Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Date: February 26, 2009
Summary:
By now, most people have read stories about how to "grow your own organs" using stem cells is just a breakthrough away. Despite the hype, this breakthrough has been elusive. A new report published in the March 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal brings bioengineered organs a step closer, as scientists from Stanford and New York University Langone Medical Center describe how they were able to use a "scaffolding" material extracted from the groin area of mice on which stem cells from blood, fat, and bone marrow grew. This advance clears two major hurdles to bioengineered replacement organs, namely a matrix on which stem cells can form a 3-dimensional organ and transplant rejection.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Scientists make electrically active motor neurons from iPS cells
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: February 25, 2009
Summary:
Stem cells scientists at UCLA showed for the first time that human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be differentiated into electrically active motor neurons, a discovery that may aid in studying and treating neurological disorders. Additionally, the motor neurons derived from the iPS cells appeared to be similar in function and efficiency to those derived from human embryonic stem cells, although further testing needs to be done to confirm that. If the similarities are confirmed, the discovery may open the door for new treatments for neurological disorders using patient-specific cells. The study appears today in the early online edition of the journal Stem Cells.
Date: February 25, 2009
Summary:
Stem cells scientists at UCLA showed for the first time that human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be differentiated into electrically active motor neurons, a discovery that may aid in studying and treating neurological disorders. Additionally, the motor neurons derived from the iPS cells appeared to be similar in function and efficiency to those derived from human embryonic stem cells, although further testing needs to be done to confirm that. If the similarities are confirmed, the discovery may open the door for new treatments for neurological disorders using patient-specific cells. The study appears today in the early online edition of the journal Stem Cells.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Brain’s Reserve Cells Can Be Activated After Stroke
Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: 23 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have found a way of activating the neuronal reserves in the brains of mice by switching off the signal that inhibits the formation of new nerve cells. New nerve cells are formed from stem cells in specific areas of the human brain. This process increases after a stroke, something that might explain the recovery that is often observed in patients, particularly in the first year following the onset of illness. In the present study, the scientists have demonstrated how a type of cell that does not give rise to new cells in the healthy brain is activated after a stroke in laboratory animals. The study is published in the February 22, 2009 issue of the journal Neuroscience.
Date: 23 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have found a way of activating the neuronal reserves in the brains of mice by switching off the signal that inhibits the formation of new nerve cells. New nerve cells are formed from stem cells in specific areas of the human brain. This process increases after a stroke, something that might explain the recovery that is often observed in patients, particularly in the first year following the onset of illness. In the present study, the scientists have demonstrated how a type of cell that does not give rise to new cells in the healthy brain is activated after a stroke in laboratory animals. The study is published in the February 22, 2009 issue of the journal Neuroscience.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Stem Cell Research Uncovers Mechanism for Type 2 Diabetes
Source: Burnham Institute for Medical Research
Date: February 12, 2009
Summary:
Taking clues from their stem cell research, investigators at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that a signaling pathway involved in normal pancreatic development is also associated with type 2 diabetes. Their findings, published online January 9 in Experimental Diabetes Research, could provide a potential new target for therapy.
Date: February 12, 2009
Summary:
Taking clues from their stem cell research, investigators at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that a signaling pathway involved in normal pancreatic development is also associated with type 2 diabetes. Their findings, published online January 9 in Experimental Diabetes Research, could provide a potential new target for therapy.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
CBS News Feature story on MS Adult Stem Cell Trial
CBS News reports on the recent trial at Northwestern University using adult stem cells to treat multiple sclerosis in a feature entitled "Treating MS Symptoms With Stem Cells." For previous news coverage of this trial see the SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2009 entry "Coverage of Northwestern University Multiple Sclerosis Adult Stem Cell Study" below.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Don’t go changing: New chemical keeps stem cells young
Source: University of Bath
Date: 3 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop new medical treatments more easily. Stem cells have the ability to develop into many other cell types in the body, and scientists believe they have huge potential to treat diseases or injuries that don’t currently have a cure.
Professor Melanie Welham’s team at the University of Bath’s Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, collaborating with Professor Adam Nelson at the University of Leeds, have discovered a chemical that can be added to embryonic stem cells grown in the lab, allowing them to multiply without changing into other cell types. This breakthrough will help scientists produce large stocks of cells that are needed for developing new medical therapies. The research, supported by funding from the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, is published in the prestigious peer-reviewed Cell Press journal, Chemistry & Biology.
Date: 3 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop new medical treatments more easily. Stem cells have the ability to develop into many other cell types in the body, and scientists believe they have huge potential to treat diseases or injuries that don’t currently have a cure.
Professor Melanie Welham’s team at the University of Bath’s Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, collaborating with Professor Adam Nelson at the University of Leeds, have discovered a chemical that can be added to embryonic stem cells grown in the lab, allowing them to multiply without changing into other cell types. This breakthrough will help scientists produce large stocks of cells that are needed for developing new medical therapies. The research, supported by funding from the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, is published in the prestigious peer-reviewed Cell Press journal, Chemistry & Biology.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Coverage of Northwestern University Multiple Sclerosis Adult Stem Cell Study
Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by researchers at Northwestern University in which adult stem cells reversed symptoms of multiple sclerosis in mice:
Bloomberg News, January 31, 2009: "Dose of stem cells reverses some MS":
"A dose of their own stem cells "reset" the malfunctioning immune system of patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their disability, according to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. All 21 patients in the study had the "relapsing-remitting" form of the disease that makes their symptoms alternately flare up and recede. Three years after being treated, on average, 17 of the patients had improved on tests of their symptoms, 16 had experienced no relapse, and none had deteriorated, the study found."
