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.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
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.
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