StemCell Therapy

Lesley Kelly, 45, underwent stem cell therapy to repair scar tissue buildup in her right arm. (Cytori Therapeutics, Inc.)

By Lara Salahi, ABC News For more than 40 years, Lesley Kelly of Glasgow, Scotland, lived with third-degree burns that stretched over 60 percent of her body.

Kelly was 2 years old when she fell into a bathtub filled with hot water that scorched most of the right side of her body. She lost full range of motion around many of her joints.

"When you have bad scarring, the buildup is very thick and has no elasticity," said Kelly, 45, whose right elbow was most affected by the buildup of scar tissue. "The problem with thermal burn scarring [is that] it's hard to get the range of motion."

Kelly underwent numerous reparative surgeries through the years, but the scar tissue continued to grow back. The procedures did not lessen the look of her scars.

In 2011, Kelly underwent a new, experimental procedure that used stem cells from her own fat tissue to repair the buildup around her right elbow.

Surgeons cleaned the scar buildup around the elbow and used liposuction to pull fat from off Kelly's waist. They separated the fat cells from the stem and regenerative cells, which were then injected into the wound on Kelly's arm. The procedure took less than two hours.

Within months, Kelly was able to regain 40 degrees of motion that she had lost more than 40 years ago.

"If this technology was available earlier in my life, my scars would not have been as bad," said Kelly.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 burn cases each year in the U.S., according to the American Burn Association.

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New Therapy May Help Burn Victims

HOUSTON, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Houston Stem Cell Summit will host an extraordinary lineup of keynote speakers who represent the most accomplished stem cell scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs in the United States. Joining these distinguished speakers will be Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, consistent champion of adult stem cell therapies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120831/NY66463LOGO )

The Houston Stem Cell Summit will be held October 26 27 in its namesake city and will highlight the latest therapeutic research regarding the use of adult stem and progenitor cell therapies. The Summit will also provide a forum for entrepreneurs to discuss their latest efforts to commercialize stem cell therapies, and to debate and discuss FDA and other legal and regulatory issues impacting stem cell research and commercialization.

Opening Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Arnold I. Caplan, PhD, Professor of Biology and Professor of General Medical Sciences (Oncology) Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Caplan has helped shape the direction and focus of adult stem cell research and commercialization. Virtually every adult stem cell company and literally tens of thousands of research papers are based on Dr. Caplan's original and ground breaking research. Professor Caplan is considered to be the "father" of the mesenchymal stem cell and first described this progenitor cell in his landmark paper; "Mesenchymal stem cells", Journal of Orthopaedic Research 1991;9(5):641-650. Since that foundational study, Dr. Caplan has published over 360 manuscripts and articles in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Caplan has been Chief Scientific Officer at OrthoCyte Corporation since 2010. In addition, Dr. Caplan co-founded Cell Targeting Inc. and has served as President of Skeletech, Inc. as its founder. He is the recipient of several honors and awards from the orthopedic research community. Dr. Caplan holds a Ph. D. from Johns Hopkins University Medical School and a B.S. in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Summit Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Texas Governor Rick Perry

Governor Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. Governor Perry has long championed the role of medical technologies in building the future of not only Texas, but also the United States. In many ways, his strong advocacy on behalf of research and advanced medical technologies is one of his strongest and as yet underappreciated legacies. In addition to his service to the state of Texas, Governor Perry has also served as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2008 and again in 2011. Despite a rigorous schedule, particularly in the teeth of this election season, Governor Perry has graciously made time to speak and encourage the researchers, patients, companies and physicians who form the fabric and future of the stem cell therapy community.

Texas Medical Center Keynote Address, October 27, 2012 James T. Willerson, MD

Over the course of his career, Dr. James T. Willerson has served as a medical, scientific and administrative leader for each of the major institutions that are the foundation of the Texas Medical Center. Dr. Willerson is currently President and Medical Director, Director of Cardiology Research, and Co-Director of the Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratories at Texas Heart Institute (THI). Dr. Willerson was appointed President-Elect of THI in 2004 and became President and Medical Director in 2008. He is also an adjunct professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the former chief of Cardiology at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and the former chief of Medical Services at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Dr. Willerson has served as a visiting professor and invited lecturer at more than 170 institutions.

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Houston Stem Cell Summit Announces Extraordinary Lineup of Keynote Speakers

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As part of Rainbow Coral Corp.s mission to deliver effective new cures for traumatic brain injury, the company is investigating promising research on the potential of stem cell therapy to improve the lives of millions suffering from the affliction.

Scientists within the U.S. medical community have begun to see positive results from the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) through the use of stem cells. Significant improvements are seen between three to six months after treatment in brain injury patients.

RBCC is working hard to capitalize on the growing demand for effective treatments for TBI, Parkinsons and other neurological health issues. RBCC is continuing discussions with the license holders for a NASA-developed bioreactor that assists in the expansion of adult stem cells. Such treatments could give RBCC access to markets in excess of $100 billion.

Rainbow BioSciences is dedicated to developing new medical and research technology innovations to compete alongside companies such as Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN),Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTIC), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) andAffymax, Inc.(NASDAQ:AFFY).

For more information on Rainbow BioSciences, please visit http://www.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.

Follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/RBCCinfo.

About Rainbow BioSciences

Rainbow BioSciences is a division ofRainbow Coral Corp.(OTCBB:RBCC). The company continually seeks out new partnerships with biotechnology developers to deliver profitable new medical technologies and innovations. For more information on our growth-oriented business initiatives, please visit our website at [www.rainbowbiosciences.com]. For investment information and performance data on the company, please visitwww.RainbowBioSciences.com/investors.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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RBCC: Could Stem Cells Hold the Key to Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Monday, September 24, 2012, 5:00 am

Business Journal Staff Report

Continuing its commitment to increasing the numbers of primary care physicians in California, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development awarded more than $2.89 million to 29 family practice residency training programs. The awards are administered through OSHPDs Song-Brown Program. In the North Bay, Santa Rosa Family Medicine received $51,615. The awards are funded by the California Health Data and Planning Fund, which was statutorily established to receive and expend revenues in support of health carerelated programs. The funds are generated through annual fees collected from health facilities.

Enphase Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENPH) last week announced the availability of the Enphase Microinverter System at Dynamic Solar, a leading distributor of photovoltaic solutions in the United Kingdom. Enphase recently announced its entrance into the U.K. solar energy market and established a local office in Milton Keynes, England. Enphase M215 microinverters are certified under U.K. standard ENA G83/1-1.

