StemCell Therapy

Cancer stem cells are defined by three abilities: differentiation, self-renewal and their ability to seed a tumor. These stem cells resist chemotherapy and many researchers posit their role in relapse. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the journal Stem Cells, shows that melanoma cells with these abilities are marked by the enzyme ALDH, and imagines new therapies to target high-ALDH cells, potentially weeding the body of these most dangerous cancer creators.

Weve seen ALDH as a stem cell marker in other cancer types, but not in melanoma, and until now its function has been largely unknown, says the papers senior author, Mayumi Fujita, MD, PhD, investigator at the CU Cancer Center and associate professor in the Department of Dermatology at the CU School of Medicine.

KEY POINTS:

Fujitas group transplanted ALDH+ and ALDH- melanoma cells into animal models, showing the ALDH+ cells were much more powerfully tumorigenic. In the same ALDH+ cells, the group then silenced the gene that creates this protein, finding that with ALDH knocked down, melanoma cells died in cultures and lost their ability to form tumors in animal models. In cell cultures, silencing this ALDH gene also sensitized melanoma cells to existing chemotherapies. When the group explored human tumor samples, they found distinct subpopulations of these ALDH+ cells, which made up about 0.1-0.2 percent of patients primary tumors. In samples of metastatic melanoma the most aggressive form of the disease the percentage of ALDH+ cells was greater, even over 10 percent in some tumors, further implying the powerful danger of these cells.

In these same ALDH+ cells, we find the markers of stem cells are upregulated and those of cell differentiation are downregulated. In addition to these clues, ALDH+ cells generate the heterogeneous cell types seen in the original tumor, says Fujita, meaning that in addition to self-renewal and tumorigenesis, ALDH+ cells fulfill the third criteria for a cancer stem cell: the ability to differentiate.

The study also shows how the ALDH gene and its protein act to create a cells stem-like properties.

One way ALDH makes a cancer stem cell is through the retinoic acid signaling pathway, Fujita says. The protein ALDH leads to the overproduction of retinoic acid, which in turn binds to a cells nuclear receptors and influences the expression of many of the cells genes for example, genes involved in regulating cell survival, repair, and proliferation, all of which combine to confer chemoresistance. Target cells with high ALDH and you target all the downstream effects, including the retinoic acid signaling pathway.

Our hope is that we can intervene in this signaling, either at the level of ALDH or elsewhere in the pathway, especially to re-sensitize cells to chemotherapy. Using a new drug to take away a melanoma stem cells chemoresistance could boost the effectiveness of existing drugs, Fujita says.

SOURCE: University of Colorado Denver

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Study Identifies Human Melanoma Stem Cells

ALBANY, New York, Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Twease.org - New Report Added in Pharmaceuticals Reports Database Companion Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine Market Report 2012 [http://www.twease.org/report/companion-diagnostics-and-personalized-medicine-market-report-2012.htm]

This is the latest and most up-to-date Market Report from Select Biosciences addressing the companion diagnostics (CDx) and personalized medicine marketplace. Personalized medicine is a broad field with several stakeholders all of which must be aligned in order to capture the immense potential value in targeting therapeutics to the correct patient populationthe field of stratified medicine.

To Browse Full Toc Visit: http://www.twease.org/report/companion-diagnostics-and-personalized-medicine-market-report-2012.htm [http://www.twease.org/report/companion-diagnostics-and-personalized-medicine-market-report-2012.htm]

Companion Diagnostics has been rapidly expanding over the past 3 years and in this market report we describe the current state of the marketplace from the following perspectives:

Related Reports:

Personalized Medicine Market [http://www.twease.org/report/companion-diagnostics-and-personalized-medicine-market-report-2012.htm]

MicroRNAs and Exosomes Market [http://www.twease.org/report/micrornas-and-exosomes-market-report-2012.htm]

MicroRNA Market [http://www.twease.org/report/microrna-market-trends-2011.htm]

MicroRNA Research and Disease Associations [http://www.twease.org/report/microrna-research-and-disease-associations-2010-market-report.htm]

Circulating Tumor Cells [http://www.twease.org/report/circulating-tumor-cells-ctcs-and-cancer-stem-cells-cscs-market-global-industry-size-market-share-trends-analysis-and-forecasts-2012-2018.htm]

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Companion Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine Market Report 2012: Twease.org

Two men in landmark heart stem cell study tell their stories.

Jim Dearing of Louisville, Ky., one of the first men in the world to receive heart stem cells, might have helped start a medical revolution that could lead to a cure for heart failure.

Three years after getting the experimental stem cell procedure, following two heart attacks and heart failure, Dearings heart is working normally.

2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

The difference is clear and dramatic -- and it's lasting, according to findings now being made public for the first time.

Dearing first showed "completely normal heart function" on an echocardiogram done in 2011, says Roberto Bolli, MD, who is leading the stem cell trial at the University of Louisville. Those results have not been published before.

That was still true in July 2012, when Dearing again showed normal heart function on another echocardiogram.

