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.
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