Napa-based digital wine tourism pioneerWineCountry.comreleased a new iPhone app. Offering speedy mobile access to a large network of local wineries, restaurants, hotels and visitor-facing businesses, the app provides detailed lodging, dining, wine tastings and activitiesinformation for both Napa and Sonoma counties in a fast, user-friendly, and practical interface. Time-savers include location-based listings, preplanned itineraries, door-to-door directions and discount promotions. The calendar function offers extensive event listings and allows users to easily bookmark activities of interest using the favorites list.

OFFbeat Brands of Petaluma was selected by Grant Burge Wines of Barossa Valley as the Australian brands exclusive importer in the U.S. OFFbeat, which represents a small number of international wine properties under its Luxury Estates & Domains division, has also been named importer for Drift sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, widely recognized as producing some of the finest and most distinctive sauvignon blanc.

Pivot Charter School, North Bay, a free public charter school that offers full-time programs for grades 612 in Sonoma and surrounding counties, will offer new two- and five-day-a-week programs for the 20122013 school year. Both programs combine a quality online curriculum that lets students work at their own pace with high levels of student support and assistance. Students attend school at Pivots new state-of-the-art facility, located at 1577 Farmers Ln., Santa Rosa, from 12:303:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays or 8:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday while working in an individualized curriculum with credentialed teachers onsite and online. Pivot North Bay is still enrolling for fall 2012. For details, visit pivotnorthbay.com or call 707-843-4676.

Assemblymember Jared Huffman presented his Sustainable North Bay Award to Novatos Andalou Naturals in September in recognition of the companys commitment to creating personal care products that are both good for people and the planet. Andalou Naturals skin care, hair care, and body care products utilize innovative fruit stem-cell science, blended with natural and fair-trade ingredients, with a minimum 70 percent certified organic content. The brand is available at Whole Foods, Pharmacaand natural products stores nationwide. Since its launch in 2011, Andalou Naturals has employed 14 full time.

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Topics: Andalou Naturals, Enphase Energy, Napa, North Bay Business Journal 9-24-2012, Novato, OFFBeat Brands, Petaluma, Pivot Charter School North Bay, Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Family Medicine Consortium, WineCountry.com | Categories: Business News, Business Register, Education, Green, Health Care and Senior Living, Industry News, Manufacturing, Marin Report, Napa Report, North Bay News, Sonoma Report, Wine Industry

Originally posted here:
Business news: Week of Sept. 24, 2012

Durham, NC (PRWEB) September 27, 2012

Pluripotent stem cells show great potential in treating various debilitating diseases, but at a risk: during the process of reprogramming the cells so they will grow (differentiate) into the desired tissue, some of their DNA may be damaged causing them to develop into tumors. Researchers have been scrambling to find a way to overcome this huge drawback to an otherwise highly promising therapeutic candidate.

Now, researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., think they might have found an answer. Reporting in the October issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, they detail a low-cost, highly-effective way to detect and then purge at-risk cells during an early stage in the differentiation process.

Strategies to improve the safety of stem cell therapy have generally focused on separating or depleting damaged cells after the cells have differentiated. However, while this method was able to diminish the number of tumors formed as well as significantly reduce their size, the technical burdens and cost of specialized reagents and equipment needed to do so remain a challenge for widespread clinical applications, says lead investigator Timothy J. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D. He directs the cell biology group within the clinics Regenerative Strategies team.

Instead, the Mayo team turned to a relatively simple protocol that involves pre-treating cultured stem cells with a genotoxin an agent that sniffs out gene mutations or chromosomes changes in contaminated cells and kills them after first priming the cells through the up-regulation of Puma protein, which can be activated to send a series of signals leading to cell suicide. They tested their theory using stem cells taken from a mouse model.

The results showed that not only did the contaminated cells die off, At the same time, it didnt affect the remaining healthy cells capability to differentiate nor did it have any negative consequence on their genomic stability, Nelson says. And it worked on stem cells derived from both natural and bioengineered sources.

This novel strategy, based on innate mechanisms of pluripotent stem cells, is primed for high-throughput and cost-effective clinical translation.

The potential for tumor formation has been a significant drawback to therapeutic use of certain cell populations, said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The strategy outlined in this manuscript shows promise for avoiding the risk of uncontrolled cell growth upon transplantation.

###

The full article, Apoptotic susceptibility to DNA damage of pluripotent stem cells facilitates pharmacologic purging of teratoma risk, can be accessed at: http://www.StemCellsTM.com.

Original post:
Scientists Find New Way to Up Safety Factor of Stem Cell Therapy by Causing Contaminated Cells to Purge Themselves

Sitting against the fence on the Stuart Field turf, Mike Tucker for reasons obvious and not liked what he saw as he watched his University of Dayton womens soccer team practice for Fridays Atlantic 10 Conference opener at Massachusetts.

Im sitting here now just kind of enjoying the stuff were doing, Tucker said as the ball went to Flyers star Colleen Williams, who, without hesitation, passed to a teammate in better position for a shot.

When your star players have the attitude that theyre just as happy to get an assist as a goal, it carries over to everybody else.

That team attitude was never more evident than just before practice when Tucker and his players made the biggest assist theyll make all season.

With a university film crew on hand, the entire team chorused a get-well wish and senior players also offered individual messages to one of the their biggest fans and someone who has become especially dear to Tucker.

Krystal Byrne, a 27-year-old recent UD grad, is someone who for years has shown she dearly loves the school and, because of it, has ended up getting that love in return.

A top student, a star athlete, someone with an effervescent personality, she came to UD from Ottoville, her small hometown in northwest Ohio, in August 2004. After a semester, she had a 3.8 grade-point average, had joined the dance team and hoped to walk onto Tuckers soccer team.

But during the spring she was diagnosed with biphenotypic acute leukemia (BAL) and that began a staggering eight-year odyssey that included heart failure, a kidney transplant, a stem cell transplant, chemotherapy, full-body radiation, other surgeries, and even last rites. She was forced to drop out of school five times and, she estimates, another 15 times her medical condition forced her to leave UD for home although she was able to do her work from afar and stay enrolled.

And yet she never gave up and each time she returned to her beloved school, she reached for more. She became a regular on the Deans List and joined the Red Scare, sometimes showing up at basketball games with her face painted red and blue.

Because of her embrace of soccer she had played on the boys varsity at Ottoville and her upbeat attitude, Tucker took a liking to her. He had her address his team and gave her an open invitation to sit on the bench during games.

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A get-well wish from UD soccer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Seattle Genetics, Inc. (SGEN) and Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502), today announced the completion of patient enrollment in a phase III clinical trial of ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin) for post-transplant Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients. The phase III trial, also known as the AETHERA trial, is evaluating ADCETRIS versus placebo for the treatment of patients at high risk of residual Hodgkin lymphoma following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). ADCETRIS is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed to CD30, a defining marker of classical HL.