Nature, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell trial shows promise: Multiple sclerosis treatment seems to reverse symptoms.":
"A stem-cell therapy appears to help some patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis recover, according to results from a preliminary study. In the new trial, the patients' immune cells were first destroyed and they were then injected with blood stem cells taken from their bone marrow. Seventeen of the 21 patients treated in his study improved, suffering fewer problems with their balance or vision, and none declined over the 2-4 years they took part in the study. This marks the first time a technique "has actually shown reversal" of neurologic loss caused by this disease, says Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, who led the study."
BBC News, 02:21 GMT, Friday, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell treatment 'success'":
"Stem-cell transplants may control and even reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms if done early enough, a small study has suggested. ...Stem cells were harvested from the patients and frozen while drugs were given to remove the immune cells or lymphocytes causing the damage. The stem cells were then transplanted back to replenish the immune system - effectively resetting it. Five patients in the study relapsed, but went into remission after receiving other therapy."
The Scotsman, 30 January 2009: "New stem cell treatment can reverse crippling MS":
"A NEW treatment for multiple sclerosis using stem cells could be used to reverse the effects of the disease, research revealed yesterday. A study of 21 patients with MS found that none saw their condition deteriorate while using the therapy – and the majority saw an improvement. The discovery gives new hope that stem cells offer a ground-breaking new method of tackling the debilitating disease, for which there was no cure. The latest research, published in The Lancet Neurology, focused on a technique known as "autologous non-myeloablative haemopoietic stem cell transplantation."
"Stem cells are taken from the patient's bone marrow. The patient's immune system is suppressed and their haemopoietic stem cells – which become blood cells – are put back. Such a technique effectively "resets" the immune system. The 11 women and ten men taking part in the new study, led by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, suffered from a form of the condition known as relapsing-remitting MS."
New Scientist, 30 January 2009 11:57: "Multiple sclerosis 'reversed' with stem cell therapy":
"For the first time, some of the disability associated with the early stages of multiple sclerosis appears to have been reversed. The treatment works by resetting patients' immune systems using their own stem cells. While randomised clinical trials are still needed to confirm the findings, they offer new hope to people in the early stages of the disease who don't respond to drug treatment."
Daily Mail, 30th January 2009, 11:56 AM: "Stem cell injection offers fresh hope for MS sufferers":
"Stem cell injections can reverse the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis, a study published today says. Four out of five adults in the early stages of MS who were injected with stem cells taken from their bone marrow saw an improvement in symptoms after three years. The rest of the patients saw their condition stabilise."
United Press International, January 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM ET: "Stem cell transplant reverses early MS"
"U.S. medical scientists say they have used stem cell therapy to apparently reverse the neurological dysfunctions caused by early-stage multiple sclerosis. Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said they transplanted early-stage multiple sclerosis patients' own immune stem cells into the patients' bodies, thereby "resetting" their immune systems."
Reuters, January 29, 2009 7:11pm EST: "Stem cell transplants show promise for MS: study":
"U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said... Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient's bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it."
HealthDay News, January 29, 2009: "Stem Cell Transplants Help MS Victims: 'Resetting' overactive immune system in early stages of disease worked, study finds":
"Stem cell transplantation seems to stop and, in some cases, undo neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis, a small study shows. The trial involved just 21 patients, but a larger, randomized trial is under way in the United States, Canada and Brazil. ...The technique used in this study, autologous non-myeloablative hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, 'resets' the immune system and is already used for secondary-progressive MS."
Bloomberg News, January 31, 2009: "Dose of stem cells reverses some MS":
"A dose of their own stem cells "reset" the malfunctioning immune system of patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their disability, according to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. All 21 patients in the study had the "relapsing-remitting" form of the disease that makes their symptoms alternately flare up and recede. Three years after being treated, on average, 17 of the patients had improved on tests of their symptoms, 16 had experienced no relapse, and none had deteriorated, the study found."
Nature, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell trial shows promise: Multiple sclerosis treatment seems to reverse symptoms.":
"A stem-cell therapy appears to help some patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis recover, according to results from a preliminary study. In the new trial, the patients' immune cells were first destroyed and they were then injected with blood stem cells taken from their bone marrow. Seventeen of the 21 patients treated in his study improved, suffering fewer problems with their balance or vision, and none declined over the 2-4 years they took part in the study. This marks the first time a technique "has actually shown reversal" of neurologic loss caused by this disease, says Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, who led the study."
BBC News, 02:21 GMT, Friday, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell treatment 'success'":
"Stem-cell transplants may control and even reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms if done early enough, a small study has suggested. ...Stem cells were harvested from the patients and frozen while drugs were given to remove the immune cells or lymphocytes causing the damage. The stem cells were then transplanted back to replenish the immune system - effectively resetting it. Five patients in the study relapsed, but went into remission after receiving other therapy."
