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.
Monday, October 11, 2010
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.
KEEPING STEM CELLS FROM CHANGING FATES
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
Johns Hopkins researchers have determined why certain stem cells are able to stay stem cells. The report in the June 4 issue of Cell Stem Cell reveals that an enzyme that changes the way DNA is packaged in cells allows specific genes to be turned on and off, thereby preventing a stem cell from becoming another cell type.
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
Johns Hopkins researchers have determined why certain stem cells are able to stay stem cells. The report in the June 4 issue of Cell Stem Cell reveals that an enzyme that changes the way DNA is packaged in cells allows specific genes to be turned on and off, thereby preventing a stem cell from becoming another cell type.
Induced pluripotent stem cells retain an inactive X chromosome, study finds
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
University of California - Los Angeles stem cell researchers have found that human skin cells reprogrammed into female induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells — which have the embryonic-like potential to become any cell in the body — retain an inactive X chromosome.
The finding could have implications for studying X chromosome–linked diseases such as Rett syndrome, a nervous system disorder caused by mutations in a gene located on the chromosome. The current finding differs from that seen in mouse skin cells that have been reprogrammed into iPS cells, in which the inactive X chromosome reactivates, said Kathrin Plath, senior author of the study and a scientist with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. The study is published in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Date: September 8, 2010
Summary:
University of California - Los Angeles stem cell researchers have found that human skin cells reprogrammed into female induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells — which have the embryonic-like potential to become any cell in the body — retain an inactive X chromosome.
The finding could have implications for studying X chromosome–linked diseases such as Rett syndrome, a nervous system disorder caused by mutations in a gene located on the chromosome. The current finding differs from that seen in mouse skin cells that have been reprogrammed into iPS cells, in which the inactive X chromosome reactivates, said Kathrin Plath, senior author of the study and a scientist with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. The study is published in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Researchers at UC Riverside Find Solution to Cell Death Problem Vexing Stem Cell Research
University of California - Riverside
Date: September 7, 2010
Summary:
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells can generate any given cell type in the adult human body, which is why they are of interest to stem cell scientists working on finding therapies for spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, burns, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and other ailments. Before hPS cell technologies can be translated into clinical applications, however, some obstacles must first be overcome.
One such obstacle frustrating stem cell researchers is “cell death” that the major types of hPS cells, including human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells, mysteriously undergo when cultured as single cells, rendering them less suitable for research.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside now show that a molecular motor, called “nonmuscle myosin II” (NMII), which exists naturally inside each hPS cell and controls various cellular functions, triggers the death of hPS cells when they are broken down to single cells.
While many details of how exactly NMII works remain unknown, a wide consensus among researchers is that NMII induces a contraction of the main internal components of the cells, eventually resulting in cell death. To stop this cell death, the researchers treated hPS cells with a chemically synthesized compound, blebbistatin, and found that it substantially enhanced the survival of the cells by chemically inhibiting NMII. (Blebbistatin is commercially available from several companies that sell biologically active chemical compounds.)
Study results appear online, Sept. 7, in Nature Communications.
Date: September 7, 2010
Summary:
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells can generate any given cell type in the adult human body, which is why they are of interest to stem cell scientists working on finding therapies for spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, burns, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and other ailments. Before hPS cell technologies can be translated into clinical applications, however, some obstacles must first be overcome.
One such obstacle frustrating stem cell researchers is “cell death” that the major types of hPS cells, including human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells, mysteriously undergo when cultured as single cells, rendering them less suitable for research.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside now show that a molecular motor, called “nonmuscle myosin II” (NMII), which exists naturally inside each hPS cell and controls various cellular functions, triggers the death of hPS cells when they are broken down to single cells.
While many details of how exactly NMII works remain unknown, a wide consensus among researchers is that NMII induces a contraction of the main internal components of the cells, eventually resulting in cell death. To stop this cell death, the researchers treated hPS cells with a chemically synthesized compound, blebbistatin, and found that it substantially enhanced the survival of the cells by chemically inhibiting NMII. (Blebbistatin is commercially available from several companies that sell biologically active chemical compounds.)
Study results appear online, Sept. 7, in Nature Communications.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Retain an Inactivated X Chromosome, Study Finds
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: September 6, 2010
Summary:
Female induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, reprogrammed from human skin cells into cells that have the embryonic-like potential to become any cell in the body, retain an inactive X chromosome, stem cell researchers at University of California Los Angeles have found. The finding, reported in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could have implications for studying X chromosome-linked diseases such as Rett syndrome, caused by mutations in a gene located on the X chromosome.
Date: September 6, 2010
Summary:
Female induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, reprogrammed from human skin cells into cells that have the embryonic-like potential to become any cell in the body, retain an inactive X chromosome, stem cell researchers at University of California Los Angeles have found. The finding, reported in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could have implications for studying X chromosome-linked diseases such as Rett syndrome, caused by mutations in a gene located on the X chromosome.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Study finds that cancer-causing gene crucial in stem cell development
Source: University of Georgia
Date: September 2, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells might be thought of as trunks in the tree of life. All multi-cellular organisms have them, and they can turn into a dazzling variety other cells—kidney, brain, heart or skin, for example. One class, pluripotent stem cells, has the capacity to turn into virtually any cell type in the body, making them a focal point in the development of cell therapies, the conquering of age-old diseases or even regrowing defective body parts.
Now, a research team at the University of Georgia has shown for the first time that a gene called Myc (pronounced "mick") may be far more important in the development and persistence of stem cells than was known before. Myc is traditionally thought of as a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene, but recent studies from the UGA team have established critical roles for it in stem cell biology. The discovery has important implications for the basic understanding of developmental processes and how stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes. The research was published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell..
Date: September 2, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells might be thought of as trunks in the tree of life. All multi-cellular organisms have them, and they can turn into a dazzling variety other cells—kidney, brain, heart or skin, for example. One class, pluripotent stem cells, has the capacity to turn into virtually any cell type in the body, making them a focal point in the development of cell therapies, the conquering of age-old diseases or even regrowing defective body parts.
Now, a research team at the University of Georgia has shown for the first time that a gene called Myc (pronounced "mick") may be far more important in the development and persistence of stem cells than was known before. Myc is traditionally thought of as a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene, but recent studies from the UGA team have established critical roles for it in stem cell biology. The discovery has important implications for the basic understanding of developmental processes and how stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes. The research was published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell..
Functional motor neuron subtypes generated from embryonic stem cells
Source: Cell Press
Date: September 2, 2010
Summary:
Scientists have devised a method for coaxing mouse embryonic stem cells into forming a highly specific motor neuron subtype. The research, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provides new insight into motor neuron differentiation and may prove useful for devising and testing future therapies for motor neuron diseases.
...In the current study, the scientists showed that removing a key differentiation factor allowed cultured embryonic stem cells to form motor neurons with molecular characteristics corresponding to a limb innervating subtype, without the need for genetic manipulation or added factors. Importantly, when this stem cell-derived subtype was transplanted into embryonic chick spinal cords, the motor neurons settled in the expected columnar position within the cord and had projections that mimicked the trajectory of limb innervating motor neurons.
Date: September 2, 2010
Summary:
Scientists have devised a method for coaxing mouse embryonic stem cells into forming a highly specific motor neuron subtype. The research, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provides new insight into motor neuron differentiation and may prove useful for devising and testing future therapies for motor neuron diseases.
...In the current study, the scientists showed that removing a key differentiation factor allowed cultured embryonic stem cells to form motor neurons with molecular characteristics corresponding to a limb innervating subtype, without the need for genetic manipulation or added factors. Importantly, when this stem cell-derived subtype was transplanted into embryonic chick spinal cords, the motor neurons settled in the expected columnar position within the cord and had projections that mimicked the trajectory of limb innervating motor neurons.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Biologists find way to reduce stem cell loss during cancer treatment
Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: September 5, 2010
Summary:
Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that a gene critical for programmed cell death is also important in the loss of adult stem cells, a finding that could help to improve the health and well-being of patients undergoing cancer treatment. The findings are published in this week's advance online issue of the journal Nature Cell Biology.
Scientists have long known that when normal cells accumulate significant amount of DNA damage, such as during cancer therapy, the tumor suppressor p53 is activated, which leads cells to stop dividing, go into hibernation and undergo a programmed cell death called apoptosis. They've also known that a gene called Puma, an acronym for "p53-unregulated modulator of apoptosis," is critical for p53 to initiate the cell death of DNA-damaged cells.
Using genetically modified mice with persistently activated p53, Xu and his colleagues discovered that, once activated, p53 depletes various adult stem cells, including the ones that are responsible for generating new blood and intestine cells. In addition, Puma is critical for this p53-dependent depletion of various adult stem cells.
Date: September 5, 2010
Summary:
Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that a gene critical for programmed cell death is also important in the loss of adult stem cells, a finding that could help to improve the health and well-being of patients undergoing cancer treatment. The findings are published in this week's advance online issue of the journal Nature Cell Biology.
Scientists have long known that when normal cells accumulate significant amount of DNA damage, such as during cancer therapy, the tumor suppressor p53 is activated, which leads cells to stop dividing, go into hibernation and undergo a programmed cell death called apoptosis. They've also known that a gene called Puma, an acronym for "p53-unregulated modulator of apoptosis," is critical for p53 to initiate the cell death of DNA-damaged cells.
Using genetically modified mice with persistently activated p53, Xu and his colleagues discovered that, once activated, p53 depletes various adult stem cells, including the ones that are responsible for generating new blood and intestine cells. In addition, Puma is critical for this p53-dependent depletion of various adult stem cells.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Scientific breakthrough to pave the way for human stem cell factories
Source: University of Nottingham
Date: 31 August 2010
Summary:
Large scale, cost-effective stem cell factories able to keep up with demand for new therapies to treat a range of human illnesses are a step closer to reality, thanks to a scientific breakthrough involving researchers at The University of Nottingham. In a paper published in the September edition of Nature Materials, a team of Nottingham scientists led by Professor Morgan Alexander in the University’s School of Pharmacy, reveal they have discovered some man-made acrylate polymers which allow stem cells to reproduce while maintaining their pluripotency. Stem cells tagged with a fluorescent agent which allow them to be seen were placed onto the polymer spots. The scientists were then able to watch the stem cells and observe which polymers were most successful at promoting the most growth while also maintaining the pluripotency of the stem cells.