We are pleased to complete the enrollment of this important phase III trial, evaluating the use of ADCETRIS for Hodgkin lymphoma patients who are at high risk of residual disease following an ASCT, said Thomas C. Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Seattle Genetics. The AETHERA trial is designed to provide the medical community with valuable insight into the potential for ADCETRIS to consolidate responses in Hodgkin lymphoma patients following a transplant, and will be the first data on the use of ADCETRIS in a maintenance-type setting. We anticipate data from this trial will be available in late 2013 or early 2014.

Completing enrollment of the AETHERA trial in the post-transplant Hodgkin lymphoma patient population at high risk for residual disease is a significant milestone for our ADCETRIS clinical development program, said Karen Ferrante, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Millennium. We look forward to continuing to work with our partner Seattle Genetics to determine the potential benefit of this targeted treatment in other CD30-expressing tumors.

The AETHERA trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study, comparing progression-free survival in 329 post-ASCT patients receiving ADCETRIS to those receiving placebo. Patients must be at high risk for residual HL, defined as those with a history of refractory HL, those who relapse or progress within one year from receiving front-line chemotherapy and/or those who have disease outside of the lymph nodes at the time of pre-ASCT relapse. Secondary endpoints of the trial include overall survival, safety and tolerability. Patients receive ADCETRIS every three weeks for up to approximately one year. This international multi-center trial is being conducted in the United States, Europe and Russia.

About ADCETRIS

ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin) is an ADC comprising an anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody attached by a protease-cleavable linker to a microtubule disrupting agent, monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), utilizing Seattle Genetics proprietary technology. The ADC employs a linker system that is designed to be stable in the bloodstream but to release MMAE upon internalization into CD30-expressing tumor cells.

ADCETRIS received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for two indications: (1) the treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma after failure of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or after failure of at least two prior multi-agent chemotherapy regimens in patients who are not ASCT candidates, and (2) the treatment of patients with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL) after failure of at least one prior multi-agent chemotherapy regimen. The indications for ADCETRIS are based on response rate. There are no data available demonstrating improvement in patient-reported outcomes or survival with ADCETRIS.

ADCETRIS is not approved for use outside the United States. The marketing authorization application for ADCETRIS in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and sALCL, filed by Takeda Global Research & Development Centre (Europe), was accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in June 2011. In July 2012, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the EMA issued a positive opinion for the conditional approval of ADCETRIS, supporting an approval decision in the European Union.

Seattle Genetics and Millennium are jointly developing ADCETRIS. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Seattle Genetics has U.S. and Canadian commercialization rights and the Takeda Group has rights to commercialize ADCETRIS in the rest of the world. Seattle Genetics and the Takeda Group are funding joint development costs for ADCETRIS on a 50:50 basis, except in Japan where the Takeda Group will be solely responsible for development costs.

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Seattle Genetics and Millennium Complete Enrollment in Phase III AETHERA Trial of ADCETRIS® for Post-Transplant ...

3D Biomatrixs Perfecta3D Hanging Drop Plates, which are easy-to-use 96- and 384-well plates for controllable three-dimensional (3D) spheroid culture, were recently featured in several prominent life science and biotechnology journals and websites: Bioscience Technology, The Scientist, Biocompare, and Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB) September 25, 2012

The Hanging Drop Plates, which allow for controllable 3D spheroid or embryonic stem cell cultures in a well plate format, simplify and streamline spheroid formation, culture, and subsequent testing of the 3D cellular constructs without the aid of coatings or matrices. Such cultures grown in Perfecta3D Hanging Drop Plates allow researchers to easily mimic tissue metabolic and proliferative gradients, capture complex cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, conduct co-cultures, and monitor cell growth easily and regularly.

In its August issue, Bioscience Technology, a print and online biotechnology magazine, spotlights the Perfecta3D 96-Well Hanging Drop Plates as an Editors Choice technology for new innovative products.

The Scientist, a professional print and online life science magazine that focuses on research news and applications, included the Perfecta3D Hanging Drop Plates in an article in its September 1 issue titled Enter the Third Dimension. The article reviews five innovative tools for 3D cell culture. Of the five tools, the Hanging Drop Plates are the only technology that does not force cell interaction with surfaces or matrices, and also the only technology described as ready for high throughput and automation for drug discovery. The article also quotes University of Michigan Professor Shuichi Takayama, the inventor of the Hanging Drop Plates.

Biocompare, an online resource for life science product information and new technologies, featured the Perfecta3D Hanging Drop Plates in a September 18 article titled, Research Tools for Three-Dimensional Cell Culture. The article describes 3D cell culture technologies in the areas of scaffold-free plates, scaffolds, gels and extracellular matrices, and bioreactors. 3D Biomatrix CEO, Laura Schrader, was quoted in the article.

3D Biomatrix published a Tech Note in the September 15 issue of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News titled, 3D Spheroid Models Enter Screening Toolbox. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News is a prominent biotechnology newsletter. The Tech Note describes the Perfecta3D Hanging Drop Plates, their applications, and published data in drug testing and co-cultures.

The recent prevalence of articles focusing on 3D cell culture tools demonstrates the growing number of researchers and companies recognizing the importance of 3D cell culture, says Schrader. We are delighted to be included in these articles, as it demonstrates that the Perfecta3D Hanging Drop Plates are becoming prolific on the market because they are easy to adopt and offer a realistic 3D environment.

More information on the Perfecta3D Hanging Drop Plates and direct links to the articles featuring the plates can be found on the 3D Biomatrix website.

Meghan Cuddihy 3D Biomatrix 734.272.4688 Email Information

Originally posted here:
3D Biomatrix’s Perfecta3D® Hanging Drop Plates Featured in Prominent Life Science Journals

For more than 40 years, Lesley Kelly of Glasgow, Scotland, lived with third-degree burns that stretched over 60 percent of her body.

Kelly was 2 years old when she fell into a bathtub filled with hot water that scorched most of the right side of her body. She lost full range of motion around many of her joints.

"When you have bad scarring, the buildup is very thick and has no elasticity," said Kelly, 45, whose right elbow was most affected by the buildup of scar tissue. "The problem with thermal burn scarring [is that] it's hard to get the range of motion."

Kelly underwent numerous reparative surgeries through the years, but the scar tissue continued to grow back. The procedures did not lessen the look of her scars.

In 2011, Kelly underwent a new, experimental procedure that used stem cells from her own fat tissue to repair the buildup around her right elbow.

Surgeons cleaned the scar buildup around the elbow and used liposuction to pull fat from off Kelly's waist. They separated the fat cells from the stem and regenerative cells, which were then injected into the wound on Kelly's arm. The procedure took less than two hours.