Based on those tests, Bolli says, "Anyone who looks at his heart now would not imagine that this patient was in heart failure, that he had a heart attack, that he was in the hospital, that he had surgery, and everything else."

It's not just Dearing who has benefited. His friend, Mike Jones, who had even more severe heart damage, also got the stem cell procedure in 2009. Since then, scarred regions of his heart have shrunk. His heart now appears leaner and stronger than it was before.

"What's striking and exciting is that we're seeing what appears to be a long-lasting improvement in function," Bolli says. If larger studies confirm the findings, "potentially, we have a cure for heart failure because we have something that for the first time can actually regenerate dead tissue."

Read more from the original source:
Stem Cell Research: Heart Stem Cells May Help Heal Hearts After Heart Attack

Researchers report that stem cells have reversed bladder leakage in mice, and that the discovery could pave the way for new treatments against urinary incontinence.

The study, conducted at Kyungpook National University in South Korea, found that weakened pelvic-floor muscles in mice were repaired with stem cells made from amniotic fluid. The stem cells also kept the condition from recurring, even though the cells disappeared after 14 days in the body.

Urinary incontinence will affect one out of every three women after age 40. Although men may also have the condition, the frequency is much lower. Treatments for urinary incontinence include surgery, lifestyle changes like weight loss, and exercises to strengthen pelvic muscles.

Previously, stem cell therapy has been suggested as a possibility for treating urinary incontinence, but the only way to gather the cells was through invasive procedures. Collecting stem cells from amniotic fluid is easier during a routine procedure of amniocentesis.

"These stem cells ... have the ability to become muscle cells when grown under the right conditions," study leaders James Yoo and Tae Gyun Kwon said in a statement.

Testing on people, though, is needed to back up the researchers findings.

The study was published in the journal BMC Medicine.

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Stem Cells Could Reverse Incontinence

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/khwrrx/circulating_tumor) has announced the addition of the "Circulating Tumor Cells (Ctcs) And Cancer Stem Cells (Cscs) Market - Global Industry Size, Market Share, Trends, Analysis, And Forecasts 2012 - 2018" report to their offering.

The rising prevalence of diseases like cancer and the reimbursement support by regulatory bodies in developed countries like United States and Europe are the major factors driving the growth of the CTCs and CSCs market. Though the currently used detection method lacks sensitivity or specificity to track all CTCs particularly the ones that have lost characteristic epithelial features, there is still good scope for pharmaceutical companies in the CTCs and CSCs field. The various sub-types of cancer may have their own classes and it creates an opportunity in the future.

Increase in cancer mortality rate in the past few years and an increase in number of cancer patients offers an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to enter this sector. Every one person out of eight has the potential of getting affected by cancer and it is estimated that 12 to 37 lives can be saved daily with the help of CTCs and CSCs.

The major geographic markets for CTCs and CSCs are the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. accounted for more than 50% of the worldwide CTCs and CSC market in 2011.

This research is specially designed to estimate and analyze the demand and performance of CTCs and CSC products in a global scenario. The report covers all the major segments of the global CTC and CSC market and provides in-depth analysis, historical data and statistically refined forecast for the segments covered. The study presents a comprehensive assessment of the stakeholder strategies and winning imperatives for them by segmenting the global CTC and CSC market.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

2. Executive Summary

3. Market Overview

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Research and Markets: Circulating Tumor Cells (Ctcs) And Cancer Stem Cells (Cscs) Market - Global Industry Size ...

SACRAMENTO, CA - At 4-years-old Rydr Rudgers is able to eat, speak, and walk --all thingshis family wasn't sure he'd ever do after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant.

"He was born without any brain stem functions; no sucking, no swallowing, no breathing," said Rydr's mother Elisa.

When Rydr was 15-months-old, he began stem cell infusions from his cord blood that was saved in a stem cell bank.Rydris making great progress after three infusionsand can even feed himself.

"These are like huge milestones that people don't think about, but actually being able to hold a fork and eat a sandwich is, in our world, an unanticipated milestone and it's amazing," Elisa Rudgers explained.

"Like autism, cerebral palsy or brain injuries of that nature are a diffused population, it's not one cause,"said Dr. Michael Chez, who is the Medical Director of Pediatric Neurology at the Sutter Neuroscience Institute.

Doctors at the Sutter Neuroscience Institute are now beginning research to evaluate cord blood stem cells to help improve language and behavior in autism patients.

The announcement was made on Tuesday morning at Sutter Medical Plaza.It's the first FDA-approved clinical trial that uses a newborn's stem cells from cord blood to treat autism patients.

Doctors will infuse umbilical cord stem cells into the bloodstreams of 30 children diagnosed with autism.

"We feel it will offer a safe and effective answer to the question of whether the cord blood is an effective intervention as a way to introduce stem cell therapy for autism," Chez said.

Autism impacts one in 88 children and one in 54 boys. According to Sutter doctors, a newborn's umbilical cord blood contains a unique population of stem cells that have been used for more than 20 years in medical practice.