Date: 31 August 2010
Summary:
Large scale, cost-effective stem cell factories able to keep up with demand for new therapies to treat a range of human illnesses are a step closer to reality, thanks to a scientific breakthrough involving researchers at The University of Nottingham. In a paper published in the September edition of Nature Materials, a team of Nottingham scientists led by Professor Morgan Alexander in the University’s School of Pharmacy, reveal they have discovered some man-made acrylate polymers which allow stem cells to reproduce while maintaining their pluripotency. Stem cells tagged with a fluorescent agent which allow them to be seen were placed onto the polymer spots. The scientists were then able to watch the stem cells and observe which polymers were most successful at promoting the most growth while also maintaining the pluripotency of the stem cells.
For the first time, researchers identify and isolate adult mammary stem cells in mice
Source: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Date: August 31, 2010
Summary:
SEATTLE – For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have identified and isolated adult mammary stem cells in mice. Long-term implications of this research may include the use of such cells to regenerate breast tissue, provide a better understanding of the role of adult stem cells in breast cancer development, and develop potential new targets for anti-cancer drugs. The findings, by Larry Rohrschneider, Ph.D., a member of the Basic Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center, and Lixia Bai, M.D., Ph.D., a research associate in his lab, are published in the Sept. 1 issue of Genes & Development.
Date: August 31, 2010
Summary:
SEATTLE – For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have identified and isolated adult mammary stem cells in mice. Long-term implications of this research may include the use of such cells to regenerate breast tissue, provide a better understanding of the role of adult stem cells in breast cancer development, and develop potential new targets for anti-cancer drugs. The findings, by Larry Rohrschneider, Ph.D., a member of the Basic Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center, and Lixia Bai, M.D., Ph.D., a research associate in his lab, are published in the Sept. 1 issue of Genes & Development.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Scientists find first link in humans between memory and nerve cell production
Source: University of Florida
Date: August 25, 2010
Summary:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Production of new nerve cells in the human brain is linked to learning and memory, according to a new study from the University of Florida. The research is the first to show such a link in humans. The findings, published online and in an upcoming print issue of the journal Brain, provide clues about processes involved in age- and health-related memory loss and reveal potential cellular targets for drug therapy. The researchers studied how stem cells in a memory-related region of the brain, called the hippocampus, proliferate and change into different types of nerve cells. Scientists have been unsure of the significance of that process in humans.
... To investigate whether the same is true in humans, the UF researchers, in collaboration with colleagues in Germany, studied 23 patients who had epilepsy and varying degrees of associated memory loss. They analyzed stem cells from brain tissue removed during epilepsy surgery, and evaluated the patients’ pre-surgery memory function. In patients with low memory test scores, stem cells could not generate new nerve cells in laboratory cultures, but in patients with normal memory scores, stem cells were able to proliferate. That showed, for the first time, a clear correlation between patient’s memory and the ability of their stem cells to generate new nerve cells.
Date: August 25, 2010
Summary:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Production of new nerve cells in the human brain is linked to learning and memory, according to a new study from the University of Florida. The research is the first to show such a link in humans. The findings, published online and in an upcoming print issue of the journal Brain, provide clues about processes involved in age- and health-related memory loss and reveal potential cellular targets for drug therapy. The researchers studied how stem cells in a memory-related region of the brain, called the hippocampus, proliferate and change into different types of nerve cells. Scientists have been unsure of the significance of that process in humans.
... To investigate whether the same is true in humans, the UF researchers, in collaboration with colleagues in Germany, studied 23 patients who had epilepsy and varying degrees of associated memory loss. They analyzed stem cells from brain tissue removed during epilepsy surgery, and evaluated the patients’ pre-surgery memory function. In patients with low memory test scores, stem cells could not generate new nerve cells in laboratory cultures, but in patients with normal memory scores, stem cells were able to proliferate. That showed, for the first time, a clear correlation between patient’s memory and the ability of their stem cells to generate new nerve cells.
Biosynthetic corneas restore vision in humans
Source: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Date: August 25, 2010
Summary:
A new study from researchers at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada and Linköping University in Sweden has shown that biosynthetic corneas can help regenerate and repair damaged eye tissue and improve vision in humans. The results, from an early phase clinical trial with 10 patients, are published in the August 25th, 2010 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Date: August 25, 2010
Summary:
A new study from researchers at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada and Linköping University in Sweden has shown that biosynthetic corneas can help regenerate and repair damaged eye tissue and improve vision in humans. The results, from an early phase clinical trial with 10 patients, are published in the August 25th, 2010 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Liver cells created from patients’ skin cells
Source: University of Cambridge
Date: 25 August 2010
Summary:
By creating diseased liver cells from a small sample of human skin, scientists have for the first time shown that stem cells can be used to model a diverse range of inherited disorders. The University of Cambridge researchers' findings, which will hopefully lead to new treatments for those suffering from liver diseases, were published today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
...By replicating the organ's cells, researchers can not only investigate exactly what is happening in a diseased cell, they can also test the effectiveness of new therapies to treat these conditions. It is hoped that their discovery will lead to tailored treatments for specific individuals and eventually cell-based therapy - when cells from patients with genetic diseases are 'cured' and transplanted back. Additionally, as the process could be used to model cells from other parts of the body, their findings could have implications for conditions affecting other organs.
Date: 25 August 2010
Summary:
By creating diseased liver cells from a small sample of human skin, scientists have for the first time shown that stem cells can be used to model a diverse range of inherited disorders. The University of Cambridge researchers' findings, which will hopefully lead to new treatments for those suffering from liver diseases, were published today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
...By replicating the organ's cells, researchers can not only investigate exactly what is happening in a diseased cell, they can also test the effectiveness of new therapies to treat these conditions. It is hoped that their discovery will lead to tailored treatments for specific individuals and eventually cell-based therapy - when cells from patients with genetic diseases are 'cured' and transplanted back. Additionally, as the process could be used to model cells from other parts of the body, their findings could have implications for conditions affecting other organs.
Neuralstem Files FDA Application for First Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Stem Cell Trial
Source: Neuralstem, Inc.
Date: August 25, 2010
Summary:
In an official company news release, Neuralstem, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced that it filed an application with the Food & Drug Administration to begin a clinical trial to attempt to treat chronic spinal cord injury using adult spinal cord stem cells:
Date: August 25, 2010
Summary:
In an official company news release, Neuralstem, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced that it filed an application with the Food & Drug Administration to begin a clinical trial to attempt to treat chronic spinal cord injury using adult spinal cord stem cells:
Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase I safety clinical trial for chronic spinal cord injury with its spinal cord stem cells. This multicenter Phase I safety trial will enroll a total of 16 long-term, or chronic, spinal cord injury patients, with an American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Grade A level of impairment, one-to-two years post-injury. ASIA A refers to a patient with no motor or sensory function in the relevant segments and is considered to be complete paralysis.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Stem cell first: Creating induced pluripotent stem cells
Source: University of New South Wales
Date: August 23, 2010
Summary:
In a world first, Australian researchers have created induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from human skin without the use of viruses or genetic manipulation, an important step toward their eventual use in treating human disease. The University of New South Wales breakthrough means work can now progress on the use of iPS cells to generate brain cells for the study and eventual treatment of degenerative brain diseases.
“By successfully creating iPS cells without resorting to viruses or genetic manipulation we have removed a major hurdle to their therapeutic use,” said UNSW’s Stem Cell Lab Director, Associate Professor Kuldip Sidhu. The lab is now working closely with Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev from UNSW’s School of Psychiatry to produce Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s stem cell lines. A paper outlining the breakthrough appears this month in the prestigious journal PLoS One.
Date: August 23, 2010
Summary:
In a world first, Australian researchers have created induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from human skin without the use of viruses or genetic manipulation, an important step toward their eventual use in treating human disease. The University of New South Wales breakthrough means work can now progress on the use of iPS cells to generate brain cells for the study and eventual treatment of degenerative brain diseases.
“By successfully creating iPS cells without resorting to viruses or genetic manipulation we have removed a major hurdle to their therapeutic use,” said UNSW’s Stem Cell Lab Director, Associate Professor Kuldip Sidhu. The lab is now working closely with Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev from UNSW’s School of Psychiatry to produce Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s stem cell lines. A paper outlining the breakthrough appears this month in the prestigious journal PLoS One.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Researchers develop a better way to grow stem cells
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: August 22, 2010
Summary:
Human pluripotent stem cells, which can become any other kind of body cell, hold great potential to treat a wide range of ailments, including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries. However, scientists who work with such cells have had trouble growing large enough quantities to perform experiments -- in particular, to be used in human studies. Furthermore, most materials now used to grow human stem cells include cells or proteins that come from mice embryos, which help stimulate stem-cell growth but would likely cause an immune reaction if injected into a human patient.
To overcome those issues, MIT chemical engineers, materials scientists and biologists have devised a synthetic surface that includes no foreign animal material and allows stem cells to stay alive and continue reproducing themselves for at least three months. It's also the first synthetic material that allows single cells to form colonies of identical cells, which is necessary to identify cells with desired traits and has been difficult to achieve with existing materials. The research team, led by Professors Robert Langer, Rudolf Jaenisch and Daniel G. Anderson, describes the new material in the Aug. 22 issue of Nature Materials.
