But the company hopes the same approach will work for similar and more common eye disorders like age-related macular degeneration, which affects millions. Stargardt is an inherited disorder that attacks central vision used for tasks like reading and recognizing faces. Some patients go totally blind, even losing peripheral vision, while others are severely impaired and can only perceive light or see their hands moving in front of their faces.
...The disease typically starts in adolescence. The key problem is that impaired scavenger cells fail to remove toxic byproducts from the eye, allowing them to build up and kill other cells. There is no proven treatment. In the new study, 12 patients will be treated with healthy scavenger cells, created in a laboratory from human embryonic stem cells. This early phase of the research is primarily to test the safety of various doses, injecting only one eye of each patient.
Los Angeles Times, November 22, 2010, 2:02 p.m.: "FDA clears second clinical trial involving human embryonic stem cells":
Another therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells is headed for clinical trials. Advanced Cell Technology Inc. said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for its Phase I/II trial of retinal cells for patients with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, a childhood version of macular degeneration. Up to 12 patients will be enrolled at several sites across the country, including the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Ore., the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, and UMDNJ – New Jersey Medical School in Newark.
...Advanced Cell Technology hopes to treat these patients by giving them new retinal pigment epithelium cells to replace the ones that are lost to the disease. The therapy has restored vision in rats and mice, according to published studies. The Phase I/II trial is designed to test the safety and tolerability of the RPE cells in humans.
Reuters, November 22, 2010 5:20pm EST: "Second U.S. company gets stem cell go-ahead":
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the second human trial of human embryonic stem cells -- this one testing cells in people with a progressive form of blindness, the company said on Monday. Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology said it would start testing its stem cell-based treatment on 12 patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy. It is the second trial of human embryonic stem cells to be approved by the FDA this year. Last month Geron Corp enrolled the first patient in its study using the cells in people whose spinal cords have been crushed.
Time, November 22, 2010: "FDA Approves Second Trial of Stem-Cell Therapy":
For only the second time, the Food and Drug Administration approved a company's request to test an embryonic stem cell-based therapy on human patients. Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), based in Marlborough, Mass., will begin testing its retinal cell treatment this year in a dozen patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy, an inherited degenerative eye disease that leads to blindness in children. ...ACT's trial will involve injecting retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which nurture the retina, into volunteers with the most advanced forms of Stargardt's, in an attempt to replace dying and no longer functioning photoreceptor cells. In animals, the infusion of healthy cells improved vision and rescued the function of some diseased cells.
New Scientist, 22 November 2010, 16:36 GMT: "Stem cell trial for blindness gets green light":
Twelve people left almost blind by a hereditary condition that strikes in childhood are to receive the world's first eye therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The treatment is for Stargardt's macular dystrophy, which affects 1 in 8000 people in the US. Their sight deteriorates from around age 6 when retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPEs) start to die off rapidly, possibly due to a defective gene. Without RPEs to support and nourish them, adjacent photoreceptor cells which capture light signals, die too and blindness is the result. People in the trial will be those whose vision has deteriorated to the point where they can see the movement of their own hand, but little else. They will receive injections into their eyes of between 50,000 and 200,000 RPEs.
"The goal is to halt the rate of photoreceptor loss," says Robert Lanza, chief scientist at Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) of Worcester, Massachusetts, the company that has been developing the treatment since first turning hESCs into RPEs in 2004. By implanting new RPEs, which do not contain the defective gene, the team hopes to prevent further deterioration or perhaps even reverse it.
Boston Globe, November 22, 2010: "ACT wins FDA’s approval to test stem cell therapy":
Advanced Cell Technology, a stem cell company with a research laboratory in Marlborough, has received federal approval to test a human embryonic stem cell treatment on patients with a rare disease that causes blindness. ...ACT filed an investigational new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration a year ago to use retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells to treat patients with Stargardt’s, a rare genetic disease that affects about 30,000 people in the United States. The disease causes progressive vision loss, starting in patients between 10 and 20 years old, and results in blindness.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Rare disease reveals new path for creating stem cells
Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Date: November 22, 2010
Summary:
PHILADELPHIA - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School and School of Dental Medicine have found that the mutation that causes a rare genetic disorder of bone formation (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, or FOP) can reset an internal program to change cell fate, driving it back into an adult stem-cell stage. Immediate application for these findings is the field of tissue engineering and personalized medicine. It is conceivable that a transplant patient may one day have some of their own endothelial cells extracted, reprogrammed, and then grown into the desired tissue type for implantation. Host rejection would not be an issue.
Date: November 22, 2010
Summary:
PHILADELPHIA - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School and School of Dental Medicine have found that the mutation that causes a rare genetic disorder of bone formation (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, or FOP) can reset an internal program to change cell fate, driving it back into an adult stem-cell stage. Immediate application for these findings is the field of tissue engineering and personalized medicine. It is conceivable that a transplant patient may one day have some of their own endothelial cells extracted, reprogrammed, and then grown into the desired tissue type for implantation. Host rejection would not be an issue.
New study into bladder regeneration heralds organ replacement treatment
Source: Children's Memorial Research Center
Date: November 22, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at Children's Memorial Research Center have developed a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a patient’s own bone marrow. The research, published in STEM CELLS, is especially relevant for pediatric patients suffering from abnormally developed bladders, but also represents another step towards new organ replacement therapies.
Date: November 22, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at Children's Memorial Research Center have developed a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a patient’s own bone marrow. The research, published in STEM CELLS, is especially relevant for pediatric patients suffering from abnormally developed bladders, but also represents another step towards new organ replacement therapies.
URGENT ACTION ALERT: Contact Congress! Help Pass Federal Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding!
To all readers of Ben's Stem Cell News:
A critical vote on federal stem cell research funding legislation--H.R. 873: The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009--may be taking place in the House of Representatives soon! If you support stem cell research, please click on the title of this post, take a moment to complete the Genetics Policy Institute's FORM-LETTER, send it to your senators and representatives, post the letter on social networking sites, and forward it around to everyone you can! For the complete text of H.R. 873, see the "Federal Stem Cell Legislation" section under the LINKS column on Ben's Stem Cell News.
Help make a difference!
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Ben Kaplan
Publisher
Ben's Stem Cell News
A critical vote on federal stem cell research funding legislation--H.R. 873: The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009--may be taking place in the House of Representatives soon! If you support stem cell research, please click on the title of this post, take a moment to complete the Genetics Policy Institute's FORM-LETTER, send it to your senators and representatives, post the letter on social networking sites, and forward it around to everyone you can! For the complete text of H.R. 873, see the "Federal Stem Cell Legislation" section under the LINKS column on Ben's Stem Cell News.
Help make a difference!
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Ben Kaplan
Publisher
Ben's Stem Cell News
Advanced Cell Technology Receives FDA Clearance For the First Clinical Trial Using Embryonic Stem Cells to Treat Macular Degeneration
Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Date: November 22, 2010
Summary:
MARLBOROUGH, MA – Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to immediately initiate a Phase I/II multicenter clinical trial using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to treat patients with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD), one of the most common forms of juvenile macular degeneration in the world. The decision removes the clinical hold that the FDA had placed on the trial.
Date: November 22, 2010
Summary:
MARLBOROUGH, MA – Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to immediately initiate a Phase I/II multicenter clinical trial using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to treat patients with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD), one of the most common forms of juvenile macular degeneration in the world. The decision removes the clinical hold that the FDA had placed on the trial.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Study of genetic disease reveals new path to cell reprogramming
Source: Harvard University
Date: November 21, 2010
Summary:
As debilitating as disease can be, sometimes it acts as a teacher. Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine have found that by mimicking a rare genetic disorder in a dish they can rewind the internal clock of a mature cell and drive it back into an adult stem-cell stage. This new “stem cell” can then branch out into a variety of differentiated cell types, both in culture and in animal models. These findings appear online in Nature Medicine on Nov. 21.
Date: November 21, 2010
Summary:
As debilitating as disease can be, sometimes it acts as a teacher. Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine have found that by mimicking a rare genetic disorder in a dish they can rewind the internal clock of a mature cell and drive it back into an adult stem-cell stage. This new “stem cell” can then branch out into a variety of differentiated cell types, both in culture and in animal models. These findings appear online in Nature Medicine on Nov. 21.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Reprogrammed amniotic fluid cells can generate all types of body cells
Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Date: November 19, 2010
Summary:
High hopes rest on stem cells: one day, they may be used to treat many diseases. To date, embryos are the main source of these cells, but this raises ethical problems. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now managed to convert amniotic fluid cells into pluripotent stem cells. These amniotic fluid-derived iPS cells are hardly distinguishable from embryonic stem cells - however, they "remember" where they came from. (PLoS One, October 29, 2010)
Date: November 19, 2010
Summary:
High hopes rest on stem cells: one day, they may be used to treat many diseases. To date, embryos are the main source of these cells, but this raises ethical problems. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now managed to convert amniotic fluid cells into pluripotent stem cells. These amniotic fluid-derived iPS cells are hardly distinguishable from embryonic stem cells - however, they "remember" where they came from. (PLoS One, October 29, 2010)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
StemCells plans chronic spinal cord injury trial
Source: Reuters
Posted: November 15, 2010 1:19 p.m. EST
Summary:
Reuters reports StemCells Inc. filed for Swiss regulatory approval to begin a clinical trial of its nerve stem cells in patients with spinal cord injuries:
Posted: November 15, 2010 1:19 p.m. EST
Summary:
Reuters reports StemCells Inc. filed for Swiss regulatory approval to begin a clinical trial of its nerve stem cells in patients with spinal cord injuries:
LOS ANGELES - StemCells Inc. has filed for Swiss regulatory approval for the first clinical trial of its nerve stem cells in patients with spinal cord injuries as much as a year old, the company said. It expects to enroll about a dozen patients whose injuries are between three and 12 months old.