The rest is here:
Doctors to study newborn stem cells as treatment for autism

TUESDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Stem cells from amniotic fluid might one day help treat stress urinary incontinence, a condition caused by damaged pelvic floor muscles in which bladder leakage is brought on by exercise, coughing or simply laughing, a new study involving mice suggests.

Researchers in Korea found that this new technique repaired the damaged pelvic floor muscles in the mice, and kept the condition from recurring.

Results obtained in animal studies do not necessarily apply to humans, however, and much more research is needed before this might be considered a viable treatment for people.

Looking for an alternative to surgery to treat stress urinary incontinence, the scientists explored the use of stem cells to repair the weak muscles that cause bladder leakage. To do this in a noninvasive way, they used stem cells from amniotic fluid collected during routine amniocentesis (prenatal testing of amniotic fluid).

"These stem cells ... have the ability to become muscle cells when grown under the right conditions," explained the study's leaders, James Yoo and Tae Gyun Kwon, from Kyungpook National University, in a news release. "We found that the stem cells were able to survive for seven days inside the mice but by 14 days they had all disappeared. Nevertheless, they were able to induce regeneration of the mouse's own urethral sphincter muscle."

The study revealed the stem cells were able to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. This regenerated muscle also had the right nerve connections. The researchers added that amniotic stem cells do not appear to cause an immune response, such as rejection or tumor growth. Exactly how the stem cells are able to regenerate the muscles remains unclear, they noted.

Stress urinary incontinence is common among women during and after pregnancy and in women aged 40 and older. The study authors noted that men also can develop the condition, particularly those who have undergone prostate surgery.

Current treatments for stress urinary incontinence include a combination of surgery, weight loss, pelvic floor exercises and bladder training.

The study was published Aug. 20 in the journal BMC Medicine.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas

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Stem Cells Fix Bladder Leakage in Mice, Study Finds

HANS SAUTTER

In December 2010, Robin Ali became suddenly excited by the usually mundane task of reviewing a scientific paper. I was running around my room, waving the manuscript, he recalls. The paper described how a clump of embryonic stem cells had grown into a rounded goblet of retinal tissue. The structure, called an optic cup, forms the back of the eye in a growing embryo. But this one was in a dish, and videos accompanying the paper showed the structure slowly sprouting and blossoming. For Ali, an ophthalmologist at University College London who has devoted two decades to repairing vision, the implications were immediate. It was clear to me it was a landmark paper, he says. He has transformed the field.

'He' is Yoshiki Sasai, a stem-cell biologist at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan. Sasai has impressed many researchers with his green-fingered talent for coaxing neural stem cells to grow into elaborate structures. As well as the optic cup1, he has cultivated the delicate tissue layers of the cerebral cortex2 and a rudimentary, hormone-making pituitary gland3. He is now well on the way to growing a cerebellum4 the brain structure that coordinates movement and balance. These papers make for the most addictive series of stem-cell papers in recent years, says Luc Leyns, a stem-cell scientist at the Free University of Brussels.

Sasai's work is more than tissue engineering: it tackles questions that have puzzled developmental biologists for decades. How do the proliferating stem cells of an embryo organize themselves seamlessly into the complex structures of the body and brain? And is tissue formation driven by a genetic program intrinsic to cells, or shaped by external cues from neighbouring tissues? By combining intuition with patient trial and error, Sasai has found that it takes a delicate balance of both: he concocts controlled environments that feed cells physical and chemical signals, but also gives them free rein to 'do their thing' and organize themselves into issues. He sometimes refers to himself as a Japanese matchmaker who knows that, having been brought together, two strangers need to be left alone. They know what to do, he says. They interact in a delicate manner, and if the external cues are too strong, it will override the internal ones.

Sasai's work could find medical applications. Recapitulating embryonic development in three dimensions, it turns out, generates clinically useful cells such as photoreceptors more abundantly and efficiently than two-dimensional culture can, and houses them in an architecture that mirrors that of the human body. Sasai and his collaborators are now racing to implant lab-grown retinas into mice, monkeys and humans. The way Sasai sees it, maturing stem cells in two-dimensional culture may lead to 'next generation' therapy but his methods will lead to 'next, next generation' therapy.

A bit stiff in movement and reserved in manner, Sasai nevertheless puts on a theatrical show with a cocktail shaker at parties held by his institute after international symposia. My second job is bartender, he says, without a trace of a smile. It is, however, the cocktails he mixes in 96-well culture plates that have earned him scientific acclaim.

Like many members of his family, Sasai studied medicine. But he soon became frustrated by the lack of basic understanding in the field, especially when it came to neurological conditions. Without knowing the brain, a doctor cannot do much for the patient and therapeutics will always be superficial, he recalls thinking. There seemed no better way to know the brain than to study how it emerges and folds in the embryo. It's complex and usually complex systems are messy, says Sasai. But it's one of the most ordered. He wanted to know how this elaborate system was controlled.

We set up the permissive conditions. But after that we don't do anything. Keep them growing and let them do their job.