Date: August 22, 2010
Summary:
Human pluripotent stem cells, which can become any other kind of body cell, hold great potential to treat a wide range of ailments, including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries. However, scientists who work with such cells have had trouble growing large enough quantities to perform experiments -- in particular, to be used in human studies. Furthermore, most materials now used to grow human stem cells include cells or proteins that come from mice embryos, which help stimulate stem-cell growth but would likely cause an immune reaction if injected into a human patient.
To overcome those issues, MIT chemical engineers, materials scientists and biologists have devised a synthetic surface that includes no foreign animal material and allows stem cells to stay alive and continue reproducing themselves for at least three months. It's also the first synthetic material that allows single cells to form colonies of identical cells, which is necessary to identify cells with desired traits and has been difficult to achieve with existing materials. The research team, led by Professors Robert Langer, Rudolf Jaenisch and Daniel G. Anderson, describes the new material in the Aug. 22 issue of Nature Materials.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Natural Lung Material Is Promising Scaffold for Engineering Lung Tissue Using Embryonic Stem Cells
Source: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Date: August 19, 2010
Summary:
The first successful report of using cell-depleted lung as a natural growth matrix for generating new rat lung from embryonic stem cells is presented in a breakthrough article in Tissue Engineering, Part A, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Researchers describe the first attempt to make acellular rat lung and use it as a biological matrix for differentiating ESCs into lung tissue. The authors present evidence of improved cell retention, repopulation of the matrix, and differentiation into the cell types present in healthy lung. They also report signs that the cells are organizing into the 3-D structures characteristic of complex tissues and are producing the chemical signals and growth factors that guide lung tissue function and development.
Date: August 19, 2010
Summary:
The first successful report of using cell-depleted lung as a natural growth matrix for generating new rat lung from embryonic stem cells is presented in a breakthrough article in Tissue Engineering, Part A, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Researchers describe the first attempt to make acellular rat lung and use it as a biological matrix for differentiating ESCs into lung tissue. The authors present evidence of improved cell retention, repopulation of the matrix, and differentiation into the cell types present in healthy lung. They also report signs that the cells are organizing into the 3-D structures characteristic of complex tissues and are producing the chemical signals and growth factors that guide lung tissue function and development.
StemCells, Inc. Reports Breakthrough Using Human Neural Stem Cells to Restore Motor Function in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Source: StemCells, Inc.
Date: August 19, 2010
Summary:
In an official company news release, Stem Cells, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced the publication of new preclinical data demonstrating that human neural stem cells restore lost motor function in mice with chronic spinal cord injury:
A news story about this study was published by Reuters yesterday.
Date: August 19, 2010
Summary:
In an official company news release, Stem Cells, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced the publication of new preclinical data demonstrating that human neural stem cells restore lost motor function in mice with chronic spinal cord injury:
StemCells, Inc. announced today the publication of new preclinical data demonstrating that the Company’s proprietary human neural stem cells restore lost motor function in mice with chronic spinal cord injury. This is the first published study to show that human neural stem cells can restore mobility even when administered at time points beyond the acute phase of trauma, suggesting the prospect of treating a much broader population of injured patients than previously demonstrated. This groundbreaking study, entitled “Human Neural Stem Cells Differentiate and Promote Locomotor Recovery in an Early Chronic Spinal Cord Injury NOD-scid Mouse Model,” was led by Dr. Aileen Anderson of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The paper was published yesterday in the international peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.
A news story about this study was published by Reuters yesterday.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Cell treatment helps mice long after spine injury
Source: Reuters
Posted: August 18, 2010 5:32 p.m. EDT
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers from StemCells, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine, successfully grew nerve cells in spinal cords of mice which enabled them to walk better:
Posted: August 18, 2010 5:32 p.m. EDT
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers from StemCells, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine, successfully grew nerve cells in spinal cords of mice which enabled them to walk better:
Immature human nerve cells grew in the spines of injured mice and helped them walk a little better, researchers said on Wednesday in a study they said shows it may be possible to treat patients weeks or months after their accidents. The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, suggests there is a longer period of opportunity than previously thought to treat spinal cord injuries.
Stem cell versatility could help tissue regeneration
Source: University of Edinburgh
Date: August 18, 2010
Summary:
Scientists from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland and the University of Edinburgh
have reprogrammed stem cells from a key organ in the immune system in a development that could have implications for tissue regeneration. Their research shows that it is possible to convert one stem type to another without the need for genetic modification.
The researchers used rat models to grow stem cells from the thymus - an organ important for our immune systems - in the laboratory using conditions for growing hair follicle skin stem cells. When the cells were transplanted into developing skin, they were able to maintain skin and hair for more than a year. The transplanted follicles outperformed naturally-produced hair follicle stem cells, which are only able to heal and repair skin for three weeks. Once they were transplanted, the genetic markers of the cells changed to be more similar to those of hair follicle stem cells. The research, published in the journal Nature, shows that triggers from the surrounding environment - in this case from the skin - can reprogramme stem cells to become tissues they are not normally able to generate.
Date: August 18, 2010
Summary:
Scientists from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland and the University of Edinburgh
have reprogrammed stem cells from a key organ in the immune system in a development that could have implications for tissue regeneration. Their research shows that it is possible to convert one stem type to another without the need for genetic modification.
The researchers used rat models to grow stem cells from the thymus - an organ important for our immune systems - in the laboratory using conditions for growing hair follicle skin stem cells. When the cells were transplanted into developing skin, they were able to maintain skin and hair for more than a year. The transplanted follicles outperformed naturally-produced hair follicle stem cells, which are only able to heal and repair skin for three weeks. Once they were transplanted, the genetic markers of the cells changed to be more similar to those of hair follicle stem cells. The research, published in the journal Nature, shows that triggers from the surrounding environment - in this case from the skin - can reprogramme stem cells to become tissues they are not normally able to generate.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Adult lung stem cells, vital to injury repair, associated with poor cancer prognosis
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: August 17, 2010
Summary:
Adult stem cells that are vital for airway repair in the lung but that persist in areas where pre-cancerous lesions are found are associated with a poor prognosis in patients who develop cancer, even those with early-stage disease, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have found.
These adult stem cells are found in areas repairing after injury and also are found in pre-cancerous areas, suggesting that they may mutate and become cancer-causing stem cells, making them a potential cell of origin for lung cancer and a possible target for prevention strategies and new targeted therapies.
The study found that when these adult stem cells are found in excised tumors, they are associated with a poor prognosis, and they could be used as markers to dictate the need for more aggressive treatment, said Jonsson Cancer Center researcher Brigitte Gomperts, an assistant professor of hematology–oncology and co-senior author of the study. The presence of the adult stem cells in the tumors also was found to be associated with a higher likelihood that the cancer had spread to other organs.
The study appeared Aug. 15 in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Research.
Date: August 17, 2010
Summary:
Adult stem cells that are vital for airway repair in the lung but that persist in areas where pre-cancerous lesions are found are associated with a poor prognosis in patients who develop cancer, even those with early-stage disease, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have found.
These adult stem cells are found in areas repairing after injury and also are found in pre-cancerous areas, suggesting that they may mutate and become cancer-causing stem cells, making them a potential cell of origin for lung cancer and a possible target for prevention strategies and new targeted therapies.
The study found that when these adult stem cells are found in excised tumors, they are associated with a poor prognosis, and they could be used as markers to dictate the need for more aggressive treatment, said Jonsson Cancer Center researcher Brigitte Gomperts, an assistant professor of hematology–oncology and co-senior author of the study. The presence of the adult stem cells in the tumors also was found to be associated with a higher likelihood that the cancer had spread to other organs.
The study appeared Aug. 15 in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Research.
Monday, August 16, 2010
New stem cell discovery a preliminary step for regenerative medicine
Source: University of Queensland
Date: 16 August 2010
Summary:
A discovery by researchers at University of Queenland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) will enable better methods to grow stem cells for use in cancer research and regenerative medicine. The research team led by AIBN's Associate Professor Ernst Wolvetang found that the inclusion of vitamin C in cell culture media was responsible for chemical modification of DNA which has been known to cause chromosome instability and cancer in laboratory stem cell populations. According to Dr. Wolvetang, this discovery is important for stem cell researchers because they rely on genetically stable, non-cancerous stem cells to develop methods to repair damaged or diseased tissues. This work was the subject of two publications in the international journal Stem Cells.
Date: 16 August 2010
Summary:
A discovery by researchers at University of Queenland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) will enable better methods to grow stem cells for use in cancer research and regenerative medicine. The research team led by AIBN's Associate Professor Ernst Wolvetang found that the inclusion of vitamin C in cell culture media was responsible for chemical modification of DNA which has been known to cause chromosome instability and cancer in laboratory stem cell populations. According to Dr. Wolvetang, this discovery is important for stem cell researchers because they rely on genetically stable, non-cancerous stem cells to develop methods to repair damaged or diseased tissues. This work was the subject of two publications in the international journal Stem Cells.
Scientists successfully use human induced pluripotent stem cells to treat Parkinson's in rodents
Source: Buck Institute for Age Research
Date: August 16, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Buck Institute for Age Research have successfully used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat rodents afflicted with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The research, which validates a scalable protocol that the same group had previously developed, can be used to manufacture the type of neurons needed to treat the disease and paves the way for the use of iPSC's in various biomedical applications. Results of the research, from the laboratory of Buck faculty Xianmin Zeng, Ph.D., are published August 16, 2010 in the on-line edition of the journal Stem Cells.
A news story was published about this study in today's Contra Costa Times.
Date: August 16, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Buck Institute for Age Research have successfully used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat rodents afflicted with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The research, which validates a scalable protocol that the same group had previously developed, can be used to manufacture the type of neurons needed to treat the disease and paves the way for the use of iPSC's in various biomedical applications. Results of the research, from the laboratory of Buck faculty Xianmin Zeng, Ph.D., are published August 16, 2010 in the on-line edition of the journal Stem Cells.
A news story was published about this study in today's Contra Costa Times.