The Scotsman, 30 January 2009: "New stem cell treatment can reverse crippling MS":
"A NEW treatment for multiple sclerosis using stem cells could be used to reverse the effects of the disease, research revealed yesterday. A study of 21 patients with MS found that none saw their condition deteriorate while using the therapy – and the majority saw an improvement. The discovery gives new hope that stem cells offer a ground-breaking new method of tackling the debilitating disease, for which there was no cure. The latest research, published in The Lancet Neurology, focused on a technique known as "autologous non-myeloablative haemopoietic stem cell transplantation."
"Stem cells are taken from the patient's bone marrow. The patient's immune system is suppressed and their haemopoietic stem cells – which become blood cells – are put back. Such a technique effectively "resets" the immune system. The 11 women and ten men taking part in the new study, led by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, suffered from a form of the condition known as relapsing-remitting MS."
New Scientist, 30 January 2009 11:57: "Multiple sclerosis 'reversed' with stem cell therapy":
"For the first time, some of the disability associated with the early stages of multiple sclerosis appears to have been reversed. The treatment works by resetting patients' immune systems using their own stem cells. While randomised clinical trials are still needed to confirm the findings, they offer new hope to people in the early stages of the disease who don't respond to drug treatment."
Daily Mail, 30th January 2009, 11:56 AM: "Stem cell injection offers fresh hope for MS sufferers":
"Stem cell injections can reverse the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis, a study published today says. Four out of five adults in the early stages of MS who were injected with stem cells taken from their bone marrow saw an improvement in symptoms after three years. The rest of the patients saw their condition stabilise."
United Press International, January 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM ET: "Stem cell transplant reverses early MS"
"U.S. medical scientists say they have used stem cell therapy to apparently reverse the neurological dysfunctions caused by early-stage multiple sclerosis. Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said they transplanted early-stage multiple sclerosis patients' own immune stem cells into the patients' bodies, thereby "resetting" their immune systems."
Reuters, January 29, 2009 7:11pm EST: "Stem cell transplants show promise for MS: study":
"U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said... Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient's bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it."
HealthDay News, January 29, 2009: "Stem Cell Transplants Help MS Victims: 'Resetting' overactive immune system in early stages of disease worked, study finds":
"Stem cell transplantation seems to stop and, in some cases, undo neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis, a small study shows. The trial involved just 21 patients, but a larger, randomized trial is under way in the United States, Canada and Brazil. ...The technique used in this study, autologous non-myeloablative hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, 'resets' the immune system and is already used for secondary-progressive MS."
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Stem Cell Transplant Reverses Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis
Source: Northwestern University:
Date: January 30, 2009
Summary:
Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine appear to have reversed the neurological dysfunction of early-stage multiple sclerosis patients by transplanting their own immune stem cells into their bodies and thereby "resetting" their immune systems. The patients in the small phase I/II trial continued to improve for up to 24 months after the transplantation procedure and then stabilized. They experienced improvements in areas in which they had been affected by multiple sclerosis including walking, ataxia, limb strength, vision and incontinence. The study will be published online January 30 and in the March issue of The Lancet Neurology.
Date: January 30, 2009
Summary:
Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine appear to have reversed the neurological dysfunction of early-stage multiple sclerosis patients by transplanting their own immune stem cells into their bodies and thereby "resetting" their immune systems. The patients in the small phase I/II trial continued to improve for up to 24 months after the transplantation procedure and then stabilized. They experienced improvements in areas in which they had been affected by multiple sclerosis including walking, ataxia, limb strength, vision and incontinence. The study will be published online January 30 and in the March issue of The Lancet Neurology.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Geron Spinal Cord Trial Receives FDA Approval: Coverage Summary
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 human clinical trials using human embryonic stem cells to attempt to treat spinal cord injuries:
Wall Street Journal, January 23, 2009:"First Embryonic Stem-Cell Trial Gets Approval From the FDA":
"In a watershed moment for one of the most contentious areas of science and American politics, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the way for the first-ever human trial of a medical treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. Geron Corp., a Menlo Park, Calif., biotechnology company, is expected to announce Friday that it received a green light from the agency to mount a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients. The announcement caps more than a decade of advances in the company's labs and comes on the cusp of a widely expected shift in U.S. policy toward support of embryonic stem-cell research after years of official opposition."
Associated Press, January 23, 2009: "US approves 1st stem cell study for spinal injury":
"A U.S. biotech company says it plans to start this summer the world's first study of a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells — a long-awaited project aimed at spinal cord injury. The company gained federal permission this week to inject eight to 10 patients with cells derived from embryonic cells, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif."
"The patients will be paraplegics, who can use their arms but can't walk. They will receive a single injection within two weeks of their injury. The study is aimed at testing the safety of the procedure, but doctors will also look for signs of improvement like return of sensation or movement in the legs, Okarma said."
"Whatever its outcome, the study will mark a new chapter in the contentious history of embryonic stem cell research in the United States — a field where debate spilled out of the laboratory long ago and into national politics."
New York Times, January 23, 2009: "F.D.A. Approves a Stem Cell Trial":
"In a research milestone, the federal government will allow the world’s first test in people of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells. Federal drug regulators said that political considerations had no role in the decision. Nevertheless, the move coincided with the inauguration of President Obama, who has pledged to remove some of the financing restrictions placed on the field by President George W. Bush. The clearance of the clinical trial — of a treatment for spinal cord injury — is to be announced Friday by Geron, the biotechnology company that first applied to the Food and Drug Administration to conduct the trial last March. The F.D.A. had first said no, asking for more data."