One piece of the puzzle was well known: the Spemann organizer, a node in vertebrate embryos that induces surrounding cells to become neural tissue. How the organizer works had been a mystery since its discovery in 1924; to find out, Sasai accepted a postdoctoral position at the University of California, Los Angeles. The post got off to a difficult start when Sasai was robbed of his money and passports at the airport on his way to California. But his scientific efforts were soon rewarded. He replaced the passports and within a month produced the clones that gave us the famous gene chordin, says his supervisor, developmental biologist Eddy De Robertis.

Sasai and his colleagues discovered that the chordin protein is a key developmental signal released by the Spemann organizer5. Rather than pushing nearby cells to become neurons, they found, chordin blocks signals that would turn them into other cell types6, 7. The work helped to establish the default model of neural induction: the idea that, without other signals, embryonic cells will follow an internal program to become neural cells.

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Tissue engineering: The brainmaker

The Sutter Neuroscience Institute in Sacramento plans to launch groundbreaking research today to discover whether infusing umbilical cord stem cells into the bloodstreams of autistic children will help them overcome debilitating characteristics of the condition.

The clinical trial is the first of its kind to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Dr. Michael Chez, the principal investigator and Sutter's director of pediatric neurology.

One of the world's foremost autism experts at the institute, which is recognized for its practice of pediatric neuroscience, Chez said the research may help identify a valuable new tool in the struggle against autism spectrum disorders, which now affect about one in 88 children nationwide, and one in 54 boys.

"This is an exciting trial, because it's exposing us to the new frontier of stem cells and whether they may have some positive effect on this disease," Chez said. "This is the start of a new age of research in stem cell therapies for chronic diseases such as autism."

Recent research has revealed robust new uses for stem cells. Stem cells, for example, can now be developed from heart muscle in cardiac patients and injected back into the heart for improved functioning. Doctors are also having success using stem cells to treat leukemia and bone marrow diseases.

Autism is the leading cause of delayed development in children, typically surfacing before 3 years of age. The condition is characterized by impaired communication, repetitive thoughts and behavior and difficulty in socialization.

The likelihood of a child's being given a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder increased more than 20 percent from 2006 to 2008, according to a report this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Locally, more than 3,830 students in the four-county Sacramento region were counted as autistic in December 2011, up 13 percent from the previous year, according to state data.

The Sutter clinical trial follows promising research in using cord blood stem cells to help children with cerebral palsy, a brain disorder that shares some characteristics with autism, to improve motor function.

Chez became the point man for developing protocols for the clinical trial over a year ago, after being contacted by Cord Blood Registry, the world's largest cord blood bank. The Bay Area company has collected and frozen 400,000 samples of umbilical cord blood for individuals and families.

The umbilical cord that links a mother's placenta to her fetus is imbued with blood stem cells. Since the 1990s, parents increasingly have opted to have their babies' umbilical cords frozen in storage as a sort of insurance against future disease. The trend now extends to about 5 percent of parents.

Link:
Sutter Neuroscience Institute launching trial of cord blood stem cells in autistic children

By Ryan Flinn - 2012-08-21T04:01:00Z

Researchers are recruiting autistic children for a study that will test whether injecting stem cells banked from their umbilical cords can lessen symptoms and provide insights into the nature of the disorder.

While stem cells have been promoted, and sold, as a treatment for autism, few clinical trials have been conducted to see whether theyre effective. The study, which begins enrolling patients today, is the first of its kind approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to assess the use of stem cells as a potential autism therapy, said Michael Chez, director of pediatric neurology at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, California, and the principal investigator.

About 1 in 88 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with an autism-related condition. The disorder hurts brain development and is linked to poor social interaction and communication skills, repeated body movements, and unusual attachments to objects.

With this study well be able to answer in a firm way that this is truly an observed effect, or we didnt get an observed effect, Chez said in a phone interview.

Thirty children with autism, ages 2 to 7, will be divided in two groups, with one getting the stem cell injection and the other receiving a placebo shot. After six months, the groups will switch. Patients will be monitored for improvement in language as well as irritability and other autism rating scales.

Ricardo Dolmetsch, a neurobiologist at Stanford University in California whose laboratory is studying autism, said he doesnt think the trial will yield much in usable results, though hes glad the idea of using stem cells is being testing.

I commend them for having the guts to actually do it, given that there are all kinds of people out there trying to sell it, he said. On the other hand I dont think its big enough to provide an answer.

Chez theorizes that autism, which has no known cause or cure, may be spurred on by damaged nerve cells. Stem cells, the building blocks of life that can grow into any type of tissue in the body, could repair the damage or create new cells, he said. Such a mechanism would yield results in six to 12 months, the time it takes to create new cells.

Another possibility may be that autism is related to a signaling issue, where cells in the body arent connecting properly. Stem cells may help repair that problem, he said, and would be evident if results are seen within weeks of the injection. A third and more exploratory possibility is the disorder is related to inflammation, an immune system response.

Excerpt from:
Autism Stem-Cell Therapy to Be Tested in Kids in Trials

Newswise ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- How do stem cells preserve their ability to become any type of cell in the body? And how do they decide to give up that magical state and start specializing?