Umbilical Cord Cells May Treat Arthritis, Studies Suggest
Source: BioMed Central
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary:
Umbilical cord stem cells may be useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Animal and in vitro experiments, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) taken from umbilical cord blood can suppress inflammation and attenuate collagen-induced arthritis. The researchers took immune cells from RA patients and showed that the umbilical MSCs were able to suppress the cells' proliferation, invasive behavior and inflammatory responses. Systemic infusion of the umbilical MSCs into mice was shown to significantly reduce the severity of collagen-induced arthritis.
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary:
Umbilical cord stem cells may be useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Animal and in vitro experiments, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) taken from umbilical cord blood can suppress inflammation and attenuate collagen-induced arthritis. The researchers took immune cells from RA patients and showed that the umbilical MSCs were able to suppress the cells' proliferation, invasive behavior and inflammatory responses. Systemic infusion of the umbilical MSCs into mice was shown to significantly reduce the severity of collagen-induced arthritis.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Bioengineers Provide Adult Stem Cells with Friendly Environment: Simultaneous Chemical, Electrical and Mechanical Cues
Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: November 16, 2010
Summary:
Bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego have achieved the “Triple Crown” of stem cell culture – they created an artificial environment for stem cells that simultaneously provides the chemical, mechanical and electrical cues necessary for stem cell growth and differentiation. Building better microenvironments for nurturing stem cells is critical for realizing the promises of stem-cell-based regenerative medicine, including cartilage for joint repair, cardiac cells for damaged hearts, and healthy skeletal myoblasts for muscular dystrophy patients. The advance could also lead to better model systems for fundamental stem cell research. This work appears in a paper published online in Advanced Functional Materials on November 13.
Date: November 16, 2010
Summary:
Bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego have achieved the “Triple Crown” of stem cell culture – they created an artificial environment for stem cells that simultaneously provides the chemical, mechanical and electrical cues necessary for stem cell growth and differentiation. Building better microenvironments for nurturing stem cells is critical for realizing the promises of stem-cell-based regenerative medicine, including cartilage for joint repair, cardiac cells for damaged hearts, and healthy skeletal myoblasts for muscular dystrophy patients. The advance could also lead to better model systems for fundamental stem cell research. This work appears in a paper published online in Advanced Functional Materials on November 13.
ReNeuron announces first patient treated in landmark stroke stem cell clinical trial.
Source: ReNeuron Group plc
Date: 16 November 2010
Summary:
Guildford, UK - ReNeuron Group plc today announces that the first patient has been treated with the Company’s ReN001 stem cell therapy for stroke in a ground-breaking UK clinical trial. The PISCES study (Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke) is the world’s first fully regulated clinical trial of a neural stem cell therapy for disabled stroke patients. ReNeuron is the first company to have received regulatory approval for any stem cell-based clinical trial in the UK. Stroke is the third largest cause of death and the single largest cause of adult disability in the developed world.
Date: 16 November 2010
Summary:
Guildford, UK - ReNeuron Group plc today announces that the first patient has been treated with the Company’s ReN001 stem cell therapy for stroke in a ground-breaking UK clinical trial. The PISCES study (Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke) is the world’s first fully regulated clinical trial of a neural stem cell therapy for disabled stroke patients. ReNeuron is the first company to have received regulatory approval for any stem cell-based clinical trial in the UK. Stroke is the third largest cause of death and the single largest cause of adult disability in the developed world.
Monday, November 15, 2010
StemCells, Inc. Files to Conduct Neural Stem Cell Trial in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Source: StemCells, Inc.
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., -- StemCells, Inc. announced today that is has filed an application with Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, to conduct a clinical trial in Switzerland of the Company's HuCNS-SC(R) purified human neural stem cells in chronic spinal cord injury patients. If authorized, the study would enroll patients who are three to 12 months post-injury.
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., -- StemCells, Inc. announced today that is has filed an application with Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, to conduct a clinical trial in Switzerland of the Company's HuCNS-SC(R) purified human neural stem cells in chronic spinal cord injury patients. If authorized, the study would enroll patients who are three to 12 months post-injury.
How do neural stem cells decide what to be -- and when?
Source: Duke University Medical Center
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary;
SINGAPORE – Researchers at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore have uncovered a novel feedback mechanism that controls the delicate balance of brain stem cells. Zif, a newly discovered protein, controls whether brain stem cells renew themselves as stem cells or differentiate into a dedicated type of neuron (nerve cell). In preclinical studies, the researchers showed that Zif is important for inhibiting overgrowth of neural stem cells in fruit flies (genus Drosophila) by ensuring that a proliferation factor (known as aPKC) maintains appropriate levels in neural stem cells. The study was published in the Nov. 16 issue of Developmental Cell journal.
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary;
SINGAPORE – Researchers at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore have uncovered a novel feedback mechanism that controls the delicate balance of brain stem cells. Zif, a newly discovered protein, controls whether brain stem cells renew themselves as stem cells or differentiate into a dedicated type of neuron (nerve cell). In preclinical studies, the researchers showed that Zif is important for inhibiting overgrowth of neural stem cells in fruit flies (genus Drosophila) by ensuring that a proliferation factor (known as aPKC) maintains appropriate levels in neural stem cells. The study was published in the Nov. 16 issue of Developmental Cell journal.
Stem Cell Patch May Result in Improved Function Following Heart Attack
Source: University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary:
University of Cincinnati researchers have found that applying a stem cell-infused patch together with overexpression of a specific cell instruction molecule promoted cell migration to damaged cardiac tissue following heart attack and resulted in improved function in animal models. The researchers also found that function improved more so than when stem cells were directly injected in heart tissue—a therapy that is being studied elsewhere. These findings are being presented for the first time at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Meeting in Chicago Nov. 15.
Date: November 15, 2010
Summary:
University of Cincinnati researchers have found that applying a stem cell-infused patch together with overexpression of a specific cell instruction molecule promoted cell migration to damaged cardiac tissue following heart attack and resulted in improved function in animal models. The researchers also found that function improved more so than when stem cells were directly injected in heart tissue—a therapy that is being studied elsewhere. These findings are being presented for the first time at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Meeting in Chicago Nov. 15.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Embryonic stem cell culturing grows from art to science
Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Date: November 14, 2010
Summary:
Growing human embryonic stem cells in the lab is no small feat. Culturing the finicky, shape-shifting cells is labor intensive and, in some ways, more art than exact science. Now, however, a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports the development of a fully defined culture system that promises a more uniform and, for cells destined for therapy, safer product. Writing this week (Nov. 14, 2010) in the journal Nature Methods, a team led by Laura Kiessling, a UW-Madison professor of chemistry, unveiled an inexpensive system that takes much of the guess work out of culturing the all-purpose cells.
Date: November 14, 2010
Summary:
Growing human embryonic stem cells in the lab is no small feat. Culturing the finicky, shape-shifting cells is labor intensive and, in some ways, more art than exact science. Now, however, a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports the development of a fully defined culture system that promises a more uniform and, for cells destined for therapy, safer product. Writing this week (Nov. 14, 2010) in the journal Nature Methods, a team led by Laura Kiessling, a UW-Madison professor of chemistry, unveiled an inexpensive system that takes much of the guess work out of culturing the all-purpose cells.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Modeling Autism in a Lab Dish: Researchers Create Autistic Neuron Model
Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: November 11, 2010
LA JOLLA, CA—A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.
Neurons generated from Rett-iPS cells form fewer synapses, the specialized signal transmission points between brain cells. Synapses are shown in red and dendrites, which function as signal receivers, are shown in green. Their findings, published in the November 12, 2010, issue of Cell, revealed disease-specific cellular defects, such as fewer functional connections between Rett neurons, and demonstrated that these symptoms are reversible, raising the hope that, one day, autism maybe turn into a treatable condition.
Date: November 11, 2010
LA JOLLA, CA—A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.
Neurons generated from Rett-iPS cells form fewer synapses, the specialized signal transmission points between brain cells. Synapses are shown in red and dendrites, which function as signal receivers, are shown in green. Their findings, published in the November 12, 2010, issue of Cell, revealed disease-specific cellular defects, such as fewer functional connections between Rett neurons, and demonstrated that these symptoms are reversible, raising the hope that, one day, autism maybe turn into a treatable condition.
Geron Announces Two Publications Demonstrating That Its Telomerase Inhibitor Drug Targets Cancer Stem Cells
Source: Geron Corporation
Date: November 11, 2010
Summary:
Geron Corporation today announced today announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating that the company's telomerase inhibitor drug, imetelstat (GRN163L), currently in Phase 2 clinical trials, targets cancer stem cells from multiple myeloma, pancreatic and breast cancers.
The first publication shows the inhibitory effect of imetelstat on multiple myeloma cancer stem cells in vitro and in animal models of the human disease. The research was co-authored by Dr. William Matsui and colleagues at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and scientists from Geron and is published in the journal PLoS ONE.
The second publication demonstrates the inhibitory effect of imetelstat on cancer stem cells from breast and pancreatic tumor cell lines in vitro and in animal models of the human disease. The data, published in the journal Cancer Research.