New Scientist, 14:09 23 January 2009: "Historic trial to treat spinal injury with stem cells":
"Patients with spinal cord injuries will be first humans to receive repair cells derived from embryonic stem cells. The first ever clinical trial using stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) received the go-ahead today from the US Food and Drug Administration. Geron Corporation, a company based in Menlo Park, California, hopes to mend the spines of patients paralysed from the chest down by injecting injury sites with stem cells that restore connections and repair damage."
The Times, January 23, 2009: "Stem-cell therapy gives hope to accident victims":
"Paralysed patients will this summer become the first people in the world to receive a therapy based on human embryonic stem cells, in a study that promises to open a new era for medicine, The Times has learnt. The first human trial of the technology, which has huge potential to cure disease yet is considered unethical by “pro-life” groups because it involves destroying embryos, will today be cleared to proceed by US regulators."
Reuters, January 23, 2009 2:32pm EST: "FDA allows first test of human stem cell therapy":
" The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for the first trial to see if human embryonic stem cells can treat people safely, a company involved in the controversial research on Friday. Geron Corp, a California biotechnology company, said it plans a clinical trial to try to use the stem cells to regrow nerve tissue in patients with crushed, but not severed, spinal cords."
United Press International, January 23, 2009: "FDA OKs embryonic stem-cell human trial":
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever human trial of a medical treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. "...Geron, a California bio-technical company, was approved to begin a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients, ..."
Technology Review, January 23, 2009: "FDA Clears First Embryonic-Stem-Cell Therapy Trials":
"Geron, a California-based cell-therapy company that has been working with embryonic stem cells for the last decade, finally received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials of its cell-based therapy for spinal-cord injury. The trial is limited to eight patients with newly acquired spinal-cord injuries who will receive injections of the cell therapy, called GRNOPC1, within two weeks of their accident. GRNOPC1 is made by transforming embryonic stem cells into oligodendrocytes--a type of brain cell that wraps itself around neurons, forming a fatty insulation layer that allows electrical messages to be conducted throughout the nervous system. In many spinal-cord injuries, these cells are damaged, but the underlying nerve cells remain intact. These cells are then injected into the site of the injury, coating exposed nerves and restoring communication to the nervous system."
Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2009: "Stem cell therapy to be tested on spinal cord injuries: The FDA approves the first clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells, which now appear safe enough to use on humans.":
"Ushering in a new era in medicine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it had cleared the way for the world's first clinical trial of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells. By early summer, a handful of patients with severe spinal cord injuries will be eligible for injections of specialized nerve cells designed to enable electrical signals to travel between the brain and the rest of the body. When the cells were administered to rats that had lost control of their hind legs, they regained the ability to walk and run, albeit with a limp."
"As a Phase I trial, the study will primarily assess the safety of the treatment, which has been under development by Menlo Park, Calif.-based Geron Corp. for nearly a decade. But scientists, doctors and patients said they were most eager to see whether low doses of the cells would produce any therapeutic benefit. If so, it would help validate years of hope and investment in the nascent field of regenerative medicine. Besides patients with spinal cord injuries, stem cell therapies could ultimately benefit people with such intractable diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis."
Television News Coverage:
CNBC News: "FDA Greenlights Testing of Geron's Stem Cell Treatment."
ABC News:"FDA Approves Stem Cell Study for Spinal Injuries."
CBS News, January 24, 2009: "New Stem Cell Breakthrough."
KABC-TV, Los Angeles: "Human stem cell research approved."
KGO-TV, San Francisco: "U.S. approves 1st stem cell spine study."
CBS2 LOS Angeles: "First Ever Human Embryonic Stem Cell Study OK'd"
KPIX-TV, San Francisco: "Geron's Stem-Cell Trial Spotlights Prospects"
CNN.com, Fri., January 23, 2009, updated 3:57 a.m. EST: "FDA approves human embryonic stem cell study":
"Federal regulators have cleared the way for the first human trials of human embryonic stem-cell research, authorizing researchers to test whether the cells are safe to use in spinal injury patients, the company behind the trials announced Friday. Embryonic stem cells are blank cells found in embryos, which have the ability to turn into any cell in the body. The tests could begin by summer, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of the Geron Corporation. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the trials, which will use human stem cells authorized for research by then-President George W. Bush in 2001. The patients will be those with the most severe spinal cord injuries, called complete spinal cord injuries."
News Hour, January 29, 2009: "Scientists Hope to Renew Stem Cell Advances."
Radio News Coverage:
NPR: Talk Of The Nation, January 23, 2009 : "FDA Approves Embryonic Stem Cell Trial In Humans":
"Biotech company Geron Corp. will conduct a human clinical trial on patients with spinal cord injuries, using a federally approved line of embryonic stem cells. The approval is the first of its kind in the world. Stem cell experts discuss the significance of the decision."