Within months, Kelly was able to regain 40 degrees of motion that she had lost more than 40 years ago.

Cytori Therapeutics, Inc.

"If this technology was available earlier in my life, my scars would not have been as bad," said Kelly.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 burn cases each year in the U.S., according to the American Burn Association.

Follow this link:
Experimental Stem Cell Therapy May Help Burn Victims

Directors of GeneCell International, a cutting-edge facility specialized in the processing and cryogenic preservation of umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, dental pulp and adipose stem cells, attends the Stem Cells USA & World Cord Blood Congress 2012.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) October 01, 2012

The event was attended by 300+ notable and prominent doctors, scientists and regulators in the field of stem and featured numerous keynote speakers. The program kicked-off with the chairmans opening remarks on the perspective on the cord blood market. Entities involved in the collection, processing, cryopreservation, transplantation and research shared their and experiences with the rapidly evolving future of cord blood stem cells and related tissues. Some presentation topics included were:

Umbilical cord blood preservation is a process by which blood is collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby and is stored cryogenically in a specially-designated bank. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, cord blood contains cells that can be transfused to a patient to treat various diseases, including lymphoma and leukemia. Currently, there are approximately 80 treatable diseases and the list of illnesses continue to grow. Cord blood is rich in stem cells and there is less risk for the recipients immune system to reject the cells, because certain immune cells found in the cord blood are not mature. Cord blood can be used to treat the child from whom the blood was collected as well as some first-degree relatives who are a close genetic match, such as family members. Additionally, patients can get the treatment in about three weeks - as opposed to six to eight for bone marrow from an adult donor.

A persons blood stem cell type is inherited, which means a patient is more likely to find a matched donor from within their own ethnic group, said GeneCells Director of Operations, Jose Cirino. More than half of cord blood donations and privately banked cord blood in the United States are from Caucasians while minorities remain underrepresented. By increasing the awareness of cord blood advantages among minorities, there is a potential for increased access to therapies for more people.

The shortage, or lack of availability, affects patients of African, Asian, Hispanic and Native American Indian descent. Since patients who need a transplant are more likely to find a match within their own race, Cirino adds it is important that the pool of donors reflects the overall community.

Why isn't everyone banking these cells? What transpires is that people are not informed about stem cell banking and some have never even heard of it. Most people are not aware they have stem cells in their body, they believe that stem cells only come from human embryos since that is what is mainly discussed in politics and the news. However, this is not the case. These cells are found in adults and there are no moral, ethical or political issues surrounding these cells.

The amazing thing about these cells, aside from their potential to treat a variety of different diseases, is that for the most part they can be harvested from the individual through relatively minimally invasive procedures and can be cryogenically frozen (at a temperature of -321 F) and stored for decades until a disease manifests or they are needed for cell-based therapies added GeneCells Director of Research & Laboratory Operations, Dr. Todd R. Flower.

GeneCell International specializes in the collection, transport, processing and cryogenic storage of adult stem cells from various sources including; umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, dental pulp and adipose tissue (fat) that can later be used to treat a variety of diseases. The laboratory is also involved in scientific research and development with a range of stem cells from various adult tissues. The facility is governed and inspected by the FDA as well several other regulating bodies to ensure the safety of these cellular therapies.

Alongside its commitment to educating the public on the benefits of cord blood preservation, GeneCell is committed to being on the forefront of stem cell research. GeneCell International is the only Cord Blood, Cord Tissue and Dental Pulp Processing and Cryogenic Storage Laboratory to offer this cutting-edge, regenerative medicine technology in Miami, Florida.

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GeneCell International, Miami’s Only and Preferred Cord Blood Laboratory, Participates in The Stem Cells USA & World ...

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Medistem Inc (Pink Sheets:MEDS) announced today the initiation of a collaboration with Superview Biotechnology Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Yinhuan Holding Co from Yixing, China. The joint work will be aimed at using proprietary stem cell lines developed by Medistem for screening of monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic activity in the area of regenerative medicine. As part of the collaboration, the two companies will evaluate various candidates jointly, as well as apply for grants and share research data.

To date, the majority of stem cell companies are focusing on the stem cell itself being a product. By collaborating with Superview Biotechnology, we aim to assess the feasibility of developing antibodies that can modulate the activity of stem cells that already exist in the body, said Thomas Ichim, CEO of Medistem. This approach not only provides methods of activating stem cells but also allows for the development of stem cell adjuvant therapies that could be used to resurrect stem cell candidates that failed in clinical trials.

Superview Biotechnology has developed proprietary methods of rapidly generating monoclonal antibodies to esoteric protein targets. Medistem has a history of success in the area of stem cells, being the only company to take a stem cell product from discovery to FDA clearance in the short span of 4 years.

One of the significant driving forces behind our company is to develop innovative targets for our monoclonal antibodies. Although monoclonal antibodies have generated sales of billions of dollars in areas ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, to cancer, to preventing blindness, we feel that the potential of this therapeutic tool is only beginning to be recognized, said Jiong Wu, CEO of Superview Biotechnology. Our opinion is that the barriers to entry for monoclonal antibody-based therapies modulating endogenous stem cells is lower than stem cell based therapies. We are eager to work with the Medistem team at exploring this hypothesis.

A joint grant is expected to be filed with the National Natural Science Foundation of China to support part of the proposed collaboration by end of October, 2012.

Cautionary Statement

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of our securities. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. Factors which may cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Medistem and Superview Biotechnology Co. Ltd. Initiate Collaboration on Therapeutics Development Using Antibody and ...

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Celprogen Inc., a leader in the Stem Cell Research and Therapeutics industry for the development of stem cell technologies for regenerative medicine, today announced that they obtained a Patent for Treating Lactose Intolerance Utilizing Genetically Engineered Bacteria US8,236,297B2. Acquired lactase deficiency is the most common disorder of complex carbohydrate absorption throughout the world, affecting 75% of world population. In the United States 15% of Caucasians, over 50% of Hispanics and over 80% of African-Americans suffer from lactose intolerance.

The present invention relates to genetically engineered bacteria that are able to colonize the mammalian intestine and actively produce mammalian lactase. This lactose-digesting enzyme is stable and active under the conditions normally found in the mammalian small intestine. Experimental subjects colonized with the genetically engineered bacteria show improved ability to digest lactose in dairy foods.

About Celprogen Inc.

Celprogen Inc. is a global Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics company which is developing a proprietary portfolio of unique therapeutics products and life science research tools that includes genetic engineering technologies, stem cell technologies for regenerative medicine, as well as bio-engineering products for tissue & organ transplants. Headquartered in San Pedro, California, Celprogen is committed to the research, development, and manufacture of quality Stem Cell, Cancer Stem Cell and Primary Cell Culture products to serve our global community. Additional information about Celprogen is available at http://www.celprogen.com.