Repairing spinal cord injury with manipulated neural stem cells
Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation
Date: August 16, 2010
Summary:
One of the most common causes of disability in young adults is spinal cord injury. Currently, there is no proven reparative treatment. Hope that neural stem cells (NSCs) might be of benefit to individuals with severe spinal cord injury has now been provided by the work of a team of researchers, led by Kinichi Nakashima, at Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, in a mouse model of this devastating condition.
In the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, mice with severe spinal cord injury were transplanted with NSCs and administered a drug known as valproic acid, which is used in the treatment of epilepsy. The valproic acid promoted the transplanted NSCs to generate nerve cells, rather than other brain cell types, and the combination therapy resulted in impressive restoration of hind limb function. The authors hope that this approach, whereby the fate of transplanted NSCs is manipulated, for example by administration of valproic acid, could be developed as an effective treatment for severe spinal cord injury.
Date: August 16, 2010
Summary:
One of the most common causes of disability in young adults is spinal cord injury. Currently, there is no proven reparative treatment. Hope that neural stem cells (NSCs) might be of benefit to individuals with severe spinal cord injury has now been provided by the work of a team of researchers, led by Kinichi Nakashima, at Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, in a mouse model of this devastating condition.
In the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, mice with severe spinal cord injury were transplanted with NSCs and administered a drug known as valproic acid, which is used in the treatment of epilepsy. The valproic acid promoted the transplanted NSCs to generate nerve cells, rather than other brain cell types, and the combination therapy resulted in impressive restoration of hind limb function. The authors hope that this approach, whereby the fate of transplanted NSCs is manipulated, for example by administration of valproic acid, could be developed as an effective treatment for severe spinal cord injury.
Blood stem cell, leukemia link illuminated in UCSF-led study
Source: University of California, San Francisco
Date: August 16, 2010
Summary:
A University of California, San Francisco-led team has discovered at least one key reason why blood stem cells are susceptible to developing the genetic mutations that can lead to adult leukemia. Their finding also may explain, they say, why some other age-related hematological disorders develop. The study, reported in Cell Stem Cell (Aug. 6, 2010) and reviewed in Cell Stem Cell and Cell, opens a new frontier for studying the molecular underpinnings of adult leukemia. The discovery also suggests a possible therapeutic strategy, the scientists say, for reducing the risk of leukemia that results from chemotherapy used to treat solid tumors. Finally, it may explain why other types of adult stem cells are susceptible to accumulating potentially lethal mutations.
Date: August 16, 2010
Summary:
A University of California, San Francisco-led team has discovered at least one key reason why blood stem cells are susceptible to developing the genetic mutations that can lead to adult leukemia. Their finding also may explain, they say, why some other age-related hematological disorders develop. The study, reported in Cell Stem Cell (Aug. 6, 2010) and reviewed in Cell Stem Cell and Cell, opens a new frontier for studying the molecular underpinnings of adult leukemia. The discovery also suggests a possible therapeutic strategy, the scientists say, for reducing the risk of leukemia that results from chemotherapy used to treat solid tumors. Finally, it may explain why other types of adult stem cells are susceptible to accumulating potentially lethal mutations.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Merlin Protein Found to Control Liver Stem Cells, Prevent Tumor Development
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: August 12, 2010
Summary:
A protein known to be involved in a rare hereditary cancer syndrome may have a role in the regulation of liver stem cells and the development of liver cancer. In the August 15 issue of Genes & Development, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team describes finding that the protein called merlin, encoded by the NF2 (neurofibromatosis type 2) gene, controls the activity of adult stem cells that give rise to the two major types of liver cells.
Date: August 12, 2010
Summary:
A protein known to be involved in a rare hereditary cancer syndrome may have a role in the regulation of liver stem cells and the development of liver cancer. In the August 15 issue of Genes & Development, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team describes finding that the protein called merlin, encoded by the NF2 (neurofibromatosis type 2) gene, controls the activity of adult stem cells that give rise to the two major types of liver cells.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Stem Cells Used to Treat Children With Life-Threatening, Blistering Skin Disease
Source: University of Minnesota
Date: August 12, 2010
Summary:
University of Minnesota Physician-researchers have demonstrated that a lethal skin disease can be successfully treated with stem cell therapy. Medical School researchers John E. Wagner, M.D., and Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D., in collaboration with researchers in Portland, Oregon, the United Kingdom, and Japan have for the first time used stem cells from bone marrow to repair the skin of patients with a fatal skin disease called recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB. This is the first time researchers have shown that bone marrow stem cells can home to the skin and upper gastrointestinal tract and alter the natural course of the disease. The results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Below is a summary of media coverage of about this development:
Los Angeles Times, August 11, 2010, 1:59 p.m. PDT: "Stem cell therapy appears successful in treating rare, deadly skin disease":
Agence France Presse (AFP), August 11, 2010, 5:04 pm ET: "Doctors use bone marrow stem cells to treat skin disorder":
Reuters, August 11, 2010 5:27 pm EDT: "Stem cells may hold key for fatal skin disease":
High-risk bone marrow transplants partially cured five children with a potentially deadly genetic defect in which proteins that hold layers of skin together are absent, U.S. researchers said Wednesday. But one other child died from side effects of a drug used to prepare for a transplant and a second died from a post-transplant infection.
People with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB, are plagued by painful blisters on the skin, mouth and throat, caused by the slightest trauma that can expose the body to infection and, in some cases, an aggressive form of cancer. With the new treatment, "there was improved healing, fewer blisters, and their quality of life was positively affected. They could do things they couldn't do before, like ride a bicycle or go on a trampoline," said Dr. John Wagner of the University of Minnesota, who worked on the study.
It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, August 11, 2010 - 8:37 PM CDT: "U doctors find treatment for painful, lethal skin disease":
HealthDay News, August 11, 2010: "Stem Cell Treatment May Offer Hope Against Fatal Skin Disorder":
Date: August 12, 2010
Summary:
University of Minnesota Physician-researchers have demonstrated that a lethal skin disease can be successfully treated with stem cell therapy. Medical School researchers John E. Wagner, M.D., and Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D., in collaboration with researchers in Portland, Oregon, the United Kingdom, and Japan have for the first time used stem cells from bone marrow to repair the skin of patients with a fatal skin disease called recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB. This is the first time researchers have shown that bone marrow stem cells can home to the skin and upper gastrointestinal tract and alter the natural course of the disease. The results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Below is a summary of media coverage of about this development:
Los Angeles Times, August 11, 2010, 1:59 p.m. PDT: "Stem cell therapy appears successful in treating rare, deadly skin disease":
Stem cell therapies hold enormous promise. But, so far, there are few confirmed stem cell treatments beyond traditional bone marrow transplantation. Researchers reported Wednesday, however, that they have been able to use stem cells to treat a rare, often-fatal skin disease in children. The results of the experimental therapy suggest that stem cells from bone marrow can travel to injured skin cells and repair damage to those cells.
Agence France Presse (AFP), August 11, 2010, 5:04 pm ET: "Doctors use bone marrow stem cells to treat skin disorder":
In what is believed to be a medical first, researchers have used stem cells from bone marrow to repair the skin of young patients with a painful and usually deadly skin disease, a study published Wednesday says. Researchers led by University of Minnesota doctors John Wagner and Jakub Tolar in 2007 began treating children with a rare genetic skin disorder, called recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), with bone marrow stem cells that had been found in lab tests to repair skin in mice.
Reuters, August 11, 2010 5:27 pm EDT: "Stem cells may hold key for fatal skin disease":
High-risk bone marrow transplants partially cured five children with a potentially deadly genetic defect in which proteins that hold layers of skin together are absent, U.S. researchers said Wednesday. But one other child died from side effects of a drug used to prepare for a transplant and a second died from a post-transplant infection.
People with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB, are plagued by painful blisters on the skin, mouth and throat, caused by the slightest trauma that can expose the body to infection and, in some cases, an aggressive form of cancer. With the new treatment, "there was improved healing, fewer blisters, and their quality of life was positively affected. They could do things they couldn't do before, like ride a bicycle or go on a trampoline," said Dr. John Wagner of the University of Minnesota, who worked on the study.
It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, August 11, 2010 - 8:37 PM CDT: "U doctors find treatment for painful, lethal skin disease":
Two years ago, doctors at the University of Minnesota took an enormous risk by putting a little boy with a terrible skin disease through a bone marrow transplant. For that boy, Nate Liao, it worked out, and he is healthier now. Thursday, in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers are for the first time making public their results treating seven other children with the same genetic disease. In it, they acknowledge just how risky the procedure is: Two of the seven, including the older brother of the first patient, died as a result of the treatment. But in the others it worked -- a leap forward for a devastating and painful genetic disease for which there is no other treatment and a potentially significant advance for the use of adult stem cells.
HealthDay News, August 11, 2010: "Stem Cell Treatment May Offer Hope Against Fatal Skin Disorder":
A debilitating and usually fatal skin disorder may be treated by bone marrow stem cell transplant, a new study finds. The results may have implications for the treatment of other skin diseases and also for the potential of stem cells in bone marrow to turn into other cell types, according to the study published in the Aug. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Stem Cell Technology Yields First ‘Knockout’ Rats
Source: University of Southern California
Date: August 11, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have, for the first time, generated “knockout” rats — animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes — through embryonic stem (ES) cell-based gene targeting. The long-awaited achievement provides scientists with a far more effective animal model to study a range of human diseases.
The research was published online in the journal Nature and will appear in an upcoming print edition of the journal.
Date: August 11, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have, for the first time, generated “knockout” rats — animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes — through embryonic stem (ES) cell-based gene targeting. The long-awaited achievement provides scientists with a far more effective animal model to study a range of human diseases.
The research was published online in the journal Nature and will appear in an upcoming print edition of the journal.
SCIENTISTS MAP EPIGENETIC CHANGES DURING BLOOD CELL DIFFERENTIATION
Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: August 11, 2010
Summary:
Having charted the occurrence of a common chemical change that takes place while stem cells decide their fates and progress from precursor to progeny, a Johns Hopkins-led team of scientists has produced the first-ever epigenetic landscape map for tissue differentiation. The details of this collaborative study between Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Harvard appear August 15 in the early online publication of Nature.