Wall Street Journal, January 23, 2009:"First Embryonic Stem-Cell Trial Gets Approval From the FDA":
"In a watershed moment for one of the most contentious areas of science and American politics, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the way for the first-ever human trial of a medical treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. Geron Corp., a Menlo Park, Calif., biotechnology company, is expected to announce Friday that it received a green light from the agency to mount a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients. The announcement caps more than a decade of advances in the company's labs and comes on the cusp of a widely expected shift in U.S. policy toward support of embryonic stem-cell research after years of official opposition."
Associated Press, January 23, 2009: "US approves 1st stem cell study for spinal injury":
"A U.S. biotech company says it plans to start this summer the world's first study of a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells — a long-awaited project aimed at spinal cord injury. The company gained federal permission this week to inject eight to 10 patients with cells derived from embryonic cells, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif."
"The patients will be paraplegics, who can use their arms but can't walk. They will receive a single injection within two weeks of their injury. The study is aimed at testing the safety of the procedure, but doctors will also look for signs of improvement like return of sensation or movement in the legs, Okarma said."
"Whatever its outcome, the study will mark a new chapter in the contentious history of embryonic stem cell research in the United States — a field where debate spilled out of the laboratory long ago and into national politics."
New York Times, January 23, 2009: "F.D.A. Approves a Stem Cell Trial":
"In a research milestone, the federal government will allow the world’s first test in people of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells. Federal drug regulators said that political considerations had no role in the decision. Nevertheless, the move coincided with the inauguration of President Obama, who has pledged to remove some of the financing restrictions placed on the field by President George W. Bush. The clearance of the clinical trial — of a treatment for spinal cord injury — is to be announced Friday by Geron, the biotechnology company that first applied to the Food and Drug Administration to conduct the trial last March. The F.D.A. had first said no, asking for more data."
New Scientist, 14:09 23 January 2009: "Historic trial to treat spinal injury with stem cells":
"Patients with spinal cord injuries will be first humans to receive repair cells derived from embryonic stem cells. The first ever clinical trial using stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) received the go-ahead today from the US Food and Drug Administration. Geron Corporation, a company based in Menlo Park, California, hopes to mend the spines of patients paralysed from the chest down by injecting injury sites with stem cells that restore connections and repair damage."
The Times, January 23, 2009: "Stem-cell therapy gives hope to accident victims":
"Paralysed patients will this summer become the first people in the world to receive a therapy based on human embryonic stem cells, in a study that promises to open a new era for medicine, The Times has learnt. The first human trial of the technology, which has huge potential to cure disease yet is considered unethical by “pro-life” groups because it involves destroying embryos, will today be cleared to proceed by US regulators."
Reuters, January 23, 2009 2:32pm EST: "FDA allows first test of human stem cell therapy":
" The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for the first trial to see if human embryonic stem cells can treat people safely, a company involved in the controversial research on Friday. Geron Corp, a California biotechnology company, said it plans a clinical trial to try to use the stem cells to regrow nerve tissue in patients with crushed, but not severed, spinal cords."
United Press International, January 23, 2009: "FDA OKs embryonic stem-cell human trial":
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever human trial of a medical treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. "...Geron, a California bio-technical company, was approved to begin a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients, ..."
Technology Review, January 23, 2009: "FDA Clears First Embryonic-Stem-Cell Therapy Trials":
"Geron, a California-based cell-therapy company that has been working with embryonic stem cells for the last decade, finally received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials of its cell-based therapy for spinal-cord injury. The trial is limited to eight patients with newly acquired spinal-cord injuries who will receive injections of the cell therapy, called GRNOPC1, within two weeks of their accident. GRNOPC1 is made by transforming embryonic stem cells into oligodendrocytes--a type of brain cell that wraps itself around neurons, forming a fatty insulation layer that allows electrical messages to be conducted throughout the nervous system. In many spinal-cord injuries, these cells are damaged, but the underlying nerve cells remain intact. These cells are then injected into the site of the injury, coating exposed nerves and restoring communication to the nervous system."
Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2009: "Stem cell therapy to be tested on spinal cord injuries: The FDA approves the first clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells, which now appear safe enough to use on humans.":
"Ushering in a new era in medicine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it had cleared the way for the world's first clinical trial of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells. By early summer, a handful of patients with severe spinal cord injuries will be eligible for injections of specialized nerve cells designed to enable electrical signals to travel between the brain and the rest of the body. When the cells were administered to rats that had lost control of their hind legs, they regained the ability to walk and run, albeit with a limp."
"As a Phase I trial, the study will primarily assess the safety of the treatment, which has been under development by Menlo Park, Calif.-based Geron Corp. for nearly a decade. But scientists, doctors and patients said they were most eager to see whether low doses of the cells would produce any therapeutic benefit. If so, it would help validate years of hope and investment in the nascent field of regenerative medicine. Besides patients with spinal cord injuries, stem cell therapies could ultimately benefit people with such intractable diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis."
Television News Coverage:
CNBC News: "FDA Greenlights Testing of Geron's Stem Cell Treatment."
ABC News:"FDA Approves Stem Cell Study for Spinal Injuries."
CBS News, January 24, 2009: "New Stem Cell Breakthrough."
KABC-TV, Los Angeles: "Human stem cell research approved."
KGO-TV, San Francisco: "U.S. approves 1st stem cell spine study."