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Celprogen Obtained US Patent (US8,236,297B2) Method of Treating Lactose Intolerance Utilizing Genetically Engineered ...

By Sharmistha Banerjee - September 25, 2012 | Tickers: NBS, OSIR, PSTI | 0 Comments

Sharmistha is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Far-reaching accomplishments in the biotechnology sector meet its most ambitious expectations, stem cell therapy. The birth of this new industry has boosted the enthusiasm and energy of investors and has brought unprecedented capability and optimistic predictions. New developments in regenerative medicine are bringing about exciting, novel approaches to create therapies for hard to treat diseases. The biotechnology industry has been soaring in 2012 as companies both large and small have shown impressive growth.

The cell therapy space has seen relatively small companies making strides in the right direction with increased government support. Osiris Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OSIR) a leading stem cell company is currently the only company with an approved cell therapy. The approval is more of a first step in a long walk for Osiris. Reuters reported that shares of Osiris Therapeutics rose 15% on May 30, 2012, after U.S. health regulators said the stem cell technology company's wound treatment was eligible for reimbursement when used in hospitals in out-patient settings or in ambulances. The company carries over a $300 million market capitalization and trades at $9.50 per share, primarily on the strength of a recent Canadian approval for its stem cell drug for graft-versus-host disease. Osiris Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $4.12 and a 1-year high of $14.46. The company has a market cap of $311.3 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.98. Investors are impressed and optimistic with Osiris progress in cell-based therapies. They currently have a $9.75 target price on the stock. Despite having to negotiate a more challenging regulation process the company has continued to show investors strong gains in 2012.With a current ratio of 8.51 and debt equity of (0.00%) the company boasts of a financially secure position in the market.

Pluristem Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PSTI) a small firm with a market cap of less than $180 million has been concentrating on its placenta-based cell therapies, is considered one of the more advanced in the cell therapy arena, and unlike OSIR, its lead candidates treat diseases that could potentially return significant revenue. The upside for PSTI is lower costs, quicker healing time, ease of administration, and most importantly, it can grow vessels and provide the possibility of a cure, which has led to optimism surrounding the stock. Shares of Pluristem Therapeutics are up over 3.98% and most likely headed higher in the days ahead. It has traded higher by 85% during the last three months and is now valued at $200 million. Pluristem may actually beat OSIR in the race to become the first U.S. approved cell therapy with its bone marrow therapy, in which it has recently applied for approval. Pluristem is a company that I think is showing great promise. From the stock's action in the last several months, it is clear investors recognize that Pluristem's unique platform technology has the potential for tremendous value in a lucrative range of medical markets both the very large and the very small. The company wins both ways. Its clinical segment is creating candidates with large revenue potential, with analysts projecting peak sales of $700 million for AMR-001, which treats patients following acute myocardial infarction. The company is reasonably well funded with around $42 million in cash and cash equivalents.

NeoStem (NYSEMKT: NBS) is by far the leader in regards to the manufacturing business, and no other company comes close. In addition, its stock has returned the most over in the last three months, with a 100% gain. NeoStem stocks looks promising as a biotechnology investment. First, the company is focusing on several promising areas of new stem cell treatment development. Second, its contract manufacturing business brings in revenues to offset some of its drug development expenditures. Third, the contract manufacturing business could earn substantial royalties if any of the products on which it works with customers proves to be a commercial success. NeoStem's manufacturing segment which is also known as PCT, is well positioned to return larger gains over the next 24 months with several late stage candidates under development. a $110 million company that has increased in value by 70% during the last three months, In addition to the PCT business, NeoStem's most promising therapy is aimed at preventing major cardiac problems following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), an area that is potentially a multibillion-dollar business. NeoStem's therapy is meeting endpoints never before reached,

The three companies discussed above are showing much potential for growth and each present a significant upward shift in the current stock prices while contributing greatly to the advances of cell therapy.

Osiris is the closest to generating substantial revenue by already having two approvals, and is currently testing its therapy on other diseases, thereby leaving open the possibility of future gains. Pluristem has candidates to treat diseases in potentially large markets, and is expanding with its manufacturing facility. Although Stem Cells is in the early phases of development, it still has a very innovating therapy that, if proven effective, could advance the space even further. NeoStem possesses all the benefits of an innovating technology, a diversified pipeline, and is a candidate with significant revenue potential.

At this point, it appears that the entire space is moving forward and has lifted observers' expectations by making rapid progress. It makes sense that these three stocks would trade with such considerable gains, as investors can now identify the benefits of cell therapies. And as more approvals occur, it could be a space that trades considerably higher regardless of the market's indecisiveness. With the sector growing and maturing, investing in biotech stocks seems a promising choice in future.

SharmisthaB has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.If you have questions about this post or the Fools blog network, click here for information.

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Stem Cell Therapy—Breakthrough in Health Paradigm

It is a dream for everyone as they grow older to turn back the clock and live in a younger body once again. While many have developed ways to make the body look younger cosmetically, there have been very few effective methods to combat the aging process within the body until now.

For the first time ever, researchers have identified a crucial protein responsible for the decline of muscle repair and agility as the body ages. Upon this discovery, the scientists were able to effectively halt muscle decline in mice, giving hope to similar treatments for humans in the future.

According to the studys authors, loss of muscle strength and repair is one of the major concerns facing elderly citizens.

A great advantage of medicine is that people are not dying as early as they used to, but the body hasnt figured out how to maintain its muscle repair, Andrew Brack, of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine and corresponding study author, told FoxNews.com. The average loss of muscle mass for the 80-year-old male is 40 percent. Elderly people will fall over and break bones, they go to the hospital where they lose more muscle strength, and then dont recover.

Brack noted that muscle strength is also one of the main factors that keeps elderly individuals out of the hospital and allows them to be productive members of the workforce. In order to combat this muscle decline, Brack and Albert Basson, who met at Kings College London, teamed up to see if they could put the process in reverse.

The key revolves around stem cells found within muscles. During exercise or injury, these stem cells become activated and work fervently by dividing and multiplying into new muscle fibers that help to repair the muscle. When they are no longer need, they retreat into a reservoir within the muscle and lay dormant until they are needed again.

The problem with aging muscles is that these fixer stem cells dont remain dormant when theyre not needed. Instead, they become activated more and more and unnecessarily divide and multiply causing them to die at a faster rate. Since muscles only have a finite amount of these stem cells, the quicker the cells die, the less effective muscles become at repairing themselves.

Wondering exactly why the stem cells became more activated with age, Brack and Basson screened older muscles, finding higher levels of a protein called FGF2 a protein that stimulates cell division. The scientists figured these levels could explain the unnecessary cell activation.

As your muscle gets old, you start making more of this FGF2 protein, Basson, senior lecturer at Kings College London Dental Institute, told FoxNews.com. When theres more, the FGF2 starts waking up these stem cells and they start dividing. The stem cells have a limited number of times they can divide before they die or differentiate into other cells.

Basson figured that if they were able to boost a gene called SPRY2, which inhibits FGF2, then the stem cells would lay dormant until they were absolutely needed. To test this theory, the researchers administered a common drug containing SPRY2 to suppress FGF2 levels in elderly mice. Sure enough, the drugs halted the decline of muscle stem cells in the mice.

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Reverse aging? Scientists find way to make old muscles young again

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Case results published in the journal Cell Transplantation revealed that human craniofacial tissues regenerate faster using stem cells than with traditional bone regeneration therapy.

San Francisco dentist Dr. Greg Larson awaits the benefits this research has in store for restorative dentistry treatments.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry, the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research and Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Mich., performed research in a dual effort. Clinical trials included 24 participants needing jawbone reconstruction following tooth extraction. Researchers prescribed some participants bone regeneration therapy, while others received ixmyelocel-T cells, developed by Aastrom Biosciences.

Aastrom researchers used the bone marrow of participants to create a variety of cell types, including stem cells that would later be implanted into their mouths and jaws.

"Patients who received tissue repair cells achieved greater bone density and quicker bone renewal and required less bone grafting during implant procedures when compared to those who underwent traditional guided bone regeneration therapy," according to the U-M press release.

U-M School of Dentistry Assistant Professor Darnell Kaigler says the regenerated bone will provide dentists with a stronger foundation when using dental implants. By replacing missing teeth with dental implants, dentists like Larson can improve a patient's ability to eat, speak and smile normally.

Kaigler, also the principal investigator on the project, added that another benefit of this treatment method is that patients can renew tissues using their own cells, as opposed to exposing their bodies to foreign cells.

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San Francisco Dentist Follows Stem Cell Research Regarding Craniofacial Tissue Renewal

Editor's Choice Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Seniors / Aging Article Date: 27 Sep 2012 - 12:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Scientists Discover How To Halt Aging Muscles

4.27 (11 votes)

This groundbreaking study, published in Nature, explains why muscle mass decreases with age, an important factor in weakness, causing lack of mobility and falls in elders.

Previous research has told us that stem cells can play a crucial role in stimulating muscle regeneration. This particular study looked at stem cells found in muscles that are responsible for repairing injuries and why the muscles' capacity of regeneration deteriorates with age.

An inactive supply of stem cells is present inside every muscle, ready to be put into action by exercise or injury to fix any damage. When these stem cells are needed, they can divide into hundreds of new muscle threads and repair the injured muscle. At the end of the repairing process, a few of these cells refill the supply of dormant stem cells, enabling the muscle to carry on repairing itself continuously.

Researchers used elderly mice to conduct this study and found the number of inactive stem cells in the extra pool decreases with age, explaining the decline in the muscle's ability to regenerate and repair as the body gets older. When these muscles were examined, the scientists found high levels of FGF2, a protein that has the capacity to trigger the division of cells. While stimulating inactive cells to split and repair muscle is a normal and vital process, they found FGF2 could awaken the dormant stem cells even when they were not needed. Continuous activation of the dormant stem cells meant depletion of the surplus, leaving the muscles without necessary stem cells when repair was really needed.

After this finding, the team attempted to obstruct FGF2 in old muscles in order to prevent the stem cell surplus from being activated unnecessarily. By giving the mice a common FGF2 inhibitor drug, they were able to slow down the decline in the number of muscle stem cells.

Dr Albert Basson, Senior Lecturer from the Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology at the King's College London Dental Institute, said:

Written by Kelly Fitzgerald Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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Scientists Discover How To Halt Aging Muscles

Miami, FL (PRWEB) September 19, 2012

GeneCell International, an international leader in the processing and preservation of umbilical cord blood stem cells, announced today the expansion of its services into the country of India.

The company, with its corporate headquarters located in Miami, Florida, privately collects, processes and stores stem cells from umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, dental pulp and adipose tissue that can later be used to treat a variety of diseases. GeneCell International has deep roots in Latin America and more than a decade of experience in helping parents make informed decisions that can lead to potentially life-saving possibilities. The company also plans to collaborate with the medical community to further educate the expecting parents on the benefits stem cells offer.

The expansion into India provides easy and accessible resources for parents looking to preserve viable adult stem cells from both umbilical cord blood and dental pulp, said GeneCells Director of Operations, Jose Cirino. GeneCell believes in offering the best support and advice to the medical community to ensure parents are given the best and most up to date information in making an informed decision on preserving their childs stem cells that can potentially save a life of a family member.

Cord blood is rich in stem cells and there is less risk for the recipients immune system to reject these cells, because certain immune cells found in the cord blood are not mature. These cells can later be used to treat a variety of diseases and blood disorders within the immediate family, are free of ethical debate and patients can get the treatment in about three weeks - as opposed to six to eight for bone marrow from an adult donor, added Dr. Todd R. Flower, Genecells Director of Research and Laboratory Operations.

Alongside its commitment to educating the public on the benefits of stem cell preservation, GeneCell is always on the forefront in providing information for those who may require stem cells for medical treatments. With more than a decade of experience, GeneCell has maintained a large presence in Latin America - promoting the practice and encouraging families to bank their childs stem cells to help protect their loved ones.

About Umbilical Cord Blood Preservation: Umbilical cord blood preservation is a process by which blood is collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby and is stored cryogenically in a specially-designated bank. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, cord blood contains cells that can be transfused to a patient to treat various diseases, including lymphoma and leukemia. The list of illnesses that can be treated with cord blood continues to grow. In addition, the cord blood can be used to treat the child from whom the blood was collected as well as some first-degree relatives who are a close genetic match, such as immediate family members. Cord blood banking is regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and each year more and more parents choose to save their childrens cord blood should the medical need arise.

About Dental Pulp Stem Cells: One of the major advantages one gets from harvesting stem cells from his own body is that there will be no rejection of these cells when they are harvested and subsequently re-implanted. In the future, medical researchers anticipate being able to use technologies derived from stem cell research to treat a wider variety of diseases including Parkinsons, Alzheimers, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, heart diseases, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, muscle damage and many other diseases. The discovery that human dental pulp tissue contains a population of multi-potent mesenchymal dental pulp stem cells with the ability to reproduce quickly for self-renewal and the ability to differentiate into functional odontoblast has revolutionized dental research and opened new avenues in particular for reparative and reconstructive dentistry and tissue engineering in general.

About GeneCell International: GeneCell International, LLC is a trusted provider of collection, processing and storage of umbilical cord blood, dental pulp (teeth), and adipose (fat) from which stem cells can be extracted to treat a variety of diseases and disorders. GeneCell operates state-of-the-art laboratories and storage facilities for the cord blood of thousands of clients, headquartered in Miami, Florida and with local offices in Central Florida, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, India, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.

For more information and to learn more about cord blood, dental pulp, adipose tissue stem cell banking benefits or other services visit http://www.genecell.com.

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GeneCell International an International Leader in Cord Blood and Dental Pulp Stem Cells Expands to India

ScienceDaily (Sep. 27, 2012) For a cancer patient, over-expression of the MYC oncogene is a bad omen. Scientists have long known that in tumor cells, elevated levels of MYC's protein product, c-Myc, are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased rates of metastasis, recurrence, and mortality. Yet decades of research producing thousands of scientific papers on the subject have failed to consistently explain precisely how c-Myc exerts its effects across a broad range of cancer types. Until now, that is.

The prevailing theory emerging from this massive body of research has been that in tumor cells, c-Myc affects the expression of specific genes or sets of genes -- that so-called Myc target genes are being selectively activated or repressed, leading to aberrant cellular behavior. Now, however, researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Richard Young are dispelling this commonly held notion, showing that elevated expression of c-Myc amplifies the activity of all expressed genes in tumor cells of multiple cancer types. It turns out that high levels of c-Myc send a tumor cell's gene expression program into overdrive. Transcription increases dramatically, allowing malignant cells to overwhelm factors that might normally hamper their growth and proliferation. This surprising finding, published in this week's issue of the journal Cell, provides a simple, elegant explanation for how a single protein can have such profound effect in so many and varied types of cancer. The newly revealed mechanism may also help scientists develop novel therapeutic approaches that disrupt c-Myc's activity.

"MYC is a key driver in most major cancers, but it has been notoriously difficult to drug," says Young, who is also a professor of biology at MIT. "Now that we know the mechanism by which c-Myc acts, we can go after the components of that mechanism as potential drug targets. This research creates an even stronger impetus to find a way to drug the thing."

One potential drawback to thwarting c-Myc's activity is the important role it plays in normal cell division. That role is so powerful that cells co-evolved an emergency death pathway to keep c-Myc expression in check. If c-Myc's production spins out of control in an otherwise normal cell, the cell immediately commits suicide through a process called apoptosis. But in cancer cells in which c-Myc is overproduced, this suicide pathway is compromised, allowing the cell to survive and proliferate.

"MYC is the most deregulated gene in cancer," says Charles Lin, a graduate student in the Young lab and co-author of the Cell paper. "It's been called a bad-boy, a Swiss army knife, and a jack-of-all-trades because, according to previous research, it could do everything under the sun in a cancer cell. But most of the different attributes ascribed to MYC are contradictory or seemingly incompatible."

Propelled by its earlier research that identified c-Myc as an important regulator of transcription in embryonic stem cells, the Young lab began to focus on c-Myc's activity within cancer cells. Lab members found that as the expression of c-Myc increases in these cells, the protein attaches to the promoters and enhancers of all active genes, thereby amplifying the active genes' transcription. The heightened transcription produces cells bloated with excessive RNAs and proteins capable of altering normal cellular functions. Researchers observed this phenomenon in cells from a host of cancers, including Burkitt's lymphoma, small cell lung cancer, multiple myeloma, and glioblastoma multiforme.

"The previous research now makes sense -- finally!" says Jakob Lovn, co-author and postdoctoral researcher in the Young lab. "Our findings provide a way to unify everybody's seemingly conflicting data. I think that's really nice. Instead of saying 'you're all wrong,' we're saying 'you're all right, and here's why.' The model makes a lot of sense in terms of the biology that has been described so far."

With a better understanding of how c-Myc can wreak so much damage, the Young lab is turning its efforts to disrupting c-Myc's activity. Although cancer cells that overproduce c-Myc are associated with poor clinical outcomes, their reliance on c-Myc for survival may represent an Achilles' heel. When these "Myc-addicted" cells are deprived of c-Myc in vitro, even for a short period of time, they quickly die. Research in mice has shown that, Myc-addicted tumors deprived of the protein shrink dramatically. Despite c-Myc's necessary role in normal cell division, particularly in tissues with rapid cell turnover, such as the intestine and blood, these mouse studies have shown that if c-Myc activity is restored after a brief period, normal tissues quickly bounce back, while tumors are unable to regain their footing.

"So what we think now is that potentially, if drugs can tune down the levels of transcription just slightly, this might be catastrophic for the Myc-addicted cancer cells," says Peter Rahl, co-author and postdoctoral researcher in the Young lab. "You wouldn't need to abolish all transcription because that would be toxic to your other cells. So we're hoping that our model will show us ways to create a therapeutic window where the Myc-addicted cells just won't be able to adapt to lower levels of transcripts."

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (grants HG002668 and CA146445), Swedish Research Council, American Cancer Society, and Damon-Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

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Aggressive cancer exploits Myc oncogene to amplify global gene activity

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MCET) is pleased to announce the acceptance by the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) of abstract "Short Synthetic Double Stranded RNA with Dual Activity - Oncolytic and Immune Modulatory - for Hepatocellular Carcinoma." The preclinical research results will be presented by Anand Ghanekar M.D., Ph.D., Division of Cellular & Molecular Biology, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, at the 2012 ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, December 15-19, 2012.

Poster Session: Cancer Therapy II Day/Date of Presentation: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 Time of Presentation: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM PST Place: Exhibit Halls A-C Presentation Number: 2444 Board Number: B1425

Dr. Ghanekar's research was supported by MultiCell via a sponsored research grant with the University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, Ontario, Canada. The research results to be presented by Dr. Ghanekar support further mechanistic and in vivo studies exploring the safety, effectiveness and utility of MCT-465 and MCT-485 as novel therapeutic agents as a treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma and other cancers.

About MCT-465 and MCT-485 MCT-465 and MCT-485 are the first of a family of prospective cancer therapeutics based on the use of our patented TLR3 signaling technology. MCT-465 and MCT 485 are in preclinical development, and are being investigated as prospective treatments for primary liver cancer and triple negative breast cancer.

The immune system is composed of two synergistic elements: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. Stimulation of the innate immune system through key receptors plays a critical role in triggering the adaptive immune response stimulating T and B cells to produce antibodies. In cancer, this integrated defense system does not work well, resulting in suboptimal activation of innate immunity and thus, late or inefficient adaptive immunity. The innate immune system is composed of a family of ten receptor molecules, the Toll-like Receptors (TLR1-TLR10), which act as sentries to identify invaders and signal the alarm to mobilize the body's array of immune defenses.

Within the tumor lesion, there may be infiltrating monocytes, dendritic cells and leukocytes in general, that have the capability to mobilize an adaptive or innate immune response but they are either silent or immune suppressive in the absence of select immune interventions. Such infiltrating non-cancerous immune cells may express TLR3, other TLRs, RIG-I and/or MDA-5. In addition, within tumor lesions, there may be cancerous cells or stromal cells or cancer stem cells which express TLR3, other TLRs, RIG-I and MDA-5 (representing RNA-sensing molecules).

Cancer stem cells are thought to play a role in a tumor's resistance to therapy. While significant progress has been made in developing cancer therapies that result in cytoreduction and thus tumor regression, the control of cancer over a longer interval and especially of metastatic disease, remains a key goal. Cancer stem cells are believed to be responsible for cancer relapse by being less sensitive to conventional therapies.

MultiCell owns exclusive rights to two issued U.S. patents (6,872,389 and 6,129,911), one U.S. patent application (U.S. 2006/0019387A1), and several corresponding issued and pending foreign patents and patent applications related to the isolation and differentiation of liver stem cells. The role of liver stem cells in the carcinogenic process has recently led to a new hypothesis that hepatocellular carcinoma arises by maturation arrest of liver stem cells.

Double stranded RNA (dsRNA) provides a therapeutic avenue for cancer treatment through (a) activating intra-tumoral leukocytes, abrogating their immune suppressive activity and/or (b) interacting with cancerous cells and directly inducing apoptosis, or indirectly through mobilization of immune effector mechanisms.

MCT-465 is a high molecular weight synthetic dsRNA (polyA:polyU, of 70bps) with immune enhancing properties. The mechanism of action of MCT-465 is pleiotropic and mediated by RNA sensors such as TLR3, 7/8, MDA-5 and RIG-I - expressed by antigen presenting cells and select cases, by tumor cells:

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MultiCell Technologies To Announce Positive Preclinical Results at 2012 ASCB Meeting

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --In the first study of its kind, researchers at Korea's leading university and the RNL Bio Stem Cell Technology Institute announced this week the results of a study that suggests an astounding possibility: adult stem cells may not only have a positive effect on those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, theycanprevent the disease.Using fat-derived adultstem cells from humans [scientific term:adMSCs, orhuman, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells], researchers were able to cause Alzheimer's disease brains in animal models to regenerate. The researchers, for the first time in history, used stem cells toidentify the mechanism that is key to treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and demonstrated how to achieve efficacy as well as prevention of the symptoms of Alzheimer's with adult stem cells, a "holy grail" of biomedical scientists for decades.

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia (loss of brain function), is the 6th leading cause of death, and affects 1 in 8 people -- more than breast cancer. As of 2010, there were 35.6 million people with Alzheimer's disease in the world, but this number is expected to double every 20 years. It is estimated that the total cost of Alzheimer's is US $604 billion worldwide, with 70% of this cost in the US and Europe. To put that in perspective, Alzheimer's care costs more than the revenues of Wal-Mart (US$414 billion) and Exxon Mobil (US$311 billion), according to the British World Alzheimer's Report of ADI. The cost of Alzheimer's is at the top of health economists' list of the disorders of aging that could topple nations' entire economies, and that regularly ruin not only the lives of patients but of their relatives.

According to the results of this first major study, Alzheimer's may soon be a preventable disease, or even a thing of the past. Equally important, the safety human administration of the kind of adult stem cells used in this experiment has been established in multiple articles and government-approved clinical trials.

THE RESEARCH:

The study was jointly led by Seoul National University Professor Yoo-Hun Suh and RNL Bio Stem Cell Technology Institute (SCTI) director Dr. Jeong-Chan Ra.

The researchers and their teams injected stem cells into mice genetically designed to have the core symptoms and physiology of Alzheimer's disease. They were able to identify that these human stem cells, derived from adipose tissue, behave in a very special way when injected into the tail vein of mice subjects. The cells migrated through the blood brain barrier, thought by many to be impossible for adult stem cells to cross, and went into the brain. In fact,fluorescent labeled cells were monitored for distribution in subjects and the team identified that the infused cells migrated throughout the bodiesincluding brainexcept the olfactory organ, and therefore confirmed that IV infused stem cell can reach to the brain across the blood brain barrier.

The team infused human adipose stem cells intravenously in Alzheimer model mice multiple times two weeks apart from three month to 10 month.Once there, the mice who received cells improved in every relevant way: ability to learn, ability to remember, and neuropathological signs. More important, for the first time ever, Alzheimer model mice showed the mediation of IL-10, which is known for anti-inflammation and neurological protection.

The team also found that stem cell restored special learning ability from Alzheimer model subjects with great reduction of neuropathy lesions.This was found using tests used for Alzheimer's disease: behavioral assessment. In assessment it was found, amazingly, that stem cells' therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's disease was tremendous. This was also found in pathological analysis. The key though was prevention: the scientists showed that stem cells, when infused into Alzheimer's mice, decreased beta amyloid and APP-CT, known to cause brain cell destruction, leading to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In the lab it was clear that stem cells increased neprilysin, which hydrolyzes toxic proteins. No other compound or treatment has ever suggested so strongly the potential to prevent, as well as stop, this epidemic of incurable dementia sweeping across suffering patients and their families.

Stopping Alzheimer's disease, let alone preventing it, is the focus of thousands of researchers worldwide. Speaking of their breakthrough discovery,Professor Yoo-Hun Suh, who led the study, said, "It is a ground breaking discovery that such a simple method as IV injection of the safest autologous adipose stem cells, without causing any immune rejection, or any ethical issues, opened a new door to conquering Alzheimer's disease, one of the most horrible, expensive and incurablediseases of our time." Joining him, leader of the RNL Bio Stem Cell Technology InstituteDr. Jeong-Chan Ra said, "It has never been more clear that it is an ethical imperative for governments to provide patients with incurable diseases with their right to participate not only in studies like this but in therapies with such obvious potential, once they have been tested as many times for safety as has our technology." Both scientists stressed that the real breakthrough in their complex research is the prevention of the onset of symptoms.

Specifically, stem cells grafted in the brain, in another part of the study, were identified to induce cell division and neuro differentiation of endogenous neuro progenitor cells around the hippocampus and its surrounding cells and increase in great deal the stability of dendrites and synapses. Stem cell also contributed various anti-inflammatory and neuro growth factors, especially increased the expression of IL-10. This again suppressed apoptosis of brain neurons, the prevention effect against Alzheimer's disease.

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Study Shows Stem Cells May Prevent And Cure Alzheimer's