Date: August 11, 2010
Summary:
Having charted the occurrence of a common chemical change that takes place while stem cells decide their fates and progress from precursor to progeny, a Johns Hopkins-led team of scientists has produced the first-ever epigenetic landscape map for tissue differentiation. The details of this collaborative study between Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Harvard appear August 15 in the early online publication of Nature.
Monday, August 09, 2010
New Strategy to Fix a Broken Heart: Scaffold Supports Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Muscle Cells
Source: University of Washington
Date: August 9, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells now offer hope for achieving what the body can't do: mending broken hearts. Engineers and physicians at the University of Washington have built a scaffold that supports the growth and integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells. A description of the scaffold, which supports the growth of cardiac cells in the lab and encourages blood vessel growth in living animals, is published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers built a tiny tubular porous scaffold that supports and stabilizes the fragile cardiac cells and can be injected into a damaged heart, where it will foster cell growth and eventually dissolve away. The new scaffold not only supports cardiac muscle growth, but potentially accelerates the body's ability to supply oxygen and nutrients to the transplanted tissue. Eventually, the idea is that doctors would seed the scaffold with stem cells from either the patient or a donor, then implant it when the patient is treated for a heart attack, before scar tissue has formed.
Date: August 9, 2010
Summary:
Stem cells now offer hope for achieving what the body can't do: mending broken hearts. Engineers and physicians at the University of Washington have built a scaffold that supports the growth and integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells. A description of the scaffold, which supports the growth of cardiac cells in the lab and encourages blood vessel growth in living animals, is published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers built a tiny tubular porous scaffold that supports and stabilizes the fragile cardiac cells and can be injected into a damaged heart, where it will foster cell growth and eventually dissolve away. The new scaffold not only supports cardiac muscle growth, but potentially accelerates the body's ability to supply oxygen and nutrients to the transplanted tissue. Eventually, the idea is that doctors would seed the scaffold with stem cells from either the patient or a donor, then implant it when the patient is treated for a heart attack, before scar tissue has formed.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
In breakthrough, nerve connections are regenerated after spinal cord injury
Source: University of California - Irvine
Date: August 8, 2010
Summary:
Researchers for the first time have induced robust regeneration of nerve connections that control voluntary movement after spinal cord injury, showing the potential for new therapeutic approaches to paralysis and other motor function impairments. In a study on rodents, the UC Irvine, UC San Diego and Harvard University team achieved this breakthrough by turning back the developmental clock in a molecular pathway critical for the growth of corticospinal tract nerve connections. They did this by deleting an enzyme called PTEN (a phosphatase and tensin homolog), which controls a molecular pathway called mTOR that is a key regulator of cell growth. PTEN activity is low early during development, allowing cell proliferation. PTEN then turns on when growth is completed, inhibiting mTOR and precluding any ability to regenerate. Results of the study appear online in Nature Neuroscience.
Date: August 8, 2010
Summary:
Researchers for the first time have induced robust regeneration of nerve connections that control voluntary movement after spinal cord injury, showing the potential for new therapeutic approaches to paralysis and other motor function impairments. In a study on rodents, the UC Irvine, UC San Diego and Harvard University team achieved this breakthrough by turning back the developmental clock in a molecular pathway critical for the growth of corticospinal tract nerve connections. They did this by deleting an enzyme called PTEN (a phosphatase and tensin homolog), which controls a molecular pathway called mTOR that is a key regulator of cell growth. PTEN activity is low early during development, allowing cell proliferation. PTEN then turns on when growth is completed, inhibiting mTOR and precluding any ability to regenerate. Results of the study appear online in Nature Neuroscience.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Researchers announce stem cell breakthrough
Source: KGO-TV / ABC7 News - San Francisco, CA
Posted: August 5, 2010 11:48 PM PDT
Summary:
KGO-TV / ABC7 News - San Francisco, CA reported a news story about on the announcement by the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) that scientists have found a new way to make beating heart cells from the body's own cells that could help regenerate damaged hearts. A news video segment of the story follows below:
Posted: August 5, 2010 11:48 PM PDT
Summary:
KGO-TV / ABC7 News - San Francisco, CA reported a news story about on the announcement by the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) that scientists have found a new way to make beating heart cells from the body's own cells that could help regenerate damaged hearts. A news video segment of the story follows below:
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Two New Paths to the Dream: Regeneration
Source: New York Times
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
The New York Times reported a story on the discovery of new approaches to regenerating limbs using the body's own cells. The first, an announcement by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, the ability of newts to regenerate tissue was successfully replicated in mice:
In a second experiment, a different technique to regenerating a tissue was announced by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco to regenerate heart tissue by reprogramming heart tissue cells into heart muscle cells reported in the journal Cell:
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
The New York Times reported a story on the discovery of new approaches to regenerating limbs using the body's own cells. The first, an announcement by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, the ability of newts to regenerate tissue was successfully replicated in mice:
Two research reports published Friday offer novel approaches to the age-old dream of regenerating the body from its own cells. Animals like newts and zebra fish can regenerate limbs, fins, even part of the heart. If only people could do the same, amputees might grow new limbs and stricken hearts be coaxed to repair themselves.
...In the first of the two new approaches, a research group at Stanford University led by Helen M. Blau, Jason H. Pomerantz and Kostandin V. Pajcini has taken a possible first step toward unlocking the human ability to regenerate. By inactivating two genes that work to suppress tumors, they got mouse muscle cells to revert to a younger state, start dividing and help repair tissue.
In a second experiment, a different technique to regenerating a tissue was announced by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco to regenerate heart tissue by reprogramming heart tissue cells into heart muscle cells reported in the journal Cell:
A second, quite different approach to regenerating a tissue is reported in Friday’s issue of Cell by Deepak Srivastava and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco. Working also in the mouse, they have developed a way of reprogramming the ordinary tissue cells of the heart into heart muscle cells, the type that is irretrievably lost in a heart attack.
The Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka showed three years ago that skin cells could be converted to embryonic stem cells simply by adding four proteins known to regulate genes. Inspired by Dr. Yamanaka’s method, Dr. Srivastava and his colleagues selected 14 such proteins and eventually found that with only three of them they could convert heart fibroblast cells into heart muscle cells.
Human embryonic stem cells purified in new, rapid technique
Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
University of California, San Francisco researchers are reporting the first success in very rapidly purifying one type of embryonic stem cell from a mix of many different types of embryonic stem cells in the culture dish. The technique, which avoids the need to genetically alter the cells to distinguish them, is a key advance, the researchers say, for obtaining the appropriate cells for repairing specific damaged tissues.
The new strategy links two existing technologies for the first time: the ability to identify specific embryonic stem cell types in a culture of different embryonic stem cells, and a way to efficiently sort them at a very high rate, a procedure known as “high throughput” processing.
The research finding is currently published online in the journal Stem Cells and Development and will appear later this year in a print edition of the journal. Embryonic stem cells, which replicate indefinitely in the culture dish, are capable of forming almost any tissue in the body. Over time, they begin to specialize as specific cell types, such as cardiomyocytes of the heart or neurons of the brain. One goal for stem cell therapy is to be able to identify cells that have begun to specialize in a particular way so that they could serve as a source of cells to repair specific damaged tissues.
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
University of California, San Francisco researchers are reporting the first success in very rapidly purifying one type of embryonic stem cell from a mix of many different types of embryonic stem cells in the culture dish. The technique, which avoids the need to genetically alter the cells to distinguish them, is a key advance, the researchers say, for obtaining the appropriate cells for repairing specific damaged tissues.
The new strategy links two existing technologies for the first time: the ability to identify specific embryonic stem cell types in a culture of different embryonic stem cells, and a way to efficiently sort them at a very high rate, a procedure known as “high throughput” processing.
The research finding is currently published online in the journal Stem Cells and Development and will appear later this year in a print edition of the journal. Embryonic stem cells, which replicate indefinitely in the culture dish, are capable of forming almost any tissue in the body. Over time, they begin to specialize as specific cell types, such as cardiomyocytes of the heart or neurons of the brain. One goal for stem cell therapy is to be able to identify cells that have begun to specialize in a particular way so that they could serve as a source of cells to repair specific damaged tissues.
Human embryonic stem cells and reprogrammed cells virtually identical
Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
Human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state—so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells—exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. Their results are published in the August 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell.
iPS cells are made by introducing three key genes into adult cells. These reprogramming factors push the cells from a mature state to a more flexible embryonic stem cell-like state. Like ES cells, iPS cells can then, in theory, be coaxed to mature into almost any type of cell in the body. Unlike ES cells, iPS cells taken from a patient are not likely to be rejected by that patient’s immune system. This difference overcomes a major hurdle in regenerative medicine.
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
Human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state—so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells—exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. Their results are published in the August 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell.
iPS cells are made by introducing three key genes into adult cells. These reprogramming factors push the cells from a mature state to a more flexible embryonic stem cell-like state. Like ES cells, iPS cells can then, in theory, be coaxed to mature into almost any type of cell in the body. Unlike ES cells, iPS cells taken from a patient are not likely to be rejected by that patient’s immune system. This difference overcomes a major hurdle in regenerative medicine.
Gladstone Scientists Discover New Method for Regenerating Heart Muscle by Direct Reprogramming
Source: Gladstone Institutes
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have found a new way to make beating heart cells from the body's own cells that could help regenerate damaged hearts. Over 5 million Americans suffer from heart failure because the heart has virtually no ability to repair itself after a heart attack. Only 2,000 hearts become available for heart transplant annually in the United States, leaving limited therapeutic options for the remaining millions. In research published in the current issue of Cell, scientists in the laboratory of GICD director Deepak Srivastava, MD, directly reprogrammed structural cells called fibroblasts in the heart to become beating heart cells called cardiomyocytes. In doing so, they also found the first evidence that unrelated adult cells can be reprogrammed from one cell type to another without having to go all the way back to a stem cell state.