CBS2 LOS Angeles: "First Ever Human Embryonic Stem Cell Study OK'd"
KPIX-TV, San Francisco: "Geron's Stem-Cell Trial Spotlights Prospects"
CNN.com, Fri., January 23, 2009, updated 3:57 a.m. EST: "FDA approves human embryonic stem cell study":
"Federal regulators have cleared the way for the first human trials of human embryonic stem-cell research, authorizing researchers to test whether the cells are safe to use in spinal injury patients, the company behind the trials announced Friday. Embryonic stem cells are blank cells found in embryos, which have the ability to turn into any cell in the body. The tests could begin by summer, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of the Geron Corporation. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the trials, which will use human stem cells authorized for research by then-President George W. Bush in 2001. The patients will be those with the most severe spinal cord injuries, called complete spinal cord injuries."
News Hour, January 29, 2009: "Scientists Hope to Renew Stem Cell Advances."
Radio News Coverage:
NPR: Talk Of The Nation, January 23, 2009 : "FDA Approves Embryonic Stem Cell Trial In Humans":
"Biotech company Geron Corp. will conduct a human clinical trial on patients with spinal cord injuries, using a federally approved line of embryonic stem cells. The approval is the first of its kind in the world. Stem cell experts discuss the significance of the decision."
GERON RECEIVES FDA CLEARANCE TO BEGIN WORLD'S FIRST HUMAN CLINICAL TRIAL OF EMBRYONIC STEM CELL-BASED THERAPY
Source: Geron Corporation
Date: January 23, 2009
Summary:
In an official company news release, Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced it received federal regulatory approval to begin human clinical trials to treat patients with acute spinal cord injuries using human embryonic stem cells:
"Geron Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance of the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury. The clearance enables Geron to move forward with the world's first study of a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based therapy in man. Geron plans to initiate a Phase I multi-center trial that is designed to establish the safety of GRNOPC1 in patients with "complete" American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade A subacute thoracic spinal cord injuries."
Date: January 23, 2009
Summary:
In an official company news release, Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced it received federal regulatory approval to begin human clinical trials to treat patients with acute spinal cord injuries using human embryonic stem cells:
"Geron Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance of the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury. The clearance enables Geron to move forward with the world's first study of a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based therapy in man. Geron plans to initiate a Phase I multi-center trial that is designed to establish the safety of GRNOPC1 in patients with "complete" American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade A subacute thoracic spinal cord injuries."
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Stem cell treatment could fight AIDS
Source: Daily Telegraph
Last Updated: 17 January 2009 10:37 PM GMT
Summary:
The Daily Telegraph reports bone marrow stem cells improved the condition of patients with HIV after receiving the cells as part of a bone marrow transplant to treat lymphoma:
"Results of a preliminary trial have raised hopes of a new form of therapy for people suffering from Aids, which occurs in the latter stages of infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The scientists are planning further research to establish whether the treatment could even rid patients of HIV infection altogether. The technique involves isolating genes which curb the spread of HIV inside the body, introducing the genes into human stem cells in a laboratory, then transplanting the stem cells into a patient's bone marrow."
"In the first human trial, anti-HIV stem cells were transplanted into five Aids patients undergoing bone marrow replacement as part of treatment for a form of cancer known as lymphoma. Small quantities of the transplanted stem cells were able to grow and produce new white blood cells resistant to HIV, resulting in an improvement in the patients' conditions."
Last Updated: 17 January 2009 10:37 PM GMT
Summary:
The Daily Telegraph reports bone marrow stem cells improved the condition of patients with HIV after receiving the cells as part of a bone marrow transplant to treat lymphoma:
"Results of a preliminary trial have raised hopes of a new form of therapy for people suffering from Aids, which occurs in the latter stages of infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The scientists are planning further research to establish whether the treatment could even rid patients of HIV infection altogether. The technique involves isolating genes which curb the spread of HIV inside the body, introducing the genes into human stem cells in a laboratory, then transplanting the stem cells into a patient's bone marrow."
"In the first human trial, anti-HIV stem cells were transplanted into five Aids patients undergoing bone marrow replacement as part of treatment for a form of cancer known as lymphoma. Small quantities of the transplanted stem cells were able to grow and produce new white blood cells resistant to HIV, resulting in an improvement in the patients' conditions."
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Bone Marrow Stem Cells Used To Regenerate Skin
Source: Artificial Organs
Date: January 14, 2009
Summary:
A new study suggests that adult bone marrow stem cells can be used in the construction of artificial skin. The findings mark an advancement in wound healing and may be used to pioneer a method of organ reconstruction. The study is published in Artificial Organs.* To investigate the practicability of repairing burn wounds with tissue-engineered skin combined with bone marrow stem cells, the study established a burn wound model in the skin of pigs, which is known to be anatomically and physiologically similar to human skin.
Engineering technology and biomedical theory methods were used to make artificial skin with natural materials and bone marrow derived stem cells. Once the artificial skin was attached to the patient and the dermal layer had begun to regenerate, stem cells were differentiated into skin cells. The cells are self-renewing and raise the quality of healing in wound healing therapy. When grafted to the burn wounds, the engineered skin containing stem cells showed better healing, less wound contraction and better development of blood vessels.