Date: November 11, 2010
Summary:
Geron Corporation today announced today announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating that the company's telomerase inhibitor drug, imetelstat (GRN163L), currently in Phase 2 clinical trials, targets cancer stem cells from multiple myeloma, pancreatic and breast cancers.
The first publication shows the inhibitory effect of imetelstat on multiple myeloma cancer stem cells in vitro and in animal models of the human disease. The research was co-authored by Dr. William Matsui and colleagues at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and scientists from Geron and is published in the journal PLoS ONE.
The second publication demonstrates the inhibitory effect of imetelstat on cancer stem cells from breast and pancreatic tumor cell lines in vitro and in animal models of the human disease. The data, published in the journal Cancer Research.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Stem Cell Transplants in Mice Produce Lifelong Enhancement of Muscle Mass
Source: University of Colorado at Boulder
Date: November 10, 2010
Summary;
A University of Colorado at Boulder-led study shows that specific types of stem cells transplanted into the leg muscles of mice prevented the loss of muscle function and mass that normally occurs with aging, a finding with potential uses in treating humans with chronic, degenerative muscle diseases.
The experiments showed that when young host mice with limb muscle injuries were injected with muscle stem cells from young donor mice, the cells not only repaired the injury within days, they caused the treated muscle to double in mass and sustain itself through the lifetime of the transplanted mice. The study is published in the Nov. 10 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
News stories based on this news release were published in today's Daily Telegraph and Press Association.
Date: November 10, 2010
Summary;
A University of Colorado at Boulder-led study shows that specific types of stem cells transplanted into the leg muscles of mice prevented the loss of muscle function and mass that normally occurs with aging, a finding with potential uses in treating humans with chronic, degenerative muscle diseases.
The experiments showed that when young host mice with limb muscle injuries were injected with muscle stem cells from young donor mice, the cells not only repaired the injury within days, they caused the treated muscle to double in mass and sustain itself through the lifetime of the transplanted mice. The study is published in the Nov. 10 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
News stories based on this news release were published in today's Daily Telegraph and Press Association.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Rogue Gene Hijacks Stem Cells to Jumpstart Human Cancer
Source: Queen Mary, University of London
Date: 9 November 2010
Summary:
A gene thought to be responsible for initiating human cancer has been identified by researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. The study - published online today (9 November) in the journal Cancer Research - paves the way for developing early cancer diagnostic tests, and finding new treatments that prevent or stop the spread of cancer cells at an early stage.
Researchers have shown that a gene called FOXM1 exploits the inherent self-renewal property of stem cells causing excessive cell proliferation. Using adult human stem cells isolated from mouth tissues the team demonstrated that normal stem cells engineered in the lab to express abnormal levels of FOXM1 gene, triggered excessive cell growth within a 3D tissue culture model system set up to mimic human tissue regeneration in the laboratory.
Date: 9 November 2010
Summary:
A gene thought to be responsible for initiating human cancer has been identified by researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. The study - published online today (9 November) in the journal Cancer Research - paves the way for developing early cancer diagnostic tests, and finding new treatments that prevent or stop the spread of cancer cells at an early stage.
Researchers have shown that a gene called FOXM1 exploits the inherent self-renewal property of stem cells causing excessive cell proliferation. Using adult human stem cells isolated from mouth tissues the team demonstrated that normal stem cells engineered in the lab to express abnormal levels of FOXM1 gene, triggered excessive cell growth within a 3D tissue culture model system set up to mimic human tissue regeneration in the laboratory.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Scientists turn skin into blood
Source: McMaster University
Date: November 7, 2010
Summary:
In an important breakthrough, scientists at McMaster University have discovered how to make human blood from adult human skin. The discovery, published in the prestigious science journal Nature on Nov. 7, could mean that in the foreseeable future people needing blood for surgery, cancer treatment or treatment of other blood conditions like anemia will be able to have blood created from a patch of their own skin to provide transfusions. Clinical trials could begin as soon as 2012.
Date: November 7, 2010
Summary:
In an important breakthrough, scientists at McMaster University have discovered how to make human blood from adult human skin. The discovery, published in the prestigious science journal Nature on Nov. 7, could mean that in the foreseeable future people needing blood for surgery, cancer treatment or treatment of other blood conditions like anemia will be able to have blood created from a patch of their own skin to provide transfusions. Clinical trials could begin as soon as 2012.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Scientists Find Nerve Cell Activity Drains Stem Cell Pool in Developing Brain
Source: Scripps Research Institute
Date: November 3, 2010
Summary:
As babies grow, their brain cells develop from a pool of stem cells—some stem cells continuously divide, replenishing the pool, whereas others morph into mature functioning nerve cells. Now researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that as the newly formed nerve cells start firing electrical signals, this activity slows down stem cell division, emptying out the stem cell pool in favor of nerve cell formation.
The study, published in the November 4 issue of the journal Neuron, shows that brain activity controls the balance between stem cells and mature nerve cells and suggests that abnormal brain activity, as it occurs during seizures, may have long-lasting effects on brain development. The results also have implications for replacing brain cells that are damaged or lost through diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
Date: November 3, 2010
Summary:
As babies grow, their brain cells develop from a pool of stem cells—some stem cells continuously divide, replenishing the pool, whereas others morph into mature functioning nerve cells. Now researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that as the newly formed nerve cells start firing electrical signals, this activity slows down stem cell division, emptying out the stem cell pool in favor of nerve cell formation.
The study, published in the November 4 issue of the journal Neuron, shows that brain activity controls the balance between stem cells and mature nerve cells and suggests that abnormal brain activity, as it occurs during seizures, may have long-lasting effects on brain development. The results also have implications for replacing brain cells that are damaged or lost through diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Researchers Engineer Miniature Human Livers in the Lab
Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Date: October 30, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function – at least in a laboratory setting – like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.
The ultimate goal of the research, which will be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston, is to provide a solution to the shortage of donor livers available for patients who need transplants. Laboratory-engineered livers could also be used to test the safety of new drugs.
Date: October 30, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function – at least in a laboratory setting – like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.
The ultimate goal of the research, which will be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston, is to provide a solution to the shortage of donor livers available for patients who need transplants. Laboratory-engineered livers could also be used to test the safety of new drugs.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Generated to Further Treatments for Lung Disease
Source: Boston University
Date: October 28, 2010
Summary:
(Boston) A team of researchers from Boston University’s Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Pulmonary Center have generated 100 new lines of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from individuals with lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis and emphysema. The new stem cell lines could possibly lead to new treatments for these debilitating diseases. The findings, which appear in the current issue of Stem Cells, demonstrate the first time lung disease-specific iPSC have been created in a lab.
iPSCs are derived by reprogramming adult cells into a primitive stem cell state. This process results in the creation of cells that are similar to embryonic stem cells in terms of their capability to differentiate into different types of cells, including endoderm cells that can give rise to liver and lung tissue.
The study involved patients with different forms of lung disease – cystic fibrosis, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-related emphysema, scleroderma (SSc) and sickle cell disease. The patients underwent skin biopsies and donated tissue samples, which the research team used to cultivate adult stem cells. Using a Boston University-patented vector in the form of a virus, named the Stem Cell Cassette (STEMCCA), the researchers were able to reprogram the skin cells into the primitive pluripotent stem cells known as iPSCs.
Date: October 28, 2010
Summary:
(Boston) A team of researchers from Boston University’s Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Pulmonary Center have generated 100 new lines of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from individuals with lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis and emphysema. The new stem cell lines could possibly lead to new treatments for these debilitating diseases. The findings, which appear in the current issue of Stem Cells, demonstrate the first time lung disease-specific iPSC have been created in a lab.
iPSCs are derived by reprogramming adult cells into a primitive stem cell state. This process results in the creation of cells that are similar to embryonic stem cells in terms of their capability to differentiate into different types of cells, including endoderm cells that can give rise to liver and lung tissue.
The study involved patients with different forms of lung disease – cystic fibrosis, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-related emphysema, scleroderma (SSc) and sickle cell disease. The patients underwent skin biopsies and donated tissue samples, which the research team used to cultivate adult stem cells. Using a Boston University-patented vector in the form of a virus, named the Stem Cell Cassette (STEMCCA), the researchers were able to reprogram the skin cells into the primitive pluripotent stem cells known as iPSCs.
StemCells, Inc. Advances To Second Clinical Trial In Batten Disease
Source: StemCells, Inc.
Date: October 28, 2010
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., – StemCells, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a second clinical trial of its HuCNS-SC ® product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL, also often referred to as Batten disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder in children. The trial is designed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of the cells in patients with either infantile or late infantile NCL. The trial will enroll six patients with less advanced stages of the disease than those who participated in the Company’s first NCL trial. Like the first NCL trial, this second trial is being conducted at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, a leading medical center with nationally recognized programs in pediatric neurology and neurosurgery.
Date: October 28, 2010
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., – StemCells, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a second clinical trial of its HuCNS-SC ® product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL, also often referred to as Batten disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder in children. The trial is designed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of the cells in patients with either infantile or late infantile NCL. The trial will enroll six patients with less advanced stages of the disease than those who participated in the Company’s first NCL trial. Like the first NCL trial, this second trial is being conducted at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, a leading medical center with nationally recognized programs in pediatric neurology and neurosurgery.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Too Much SP2 Protein Turns Stem Cells Into “Evil Twin” Tumor-forming Cancer Cells
Source: North Carolina State University
Date: October 27, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that the overproduction of a key protein in stem cells causes those stem cells to form cancerous tumors. Their work may lead to new treatments for a variety of cancers. The team of researchers looked at the protein SP2, which regulates the activity of other genes. They knew that elevated amounts of SP2 had been observed in human prostate-cancer patients, and that these levels only increased as the tumors became more dangerous. They then showed that precisely the same thing occurs in mouse skin tumors. The researchers’ results are published in the Nov. 3 edition of the journal Cancer Research.