If researchers could answer these questions, our ability to harness stem cells to treat disease could explode. Now, a University of Michigan Medical School team has published a key discovery that could help that goal become reality.

In the current issue of the prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell, researcher Yali Dou, Ph.D., and her team show the crucial role of a protein called Mof in preserving the stem-ness of stem cells, and priming them to become specialized cells in mice.

Their results show that Mof plays a key role in the epigenetics of stem cells -- that is, helping stem cells read and use their DNA. One of the key questions in stem cell research is what keeps stem cells in a kind of eternal youth, and then allows them to start growing up to be a specific type of tissue.

Dou, an associate professor of pathology and biological chemistry, has studied Mof for several years, puzzling over the intricacies of its role in stem cell biology.

She and her team have zeroed in on the factors that add temporary tags to DNA when its coiled around tiny spools called histones. In order to read their DNA, cells have to unwind it a bit from those spools, allowing the gene-reading mechanisms to get access to the genetic code and transcribe it. The temporary tags added by Mof act as tiny beacons, guiding the reader mechanism to the right place.

Simply put, Mof regulates the core transcription mechanism without it you cant be a stem cell, says Dou. There are many such proteins, called histone acetyltransferases, in cells but only MOF is important in undifferentiated cells.

Dou and her team also have published on another protein involved in DNA transcription, called WDR5, that places tags that are important during transcription. But Mof appears to control the process that actually allows cells to determine which genes it wants to read a crucial function for stem-ness. Without Mof, embryonic stem cells lost their self-renewal capability and started to differentiate, she explains.

The new findings may have particular importance for work on induced pluripotent stem cells the kind of stem cells that dont come from an embryo, but are made from adult tissue.

IPCS research holds great promise for disease treatment because it could allow a patient to be treated with stem cells made from their own tissue. But the current way of making IPSCs from tissue involves a process that uses a cancer-causing gene a step that might give doctors and patients pause.

Original post:
Stem Cells Can Become Anything - but Not Without This Protein

Public release date: 21-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, August 21, 2012For the millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes who cannot produce sufficient insulin, the potential to transplant insulin-producing cells could offer hope for a long-term cure. The discovery of a marker to help identify and isolate stem cells that can develop into insulin-producing cells in the pancreas would be a critical step forward and is described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com) The article is available free online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

Pancreatic stem cells, the precursors of insulin-producing cells, have not yet been identified in humans or animals, and there is much debate about where they may reside. Ivka Afrikanova, Ayse Kayali, Ana Lopez, and Alberto Hayek, University of California, San Diego, CA, have identified a biochemical markerstage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA4)that they propose can be used to identify and purify human pancreatic stem cells. The article "Is Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen 4 a Marker for Human Ductal Stem/Progenitor Cells" (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/biores.2012.0235) reports that when grown in culture with high levels of glucose and B27, these SSEA4+ stem cells can differentiate into insulin-producing pancreatic cells.

###

About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal that provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website (http://www.liebertpub.com).

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101

Originally posted here:
New marker for identifying precursors to insulin-producing cells in pancreas

ScienceDaily (Aug. 17, 2012) Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can occur due to sneezing, coughing, exercising or even laughing and happens because the pelvic floor muscles are too weak causing leakage when the bladder is put under pressure. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that a new technique, using stem cells isolated from amniotic fluid, can regenerate damaged urethral sphincter muscles and prevent pressure incontinence in mice.

Although SUI is more common during and after pregnancy, and after the age of 40, one in three women will experience it at some point in their lives. Men can also be affected, especially after prostate surgery. SUI is treatable and in many cases losing weight, reducing caffeine intake, pelvic floor exercises, and bladder training can have very beneficial effects. If this does not work more invasive treatments are necessary, however there can be serious side effects associated with surgery.

Using stem cells to regenerate the damaged or weak muscles has been proposed as an alternative to surgery. But most protocols for harvesting stem cells also require invasive procedures, and often produce very low numbers of viable cells. In contrast amniotic stem cells can be collected easily, and have very low immunogenicity, reducing chances of rejection. Researchers from Kyungpook National University, Korea, investigated the ability of stem cells isolated from human amniotic fluid obtained during routine amniocentesis to regenerate damaged urethral sphincter muscles in mice.

James Yoo and Tae Gyun Kwon, who led this research, explained, "These stem cells are mesenchymal and consequently have the ability to become muscle cells when grown under the right conditions. We found that the stem cells were able to survive for seven days inside the mice but by 14 days they had all disappeared. Nevertheless they were able to induce regeneration of the mouse's own urethral sphincter muscle."

Quite how stem cells are able to retrain the body's own cells is still not fully understood. Not only was muscle regenerated, but this muscle had proper connections to nerves, and was able to improve the pressure required in the bladder before incontinence begins and stops. Humans are already being treated with stem cell therapy for diseases, including diabetes, and since Since amniotic stem cells appeared to cause no immune response or tumour formation, these cells may provide an avenue for future stem cell therapy for humans.