Date: January 14, 2009
Summary:
A new study suggests that adult bone marrow stem cells can be used in the construction of artificial skin. The findings mark an advancement in wound healing and may be used to pioneer a method of organ reconstruction. The study is published in Artificial Organs.* To investigate the practicability of repairing burn wounds with tissue-engineered skin combined with bone marrow stem cells, the study established a burn wound model in the skin of pigs, which is known to be anatomically and physiologically similar to human skin.
Engineering technology and biomedical theory methods were used to make artificial skin with natural materials and bone marrow derived stem cells. Once the artificial skin was attached to the patient and the dermal layer had begun to regenerate, stem cells were differentiated into skin cells. The cells are self-renewing and raise the quality of healing in wound healing therapy. When grafted to the burn wounds, the engineered skin containing stem cells showed better healing, less wound contraction and better development of blood vessels.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Embryonic Heart Cells Thrive Only In An Environment That's Just Right
Source: University of Pennsylvania
Date: January 7, 2009
Summary:
Cellular engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have determined that cardiomyocytes, the specialized cells that form the heart muscle, thrive when cultured in an environment that mimics their own elastic nature but falter, weaken or die when “grown” on stiffer or softer materials. The study’s methods and analyses demonstrate that individual heart cells, similar in character to those derived from embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, are affected by physical forces at the cellular level and require the proper myocardial environment to grow and potentially repair damaged heart muscle, a key goal of stem cell and cardiovascular research. It also highlights the need for stem cell science to focus on physical parameters such as fibrosis as well as the mechanics of microenvironments to optimize cell therapy and new muscle growth.
Date: January 7, 2009
Summary:
Cellular engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have determined that cardiomyocytes, the specialized cells that form the heart muscle, thrive when cultured in an environment that mimics their own elastic nature but falter, weaken or die when “grown” on stiffer or softer materials. The study’s methods and analyses demonstrate that individual heart cells, similar in character to those derived from embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, are affected by physical forces at the cellular level and require the proper myocardial environment to grow and potentially repair damaged heart muscle, a key goal of stem cell and cardiovascular research. It also highlights the need for stem cell science to focus on physical parameters such as fibrosis as well as the mechanics of microenvironments to optimize cell therapy and new muscle growth.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Converting Adult Somatic Cells To Pluripotent Stem Cells Using A Single Virus
Source: Boston University
Date: January 7, 2009
Summary:
A Boston University School of Medicine-led research team has discovered a more efficient way to create induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells, derived from mouse fibroblasts, by using a single virus vector instead of multiple viruses in the reprogramming process. The result is a powerful laboratory tool and a significant step toward the application of embryonic stem cell-like cells for clinical purposes such as the regeneration of organs damaged by inherited or degenerative diseases, including emphysema, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and Alzheimer's Disease.
Date: January 7, 2009
Summary:
A Boston University School of Medicine-led research team has discovered a more efficient way to create induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells, derived from mouse fibroblasts, by using a single virus vector instead of multiple viruses in the reprogramming process. The result is a powerful laboratory tool and a significant step toward the application of embryonic stem cell-like cells for clinical purposes such as the regeneration of organs damaged by inherited or degenerative diseases, including emphysema, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and Alzheimer's Disease.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
“Scrawny” Gene Keeps Stem Cells Healthy
Source: Carnegie Institution
Date: January 6, 2009
Summary:
Stem cells are the body’s primal cells, retaining the youthful ability to develop into more specialized types of cells over many cycles of cell division. How do they do it? Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have identified a gene, named scrawny, that appears to be a key factor in keeping a variety of stem cells in their undifferentiated state. Understanding how stem cells maintain their potency has implications both for our knowledge of basic biology and also for medical applications. The results will be published in the January 9, 2009 print edition of Science.
Date: January 6, 2009
Summary:
Stem cells are the body’s primal cells, retaining the youthful ability to develop into more specialized types of cells over many cycles of cell division. How do they do it? Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have identified a gene, named scrawny, that appears to be a key factor in keeping a variety of stem cells in their undifferentiated state. Understanding how stem cells maintain their potency has implications both for our knowledge of basic biology and also for medical applications. The results will be published in the January 9, 2009 print edition of Science.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Testes Stem Cell Can Change Into Other Body Tissues, Study Shows
Source: Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: January 5, 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at UC-San Francisco have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes. The cells bear a striking resemblance to embryonic stem cells — they can differentiate into each of the three main types of tissues of the body — but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the same.
According to the study, the testes stem cells have different patterns of gene expression and regulation and they do not proliferate and differentiate as aggressively as human embryonic stem cells. The findings, published in the January issue of the journal Stem Cells, are in contrast to those reported in a recent Nature paper, which concluded that the cells were, in fact, as pluripotent as embryonic stem cells. Pluripotent cells can become any cell in the body and form tumors called teratomas when transplanted into mice.
Date: January 5, 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at UC-San Francisco have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes. The cells bear a striking resemblance to embryonic stem cells — they can differentiate into each of the three main types of tissues of the body — but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the same.
According to the study, the testes stem cells have different patterns of gene expression and regulation and they do not proliferate and differentiate as aggressively as human embryonic stem cells. The findings, published in the January issue of the journal Stem Cells, are in contrast to those reported in a recent Nature paper, which concluded that the cells were, in fact, as pluripotent as embryonic stem cells. Pluripotent cells can become any cell in the body and form tumors called teratomas when transplanted into mice.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Scientists Succeed Through Stem Cell Therapy In Reversing Brain Birth Defects
Source: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Date: December 28, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells. The work involved using mouse embryonic neural stem cells, which migrate in the brain, search for the deficiency that caused the defect, and then differentiate into becoming the cells needed to repair the damage.