Date: August 5, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have found a new way to make beating heart cells from the body's own cells that could help regenerate damaged hearts. Over 5 million Americans suffer from heart failure because the heart has virtually no ability to repair itself after a heart attack. Only 2,000 hearts become available for heart transplant annually in the United States, leaving limited therapeutic options for the remaining millions. In research published in the current issue of Cell, scientists in the laboratory of GICD director Deepak Srivastava, MD, directly reprogrammed structural cells called fibroblasts in the heart to become beating heart cells called cardiomyocytes. In doing so, they also found the first evidence that unrelated adult cells can be reprogrammed from one cell type to another without having to go all the way back to a stem cell state.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Biologists Discover MicroRNAs that Control Function of Blood Stem Cells
Source: California Institute of Technology
Date: August 4, 2010
Summary:
PASADENA, Calif.—Hematopoietic stem cells provide the body with a constant supply of blood cells, including the red blood cells that deliver oxygen and the white blood cells that make up the immune system. Hematopoietic—or blood—stem cells must also make more copies of themselves to ensure that they are present in adequate numbers to provide blood throughout a person's lifetime, which means they need to strike a delicate balance between self-renewal and development into mature blood-cell lineages. Perturb that balance, and the result can be diseases such as leukemia and anemia.
One key to fighting these diseases is gaining an understanding of the genes and molecules that control the function of these stem cells. Biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have taken a large step toward that end, with the discovery of a novel group of molecules that are found in high concentrations within hematopoietic stem cells and appear to regulate their production.
A paper about the work was published July 26 in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Date: August 4, 2010
Summary:
PASADENA, Calif.—Hematopoietic stem cells provide the body with a constant supply of blood cells, including the red blood cells that deliver oxygen and the white blood cells that make up the immune system. Hematopoietic—or blood—stem cells must also make more copies of themselves to ensure that they are present in adequate numbers to provide blood throughout a person's lifetime, which means they need to strike a delicate balance between self-renewal and development into mature blood-cell lineages. Perturb that balance, and the result can be diseases such as leukemia and anemia.
One key to fighting these diseases is gaining an understanding of the genes and molecules that control the function of these stem cells. Biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have taken a large step toward that end, with the discovery of a novel group of molecules that are found in high concentrations within hematopoietic stem cells and appear to regulate their production.
A paper about the work was published July 26 in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Newts' Ability to Regenerate Tissue Replicated in Mouse Cells
Source: Stanford University
Date: August 4, 2010
Summary:
New research suggests a reason why mammals are unable to re-grow a limb or produce new heart muscle cells: Restricting cells' ability to pop in and out of the cell cycle at will -- a prerequisite for the cell division necessary to make new tissue -- reduces the chances that they'll run amok and form potentially deadly cancers.
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken a big step toward being able to confer this regenerative capacity on mammalian muscle cells; they accomplished this feat in experiments with laboratory mice in which they blocked the expression of just two tumor-suppressing proteins. The finding may move us closer to future regenerative therapies in humans -- surprisingly, by sending us shimmying back down the evolutionary tree. The research will be published in Cell Stem Cell.
Wired magazine published a news story based on this news release.
Date: August 4, 2010
Summary:
New research suggests a reason why mammals are unable to re-grow a limb or produce new heart muscle cells: Restricting cells' ability to pop in and out of the cell cycle at will -- a prerequisite for the cell division necessary to make new tissue -- reduces the chances that they'll run amok and form potentially deadly cancers.
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken a big step toward being able to confer this regenerative capacity on mammalian muscle cells; they accomplished this feat in experiments with laboratory mice in which they blocked the expression of just two tumor-suppressing proteins. The finding may move us closer to future regenerative therapies in humans -- surprisingly, by sending us shimmying back down the evolutionary tree. The research will be published in Cell Stem Cell.
Wired magazine published a news story based on this news release.
MicroRNA molecule increases number of blood stem cells, may help improve cancer treatment
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: August 4, 2010
Summary:
Investigators have identified a new mechanism that controls the number of hematopoietic stem cells - cells that give rise to all blood and immune system cells. In a report in the online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute identify a tiny RNA molecule that increases the number of these blood stem cells, an advance that may improve treatment of blood system cancers.
Date: August 4, 2010
Summary:
Investigators have identified a new mechanism that controls the number of hematopoietic stem cells - cells that give rise to all blood and immune system cells. In a report in the online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute identify a tiny RNA molecule that increases the number of these blood stem cells, an advance that may improve treatment of blood system cancers.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Purified blood stem cells improve success of bone marrow transplants in mice, study shows
Source: Stanford University School of Medicine
Date: August 2, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have challenged decades of accepted wisdom about bone marrow transplantation with a new study showing that mice receiving purified blood stem cells are less prone to complications than mice receiving stem cells plus purified T cells. The study, led by Judith Shizuru, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine, will be published online Aug. 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: August 2, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have challenged decades of accepted wisdom about bone marrow transplantation with a new study showing that mice receiving purified blood stem cells are less prone to complications than mice receiving stem cells plus purified T cells. The study, led by Judith Shizuru, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine, will be published online Aug. 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Synthetic bone graft recruits stem cells for faster bone healing
Source: Queen Mary, University of London
Date: 2 August 2010
Summary:
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have developed a material for bone grafts that could one day replace the 'gold standard' natural bone implants. A new study shows how particles of a ceramic called calcium phosphate have the ability to stimulate promising bone regrowth by attracting stem cells and 'growth factors' to promote healing and the integration of the grafted tissue.
The researchers tested natural bone grafts against ceramic particles with varied structural and chemical properties. They found that micro-porous ceramic particles composed of calcium phosphate, the primary component of bone ash, induced stem cells to develop into bone cells in the test tube and stimulated bone growth in live tissue in mice, dogs and sheep.
Bone injuries packed with the ceramic particles healed similarly to implants constructed from the animals' own bone, reports Professor de Bruijn along with collaborators from the University of Twente, Netherlands, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study also shows how it also matches a commercially available product that contains artificial growth factors and has the undesirable side-effect of causing bone fragments to form in nearby soft tissue, such as muscle.
Date: 2 August 2010
Summary:
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have developed a material for bone grafts that could one day replace the 'gold standard' natural bone implants. A new study shows how particles of a ceramic called calcium phosphate have the ability to stimulate promising bone regrowth by attracting stem cells and 'growth factors' to promote healing and the integration of the grafted tissue.
The researchers tested natural bone grafts against ceramic particles with varied structural and chemical properties. They found that micro-porous ceramic particles composed of calcium phosphate, the primary component of bone ash, induced stem cells to develop into bone cells in the test tube and stimulated bone growth in live tissue in mice, dogs and sheep.
Bone injuries packed with the ceramic particles healed similarly to implants constructed from the animals' own bone, reports Professor de Bruijn along with collaborators from the University of Twente, Netherlands, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study also shows how it also matches a commercially available product that contains artificial growth factors and has the undesirable side-effect of causing bone fragments to form in nearby soft tissue, such as muscle.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
New insights into how stem cells determine what tissue to become
Source: University of Michigan
Date: August 1, 2010
Summary:
Within 24 hours of culturing adult human stem cells on a new type of matrix, University of Michigan researchers were able to make predictions about how the cells would differentiate, or what type of tissue they would become. Their results are published in the Aug. 1 edition of Nature Methods.
In this study, the researchers examined stem cell mechanics, the slight forces the cells exert on the materials they are attached to. These traction forces were suspected to be involved in differentiation, but they have not been as widely studied as the chemical triggers. In this paper, the researchers show that the stiffness of the material on which stem cells are cultivated in a lab does, in fact, help to determine what type of cells they turn into.
Date: August 1, 2010
Summary:
Within 24 hours of culturing adult human stem cells on a new type of matrix, University of Michigan researchers were able to make predictions about how the cells would differentiate, or what type of tissue they would become. Their results are published in the Aug. 1 edition of Nature Methods.
In this study, the researchers examined stem cell mechanics, the slight forces the cells exert on the materials they are attached to. These traction forces were suspected to be involved in differentiation, but they have not been as widely studied as the chemical triggers. In this paper, the researchers show that the stiffness of the material on which stem cells are cultivated in a lab does, in fact, help to determine what type of cells they turn into.
Revolutionary Findings Prove Novel Mechanism of Stem Cells
Source: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Date: August 1, 2010
Summary:
researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have demonstrated exactly how mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow can repair the heart – a critical step in stem cell research that could in the near future help millions of patients with heart failure. The findings, published in the July 29 issue of Circulation Research, a journal of the American Heart Association, address an area that has been of enormous interest to cardiologists since the first suggestion that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells regenerate heart muscle damaged by a myocardial infarction (heart attack). Joshua M. Hare, M.D., director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the Miller School, led the discovery which settles several major controversies in the field and shows that the stem cells used can restore heart function back to normal very rapidly after heart attack.
Below is an excerpt of a news story published in the Miami Herald yesterday about the study:
Date: August 1, 2010
Summary:
researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have demonstrated exactly how mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow can repair the heart – a critical step in stem cell research that could in the near future help millions of patients with heart failure. The findings, published in the July 29 issue of Circulation Research, a journal of the American Heart Association, address an area that has been of enormous interest to cardiologists since the first suggestion that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells regenerate heart muscle damaged by a myocardial infarction (heart attack). Joshua M. Hare, M.D., director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the Miller School, led the discovery which settles several major controversies in the field and shows that the stem cells used can restore heart function back to normal very rapidly after heart attack.
Below is an excerpt of a news story published in the Miami Herald yesterday about the study:
A medical research team led by University of Miami doctors injected stem cells into the hearts of pigs that had been damaged by heart attacks. Within two months, the doctors said, the stem cells made the pigs' hearts good as new. ...The new study, published in the July 29 issue of Circulation Research, a journal of the American Heart Association, builds on another UM study published in December. In that study, immature ``mesenchymnal'' human stem cells extracted from bone marrow and infused into the hearts of human heart-attack victims made their hearts less prone to dangerous arrhythmias and better able to pump blood.
The new UM study found that the stem cells helped the heart in two ways. First, some of the stem cells -- injected into the heart via catheter into the groin and up the femoral artery -- actually turned into new, healthy heart cells themselves. They replaced heart tissue killed by the heart attack, and became part of the heart muscle that contracts and beats to circulate the blood. Another part of the injected stem cells didn't turn into new heart cells but instead induced stem cells already existing in the heart to greatly multiply, building more heart muscle.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Coverage Summary: Geron Corporation Embryonic Stem Cell Clinical Trial
Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of the recent announcement by Geron Corporation that it received federal regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin resuming human clinical trials using human embryonic stem cells to attempt to treat spinal cord injuries:
New York Times, July 30, 2010, 11:21 AM EDT: "F.D.A. Clears Way for Embryonic Stem Cell Trial Using Patients":
United Press International, July 30, 2010 at 9:28 PM: "FDA: Stem cell trial can proceed":
Bloomberg News, July 30, 2010: "FDA: Stem cell trial can proceed":
San Jose Mercury News, July 31, 2010 : "FDA approves Geron's groundbreaking study of embryonic cells":
Associated Press, July 30, 2010: "Geron says FDA lifts hold on stem cell trial":
NEW YORK — Regulators on Friday gave the all-clear to a clinical trial that will test embryonic stem cells as a treatment for spinal cord injury, potentially the first time embryonic stem cells are tested on humans. The developer of the treatment, Geron Corp., said the Food and Drug Administration removed a clinical hold on its GRNOPC1 therapy. The FDA accepted Geron's study application in January 2009, which gave the company clearance to test GRNOPC1 on humans. But the FDA placed any potential study on hold in August because some mice treated with GRNOPC1 developed microscopic spinal cysts.
Geron hopes to start testing GRNOPC1 on humans by year-end. The company plans to enroll eight to 10 patients in the study at sites nationwide. The trial will take about two years, with each patient being studied for one year. Early-stage clinical trials are primarily designed to test a therapy's safety, although Geron said it will also measure the effectiveness of GRNOPC1.
A successful test would lead to larger and longer studies that would focus on the effectiveness of GRNOPC1. The company plans to continue monitoring patients for a total of 15 years for safety.
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA, July 30, 2010: "Menlo Park-based Geron resumes stem cell trials":
MENLO PARK, CA (KGO) -- The Food and Drug Administration has given Menlo Park-based Geron the green light to resume trials of a stem cell treatment that could help repair injured spinal cords. The new drug by Geron will be injected into patients within seven days of a spinal cord injury.
New York Times, July 30, 2010, 11:21 AM EDT: "F.D.A. Clears Way for Embryonic Stem Cell Trial Using Patients":
The world’s first authorized test in people of a treatment derived from human embryonic stem cells has been cleared to begin by the Food and Drug Administration. The trial will test cells developed by Geron Corporation and the University of California, Irvine in patients with new spinal cord injuries.
United Press International, July 30, 2010 at 9:28 PM: "FDA: Stem cell trial can proceed":
The Food and Drug Administration has given approval to proceed with the world's first human clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy. Geron Corp., headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., says it will proceed with its trial of GRNOPC1, a stem-cell therapy intended to treat patients with acute spinal cord injury, a company release said Friday.
Bloomberg News, July 30, 2010: "FDA: Stem cell trial can proceed":
Geron Corp. said it was cleared by U.S. regulators to proceed with the first human test of an embryonic stem-cell therapy, aimed at patients with spinal-cord injuries. The shares rose 17 percent. The Food and Drug Administration lifted a clinical hold on the study imposed last August when the company revealed that mice used in experimental work had developed cysts, Geron said in a statement. The company may start recruiting patients with new spinal cord injuries in about one month, said Thomas Okarma, Geron’s president and chief executive officer, in a telephone interview today.
The FDA’s action will allow the company to proceed with a long-awaited milestone -- the first authorized clinical trial in the world using stem cells derived from human embryos. The approval comes after almost a year of Geron’s testing and genetic analysis to resolve FDA questions, and paves the way for future trials.
San Jose Mercury News, July 31, 2010 : "FDA approves Geron's groundbreaking study of embryonic cells":
A Menlo Park biotech firm said Friday that federal regulators will let it proceed with the world's first human test of a treatment made from embryonic stem cells, a much-anticipated but controversial study of patients with spinal cord injuries that had been placed on hold for nearly a year because of safety concerns.
If the treatment from Geron works, it 'would be revolutionary,' said Dr. Richard Fessler, a neurological surgeon at Northwestern University, who will lead the study of a stem-cell treatment designed to be injected into patients with spinal injuries to restore their motor function. "The therapy would provide a viable treatment option for thousands of patients who suffer severe spinal cord injuries each year."
Associated Press, July 30, 2010: "Geron says FDA lifts hold on stem cell trial":
NEW YORK — Regulators on Friday gave the all-clear to a clinical trial that will test embryonic stem cells as a treatment for spinal cord injury, potentially the first time embryonic stem cells are tested on humans. The developer of the treatment, Geron Corp., said the Food and Drug Administration removed a clinical hold on its GRNOPC1 therapy. The FDA accepted Geron's study application in January 2009, which gave the company clearance to test GRNOPC1 on humans. But the FDA placed any potential study on hold in August because some mice treated with GRNOPC1 developed microscopic spinal cysts.
Geron hopes to start testing GRNOPC1 on humans by year-end. The company plans to enroll eight to 10 patients in the study at sites nationwide. The trial will take about two years, with each patient being studied for one year. Early-stage clinical trials are primarily designed to test a therapy's safety, although Geron said it will also measure the effectiveness of GRNOPC1.
A successful test would lead to larger and longer studies that would focus on the effectiveness of GRNOPC1. The company plans to continue monitoring patients for a total of 15 years for safety.
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA, July 30, 2010: "Menlo Park-based Geron resumes stem cell trials":
MENLO PARK, CA (KGO) -- The Food and Drug Administration has given Menlo Park-based Geron the green light to resume trials of a stem cell treatment that could help repair injured spinal cords. The new drug by Geron will be injected into patients within seven days of a spinal cord injury.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Researchers Build New Joint with Stem Cells
Source: Columbia University
Date: July 30, 2010
Summary:
A pioneering study published "Online First" in The Lancet this week shows that failing joints can be replaced with a joint grown "naturally," using the host's own stem cells. The work paves the way for future joints that would last longer than today's artificial joints. The work was carried out in the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of Dr. Jeremy Mao, the Edward V. Zegarelli Professor at Columbia University, along with his team at Columbia University Medical Center, and colleagues from the University of Missouri and Clemson University.
Date: July 30, 2010
Summary:
A pioneering study published "Online First" in The Lancet this week shows that failing joints can be replaced with a joint grown "naturally," using the host's own stem cells. The work paves the way for future joints that would last longer than today's artificial joints. The work was carried out in the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of Dr. Jeremy Mao, the Edward V. Zegarelli Professor at Columbia University, along with his team at Columbia University Medical Center, and colleagues from the University of Missouri and Clemson University.
Geron to Proceed with First Human Clinical Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Therapy
Source: Geron Corporation
Date: July 30, 2010
Summary:
Geron Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that the clinical hold placed on Geron's Investigational New Drug (IND) application has been lifted and the company's Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury may proceed.
The FDA notification enables Geron to move forward with the world's first clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based therapy in man. The Phase I multi-center trial is designed to establish the safety of GRNOPC1 in patients with "complete" American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grade A subacute thoracic spinal cord injuries.
Date: July 30, 2010
Summary:
Geron Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that the clinical hold placed on Geron's Investigational New Drug (IND) application has been lifted and the company's Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury may proceed.
The FDA notification enables Geron to move forward with the world's first clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based therapy in man. The Phase I multi-center trial is designed to establish the safety of GRNOPC1 in patients with "complete" American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grade A subacute thoracic spinal cord injuries.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Scientists find cell of origin for human prostate cancer
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: July 29, 2010
Summary:
University of California, Los Angeles scientists have identified for the first time a cell of origin for human prostate cancer, a discovery that could result in better predictive and diagnostic tools and the development of new and more effective targeted treatments for the disease. The researchers, from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, proved that basal cells found in benign prostate tissue could become human prostate cancer in mice with suppressed immune systems, a finding that bucks conventional wisdom.
The study appears July 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Science.
Date: July 29, 2010
Summary:
University of California, Los Angeles scientists have identified for the first time a cell of origin for human prostate cancer, a discovery that could result in better predictive and diagnostic tools and the development of new and more effective targeted treatments for the disease. The researchers, from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, proved that basal cells found in benign prostate tissue could become human prostate cancer in mice with suppressed immune systems, a finding that bucks conventional wisdom.
The study appears July 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Science.
Researchers Make Progress Toward Regenerating Tissue to Replace Joints
Source: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Date: July 29, 2010
Summary:
A team of NIH-funded researchers has successfully regenerated rabbit joints using a cutting edge process to form the joint inside the body, or in vivo. Regenerative in vivo procedures are performed by stimulating previously irreparable organs or tissues to heal themselves. In this study, bioscaffolds, or three-dimensional structures made of biocompatible and biodegradable materials in the shape of the tissue, were infused with a protein to promote growth of the rabbit joint. The experiment demonstrated the feasibility of an approach to growing dissimilar tissues, such as cartilage and bone, derived entirely from the host’s own cells. Results of the study are in the July 29 issue of The Lancet.
Date: July 29, 2010
Summary:
A team of NIH-funded researchers has successfully regenerated rabbit joints using a cutting edge process to form the joint inside the body, or in vivo. Regenerative in vivo procedures are performed by stimulating previously irreparable organs or tissues to heal themselves. In this study, bioscaffolds, or three-dimensional structures made of biocompatible and biodegradable materials in the shape of the tissue, were infused with a protein to promote growth of the rabbit joint. The experiment demonstrated the feasibility of an approach to growing dissimilar tissues, such as cartilage and bone, derived entirely from the host’s own cells. Results of the study are in the July 29 issue of The Lancet.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Rabbits grow their own joint replacements in study
Source: Reuters
Posted: July 28, 2010 6:32pm EDT
Summary:
Reuters reports rabbits implanted with artificial bones re-grew their own joints:
Posted: July 28, 2010 6:32pm EDT
Summary:
Reuters reports rabbits implanted with artificial bones re-grew their own joints:
Rabbits implanted with artificial bones re-grew their own joints, complete with cartilage, researchers reported on Thursday. Only a single compound called a growth factor was needed to induce the rabbits' bodies to remodel the joint tissue, said the team at Columbia University in New York, Clemson University in South Carolina and the University of Missouri.
Gene essential to stem cell health discovered
Source: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Date: July 28, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) have discovered a gene that is essential to keeping stem cells healthy. The gene, hypoxia inducible factor 1, helps keep levels of telomerase constant. Telomerase is an enzyme that is critical to a stem cell’s lifespan, helping to prevent or slow deterioration in the cells. When telomerase is reduced in a stem cell, the stem cell ages faster. The research results are published in July’s online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Date: July 28, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) have discovered a gene that is essential to keeping stem cells healthy. The gene, hypoxia inducible factor 1, helps keep levels of telomerase constant. Telomerase is an enzyme that is critical to a stem cell’s lifespan, helping to prevent or slow deterioration in the cells. When telomerase is reduced in a stem cell, the stem cell ages faster. The research results are published in July’s online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Monday, July 26, 2010
Irradiating brain's stem cell niche doubles survival time for patients with brain cancers
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: July 26, 2010
Summary:
Patients with deadly glioblastomas who received high doses of radiation that hit a portion of the brain that harbors neural stem cells had double the progression-free survival time as patients who had lower doses or no radiation targeting the area, a study from the Radiation Oncology Department at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.
Patients who underwent high doses of radiation that hit the specific neural stem cell site, known as the stem cell niche, experienced 15 months of progression-free survival, while patients receiving lower or no doses to this region experienced 7.2 months of progression-free survival, said Dr. Frank Pajonk, an associate professor of radiation oncology, a cancer center researcher and senior author of the study.
Pajonk said the study, published in the early online edition of the journal BMC Cancer, could result in changes in the way radiation therapy is given to patients with these deadly brain cancers.
Date: July 26, 2010
Summary:
Patients with deadly glioblastomas who received high doses of radiation that hit a portion of the brain that harbors neural stem cells had double the progression-free survival time as patients who had lower doses or no radiation targeting the area, a study from the Radiation Oncology Department at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.
Patients who underwent high doses of radiation that hit the specific neural stem cell site, known as the stem cell niche, experienced 15 months of progression-free survival, while patients receiving lower or no doses to this region experienced 7.2 months of progression-free survival, said Dr. Frank Pajonk, an associate professor of radiation oncology, a cancer center researcher and senior author of the study.
Pajonk said the study, published in the early online edition of the journal BMC Cancer, could result in changes in the way radiation therapy is given to patients with these deadly brain cancers.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Scientists isolate the first stages of tissue production in human embryonic stem cells
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: July 20, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center have described a population of cells that mark the very first stage of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells as they enter a developmental pathway that leads to production of blood, heart muscle, blood vessels and bone.
Researchers hope that these cells could one day be used for clinical treatments of a wide range of medical conditions as the discovery may help scientists create better and safer tissues for use in regenerative medicine. It also will allow scientists to better understand the differences between pluripotent stem cells, which can become every cell in the body, and cells that have lost their pluripotency and are on their way to becoming specific types of tissue cells.
The study appears today in the early online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: July 20, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center have described a population of cells that mark the very first stage of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells as they enter a developmental pathway that leads to production of blood, heart muscle, blood vessels and bone.
Researchers hope that these cells could one day be used for clinical treatments of a wide range of medical conditions as the discovery may help scientists create better and safer tissues for use in regenerative medicine. It also will allow scientists to better understand the differences between pluripotent stem cells, which can become every cell in the body, and cells that have lost their pluripotency and are on their way to becoming specific types of tissue cells.
The study appears today in the early online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Natural Substance NT-020 Aids Aging Brains in Rats, Study Finds
Source: University of South Florida
Date: July 19, 2010
Summary:
A combination of nutrients called NT-020 promoted adult neural stem cell proliferation in aged rats and boosted their memory performance, reported University of South Florida researchers studying natural therapeutic approaches to promoting the health of neurons in the aging brain.
Researchers from the USF Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair tested two groups of aged laboratory rats; one group received NT-020 and another, the control group, did not. In the NT-020 group, the process by which neurons are generated -- called neurogenesis -- increased. The study was published in the current issue of Rejuvenation Research (Vol. 13 No. 5, June, 2010). The NT-020 formula was patented by USF and licensed to Natura Therapeutics, Inc.
Date: July 19, 2010
Summary:
A combination of nutrients called NT-020 promoted adult neural stem cell proliferation in aged rats and boosted their memory performance, reported University of South Florida researchers studying natural therapeutic approaches to promoting the health of neurons in the aging brain.
Researchers from the USF Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair tested two groups of aged laboratory rats; one group received NT-020 and another, the control group, did not. In the NT-020 group, the process by which neurons are generated -- called neurogenesis -- increased. The study was published in the current issue of Rejuvenation Research (Vol. 13 No. 5, June, 2010). The NT-020 formula was patented by USF and licensed to Natura Therapeutics, Inc.
Reprogrammed Cells 'Remember,' Retain Characteristics of Their Cells of Origin
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: July 19, 2010
Summary:
Investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Regenerative Medicine have confirmed that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) retain some characteristics of the cells from which they were derived, something that could both assist and impede potential clinical and research uses. In their report that will be published in Nature Biotechnology and has received early online release, the researchers also describe finding that these cellular "memories" fade and disappear as cell lines are cultured through successive generations.
Date: July 19, 2010
Summary:
Investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Regenerative Medicine have confirmed that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) retain some characteristics of the cells from which they were derived, something that could both assist and impede potential clinical and research uses. In their report that will be published in Nature Biotechnology and has received early online release, the researchers also describe finding that these cellular "memories" fade and disappear as cell lines are cultured through successive generations.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Unearthing King Tet: Key Protein Influences Stem Cell Fate
Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Date: July 16, 2010
Summary:
Take a skin cell from a patient with Type 1 diabetes. Strip out everything that made it a skin cell, then reprogram it to grow into a colony of pancreatic beta cells. Implant these into your patient and voilà! She’s producing her own insulin like a pro.
This type of personalized therapy is the ultimate goal of most stem cell research. But to reliably achieve that goal for treating diabetes and other diseases, there’s a whole network of genes, proteins and miniscule chemical reactions to decipher first.
Findings published today in the journal Nature put us a step closer to untangling that web. University of North Carolina biochemist Yi Zhang, PhD and his team have discovered that a protein called Tet 1 helps stem cells renew themselves and stay pluripotent—able to become any type of cell in the body.
Date: July 16, 2010
Summary:
Take a skin cell from a patient with Type 1 diabetes. Strip out everything that made it a skin cell, then reprogram it to grow into a colony of pancreatic beta cells. Implant these into your patient and voilà! She’s producing her own insulin like a pro.
This type of personalized therapy is the ultimate goal of most stem cell research. But to reliably achieve that goal for treating diabetes and other diseases, there’s a whole network of genes, proteins and miniscule chemical reactions to decipher first.
Findings published today in the journal Nature put us a step closer to untangling that web. University of North Carolina biochemist Yi Zhang, PhD and his team have discovered that a protein called Tet 1 helps stem cells renew themselves and stay pluripotent—able to become any type of cell in the body.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Blind Mice Can 'See' Thanks to Special Retinal Cells
Source: Johns Hopkins University
Date: July 15, 2010
Summary:
A study published July 15 in the journal Neuron, provides new hope to people who have severe vision impairments or who are blind. The study shows mice without rods and cones function can still see -- and not just light, but also patterns and images -- thanks to a third kind of photosensitive cell in the retina. Johns Hopkins University researchers found that mice that didn't have any rods and cones function could still see -- and not just light, but also patterns and images -- courtesy of special photosensitive cells in the rodents' retinas. Until now, it was presumed that those cells, called intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells, (or ipRGCs), didn't play a role in image formation, but instead served other functions, such as dictating when the animals went to sleep or woke up. (All mammals, including humans, have ipRGCs, as well as rods and cones.)
Date: July 15, 2010
Summary:
A study published July 15 in the journal Neuron, provides new hope to people who have severe vision impairments or who are blind. The study shows mice without rods and cones function can still see -- and not just light, but also patterns and images -- thanks to a third kind of photosensitive cell in the retina. Johns Hopkins University researchers found that mice that didn't have any rods and cones function could still see -- and not just light, but also patterns and images -- courtesy of special photosensitive cells in the rodents' retinas. Until now, it was presumed that those cells, called intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells, (or ipRGCs), didn't play a role in image formation, but instead served other functions, such as dictating when the animals went to sleep or woke up. (All mammals, including humans, have ipRGCs, as well as rods and cones.)
Stanford Develops New Method To Grow Adult Stem Cells
Source: KGO AM 810 - San Francisco, CA
Date: July 15, 2010
Stanford researchers have come up with a better petri dish. KGO's Jenna Lane explains it's a special surface for growing stem cells.
Date: July 15, 2010
Stanford researchers have come up with a better petri dish. KGO's Jenna Lane explains it's a special surface for growing stem cells.
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