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Saving a penny: Stem cell therapy shows promise in repairing stress urinary incontinence

Advanced Cell Technology Inc.Posted on:20 Aug 12

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that Scotlands NHS Lothian has been confirmed as a site for its Phase I/II human clinical trial for Stargardts Macular Dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

NHS Lothian should be a superb partner for our EU clinical trial for SMD, said Gary Rabin, chairman and CEO of ACT. We are particularly pleased to be working with the Principal Investigator, Professor BaljeanDhillon, and his team. Additionally, we would like to thank the men and women of the Scottish Development Authority and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) for their tireless efforts to help make this history-making clinical trial a reality.

This approved, Phase I/II clinical trial for SMD is a prospective, open-label study designed to determine the safety and tolerability of RPE cells derived from hESCs following sub-retinal transplantation to patients with advanced SMD. It is similar in design to the companys US trials for SMD and dry age-related macular degeneration initiated in July 2011.

SMD represents an important unmet need in the wider clinical arena of macular degeneration, said Professor Dhillon, BMed Sci, BM BS, FRCS, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, NHS Lothian andHonorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh. This trial will evaluate a promising potential new treatment for this condition, using hESC-derived RPE cells.

Professor Marc Turner, Medical Director of SNBTS continued, hESC-derived RPE cells represent one of the first of a new generation of regenerative therapies and is an example of the high quality clinical research being conducted in, and supported by, NHS Scotland which we hope will help to transform medicine over the coming decades.

On July 30, the company announced that the third patient in this SMD clinical trial had been treated.

More information on the companys clinical trials will be posted today on Mr. RabinsChairmans blog.

About Stargardts Disease

Stargardts disease or Stargardts Macular Dystrophy is a genetic disease that causes progressive vision loss, usually starting in children between 10 to 20 years of age. Eventually, blindness results from photoreceptor loss associated with degeneration in the pigmented layer of the retina, called the retinal pigment epithelium, which is the site of damage that the company believes the hESC-derived RPE may be able to target for repair after administration.

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Press Release

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that Scotlands NHS Lothian has been confirmed as a site for its Phase I/II human clinical trial for Stargardts Macular Dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

NHS Lothian should be a superb partner for our EU clinical trial for SMD, said Gary Rabin, chairman and CEO of ACT. We are particularly pleased to be working with the Principal Investigator, Professor BaljeanDhillon, and his team. Additionally, we would like to thank the men and women of the Scottish Development Authority and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) for their tireless efforts to help make this history-making clinical trial a reality.

This approved, Phase I/II clinical trial for SMD is a prospective, open-label study designed to determine the safety and tolerability of RPE cells derived from hESCs following sub-retinal transplantation to patients with advanced SMD. It is similar in design to the companys US trials for SMD and dry age-related macular degeneration initiated in July 2011.

SMD represents an important unmet need in the wider clinical arena of macular degeneration, said Professor Dhillon, BMed Sci, BM BS, FRCS, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, NHS Lothian and Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh. This trial will evaluate a promising potential new treatment for this condition, using hESC-derived RPE cells.

Professor Marc Turner, Medical Director of SNBTS continued, hESC-derived RPE cells represent one of the first of a new generation of regenerative therapies and is an example of the high quality clinical research being conducted in, and supported by, NHS Scotland which we hope will help to transform medicine over the coming decades.

On July 30, the company announced that the third patient in this SMD clinical trial had been treated.

More information on the companys clinical trials will be posted today on Mr. RabinsChairmans blog.

About Stargardts Disease

Stargardts disease or Stargardts Macular Dystrophy is a genetic disease that causes progressive vision loss, usually starting in children between 10 to 20 years of age. Eventually, blindness results from photoreceptor loss associated with degeneration in the pigmented layer of the retina, called the retinal pigment epithelium, which is the site of damage that the company believes the hESC-derived RPE may be able to target for repair after administration.

Excerpt from:
ACT Announces Scotland’s NHS Lothian as Additional Site for EU Clinical Trial Using hESC-Derived RPE Cells for Macular ...

BACKGROUND: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, regenerative medicine is the next evolution of medical treatments. Regenerative medicine offers the potential for the body to heal itself. Scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., were the first in the world to engineer lab-grown organs that were successfully implanted into humans. Now, the team of researchers is working to engineer more than 30 different replacement tissues and organs to develop cell therapies with the goal of curing a variety of diseases. (SOURCE: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine)

LAB-GROWN URETHRAS: Researchers from Wake Forest were the first in the world to use patients own cells to build tailor-made urine tubes in the lab and successfully replace damaged tissue in five boys in Mexico. The boys were unable to urinate due to a pelvic injury. After receiving the lab-grown urethras, all the boys continue to do well with normal or near-normal urinary flow. The urethras were grown on biodegradable mesh scaffolds made of a polyester compound. The scaffolds were seeded with cells taken from the patients own bladders and incubated in the lab for four to seven weeks. They were then used to repair damaged segments of the boys urethras. For us, really, our goal here at the Institute is really to try to complete technologies that we can get to patients to make their lives better, so anytime that were able to do that, improve the quality of patients lives, we feel like thats part of our mission, Anthony Atala, M.D., Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told Ivanhoe.

(SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Dr. Atala and WebMD article)

GROWING EARS: Scientists are working on printing ears in the lab. What we can do is we can take any three dimensional image of an ear, and it can be put into the computer, and that will generate an image within the printer that then prints that specific three dimensional structure, John Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told Ivanhoe. Right now, implants that are commercially-available are hard and rigid. They also cause problems with erosion through the skin. The new, tailor-made ears are flexible and patient-specific. In animal studies, the lab-grown ears have been shown to cause less erosion. The next step is to print the ears for use in humans. To be able to take a structure, generate a 3D implant and have that as a potential treatment for a patient who has lost an ear, thats very exciting, Dr. Jackson told Ivanhoe.

(SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Dr. Jackson)

ENGINEERING MUSCLE: Researchers are also looking to see if they can engineer tissue that resembles muscle to repair small injuries in the body. They take biopsies from skeletal muscles and culture out the stem cells from the muscle. They then seed the cells onto a scaffold and condition the scaffold and a bioreactor to exercise muscle in-vitro. Then, they use that construct as an implant to accelerate regeneration and repair of injured muscle in the body. Scientists have been studying the engineered muscle in animals, and the next step is to try it in humans. For me, personally, its fantastic because you dont often get an opportunity to do research thats not only compelling but that can result in therapies that can help people on a daily basis and really improve their quality of life, George Christ, Ph.D., Professor of Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told Ivanhoe.

(SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Dr. Christ)

More here:
Building Body Parts: Ears, Muscles and More!

Colorado State University veterinarians are looking for cats with chronic kidney disease to participate in a clinical trial involving stem cell therapy.

Felines with chronic kidney disease may benefit from the clinical trial. Kidney disease, or renal failure, is a highly common ailment particularly in older cats.

Currently, other than kidney transplantation, only supportive care home treatments are available to try and slow the progression of the disease. Recent studies have shown that stem cell therapy has the potential to improve kidney function in rodents with kidney failure. In laboratories, stem cells improve renal function, decrease inflammation and scarring in the kidney and improve levels of excess protein in the urine.

What the study involves: Stem cells that have been grown from the fat of young healthy specific-pathogen free cats (the cats are not harmed during the collection process) will be slowly injected intravenously every two weeks for three treatments. A small group of cats will receive a placebo treatment during the trial, but have the option to receive stem cell treatment after finishing the trial. The study involves a minimum of five visits to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, so cats that are stressed or become agitated during veterinary visits, or are not local to the CSU area, are not ideal candidates.

Cats with stable chronic kidney disease can participate in the stem cell study. Those with other illnesses or heart disease, kidney infection, stones or other renal complications cannot be enrolled in the study.

All visits, lab work, stem cell treatments and a $200 stipend for the owner's expenses are funded by CSU's Frankie's Fund for Feline Stem Cell Research and the Morris Animal Foundation.

For more information about enrolling a cat in this study, contact Dr. Jessica Quimby at jquimby@colostate.edu.

Visit link:
CSU vets seeking cats with chronic kidney disease

Here is a list of articles from the California Stem Cell Report as well as CIRM documents dealing with the grant appeal process at the California stem cell agency. The list was prepared on Aug. 16, 2012. To read the entire articles, click on the links.

Emotionalism and Potential Favoritism Cited as Need for Changes in CIRM Grant Appeals
Passion and favoritism, democracy and gamesmanship – all are part of the ongoing discussion among directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency as they try to fix what some of them call a “broken” grant appeal process.

July 19, 2010
UC Davis Scientist Praises CIRM Appeals Change
A stem cell researcher at UC Davis today said a change in the CIRM grant appeals procedure makes “a lot of sense.” Writing on his blog in regard to "extraordinary petitions," Paul Knoepfler said, “I think the proposed change makes a lot of sense and would greatly improve the process. Sometimes the reasons in the petitions are clearly not meritorious and as it now stands, they end up wasting CIRM's time. The last time CIRM received 9 petitions as well, which represented a remarkably large fraction of the total applications. A stricter process would discourage the submission of large numbers of petitions, an important issue given that the number of petitions received by CIRM continues to grow.”

CIRM Finally Discloses Grant Appeal Proposals
The California stem cell agency early today belatedly posted a two-page memo on proposed changes in how it will deal with appeals by scientists whose grant applications have been rejected by reviewers.

July 18, 2010
Sticky, Troubling Appeals by Rejected Researchers Targeted by Stem Cell Agency
A key step in the process for awarding billions of dollars in research grants is “broken,” according to many directors of the California stem cell agency, and major changes are looming that will affect hundreds of scientists.

June 22, 2010
Immunology Grants: CIRM Gives $25 Million to 19 Researchers
Directors of the California stem cell agency today approved $25 million for immunology research, overturning four negative decisions by its grant reviewers. Directors faced a record nine public petitions to reverse its reviewers. After some grumbling, the directors, who see only a summary of the application and reviewer comments, okayed the four.