Date: October 27, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that the overproduction of a key protein in stem cells causes those stem cells to form cancerous tumors. Their work may lead to new treatments for a variety of cancers. The team of researchers looked at the protein SP2, which regulates the activity of other genes. They knew that elevated amounts of SP2 had been observed in human prostate-cancer patients, and that these levels only increased as the tumors became more dangerous. They then showed that precisely the same thing occurs in mouse skin tumors. The researchers’ results are published in the Nov. 3 edition of the journal Cancer Research.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Bioelectrical Signals Turn Stem Cells' Progeny Cancerous
Source: Tufts University
Date: October 19, 2010
Summary:
Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that a change in membrane voltage in newly identified "instructor cells" can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells. The Tufts team also found that this metastatic transformation is due to changes in serotonin transport. The discovery could aid in the prevention and treatment of diseases like cancer and vitiligo as well as birth defects. The research is reported in the October 19, 2010, issue of Disease Models and Mechanisms.
Date: October 19, 2010
Summary:
Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that a change in membrane voltage in newly identified "instructor cells" can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells. The Tufts team also found that this metastatic transformation is due to changes in serotonin transport. The discovery could aid in the prevention and treatment of diseases like cancer and vitiligo as well as birth defects. The research is reported in the October 19, 2010, issue of Disease Models and Mechanisms.
Scientists Generate Functional Nerve Cells from Adult Skin Cells
Source: University of Connecticut
Date: October 19, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the University of Connecticut Health Center have successfully converted stem cells derived from the adult skin cells of four humans into region-specific forebrain, midbrain, and spinal cord neurons (nerve cells) with functions. The research is a key step toward realizing the cells’ potential to treat various neurodegenerative diseases. Their study was published in PLoS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed online journal of the non-profit Public Library of Science (PLoS) and describes how scientists used cell reprogramming protocols to first transform the adult tissue into "induced pluripotent stem cells" that are all but identical to embryonic stem cells.
Date: October 19, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the University of Connecticut Health Center have successfully converted stem cells derived from the adult skin cells of four humans into region-specific forebrain, midbrain, and spinal cord neurons (nerve cells) with functions. The research is a key step toward realizing the cells’ potential to treat various neurodegenerative diseases. Their study was published in PLoS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed online journal of the non-profit Public Library of Science (PLoS) and describes how scientists used cell reprogramming protocols to first transform the adult tissue into "induced pluripotent stem cells" that are all but identical to embryonic stem cells.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Scientists Perform First Genome-Wide Study of Human Stem Cells
Source: Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Date: October 18, 2010
Summary:
A team of scientists from Singapore led by the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), two biomedical research institutes of Singapore’s Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), have discovered the most important genes in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), a crucial breakthrough in discovering how human stem cells work. Their research, published in top scientific journal Nature, is the first ever genome-wide study of human stem cells on such a massive scale, and its results are crucial in understanding how stem cells may one day be used to treat debilitating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and traumatic spinal injury. In addition, the scientists found that PRDM14 played a key role in hESCs, but not in mouse ESCs. This significant new finding highlights the fundamental differences between stem cells from different species, and highlights the greater need to use human cells in stem cell research.
Date: October 18, 2010
Summary:
A team of scientists from Singapore led by the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), two biomedical research institutes of Singapore’s Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), have discovered the most important genes in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), a crucial breakthrough in discovering how human stem cells work. Their research, published in top scientific journal Nature, is the first ever genome-wide study of human stem cells on such a massive scale, and its results are crucial in understanding how stem cells may one day be used to treat debilitating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and traumatic spinal injury. In addition, the scientists found that PRDM14 played a key role in hESCs, but not in mouse ESCs. This significant new finding highlights the fundamental differences between stem cells from different species, and highlights the greater need to use human cells in stem cell research.
Scientists turn stem cells into cells for cartilage repair
Source: University of Manchester
Date: 18 October 2010
Summary:
Scientists have turned embryonic stem cells into the cells that produce cartilage, which could be used to repair damaged and diseased joints. The team, based at The University of Manchester and Central Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, hope this work will lead the way to the use of human embryonic stem cells to provide cheaper and more readily available treatments for joint diseases and that the principles can be developed for other chronic human conditions.
Date: 18 October 2010
Summary:
Scientists have turned embryonic stem cells into the cells that produce cartilage, which could be used to repair damaged and diseased joints. The team, based at The University of Manchester and Central Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, hope this work will lead the way to the use of human embryonic stem cells to provide cheaper and more readily available treatments for joint diseases and that the principles can be developed for other chronic human conditions.
Neuralstem Updates ALS Clinical Trial Progress
Source: Neuralstem, Inc.
Date: October 18, 2010
Summary:
Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta,Georgia. The company announced that, after reviewing the safety data from the first six non-ambulatory patients, the trial's Safety Monitoring Board has unanimously approved moving to the next group of ALS patients, all of whom will be ambulatory.
Date: October 18, 2010
Summary:
Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta,Georgia. The company announced that, after reviewing the safety data from the first six non-ambulatory patients, the trial's Safety Monitoring Board has unanimously approved moving to the next group of ALS patients, all of whom will be ambulatory.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Hope for spinal cord patients
Source: Los Angeles TImes
Date: October 16, 2010
Summary:
The Los Angeles TImes reports on the recent announcement by Geron Corporation that it began human clinical trials using embryonic stem cells to attempt to treat spinal cord injuries and answers some common questions about spinal cord injuries, the trial itself, and other conditions that might potentially be treated from stem cell therapy.
Date: October 16, 2010
Summary:
The Los Angeles TImes reports on the recent announcement by Geron Corporation that it began human clinical trials using embryonic stem cells to attempt to treat spinal cord injuries and answers some common questions about spinal cord injuries, the trial itself, and other conditions that might potentially be treated from stem cell therapy.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Gene identified that prevents stem cells from turning cancerous
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: October 14, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells, the prodigious precursors of all the tissues in our body, can make almost anything, given the right circumstances. Including, unfortunately, cancer. Now research from Rockefeller University shows that having too many stem cells, or stem cells that live for too long, can increase the odds of developing cancer. By identifying a mechanism that regulates programmed cell death in precursor cells for blood, or hematopoietic stem cells, the work is the first to connect the death of such cells to a later susceptibility to tumors in mice. It also provides evidence of the potentially carcinogenic downside to stem cell treatments, and suggests that nature has sought to balance stem cells' regenerative power against their potentially lethal potency.
Researchers explored the activity of a gene called Sept4, which encodes a protein, ARTS, that increases programmed cell death, or apoptosis, by antagonizing other proteins that prevent cell death. ARTS is found to be lacking in human leukemia and other cancers, suggesting it suppresses tumors. To study the role of ARTS, the experimenters bred a line of mice genetically engineered to lack the Sept4 gene.
Researchers studied cells that lacked ARTS, looking for signs of trouble relating to cell death. In mature B and T cells, she could not find any, however, so she began to look at cells earlier and earlier in development, until finally she was comparing hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells. Here she found crucial differences, to be published Friday in Genes and Development.
Date: October 14, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells, the prodigious precursors of all the tissues in our body, can make almost anything, given the right circumstances. Including, unfortunately, cancer. Now research from Rockefeller University shows that having too many stem cells, or stem cells that live for too long, can increase the odds of developing cancer. By identifying a mechanism that regulates programmed cell death in precursor cells for blood, or hematopoietic stem cells, the work is the first to connect the death of such cells to a later susceptibility to tumors in mice. It also provides evidence of the potentially carcinogenic downside to stem cell treatments, and suggests that nature has sought to balance stem cells' regenerative power against their potentially lethal potency.
Researchers explored the activity of a gene called Sept4, which encodes a protein, ARTS, that increases programmed cell death, or apoptosis, by antagonizing other proteins that prevent cell death. ARTS is found to be lacking in human leukemia and other cancers, suggesting it suppresses tumors. To study the role of ARTS, the experimenters bred a line of mice genetically engineered to lack the Sept4 gene.
Researchers studied cells that lacked ARTS, looking for signs of trouble relating to cell death. In mature B and T cells, she could not find any, however, so she began to look at cells earlier and earlier in development, until finally she was comparing hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells. Here she found crucial differences, to be published Friday in Genes and Development.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
COVERAGE SUMMARY: Geron Corporation Embryonic Stem Cell Clinical Trial Underway in Atlanta
Below is a summary of media coverage about the announcement by Geron Corporation of the enrollment of the first patient in the company's clinical trial of human embryonic stem cells to treat patients with new spinal cord injuries:
Washington Post, October 11, 2010; 9:06 AM ET: "First patient treated in stem cell study":
Reuters, October 11, 2010 8:30 am EDT: "First patient treated in Geron stem cell trial":
Agence France Presse (AFP), October 11, 2010, 9:59 pm ET US begins first human embryonic stem cell trial":
Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2010: "First clinical trial begins for stem cell therapy. The first of several spine injury patients is undergoing treatment, which has helped rodents regain the ability to walk and run. Doctors' hopes are high.":
Daily Telegraph, 11 October 2010 5:24 PM BST: "Treatment first hails in the 'dawn of the stem cell age'":
The trial on a patient with severe spinal injuries is the first to test a treatment that has huge potential to cure disease and disability. But it is also highly controversial and considered unethical among many Christian and "pro-life" groups. The results of the procedure, carried out by privately funded company Geron, will be awaited eagerly around the world by doctors and scientists working in regenerative medicines. If a success it could be the "catalyst" to open up stem cell treatments for all kinds of conditions from nerve damage, to Alzheimer's disease to diabetes.
WebMD, October 11, 2010: "First Patient Treated With Embryonic Stem Cells. Paralyzed Atlanta Patient Gets Stem Cells Injected Into Spine":
CNN.com, October 11, 2010, 3:30 PM ET: "First human injected in human embryonic stem cell trial":
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 11, 2010, 8:16 p.m. EDT: "First stem cell treatment for human administered in Atlanta":
"Taking a landmark step, Atlanta doctors have injected millions of embryonic stem cells into a partially paralyzed patient, treating a human for the first time in the U.S. with the controversial research, officials said Monday."
USA Today, October 11, 2010, 11:00 pm EDT: "Embryonic stem cells used on patient for first time":
Daily Mail, 12th October 2010 9:45 AM GMT: "Spinal patient is first to get stem cells from embryos in bid to walk again":
Below are news videos of this story from television news sources:
ABC News, October 11, 2010: "Medical Milestone: Genetics Company Begins First Embryonic Stem-Cell Treatment on Patient. First Study to Focus on How Patient With Spinal Cord Injuries Will React to Treatment":
CBS News / Associated Press, October 11, 2010, 6:23 PM EDT: "First Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment Tried on Spinal Cord Injury":
Washington Post, October 11, 2010; 9:06 AM ET: "First patient treated in stem cell study":
The first patient has been treated with human embryonic stem cells in the first study authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to test the controversial therapy. A patient who was partially paralyzed by a spinal cord injury had millions of embryonic stem cells injected into the site of the damage, according to an announcement early Monday by the Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif., which is sponsoring the groundbreaking study.
The patient was treated at the Shepherd Center, a 132-bed hospital in Atlanta that specializes in spinal cord and brain injuries, Geron said. The hospital is one of seven sites participating in the study, which is primarily aimed at testing whether the therapy is safe. Doctors will, however, also conduct a series of specially designed tests to see whether the treatment helps the patients. No additional information about the first patient was released.
Reuters, October 11, 2010 8:30 am EDT: "First patient treated in Geron stem cell trial":
Geron Corp. said on Monday that doctors have begun treating the first patient in the United States to receive human embryonic stem cells, but said the details of the landmark clinical trial are being kept confidential. Geron has the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration license to use the controversial cells to treat people, in this case patients with new spinal cord injuries.
Agence France Presse (AFP), October 11, 2010, 9:59 pm ET US begins first human embryonic stem cell trial":
US doctors have begun the first tests of human embryonic stem cells in patients, treating a man with spinal cord injuries in a landmark trial of the controversial process, the Geron Corporation said Monday. The patient began the pioneering treatment Friday with an injection of the biotech company's human embryonic stem cells, as part of a clinical trial that aims to test safety and efficacy toward regaining sensation and movement.
Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2010: "First clinical trial begins for stem cell therapy. The first of several spine injury patients is undergoing treatment, which has helped rodents regain the ability to walk and run. Doctors' hopes are high.":
Researchers announced Monday that they had injected stem cells into a patient with a spinal cord injury on Friday, kicking off the world's first clinical trial of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells.
The patient was treated at Shepherd Center, a spinal cord and brain injury center in Atlanta.
Though the trial, run by Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif., is in its earliest stages — aimed primarily at testing the treatment for safety — the event stands as a landmark one for embryonic stem cell researchers, who for years have studied the cells' potential to treat spinal cord injuries, diabetes and a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.
Daily Telegraph, 11 October 2010 5:24 PM BST: "Treatment first hails in the 'dawn of the stem cell age'":
The trial on a patient with severe spinal injuries is the first to test a treatment that has huge potential to cure disease and disability. But it is also highly controversial and considered unethical among many Christian and "pro-life" groups. The results of the procedure, carried out by privately funded company Geron, will be awaited eagerly around the world by doctors and scientists working in regenerative medicines. If a success it could be the "catalyst" to open up stem cell treatments for all kinds of conditions from nerve damage, to Alzheimer's disease to diabetes.
WebMD, October 11, 2010: "First Patient Treated With Embryonic Stem Cells. Paralyzed Atlanta Patient Gets Stem Cells Injected Into Spine":
The first person treated with embryonic stem cells is an Atlanta patient paralyzed by a recent spine injury. The Geron Corp. GRNOPC1 stem cells come from embryos left over after in vitro fertilization and donated by the parents. The FDA approved the study in early 2009. The clinical trial is a first step toward an eventual cure for paralysis, says study leader Richard Fessler, MD, PhD, professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
CNN.com, October 11, 2010, 3:30 PM ET: "First human injected in human embryonic stem cell trial":
After years of animal trials, the first human has been injected with cells from human embryonic stem cells, according to Geron Corporation, the company which is sponsoring the controversial study. ...Geron is releasing very few details about the patient, but will say that the first person to receive cells derived from human embryonic stem cells was enrolled in the FDA-approved clinical trial at the Shepherd Center, a spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. This person was injected with the cells on Friday.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 11, 2010, 8:16 p.m. EDT: "First stem cell treatment for human administered in Atlanta":
"Taking a landmark step, Atlanta doctors have injected millions of embryonic stem cells into a partially paralyzed patient, treating a human for the first time in the U.S. with the controversial research, officials said Monday."
USA Today, October 11, 2010, 11:00 pm EDT: "Embryonic stem cells used on patient for first time":
For the first time, surgeons have injected a spinal cord injury patient with human embryonic stem cells in a federally approved experiment, a biomedical firm said Monday. Food and Drug Administration officials approved the start of the privately funded safety trial in July, allowing a long-awaited test of the cells, which were grown from a single embryo to resemble forerunners to spinal cells. The unnamed patient received the cells at the Shepherd Center, an Atlanta hospital specializing in brain, spine and related ailments.
Human embryonic stem cells are precursors to all human tissues. Researchers first grew them from embryos in 1998. Medical researchers have since looked to the cells to study organ development, test drugs and, now in the clinical trial, grow rejection-free replacement organs.
Daily Mail, 12th October 2010 9:45 AM GMT: "Spinal patient is first to get stem cells from embryos in bid to walk again":
A paralysed patient has been injected with human embryonic stem cells in a world-first attempt to help them walk again.
Doctors hope the stem cells will help nerves in a newly damaged spinal cord regenerate before the disability becomes permanent. The patient has had millions of the stem cells injected into the site of the injury in an effort to find a revolutionary cure, according to the U.S. firm carrying out the hugely controversial experiment.
Below are news videos of this story from television news sources:
ABC News, October 11, 2010: "Medical Milestone: Genetics Company Begins First Embryonic Stem-Cell Treatment on Patient. First Study to Focus on How Patient With Spinal Cord Injuries Will React to Treatment":
For years, scientists have held out the promise that embryonic stem cells could repair damaged spinal cords and cure other serious ailments. Scientists today got one step closer to making that promise a reality as they began an embryonic stem-cell treatment on a patient with spinal cord injuries. It is the first time a medical therapy has been used on a human in a government approved study.
CBS News / Associated Press, October 11, 2010, 6:23 PM EDT: "First Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment Tried on Spinal Cord Injury":
A California bio-tech company has begun testing an embryonic stem-cell drug treatment on a patient with spinal cord injuries, marking the first time a drug made with embryonic stem cells has been used on a human. The patient was enrolled at Shepherd Center, a spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation center in Atlanta.
In order to participate, the patient had to have been injured within the last two weeks. The company, Geron, hopes to enroll another eight to 10 patients in the study. The stem-cell drug, known as GRNOPC, contains cells that turn into oligodendrocytes, a type of cell that produces myelin, a coating that allows impulses to move along nerves.
When those cells are lost because of injury, paralysis can follow. If GRNOPC1 works, the progenitor cells will produce new oligodendrocytes in the injured area of the patient's spine, potentially allowing for new movement. Because this is an early stage study, researchers are primarily concerned with the safety of the treatment.
Monday, October 11, 2010
First patient enrolled in clinical trial of UCI-created stem cell therapy
Source: University of California - Irvine
Posted: October 11, 2010 11:05 a.m.
The first patient with acute spinal cord injury has been enrolled in the world's first clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy. In laboratory tests, UC Irvine's Hans Keirstead (pictured) and Dr. Gabriel Nistor developed a technique for prompting human embryonic stem cells to form new tissue around damaged neurons, allowing the restoration of motor function. Menlo Park, Calif.-based Geron Corporation is sponsoring the trial at a number of U.S. locations; the first subject enrolled at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The primary objective of this Phase I study is to assess the therapy's safety and tolerability in newly disabled patients, who will undergo treatment within 14 days of injury. "This is an exciting first step," said Keirstead, of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. "I'm confident that the results will show how the power of human embryonic stem cells can be harnessed to improve human health."
Posted: October 11, 2010 11:05 a.m.
The first patient with acute spinal cord injury has been enrolled in the world's first clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy. In laboratory tests, UC Irvine's Hans Keirstead (pictured) and Dr. Gabriel Nistor developed a technique for prompting human embryonic stem cells to form new tissue around damaged neurons, allowing the restoration of motor function. Menlo Park, Calif.-based Geron Corporation is sponsoring the trial at a number of U.S. locations; the first subject enrolled at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The primary objective of this Phase I study is to assess the therapy's safety and tolerability in newly disabled patients, who will undergo treatment within 14 days of injury. "This is an exciting first step," said Keirstead, of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. "I'm confident that the results will show how the power of human embryonic stem cells can be harnessed to improve human health."
BrainStorm Receives Approval to Begin Clinical Trial of Adult Stem Cell Therapy in Patients with ALS
Source: BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.
Date: October 11, 2010
Summary:
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, today announced that the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) has granted clearance for a Phase I/II clinical trial using the company’s autologous NurOwn™ stem cell therapy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. BrainStorm is the first company to receive clearance from the MOH for a differentiated stem cell-based therapy in Israel.
The Phase I/II clinical trial will be conducted in cooperation with the world-renowned Hadassah Medical Center and will be conducted by a joint team headed by the principal investigator Dimitrios Karussis, M.D., Ph.D., of the Hadassah Medical Center, and a scientific team from BrainStorm headed by Prof. Eldad Melamed. The initial phase of the study is designed to establish the safety of NurOwn™ and will later be expanded to assess efficacy.
The trial is expected to begin following validation of sterility tests requested by the MOH and screening of patients for the trial. Additional information regarding the process of selecting patients for the Phase I/II clinical trial will be communicated at a later date.
Date: October 11, 2010
Summary:
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, today announced that the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) has granted clearance for a Phase I/II clinical trial using the company’s autologous NurOwn™ stem cell therapy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. BrainStorm is the first company to receive clearance from the MOH for a differentiated stem cell-based therapy in Israel.
The Phase I/II clinical trial will be conducted in cooperation with the world-renowned Hadassah Medical Center and will be conducted by a joint team headed by the principal investigator Dimitrios Karussis, M.D., Ph.D., of the Hadassah Medical Center, and a scientific team from BrainStorm headed by Prof. Eldad Melamed. The initial phase of the study is designed to establish the safety of NurOwn™ and will later be expanded to assess efficacy.
The trial is expected to begin following validation of sterility tests requested by the MOH and screening of patients for the trial. Additional information regarding the process of selecting patients for the Phase I/II clinical trial will be communicated at a later date.
Geron Initiates Clinical Trial of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Therapy
Source: Geron Corporation
Date: October 11, 2010
Summary:
In an official news release, Geron Corporation announced the enrollment of the first patient in the company's clinical trial of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, GRNOPC1, to assess the safety and tolerability of the cells in patients with complete American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grade A thoracic spinal cord injuries. Participants in the study must be newly injured and receive GRNOPC1 within 14 days of the injury.
Date: October 11, 2010
Summary:
In an official news release, Geron Corporation announced the enrollment of the first patient in the company's clinical trial of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, GRNOPC1, to assess the safety and tolerability of the cells in patients with complete American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grade A thoracic spinal cord injuries. Participants in the study must be newly injured and receive GRNOPC1 within 14 days of the injury.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Manipulating Muscle Stem Cells to Treat Muscular Dystrophy
Source: Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Date: October 8, 2010
Summary:
LA JOLLA, Calif., – Under normal circumstances, adult stem cells reside in muscle tissue, where they can differentiate into a number of different cell types. After an injury (or even a tough workout), muscles are inflamed as cells and molecules flood the area to control damage and begin repairs. When called upon to replace muscle tissue damaged by injury or genetic disease, some muscle stem cells differentiate, becoming new muscle cells, while others make more stem cells. At Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), a team of scientists led by Pier Lorenzo Puri, M.D., Ph.D., recently uncovered the molecular messengers that translate inflammatory signals into the genetic changes that tell muscle stem cells to differentiate. Writing in the October 8 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, Dr. Puri and colleagues reveal fundamental mechanisms that could be manipulated to enhance how muscle stem cells regenerate injured or diseased muscles. These findings could lead to new treatments for diseases like muscular dystrophy.
Date: October 8, 2010
Summary:
LA JOLLA, Calif., – Under normal circumstances, adult stem cells reside in muscle tissue, where they can differentiate into a number of different cell types. After an injury (or even a tough workout), muscles are inflamed as cells and molecules flood the area to control damage and begin repairs. When called upon to replace muscle tissue damaged by injury or genetic disease, some muscle stem cells differentiate, becoming new muscle cells, while others make more stem cells. At Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), a team of scientists led by Pier Lorenzo Puri, M.D., Ph.D., recently uncovered the molecular messengers that translate inflammatory signals into the genetic changes that tell muscle stem cells to differentiate. Writing in the October 8 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, Dr. Puri and colleagues reveal fundamental mechanisms that could be manipulated to enhance how muscle stem cells regenerate injured or diseased muscles. These findings could lead to new treatments for diseases like muscular dystrophy.
Stem cells repair damaged spinal cord tissue
Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: 8 October 2010
Summary:
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown how stem cells, together with other cells, repair damaged tissue in the mouse spinal cord. The results are of potential significance to the development of therapies for spinal cord injury. There is hope that damage to the spinal cord and brain will one day be treatable using stem cells (i.e. immature cells that can develop into different cell types). Stem cell-like cells have been found in most parts of the adult human nervous system, although it is still unclear how much they contribute to the formation of new, functioning cells in adult individuals.
A joint study by Professor Jonas Frisén's research group at Karolinska Institutet and their colleagues from France and Japan, and published in Cell Stem Cell, shows how stem cells and several other cell types contribute to the formation of new spinal cord cells in mice and how this changes dramatically after trauma.
The research group has identified a type of stem cell, called an ependymal cell, in the spinal cord. They show that these cells are inactive in the healthy spinal cord, and that the cell formation that takes place does so mainly through the division of more mature cells. When the spinal cord is injured, however, these stem cells are activated to become the dominant source of new cells.
The stem cells then give rise to cells that form scar tissue and to a type of support cell that is an important component of spinal cord functionality. The scientists also show that a certain family of mature cells known as astrocytes produce large numbers of scar-forming cells after injury.
Date: 8 October 2010
Summary:
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown how stem cells, together with other cells, repair damaged tissue in the mouse spinal cord. The results are of potential significance to the development of therapies for spinal cord injury. There is hope that damage to the spinal cord and brain will one day be treatable using stem cells (i.e. immature cells that can develop into different cell types). Stem cell-like cells have been found in most parts of the adult human nervous system, although it is still unclear how much they contribute to the formation of new, functioning cells in adult individuals.
A joint study by Professor Jonas Frisén's research group at Karolinska Institutet and their colleagues from France and Japan, and published in Cell Stem Cell, shows how stem cells and several other cell types contribute to the formation of new spinal cord cells in mice and how this changes dramatically after trauma.
The research group has identified a type of stem cell, called an ependymal cell, in the spinal cord. They show that these cells are inactive in the healthy spinal cord, and that the cell formation that takes place does so mainly through the division of more mature cells. When the spinal cord is injured, however, these stem cells are activated to become the dominant source of new cells.
The stem cells then give rise to cells that form scar tissue and to a type of support cell that is an important component of spinal cord functionality. The scientists also show that a certain family of mature cells known as astrocytes produce large numbers of scar-forming cells after injury.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
StemCells, Inc. Reports Progress in Myelination Disorder Trial
Source: StemCells, Inc.
Posted: October 7, 2010 9:00 a.m. EDT
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., – StemCells, Inc. today provided an update on its ongoing Phase I clinical trial in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease ( PMD), a fatal myelination disorder that afflicts male children. Two of four planned patients for this trial have now been enrolled and transplanted with the Company’s HuCNS-SC ® human neural stem cells. The Company anticipates enrolling a third patient before year-end and the fourth shortly thereafter. This clinical trial is the first to evaluate purified neural stem cells as a potential treatment for a myelination disorder. The trial is being conducted at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
Posted: October 7, 2010 9:00 a.m. EDT
Summary:
PALO ALTO, Calif., – StemCells, Inc. today provided an update on its ongoing Phase I clinical trial in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease ( PMD), a fatal myelination disorder that afflicts male children. Two of four planned patients for this trial have now been enrolled and transplanted with the Company’s HuCNS-SC ® human neural stem cells. The Company anticipates enrolling a third patient before year-end and the fourth shortly thereafter. This clinical trial is the first to evaluate purified neural stem cells as a potential treatment for a myelination disorder. The trial is being conducted at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Study to investigate menstrual blood-derived stem cells as potential stroke therapy
Source: University of South Florida
Date: September 30, 2010
Summary:
The potential for stem cells derived from menstrual blood to benefit stroke sufferers will be jointly investigated by researchers at the University of South Florida, Cryo-Cell International, Inc. a global stem cell company based in Oldsmar, FL,, and Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., a Tampa-based biotechnology company.
In previous animals studies using transplanted stem cells from menstrual blood, Dr. Borlongan and his research team found that the cells were safe and, unlike embryonic stem cells, did not run the risk of creating tumors. In their next stage of study under the new grant, the researchers will transplant menstrual blood-derived stem cells(alone as well as conditioned and treated in a variety of ways) to determine the molecular and cellular components involved in repairing damage following stroke induced chemically in laboratory mice. Menstrual blood is a novel and plentiful source of stem cells with great potential for differentiation into a variety of cell types, according to the researchers.
Date: September 30, 2010
Summary:
The potential for stem cells derived from menstrual blood to benefit stroke sufferers will be jointly investigated by researchers at the University of South Florida, Cryo-Cell International, Inc. a global stem cell company based in Oldsmar, FL,, and Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., a Tampa-based biotechnology company.
In previous animals studies using transplanted stem cells from menstrual blood, Dr. Borlongan and his research team found that the cells were safe and, unlike embryonic stem cells, did not run the risk of creating tumors. In their next stage of study under the new grant, the researchers will transplant menstrual blood-derived stem cells(alone as well as conditioned and treated in a variety of ways) to determine the molecular and cellular components involved in repairing damage following stroke induced chemically in laboratory mice. Menstrual blood is a novel and plentiful source of stem cells with great potential for differentiation into a variety of cell types, according to the researchers.
Researchers achieve major breakthrough in cell reprogramming
Source: Harvard University
Date: September 30, 2010
Summary:
A group of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers has made so significant a leap forward in reprogramming human adult cells that HSCI co-director Doug Melton, who did not participate in the work, said the Institute will immediately begin using the new method to make patient and disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells, know as iPS cells. The findings today were given advance on-line publication by Cell Stem Cell.
Researchers at the Immune Disease Institute at Children's Hospital Boston used synthetic mRNA to reprogram adult human skin cells, fibroblasts, turning them into cells that are apparently identical to human embryonic stem cells, the initial building blocks of all the organs of the body. They have then used other mRNA to program the new cells, which they are calling RiPS (RNA-iPS), cells to develop into specific cells types – in the current study they created muscle cells. Because the mRNA carries genetic instructions, but does not enter the DNA of the target cells, the resulting tailored cells should be safe to use in treating patients, Rossi said, unlike the iPS cells now being created around the world.
Date: September 30, 2010
Summary:
A group of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers has made so significant a leap forward in reprogramming human adult cells that HSCI co-director Doug Melton, who did not participate in the work, said the Institute will immediately begin using the new method to make patient and disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells, know as iPS cells. The findings today were given advance on-line publication by Cell Stem Cell.
Researchers at the Immune Disease Institute at Children's Hospital Boston used synthetic mRNA to reprogram adult human skin cells, fibroblasts, turning them into cells that are apparently identical to human embryonic stem cells, the initial building blocks of all the organs of the body. They have then used other mRNA to program the new cells, which they are calling RiPS (RNA-iPS), cells to develop into specific cells types – in the current study they created muscle cells. Because the mRNA carries genetic instructions, but does not enter the DNA of the target cells, the resulting tailored cells should be safe to use in treating patients, Rossi said, unlike the iPS cells now being created around the world.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
RESEARCHER DISCOVERS GROWTH FACTOR ESSENTIAL TO EPICARDIAL CELL FUNCTION AND BLOOD VESSEL FORMATION
Source: Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Date: September 29, 2010
Summary:
In research that one day may lead to the discovery of how to regenerate tissue damaged by heart disease, investigators at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles have identified PDGF as a key factor in the proliferation and transformation of epicardial cells, one type of cell that surrounds heart muscle and contributes to vessels. The study was published online September 21 in advance of the publication of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Ching-Ling (Ellen) Lien, PhD, led a team of researchers at the Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine Program and Heart Institute that included Jieun Kim, PhD, Qiong Wu, MS, Yolanda Zhang, MD, Katie M. Wiens, PhD, Ying Huang, MS, Nicole Rubin, BS. The research was supported by Vaughn A. Starnes, MD director of the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Heart Institute, and joined by Hiroyuki Shimada, MD, Tai-lan Tuan, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital.
Date: September 29, 2010
Summary:
In research that one day may lead to the discovery of how to regenerate tissue damaged by heart disease, investigators at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles have identified PDGF as a key factor in the proliferation and transformation of epicardial cells, one type of cell that surrounds heart muscle and contributes to vessels. The study was published online September 21 in advance of the publication of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Ching-Ling (Ellen) Lien, PhD, led a team of researchers at the Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine Program and Heart Institute that included Jieun Kim, PhD, Qiong Wu, MS, Yolanda Zhang, MD, Katie M. Wiens, PhD, Ying Huang, MS, Nicole Rubin, BS. The research was supported by Vaughn A. Starnes, MD director of the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Heart Institute, and joined by Hiroyuki Shimada, MD, Tai-lan Tuan, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital.
Researchers Use Stem Cells to Create Disease Models
Source: University of Connecticut
Date: September 29, 2010
Summary:
University of Connecticut researchers have used skin cells from patients with the genetic disorders Angelman Syndrome (AS) and Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Like human embryonic stem (hES) cells, iPS cells can become any cell type in the human body, including brain cells, also known as neurons. Since both of these syndromes have brain abnormalities, neurons were produced from the iPS cells for each of the two diseases so that the root causes could be understood and new therapies developed. This study is published in the September 27 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: September 29, 2010
Summary:
University of Connecticut researchers have used skin cells from patients with the genetic disorders Angelman Syndrome (AS) and Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Like human embryonic stem (hES) cells, iPS cells can become any cell type in the human body, including brain cells, also known as neurons. Since both of these syndromes have brain abnormalities, neurons were produced from the iPS cells for each of the two diseases so that the root causes could be understood and new therapies developed. This study is published in the September 27 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Technique to Reattach Teeth Using Stem Cells Developed
Source: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: September 29, 2010
Summary:
A new approach to anchor teeth back in the jaw using stem cells has been developed and successfully tested in the laboratory for the first time by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The new strategy represents a potential major advance in the battle against gum disease, a serious infection that eventually leads to tooth loss. About 80 percent of U.S. adults suffer from gum disease, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Researchers in UIC's Brodie Laboratory for Craniofacial Genetics used stem cells obtained from the periodontal ligament of molars extracted from mice, expanded them in an incubator, and then seeded them on barren rat molars. The stem cell-treated molars were reinserted into the tooth sockets of rats. After two and four months, the stem cells aligned and formed new fibrous attachments between the tooth and bone, firmly attaching the replanted tooth into the animal's mouth, said Smit Dangaria, a bioengineering doctoral candidate who conducted the research. Tissue sections showed that the replanted tooth was surrounded by newly formed, functional periodontal ligament fibers and new cementum, the essential ingredients of a healthy tooth attachment.
In contrast, tooth molars that were replanted without new stem/progenitor cells were either lost or loosely attached and were resorbed, Dangaria said. The study, published in an online issue of the journal Tissue Engineering, was funded through a grant by the National Institutes of Health.
Date: September 29, 2010
Summary:
A new approach to anchor teeth back in the jaw using stem cells has been developed and successfully tested in the laboratory for the first time by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The new strategy represents a potential major advance in the battle against gum disease, a serious infection that eventually leads to tooth loss. About 80 percent of U.S. adults suffer from gum disease, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Researchers in UIC's Brodie Laboratory for Craniofacial Genetics used stem cells obtained from the periodontal ligament of molars extracted from mice, expanded them in an incubator, and then seeded them on barren rat molars. The stem cell-treated molars were reinserted into the tooth sockets of rats. After two and four months, the stem cells aligned and formed new fibrous attachments between the tooth and bone, firmly attaching the replanted tooth into the animal's mouth, said Smit Dangaria, a bioengineering doctoral candidate who conducted the research. Tissue sections showed that the replanted tooth was surrounded by newly formed, functional periodontal ligament fibers and new cementum, the essential ingredients of a healthy tooth attachment.
In contrast, tooth molars that were replanted without new stem/progenitor cells were either lost or loosely attached and were resorbed, Dangaria said. The study, published in an online issue of the journal Tissue Engineering, was funded through a grant by the National Institutes of Health.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sodium Plays Key Role in Tissue Regeneration
Source: Tufts University
Date: September 28, 2010
Summary:
Sodium gets a bad rap for contributing to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Now biologists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that sodium also plays a key role in initiating a regenerative response after severe injury. The Tufts scientists have found a way to regenerate injured spinal cord and muscle by using small molecule drugs to trigger an influx of sodium ions into injured cells.
The approach breaks new ground in the field of biomedicine because it requires no gene therapy; can be administered after an injury has occurred and even after the wound has healed over; and is bioelectric, rather than chemically based. In a paper appearing as the cover story of the September 29, 2010, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, the Tufts team reported that a localized increase in sodium ions was necessary for young Xenopus laevis tadpoles to regenerate their tails – complex appendages containing spinal cord, muscle and other tissue.
Date: September 28, 2010
Summary:
Sodium gets a bad rap for contributing to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Now biologists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that sodium also plays a key role in initiating a regenerative response after severe injury. The Tufts scientists have found a way to regenerate injured spinal cord and muscle by using small molecule drugs to trigger an influx of sodium ions into injured cells.
The approach breaks new ground in the field of biomedicine because it requires no gene therapy; can be administered after an injury has occurred and even after the wound has healed over; and is bioelectric, rather than chemically based. In a paper appearing as the cover story of the September 29, 2010, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, the Tufts team reported that a localized increase in sodium ions was necessary for young Xenopus laevis tadpoles to regenerate their tails – complex appendages containing spinal cord, muscle and other tissue.
'Firefly' Stem Cells May Repair Damaged Hearts
Source: University of Central Florida
Date: September 28, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells that glow like fireflies could someday help doctors heal damaged hearts without cutting into patients' chests. In his University of Central Florida lab, Steven Ebert engineered stem cells with the same enzyme that makes fireflies glow. The "firefly" stem cells glow brighter and brighter as they develop into healthy heart muscle, allowing doctors to track whether and where the stem cells are working.
If doctors can figure out exactly how the cells repair and regenerate cardiac tissue, stem cell therapies could offer hope to more than 17.6 million Americans who suffer from coronary disease. The glow of the enzyme also means therapies would no longer require cutting into patients' chest cavities to monitor the healing. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, is a featured cover story in this month's highly ranked Stem Cells and Development Journal.
Date: September 28, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells that glow like fireflies could someday help doctors heal damaged hearts without cutting into patients' chests. In his University of Central Florida lab, Steven Ebert engineered stem cells with the same enzyme that makes fireflies glow. The "firefly" stem cells glow brighter and brighter as they develop into healthy heart muscle, allowing doctors to track whether and where the stem cells are working.
If doctors can figure out exactly how the cells repair and regenerate cardiac tissue, stem cell therapies could offer hope to more than 17.6 million Americans who suffer from coronary disease. The glow of the enzyme also means therapies would no longer require cutting into patients' chest cavities to monitor the healing. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, is a featured cover story in this month's highly ranked Stem Cells and Development Journal.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Scientists discover gene that controls stem cells in central nervous system
Source: Medical Research Council
Date: 27 September 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) have discovered that a gene called Sox9 plays a critical role in how stem cells behave and is crucial in the development of the central nervous system. These results could potentially help researchers manipulate stem cells in the brain and develop new regenerative treatments for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease or brain tumours. This study shows for the first time in mice is that the gene Sox9 is required for the neuroepithelial cells to turn into these stem cells, and that it continues to be required throughout development and stem cells in the adult brain to retain their properties, such as the ability to self-renew and differentiate. The study is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Reuters also published a news story on this study.
Date: 27 September 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) have discovered that a gene called Sox9 plays a critical role in how stem cells behave and is crucial in the development of the central nervous system. These results could potentially help researchers manipulate stem cells in the brain and develop new regenerative treatments for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease or brain tumours. This study shows for the first time in mice is that the gene Sox9 is required for the neuroepithelial cells to turn into these stem cells, and that it continues to be required throughout development and stem cells in the adult brain to retain their properties, such as the ability to self-renew and differentiate. The study is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Reuters also published a news story on this study.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Northwestern first site open for spinal cord stem cell trial
Source: Northwestern University
Date: September 22, 2010
Summary:
CHICAGO --- Northwestern Medicine is the first site open for enrollment in a national clinical research trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy for participants with a subacute thoracic spinal cord injury. Following the procedure, participants will receive rehabilitation treatment at The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). Northwestern also is the lead site of the trial, sponsored by Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN). The trial eventually will include up to six other sites and enroll up to 10 participants nationally.
Date: September 22, 2010
Summary:
CHICAGO --- Northwestern Medicine is the first site open for enrollment in a national clinical research trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy for participants with a subacute thoracic spinal cord injury. Following the procedure, participants will receive rehabilitation treatment at The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). Northwestern also is the lead site of the trial, sponsored by Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN). The trial eventually will include up to six other sites and enroll up to 10 participants nationally.
Researchers engineer adult stem cells that do not age
Source: University at Buffalo
Date: September 22, 2010
Summary:
Biomedical researchers at the University at Buffalo have engineered adult stem cells that scientists can grow continuously in culture, a discovery that could speed development of cost-effective treatments for diseases including heart disease, diabetes, immune disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. UB scientists created the new cell lines - named "MSC Universal" - by genetically altering mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow and can differentiate into cell types including bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, and beta-pancreatic islet cells. The researchers say the breakthrough overcomes a frustrating barrier to progress in the field of regenerative medicine: The difficulty of growing adult stem cells for clinical applications.
Date: September 22, 2010
Summary:
Biomedical researchers at the University at Buffalo have engineered adult stem cells that scientists can grow continuously in culture, a discovery that could speed development of cost-effective treatments for diseases including heart disease, diabetes, immune disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. UB scientists created the new cell lines - named "MSC Universal" - by genetically altering mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow and can differentiate into cell types including bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, and beta-pancreatic islet cells. The researchers say the breakthrough overcomes a frustrating barrier to progress in the field of regenerative medicine: The difficulty of growing adult stem cells for clinical applications.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Discovery of key pathway interaction may lead to therapies that aid brain growth and repair in children and adults
Source: Children's National Medical Center
Date: September 15, 2010
Summary:
WASHINGTON, DC—Researchers at the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children’s National Medical Center have discovered that the two major types of signaling pathways activated during brain cell development—the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway and the Notch pathway—operate together to determine how many and which types of brain cells are created during growth and repair in developing and adult brains. This knowledge may help scientists design new ways to induce the brain to repair itself when these signals are interrupted, and indicate a need for further research to determine whether disruptions of these pathways in early brain development could lead to common neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities. These findings will be published in the September issue of Nature.
Date: September 15, 2010
Summary:
WASHINGTON, DC—Researchers at the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children’s National Medical Center have discovered that the two major types of signaling pathways activated during brain cell development—the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway and the Notch pathway—operate together to determine how many and which types of brain cells are created during growth and repair in developing and adult brains. This knowledge may help scientists design new ways to induce the brain to repair itself when these signals are interrupted, and indicate a need for further research to determine whether disruptions of these pathways in early brain development could lead to common neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities. These findings will be published in the September issue of Nature.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
First US Trial of Bone-Marrow Stem Cells for Heart Attack Patients Appears Safe
Source: Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Date: September 14, 2010
Summary:
The first randomized, placebo-controlled U.S. clinical trial to assess the use of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMC) in patients after a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; severe heart attack) demonstrated a strong safety profile for this cell therapy, based on phase 1 results published in the September issue of the American Heart Journal.
In the single-center trial, researchers at the Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital enrolled 40 patients with STEMI, randomizing them in a 3:1 ratio to 100 million autologous BMCs versus placebo, administered three to ten days following successful primary angioplasty and stenting of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Importantly, the researchers elected to deliver cells by an intracoronary infusion as opposed to the stop-flow technique that had been used in all preceding trials and all patients received an identical number of cells. Administration of BMC was safely performed in all patients with minimal major adverse clinical event rates, and all patients remain alive to date, the researchers reported.
Date: September 14, 2010
Summary:
The first randomized, placebo-controlled U.S. clinical trial to assess the use of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMC) in patients after a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; severe heart attack) demonstrated a strong safety profile for this cell therapy, based on phase 1 results published in the September issue of the American Heart Journal.
In the single-center trial, researchers at the Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital enrolled 40 patients with STEMI, randomizing them in a 3:1 ratio to 100 million autologous BMCs versus placebo, administered three to ten days following successful primary angioplasty and stenting of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Importantly, the researchers elected to deliver cells by an intracoronary infusion as opposed to the stop-flow technique that had been used in all preceding trials and all patients received an identical number of cells. Administration of BMC was safely performed in all patients with minimal major adverse clinical event rates, and all patients remain alive to date, the researchers reported.
Neuralstem Stem Cells Survive and Differentiate Into Neurons in Rats With Stroke
Source: Neuralstem, Inc.
Date: September 14, 2010
Summary:
Neuralstem, Inc. announced that its spinal cord stem cells survived in rat brains affected by stroke and differentiated predominantly into neurons. The transplanted animals showed significant improvement in some motor skill and strength measurements. The study entitled, "Intracerebral Implantation of Adherent Human Neural Stem Cells To Reverse Motor Deficits in Chronic Stroke Rats," was presented earlier today by senior study author, Dr. Shinn-Zong Lin, M.D., Ph.D., at the Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
Date: September 14, 2010
Summary:
Neuralstem, Inc. announced that its spinal cord stem cells survived in rat brains affected by stroke and differentiated predominantly into neurons. The transplanted animals showed significant improvement in some motor skill and strength measurements. The study entitled, "Intracerebral Implantation of Adherent Human Neural Stem Cells To Reverse Motor Deficits in Chronic Stroke Rats," was presented earlier today by senior study author, Dr. Shinn-Zong Lin, M.D., Ph.D., at the Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Single Gene Regulates Motor Neurons in Spinal Cord
Source: NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have found that a single type of gene acts as a master organizer of motor neurons in the spinal cord. The finding, published in the September 9, 2010 issue of Neuron, could help scientists develop new treatments for diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease or spinal cord injury.
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have found that a single type of gene acts as a master organizer of motor neurons in the spinal cord. The finding, published in the September 9, 2010 issue of Neuron, could help scientists develop new treatments for diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease or spinal cord injury.
INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER A NEW HOT SPOT FOR THE GENESIS OF SIGNALING NEURONS IN THE ADULT BRAIN
Source: University of California - Davis
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
In an unanticipated finding, researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have discovered that, during early adulthood, the brain produces new excitatory neurons, and that these neurons arise from non-neuronal support cells in an area of the brain that processes smell. The study, conducted in mice, is the first to demonstrate that pyramidal neurons in the mature brain stem are generated by precursors of glial cells — non-neuronal support cells — and that these new neurons likely are capable of transmitting information to widespread regions of the brain, said David Pleasure, a professor of neurology and pediatrics at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the study's author. "Pyramidal Neurons are Generated from Oligodendroglial Progenitor Cells in Adult Piriform Cortex," is published online this week in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
In an unanticipated finding, researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have discovered that, during early adulthood, the brain produces new excitatory neurons, and that these neurons arise from non-neuronal support cells in an area of the brain that processes smell. The study, conducted in mice, is the first to demonstrate that pyramidal neurons in the mature brain stem are generated by precursors of glial cells — non-neuronal support cells — and that these new neurons likely are capable of transmitting information to widespread regions of the brain, said David Pleasure, a professor of neurology and pediatrics at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the study's author. "Pyramidal Neurons are Generated from Oligodendroglial Progenitor Cells in Adult Piriform Cortex," is published online this week in the Journal of Neuroscience.
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