In the researchers’ animal model, they were able to reverse learning deficits in the offspring of pregnant mice who were exposed to organophosphate (a pesticide) and heroin. This was done by direct neural stem cell transplantation into the brains of the offspring. The recovery was almost one hundred percent, as proved in behavioral tests in which the treated animals improved to normal behavior and learning scores after the transplantation. On the molecular level, brain chemistry of the treated animals was also restored to normal.
The researchers went one step further. Puzzled by the stem cells’ ability to work even in those cases where most of them died out in the host brain, the scientists went on to discover that the neural stem cells succeed before they die in inducing the host brain itself to produce large number of stem cells which repair the damage. This discovery, finally settling a major question in stem cell research, evoked great interest and was published earlier this year in one of the leading journals in the field, Molecular Psychiatry. The scientists are now in the midst of developing procedures for the least invasive method for administering the neural stem cells, which is probably via blood vessels, thus making the therapy practical and clinically feasible.
Date: December 28, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells. The work involved using mouse embryonic neural stem cells, which migrate in the brain, search for the deficiency that caused the defect, and then differentiate into becoming the cells needed to repair the damage.
In the researchers’ animal model, they were able to reverse learning deficits in the offspring of pregnant mice who were exposed to organophosphate (a pesticide) and heroin. This was done by direct neural stem cell transplantation into the brains of the offspring. The recovery was almost one hundred percent, as proved in behavioral tests in which the treated animals improved to normal behavior and learning scores after the transplantation. On the molecular level, brain chemistry of the treated animals was also restored to normal.
The researchers went one step further. Puzzled by the stem cells’ ability to work even in those cases where most of them died out in the host brain, the scientists went on to discover that the neural stem cells succeed before they die in inducing the host brain itself to produce large number of stem cells which repair the damage. This discovery, finally settling a major question in stem cell research, evoked great interest and was published earlier this year in one of the leading journals in the field, Molecular Psychiatry. The scientists are now in the midst of developing procedures for the least invasive method for administering the neural stem cells, which is probably via blood vessels, thus making the therapy practical and clinically feasible.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Recipe For Capturing Authentic Embryonic Stem Cells May Apply To Any Mammal, Study Suggests
Source: Cell Press
Date: December 26, 2008
Summary:
Researchers have what they think may be a basic recipe for capturing and maintaining indefinitely the most fundamental of embryonic stem cells from essentially any mammal, including cows, pigs and even humans. Two new studies reported in the December 26th issue of the journal Cell show that a cocktail first demonstrated to work in mice earlier this year, which includes inhibitory chemicals, also can be used to successfully isolate embryonic stem cells from rats.
Date: December 26, 2008
Summary:
Researchers have what they think may be a basic recipe for capturing and maintaining indefinitely the most fundamental of embryonic stem cells from essentially any mammal, including cows, pigs and even humans. Two new studies reported in the December 26th issue of the journal Cell show that a cocktail first demonstrated to work in mice earlier this year, which includes inhibitory chemicals, also can be used to successfully isolate embryonic stem cells from rats.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Scientists reveal mechanism that triggers differentiation of embryo cells
Source: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Date: December 24, 2008
Summary:
The mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The discovery has significant consequences towards furthering research that will eventually make possible medical cell replacement therapy based on the use of embryonic cells. In a recent paper, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Professors Yehudit Bergman and Howard Cedar of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School have deciphered the mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can differentiate into specific tissues. Bergman is the Morley Goldblatt professor of Cancer Research and Experimental Medicine and Cedar is the Harry and Helen L. Brenner professor of Molecular Biology at the Medical School.
Date: December 24, 2008
Summary:
The mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The discovery has significant consequences towards furthering research that will eventually make possible medical cell replacement therapy based on the use of embryonic cells. In a recent paper, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Professors Yehudit Bergman and Howard Cedar of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School have deciphered the mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can differentiate into specific tissues. Bergman is the Morley Goldblatt professor of Cancer Research and Experimental Medicine and Cedar is the Harry and Helen L. Brenner professor of Molecular Biology at the Medical School.
Researchers Derive First Embryonic Stem Cells From Rats
Source: University of Southern California
Date: December 24, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have, for the first time in history, derived authentic embryonic stem (ES) cells from rats. This breakthrough finding will enable scientists to create far more effective animal models for the study of a range of human diseases. The research will be published in the Dec. 26 issue of the journal Cell. The finding brings scientists much closer to creating “knockout” rats – animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes – for biomedical research. By observing what happens to animals when specific genes are removed, researchers can identify the function of the gene and whether it is linked to a specific disease.
Date: December 24, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have, for the first time in history, derived authentic embryonic stem (ES) cells from rats. This breakthrough finding will enable scientists to create far more effective animal models for the study of a range of human diseases. The research will be published in the Dec. 26 issue of the journal Cell. The finding brings scientists much closer to creating “knockout” rats – animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes – for biomedical research. By observing what happens to animals when specific genes are removed, researchers can identify the function of the gene and whether it is linked to a specific disease.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)