June 19, 2010
More Grant Appeals Filed: Yamanaka Invoked
The California stem cell agency has set another benchmark, although this is one that it may not want to trot out at international stem cell gatherings. Eight scientists whose applications were rejected for funding by the CIRM grants working group and scientific reviewers are seeking to overturn those decisions at the agency's board meeting in San Diego on Tuesday. It is the largest number of “extraordinary petitions” ever filed and amounts to more than one out of every four applications that were turned down. The total number of applications received was 44. Fifteen were approved. Some of the researchers are likely to appear at the board meeting and make a personal pitch.

May 18, 2010
Competing for California Stem Cell Cash: Rules of the Game Coming Under Scrutiny
Every California stem cell scientist and researcher looking to join the field – be they from academia or business – should pay very close attention to a meeting next week of a key group of directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency. They plan to discuss possible changes in how scientists compete for stem cell cash, which is no small matter since CIRM has another $2 billion to hand out over the next several years.

Pre-application review – CIRM report (Jan. 2010) on the process

Extraordinary petition policy – Version as of 5/25/10

Appeal policy – Version as of 5/25/2010

Transcript of July 20, 2010, meeting of CIRM directors Science Subcommittee. Discussion of petitions begins on page 40.

Transcript of the June 22, 2010, CIRM directors meeting. Discussions of extraordinary petitions begin on pages 24 and 67.

Transcript of 5/25/10 Science Subcommittee meeting dealing with appeals issue. Discussion begins on page 99.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Here is a list of articles from the California Stem Cell Report as well as CIRM documents dealing with the grant appeal process at the California stem cell agency. The list was prepared on Aug. 16, 2012. To read the entire articles, click on the links.

Emotionalism and Potential Favoritism Cited as Need for Changes in CIRM Grant Appeals
Passion and favoritism, democracy and gamesmanship – all are part of the ongoing discussion among directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency as they try to fix what some of them call a “broken” grant appeal process.

July 19, 2010
UC Davis Scientist Praises CIRM Appeals Change
A stem cell researcher at UC Davis today said a change in the CIRM grant appeals procedure makes “a lot of sense.” Writing on his blog in regard to "extraordinary petitions," Paul Knoepfler said, “I think the proposed change makes a lot of sense and would greatly improve the process. Sometimes the reasons in the petitions are clearly not meritorious and as it now stands, they end up wasting CIRM's time. The last time CIRM received 9 petitions as well, which represented a remarkably large fraction of the total applications. A stricter process would discourage the submission of large numbers of petitions, an important issue given that the number of petitions received by CIRM continues to grow.”

CIRM Finally Discloses Grant Appeal Proposals
The California stem cell agency early today belatedly posted a two-page memo on proposed changes in how it will deal with appeals by scientists whose grant applications have been rejected by reviewers.

July 18, 2010
Sticky, Troubling Appeals by Rejected Researchers Targeted by Stem Cell Agency
A key step in the process for awarding billions of dollars in research grants is “broken,” according to many directors of the California stem cell agency, and major changes are looming that will affect hundreds of scientists.

June 22, 2010
Immunology Grants: CIRM Gives $25 Million to 19 Researchers
Directors of the California stem cell agency today approved $25 million for immunology research, overturning four negative decisions by its grant reviewers. Directors faced a record nine public petitions to reverse its reviewers. After some grumbling, the directors, who see only a summary of the application and reviewer comments, okayed the four.

June 19, 2010
More Grant Appeals Filed: Yamanaka Invoked
The California stem cell agency has set another benchmark, although this is one that it may not want to trot out at international stem cell gatherings. Eight scientists whose applications were rejected for funding by the CIRM grants working group and scientific reviewers are seeking to overturn those decisions at the agency's board meeting in San Diego on Tuesday. It is the largest number of “extraordinary petitions” ever filed and amounts to more than one out of every four applications that were turned down. The total number of applications received was 44. Fifteen were approved. Some of the researchers are likely to appear at the board meeting and make a personal pitch.

May 18, 2010
Competing for California Stem Cell Cash: Rules of the Game Coming Under Scrutiny
Every California stem cell scientist and researcher looking to join the field – be they from academia or business – should pay very close attention to a meeting next week of a key group of directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency. They plan to discuss possible changes in how scientists compete for stem cell cash, which is no small matter since CIRM has another $2 billion to hand out over the next several years.

Pre-application review – CIRM report (Jan. 2010) on the process

Extraordinary petition policy – Version as of 5/25/10

Appeal policy – Version as of 5/25/2010

Transcript of July 20, 2010, meeting of CIRM directors Science Subcommittee. Discussion of petitions begins on page 40.

Transcript of the June 22, 2010, CIRM directors meeting. Discussions of extraordinary petitions begin on pages 24 and 67.

Transcript of 5/25/10 Science Subcommittee meeting dealing with appeals issue. Discussion begins on page 99.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss