StemCell Therapy

Public release date: 2-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center

STANFORD, Calif. Stem cells are special. Nestled in muscle and skin, organ and bone, they bide their time over years or decades until called to replace damaged or lost tissue. One secret to their longevity is an enzyme called telomerase, which stills the relentless ticking of the molecular clock that limits the life span of other cells.

This cellular fountain of youth prevents the progressive shortening of the tips of our chromosomes that occurs with each cell division. But the presence of telomerase can be a double-edged sword: The same activity that ensures long life for stem cells can also keep a cancer cell dividing long after its aging neighbors have thrown in the towel. Conversely, a malfunction can prevent stem cells from doing their job and lead to devastating diseases.

Now, for the first time, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified how telomerase is recruited to chromosome ends and figured out a way to block it.

"If telomerase is unable to maintain the ends of the chromosomes, cells will stop multiplying," said professor of medicine Steven Artandi, MD, PhD. "This would be advantageous in cancer cells, but in normal stem cells it can cause severe dysfunction and lead to diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, aplastic anemia and a genetic condition called dyskeratosis congenita. We want to understand how telomerase works, and to develop therapies for cancer and these other diseases."

Artandi is the senior author of the research, which will be published Aug. 3 in Cell. He is also a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute. Graduate student Franklin Zhong is the first author of the study.

Telomerase is normally expressed in adult stem cells and immune cells, as well as in cells of the developing embryo. In these cells, the enzyme caps off the ends of newly replicated chromosomes, allowing unfettered cell division. Without telomerase, cells stop dividing or die when the ends called telomeres fall below a minimum length. Unfortunately, the enzyme is also active in nearly all cancer cells.

Earlier research in Artandi's lab identified a protein called TCAB1 that brings the telomerase complex (actually a large clump of many proteins) to a processing area in the cell's nucleus called a Cajal body. But no one knew how the complex was then ferried to the ends of telomeres, and research was stymied by the complex's large size, multiple components and relative scarcity.

"This problem has been really intractable," said Artandi. "The enzyme is extremely hard to study. But we've now found that telomerase is recruited to the telomeres through an interaction with a protein called TPP1 that coats the ends of chromosomes." What's more, the researchers have identified the exact region of TPP1 to which telomerase binds a section called an OB-fold.

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Research shows how protein component that enables cell replication gets ferried to chromosome tips

ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2012) Stem cells are special. Nestled in muscle and skin, organ and bone, they bide their time over years or decades until called to replace damaged or lost tissue. One secret to their longevity is an enzyme called telomerase, which stills the relentless ticking of the molecular clock that limits the life span of other cells.

This cellular fountain of youth prevents the progressive shortening of the tips of our chromosomes that occurs with each cell division. But the presence of telomerase can be a double-edged sword: The same activity that ensures long life for stem cells can also keep a cancer cell dividing long after its aging neighbors have thrown in the towel. Conversely, a malfunction can prevent stem cells from doing their job and lead to devastating diseases.

Now, for the first time, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified how telomerase is recruited to chromosome ends -- and figured out a way to block it.

"If telomerase is unable to maintain the ends of the chromosomes, cells will stop multiplying," said professor of medicine Steven Artandi, MD, PhD. "This would be advantageous in cancer cells, but in normal stem cells it can cause severe dysfunction and lead to diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, aplastic anemia and a genetic condition called dyskeratosis congenita. We want to understand how telomerase works, and to develop therapies for cancer and these other diseases."

Artandi is the senior author of the research, published Aug. 3 in Cell. He is also a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute. Graduate student Franklin Zhong is the first author of the study.

Telomerase is normally expressed in adult stem cells and immune cells, as well as in cells of the developing embryo. In these cells, the enzyme caps off the ends of newly replicated chromosomes, allowing unfettered cell division. Without telomerase, cells stop dividing or die when the ends -- called telomeres -- fall below a minimum length. Unfortunately, the enzyme is also active in nearly all cancer cells.

Earlier research in Artandi's lab identified a protein called TCAB1 that brings the telomerase complex (actually a large clump of many proteins) to a processing area in the cell's nucleus called a Cajal body. But no one knew how the complex was then ferried to the ends of telomeres, and research was stymied by the complex's large size, multiple components and relative scarcity.

"This problem has been really intractable," said Artandi. "The enzyme is extremely hard to study. But we've now found that telomerase is recruited to the telomeres through an interaction with a protein called TPP1 that coats the ends of chromosomes." What's more, the researchers have identified the exact region of TPP1 to which telomerase binds -- a section called an OB-fold.

"When we mutated this site in TPP1," said Artandi, "we blocked the interaction between the two proteins and prevented telomerase from going to the telomeres. And when we interfered with this interaction in human cancer cells, the telomeres began to shorten." The researchers are now assessing whether the life span of the cancer cells, and their ability to divide unchecked, will also be affected by the treatment.

To confirm their finding, Artandi and his colleagues used cells from patients with pulmonary fibrosis -- a debilitating scarring or thickening of lung tissue associated with telomerase mutations. The disease had been troubling to researchers and clinicians, however, because the patients' mutated telomerase seemed to be fully active when tested in the laboratory. Zhong and Artandi found that the disease-associated mutations occurred in the portion of telomerase that interacted with TPP1, and interfered with their binding. As a result the enzyme, although active, couldn't get to where it was needed.

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How protein component that enables cell replication gets ferried to chromosome tips

Multicolored intestine tissue in genetically modified mice allow scientists to track which cells give rise to tumors. Image: A. G. Schepers et al., Science (2012)

By Gretchen Vogel, ScienceNOW

All too often, cancer that seems to have been wiped out by treatment comes back. Some scientists have blamed so-called cancer stem cells, a subset of cancer cells that might be able to remain dormant, evading chemotherapy or radiation treatments, only to form new tumors months or years later. The idea has been controversial, but three papers published today report evidence that in certain brain, skin, and intestinal tumors, cancer stem cells are the source of tumor growth.

The cancer stem cell model differs from the traditional idea that tumor growth is equal opportunitythat is, any and all cancerous cells can divide and cause the tumor to grow and spread. The stem cell model says that tumor growth is more hierarchical, mainly driven by a subset of cells that can make new copies of themselves and give rise to the other cell types the tumor contains. Some of the first evidence for cancer stem cells came from studies of leukemia in the 1990s, which showed that only a small subset of the cancerous blood cells could propagate the disease in mice. But it has been harder to test whether cancer stem cells fuel the growth of tumors in other tissues.

In the new studies, three independent groups used genetic cell-marking techniques to trace the proliferation of certain cells within growing tumors. The method gives researchers a glimpse of what happens in the real life of a tumor, says Cdric Blanpain, a stem cell researcher at the Universit Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. He and his colleagues report online in Nature that in mouse papilloma tumors, a precursor to skin cancer, most of the tumor growth came from a few cells, which in some ways resembled the stem cells that maintain healthy skin.

In a second paper, also published online today in Nature, developmental biologist Luis Parada and his colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSMC) in Dallas show that in mice that develop glioma, a form of brain cancer, tumor growth seems to come from a small subset of cells in the tumor. They find that the cells can remain dormant during chemotherapy that kills off most of the cancer and can give rise to new tumors once the drug treatment stops.

And in the third paper, published online today in Science, developmental biologists and stem cell researchers Hugo Snippert, Arnout Schepers, Hans Clevers, and their colleagues at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, the Netherlands, used mice with multicolored intestines to look at the kinds of cells that form intestinal adenomas, a precursor to intestinal cancer. The rodents, which the scientists have nicknamed confetti mice, carry genetic markers that can label intestinal cells blue, green, red, or yellow depending on which cell they originate from. The team reports that the adenomas grow from cells that express a gene called Lgr5+, which is also active in normal intestinal stem cells. The tumor is really like a caricature of normal tissue, Snippert says.

Such cell-tracing techniques are the right approach to test the cancer stem cell model, says Sean Morrison, who studies stem cells and cancer at UTSMC and who was not involved in any of the studies. There is now enough evidence to be fairly sure that the model explains at least some types of cancer, he says. Morrison cautions, however, that the studies on papilloma and adenoma looked at precancerous tumors. Indeed, when Blanpain and his colleagues examined mice with squamous cell carcinoma, a malignant outgrowth of the papilloma, they found that most of the cells were actively dividing, not just a small subset of stem-cell-like cells.

Understanding which cancers might grow fromor simply harborcancer stem cells is key to more effective treatments, the researchers say. That is no easy task, however. Morrison notes that tumor growth differs even among patients with the same type of cancer. Still, says Parada, having three examples in which tumors seem to harbor cancer stem cells suggests there will be more. I hope it will bolster and stimulate the community to figure out how to better study the cancer stem cell model, he says. Lets bring this level of scrutiny to all solid tumors.

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Cancer Stem Cells Can Fuel Tumor Growth

(AP) Why does cancer come back after a tumor has been seemingly eradicated? Three new studies from American, Belgian, British and Dutch researchers may have an answer.

Study: Stem cells boost brain tumor treatments

The studies bolster a long-debated idea that tumors contain their own pool of stem cells that can multiply and keep fueling the cancer, seeding regrowth. If that's true, scientists will need to find a way to kill those cells, apart from how they target and attack the rest of the tumor.

Stem cells in healthy tissues are known for their ability to produce any kind of cell. The new research deals with a different kind, cancer stem cells. Some researchers, but not all, believe they lurk as a persisting feature in tumors.

Over the past decade, studies have found evidence for them in tumors like breast and colon cancers. But this research has largely depended on transplanting human cancer cells into mice that don't have immune systems, an artificial environment that raises questions about the relevance of the results.

Now, three studies reported online Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science present evidence for cancer stem cells within the original tumors. Again, the research relies on mice. That and other factors mean the new findings still won't convince everyone that cancer stem cells are key to finding more powerful treatments.

But researcher Luis Parada, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, believes his team is onto something. He says that for the type of brain tumor his team studied, "we've identified the true enemy."

If his finding applies to other cancers, he said, then even if chemotherapy drastically shrinks a tumor but doesn't affect its supply of cancer stem cells, "very little progress has actually been made."

The three studies used labeling techniques to trace the ancestry of cells within mouse tumors.

Collectively, they give "very strong support" to the cancer stem cell theory, said Jeffrey M. Rosen, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He did not participate in the work but supports the theory, which he said is widely accepted.

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Stem cells in tumors may fuel cancer regrowth, new studies suggest

HOUSTON, Aug. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Celltex Therapeutics Corporation, a leader in regenerative medicine services, today announced the appointments of Andrea Ferrenz, Executive Vice President, Legal Counsel, and Jane Shen Young, Manufacturing Research Scientist. Ferrenz's primary responsibility will be overseeing operations, including compliance with federal and state regulatory agencies. Young's primary responsibility will be research and development of manufacturing processes and products in regenerative science.

"Celltex is a fast growing company. The additions of Andrea and Jane will enhance our capabilities as we continue to grow," said David Eller, Chief Executive Officer of Celltex. "At Celltex, we firmly believe in the great therapeutic potential for adult stem cells and we are committed to the highest quality banking and multiplication services for clients and physicians."

Ferrenz has more than 15 years of experience in regulatory compliance and litigation, with expertise in food, drug and health law. Prior to Celltex, Ferrenz was Principal Attorney at Emord & Associates, P.C., in Washington, D.C.There, she counseled both national and international clients in health products industries operating under the jurisdiction of the FDA and FTC.Early in her career, Ferrenz worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Children's National Medical Center's Center for Cancer and Transplantation Biology.

Ferrenz received her Bachelor's degree in biology from University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and her juris doctorate from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.

"As a pioneer in stem cell banking, Celltex is paving the way for this new frontier," said Ferrenz."I hope my background in health and FDA law will be an asset to Celltex and I look forward to helping Celltex grow while maintaining positive relationships with government regulators who work to ensure the safety of health products."

Young joins Celltex from Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. in Middleton, Wisconsin, where she served as Associate Research Scientist. Formerly an Internal physician in the Department of Medicine at Wang-Jiang-Shan Hospital in Zhejiang, China, and a Visiting Scientist and Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry at the Lund University, Sweden, Young has expertise in cell biology, molecular genetics and biochemistry. She has also co-authored publications on the development and optimization of laboratory assays, and cell sort and flow cytometry analysis.

Young received her medical degree from Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Zhejiang, China. She received her doctoral degree from Lund University, Faculty of Medicine in Sweden.

"Stem cell banking is cutting edge technology in a field that holds great potential," noted Young. "Quality and safety are tantamount to the growth of this industry and I am excited to help Celltex provide stem cell banking and multiplication of the highest quality to its clients."

For more information on Celltex Therapeutics Corporation and its staff please visit http://www.CelltexBank.com.

About Celltex

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Celltex Therapeutics Corporation Expands Laboratory Operations And Adds Depth To Its Management Team

NEW YORK (AP) How can a cancer come back after it's apparently been eradicated? Three new studies are bolstering a long-debated idea: that tumors contain their own pool of stem cells that can multiply and keep fueling the cancer, seeding regrowth.

If that's true, scientists will need to find a way to kill those cells, apart from how they attack the rest of the tumor.

Stem cells in healthy tissues are known for their ability to produce any kind of cell. The new research deals with a different kind, cancer stem cells. Some researchers, but not all, believe they lurk as a persisting feature in tumors.

Over the past decade, studies have found evidence for them in tumors like breast and colon cancers. But this research has largely depended on transplanting human cancer cells into mice that don't have immune systems, an artificial environment that raises questions about the relevance of the results.

Now, three studies reported online Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science present evidence for cancer stem cells within the original tumors. Again, the research relies on mice. That and other factors mean the new findings still won't convince everyone that cancer stem cells are key to finding more powerful treatments.

But researcher Luis Parada, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, believes his team is onto something. He says that for the type of brain tumor his team studied, "we've identified the true enemy."

If his finding applies to other cancers, he said, then even if chemotherapy drastically shrinks a tumor but doesn't affect its supply of cancer stem cells, "very little progress has actually been made."

The three studies used labeling techniques to trace the ancestry of cells within mouse tumors.

Collectively, they give "very strong support" to the cancer stem cell theory, said Jeffrey M. Rosen, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He did not participate in the work but supports the theory, which he said is widely accepted.

Another scientist who's skeptical about the theory, and said he has plenty of company, said the new papers did not change his mind.

The rest is here:
Cancer debate: Are tumors fueled by stem cells?

NEW YORK (AP) -- How can a cancer come back after it's apparently been eradicated? Three new studies are bolstering a long-debated idea: that tumors contain their own pool of stem cells that can multiply and keep fueling the cancer, seeding regrowth.

If that's true, scientists will need to find a way to kill those cells, apart from how they attack the rest of the tumor.

Stem cells in healthy tissues are known for their ability to produce any kind of cell. The new research deals with a different kind, cancer stem cells. Some researchers, but not all, believe they lurk as a persisting feature in tumors.

Over the past decade, studies have found evidence for them in tumors like breast and colon cancers. But this research has largely depended on transplanting human cancer cells into mice that don't have immune systems, an artificial environment that raises questions about the relevance of the results.

Now, three studies reported online Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science present evidence for cancer stem cells within the original tumors. Again, the research relies on mice. That and other factors mean the new findings still won't convince everyone that cancer stem cells are key to finding more powerful treatments.

But researcher Luis Parada, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, believes his team is onto something. He says that for the type of brain tumor his team studied, "we've identified the true enemy."

If his finding

The three studies used labeling techniques to trace the ancestry of cells within mouse tumors.

Collectively, they give "very strong support" to the cancer stem cell theory, said Jeffrey M. Rosen, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He did not participate in the work but supports the theory, which he said is widely accepted.

Another scientist who's skeptical about the theory, and said he has plenty of company, said the new papers did not change his mind.

Read the rest here:
Cancer debate: Are tumors fueled by own stem cells?

How can a cancer come back after it's apparently been eradicated? Three new studies are bolstering a long-debated idea: that tumors contain their own pool of stem cells that can multiply and keep fueling the cancer, seeding regrowth.

If that's true, scientists will need to find a way to kill those cells, apart from how they attack the rest of the tumor.

Stem cells in healthy tissues are known for their ability to produce any kind of cell. The new research deals with a different kind, cancer stem cells. Some researchers, but not all, believe they lurk as a persisting feature in tumors.

Over the past decade, studies have found evidence for them in tumors like breast and colon cancers. But this research has largely depended on transplanting human cancer cells into mice that don't have immune systems, an artificial environment that raises questions about the relevance of the results.

Now, three studies reported online Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science present evidence for cancer stem cells within the original tumors. Again, the research relies on mice. That and other factors mean the new findings still won't convince everyone that cancer stem cells are key to finding more powerful treatments.

But researcher Luis Parada, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, believes his team is onto something. He says that for the type of brain tumor his team studied, "we've identified the true enemy."

If his finding applies to other cancers, he said, then even if chemotherapy drastically shrinks a tumor but doesn't affect its supply of cancer stem cells, "very little progress has actually been made."

The three studies used labeling techniques to trace the ancestry of cells within mouse tumors.

Collectively, they give "very strong support" to the cancer stem cell theory, said Jeffrey M. Rosen, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He did not participate in the work but supports the theory, which he said is widely accepted.

Another scientist who's skeptical about the theory, and said he has plenty of company, said the new papers did not change his mind.

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Are tumors fueled by stem cells?

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Cancer / Oncology Also Included In: Stem Cell Research;Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 02 Aug 2012 - 2:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Cancer Stem Cells May Drive Tumor Growth

4 (3 votes)

Papers on all three studies appeared online on Wednesday, two in Nature and one in Science.

In all three studies, the teams used genetic cell-marking techniques to track cell lineage and show that a restricted cell population appears to be the source of new tumor cells, in much the same way as stem cells are the "master builders" of new healthy cells.

GBM is a type of brain cancer that is currently considered incurable. It is a fast-growing tumor with a median survival of about 15 months. Although initially it responds to chemotherapy, the cancer nearly always comes back.

In their study, Parada and colleagues used genetically engineered mice bred to develop GBM and found that the resting tumor cells act more like stem cells.

They used a genetic marker that labels healthy adult neural stem cells, but not their more specialized descendants, to see if it would do the same for cancer stem cells in GBM. When they did so, they found all the tumors contained at least a few labelled cells, which they presumed to be stem cells.

The tumors also contained unlabelled cells, which could be killed with standard chemotherapy, but then the tumors came back soon afterwards. When they tested them again, they found the tumors contained unlabelled cells that came from labelled predecessors.

When they applied chemotherapy with a technique that suppressed the labelled cells, the researchers found the tumors shrank back to what Parada described to Nature NEWS as "residual vestiges" that bore no resemblance to GBM.

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Cancer Stem Cells May Drive Tumor Growth

When cancers are treated, tumors may shrink but then come roaring back. Now studies on three different types of tumors suggest a key reason why: The cancers are fueled by stem cells that chemotherapy drugs don't kill.

The findings made by independent research teams that used mice to study tumors of the brain, intestines and skin could change the approach to fighting cancers in humans, experts said.

Properties of these so-called cancer stem cells can be investigated so researchers can devise strategies for killing them off, said Luis F. Parada, a molecular geneticist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and senior author of one of the studies published Wednesday.

"Everything has a soft underbelly once you understand it well," Parada said. "With all the modern molecular techniques and modern approaches we have, we should be able to find their soft underbelly."

Cancer researchers have long suspected and some pioneering studies have strongly suggested that specific cells within tumors are responsible for their continued growth. But the earlier experiments hadn't convinced everyone, and the hypothesis has been controversial.

The three papers published by the journals Nature and Science "really should seal the deal," said cancer biologist Owen Witte, director of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center at UCLA.

"People can stop arguing," he said. "Now they can say, 'OK, the cells are here. We now need to know how to treat them.' "

All three studies used molecular tricks that allowed scientists to mark certain tumor cells with bright colors. When these marked cells divided, all of the daughter cells were similarly colored. This permitted the researchers to see whether any old cell in a tumor can continue to fuel its growth or if only a subset of cells is responsible.

The three groups used different experimental approaches and different kinds of cancer, but all of them found the latter to be true.

Parada's group, whose work was published in Nature, studied an aggressive cancer called glioblastoma that arises when brain cells called glia turn rogue. The scientists started with a hunch if a cancer stem cell existed, it would have biological similarities to the stem cells that normally exist in the brain.

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Stem cell findings point toward new cancer treatments

CLEARWATER, FL--(Marketwire -08/02/12)- Biostem U.S., Corporation, (HAIR) (HAIR) (Biostem, the Company), a fully reporting public company in the stem cell regenerative medicine sciences sector, Chief Executive Officer Dwight Brunoehler stated, "Dr. Prendergast is a very talented and very active clinical and research surgeon. Biostem is fortunate to have his guidance in our scientific and medical pursuits. He will be playing an ever increasingly important role in the company's future regarding the use of stem cells and regenerative medicine."

According to Dr. Prendergast, "The Robert Wood Johnson Medical School currently has several stem cell related projects including the use of stem cells to reduce the risk of kidney related dysfunction following cardiac surgery. As Biostem grows, I look forward to assisting in implementing the Company's stem cell regenerative medicine goals in multiple areas."

Dr. Prendergast is a clinical cardiothoracic surgeon, who performs 200-250 open-heart operations and 5 to 15 heart transplants each year. He is deeply involved in numerous clinical and research activities associated with stem cells and heart repair. He is presently Director of Cardiac Transplantation at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he holds an Associate Professorship of Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In addition to being an active participant in stem cell research program development and teaching medical students and residents, his other interests include medical research funding and humanitarian development of programs for Disabled American Veterans.

Dr. Prendergast received his undergraduate degrees in biophysics and psychology, as well as his medical degree, at Pennsylvania State University. His general surgery residency was for five years at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His cardiothoracic surgery training was at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, including the Los Angeles County Medical Center. Subsequent fellowship training included pediatric cardiac surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, along with thoracic transplant fellowships at University of Southern California in Los Angeles and at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. He spent three years at the University of Kansas establishing thoracic transplant programs until returning to Temple University Hospital as one of their staff heart and lung transplant surgeons. Subsequent to his time at Temple, he joined up with Newark Beth Israel/St. Barnabas Hospitals, where he assumed directorship as the Chief of Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Assistance.

About Biostem U.S. Corporation

Biostem U.S., Corporation (HAIR) is a fully reporting Nevada corporation with offices in Clearwater, Florida. Biostem U.S. is a technology licensing company with proprietary technology centered on providing hair re-growth using human stem cells. The company also intends to train and license selected physicians to provide Regenerative Cellular Therapy treatments to assist the body's natural approach to healing tendons, ligaments, joints and muscle injuries by using the patient's own stem cells. Biostem U.S. is seeking to expand its operations worldwide through licensing of its proprietary technology and acquisition of existing stem cell related facilities. The company's goal is to operate in the international biotech market, focusing on the rapidly growing regenerative medicine field, using ethically sourced adult stem cells to improve the quality and longevity of life for all mankind.

The company's Board of Directors is headed by Chairman, Scott Crutchfield, who also acts as Senior Vice President of World Wide Operations for Crocs, Inc. (CROX) and includes Crocs, Inc. original member, Steve Beck.

For further information on Biostem U.S. Corporation can be obtained through http://www.biostemus.com or by contacting Fox Communications Group at 310-974-6821.

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Biostem U.S., Corporation Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors Member Appointed Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at ...

Editor's Choice Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 31 Jul 2012 - 14:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Stem Cell Therapy Only Works With Younger Hearts

The researchers, using mice as their subjects, came to the conclusion that undifferentiated precursor cells grow new heart cells in a two-day-old mouse, but not in adult mice. This finding settled a decades-old debate whether or not stem cells can play a role in the recovery of the adult mammalian heart after infarction (when heart tissue dies due to a local lack of oxygen).

Stem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms. They are characterized by the ability to divide through mitosis and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types. They can self-renew to produce more stem cells.

Michael Kotlikoff, dean of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and senior author of the paper that will appear August 29th in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said:

According to Kotlikoff and team, the two-day old mice were able to grow new heart cells and almost completely recover from infarction, which proved that the injury did not stop stem cells from growing new heart cells. The results also showed that adults do not have the requisite stem cells to create new heart cells, called myocytes, because when when the same procedure was carried out on them, no new heart cells formed. However, new blood vessels were created.

Kotlikoff explained that the stem cells in the adult heart "have lost the ability to become heart cells, and are only capable of forming new vessels." At the start of life, single stem cells differentiate into all tissues, but as time goes on these cells become "developmentally restricted" or specialized to form only certain tissues.

Written by Sarah Glynn Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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n.p. "Stem Cell Therapy Only Works With Younger Hearts." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 31 Jul. 2012. Web. 31 Jul. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248478.php>

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Stem Cell Therapy Only Works With Younger Hearts

MANILA, Philippines Talent manager Annabelle Rama revealed that she will be undergoing stem cell therapy in September.

She confirmed this report to The Philippine Stars entertainment columnist Ricky Lo.

Rama said shes been suffering from several illnesses and that stem cell therapy may help make her feel better.

Im suffering from high-blood pressure, high-blood sugar and other ailments and from what I heard, after the therapy I would feel better. Lahat daw yon gagaling, she said.

Rama said her son Richard Gutierrez, who will be paying for the whole procedure, also urged her to have her back problem checked.

Richard wants me to have my scoliosis checked and my lumbar region which are giving me so much pain. So I will have two more injections for that, each costing an extra one thousand euros, she said.

Lo said in his article that the whole package, which will include nine injections, will cost around P1 million.

Meanwhile, although she earlier vented on Twitter her disappointment that her family is against her plan to run for Congress, it seems that her children have changed their mind about politics.

Rama said she is hoping that she will feel renewed after her upcoming stem cell therapy so she will be ready to file her certificate of candidacy as a Cebu congresswoman when she comes back.

Richard and my other children want me to be physically fit for the campaign, Rama said.

Continue reading here:
Annabelle to undergo stem cell therapy

ITHACA, N.Y., July 31 (UPI) -- Stem cells can replace dead heart tissue after a heart attack very early in life, but they lose that ability in adults, U.S. and German researchers say.

Senior author Michael Kotlikoff, dean of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, and colleagues at the University of Bonn said the study involving mice found undifferentiated precursor cells grow new heart cells in a 2-day-old mouse, but not in adult mice.

Kotlikoff said the finding settles a decades-old controversy about whether stem cells can play a role in the recovery of the adult mammalian heart following infarction -- in which heart tissue dies due to artery blockage.

"While the existence of these cells in adults is controversial, if one did have fully capable stem cells in adults, why are there no new heart cells after an infarct? Whether this is due to a lack of stem cells or to something special about the infarct that inhibits stem cells from forming new heart cells is the question we addressed, taking advantage of the fact that the newborn mouse has these cells," Kotlikoff said in a statement.

The study, scheduled to be published in the August issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that 2-day-old mice grew new heart cells and almost completely recovered from infarction, proving that the injury did not inhibit stem cells from growing new heart cells.

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Stem cells repair heart only early in life

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

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced treatment of the final patient in the first patient cohort in its Phase 1/2 clinical trial for Stargardts macular dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The surgery was performed on Friday, July 27 at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, the same site as the first two treatments, by a team of surgeons led by Professor James Bainbridge, consultant surgeon at Moorfields and Chair of Retinal Studies at University College London. The outpatient transplant surgery was performed successfully without any complications, and the patient is recovering uneventfully. This is the tenth patient overall to now be treated with the RPE cell therapy developed by the company.

Our European trial is making very steady progress, having now completed enrollment of the first patient cohort, commented Gary Rabin, chairman and CEO. We are very encouraged and look forward to receiving clearance to initiate the treatment of the second patient cohort in the coming weeks.

The Phase 1/2 trial is designed to determine the safety and tolerability of hESC-derived RPE cells following sub-retinal transplantation in patients with SMD at 12 months, the studys primary endpoint. It will involve a total of 12 patients, with cohorts of three patients each in an ascending dosage format. It is similar in design to the U.S. trial for SMD that was initiated in July 2011.

This is a significant month for the company, continued Mr. Rabin. One year ago we treated the first of our patients in our two U.S. clinical trials. The one-year follow-up for those initial patients indicates that the improvements in visual acuity we initially reported have in fact persisted now for a year. Indeed, we are consistently observing improvements in subjective and objective visual acuity for patients being treated at the various clinical centers involved in our trials. Again, these trials are still at very early stages, but these preliminary results indicate that we are on the right track.

The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has officially designated ACT's human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of SMD.

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.

About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a biotechnology company applying cellular technology in the field of regenerative medicine. For more information, visit http://www.advancedcell.com.

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ACT Treats 10th Patient in Embryonic Stem Cell Trials for Macular Degeneration

MANILA, Philippines Talent manager Annabelle Rama revealed that she will be undergoing stem cell therapy in September.

She confirmed this report to The Philippine Stars entertainment columnist Ricky Lo.

Rama said shes been suffering from several illnesses and that stem cell therapy may help make her feel better.

Im suffering from high-blood pressure, high-blood sugar and other ailments and from what I heard, after the therapy I would feel better. Lahat daw yon gagaling, she said.

Rama said her son Richard Gutierrez, who will be paying for the whole procedure, also urged her to have her back problem checked.

Richard wants me to have my scoliosis checked and my lumbar region which are giving me so much pain. So I will have two more injections for that, each costing an extra one thousand euros, she said.

Lo said in his article that the whole package, which will include nine injections, will cost around P1 million.

Meanwhile, although she earlier vented on Twitter her disappointment that her family is against her plan to run for Congress, it seems that her children have changed their mind about politics.

Rama said she is hoping that she will feel renewed after her upcoming stem cell therapy so she will be ready to file her certificate of candidacy as a Cebu congresswoman when she comes back.

Richard and my other children want me to be physically fit for the campaign, Rama said.

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Annabelle to undergo stem cell therapy

A US federal court rules that procedures in which a patients own stem cells are extracted, manipulated, and reinjected should be regulated by the FDA.

By Bob Grant | July 30, 2012

Leonardini | stock.xchng

After years of legal wrangling, the US District Court in Washington, DC, last week upheld the Food and Drug Administrations power to regulate adult stem cell treatments in which the cells are more than minimally manipulated before being injected back into the patient. The court ruled that the FDA was operating within its legal mandate when it filed suit against Colorado-based stem cell treatment clinic Regenerative Sciences in 2010 to stop them from extracting, processing, and then reinjecting patients own bone marrow stem cells to treat bone and joint disorders.

The FDA argued that the treatment fell under its purview and was subject to approval like any new drug because the extracted cells were significantly modified using reagents that cross state lines. Regenerative Sciences disagreed, characterizing the treatment as a simple medical procedure, which dont require FDA approval. The court sided with the FDA, making similar stem cell clinics popping up in the United States take notice. University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner told Nature that the ruling was spot on. It is much too simplistic to think that stem cells are removed from the body and then returned to the body without a manufacturing process that includes risk of transmission of communicable diseases, he said. Maintaining the FDAs role as watchdog and regulatory authority is imperative.

But Chris Centeno, Regenerative Sciences medical director told Nature that the clinic plans to continue offering patients 3 of its 4 stem cell treatments, in which cells are only processed for 2 days before reinjection. He added that the company will continue to treat patients using the process now prohibited by the FDA in a clinic located in the Cayman Islands and that Regenerative Sciences plans to appeal the courts ruling.

By Edyta Zielinska

The National Institutes of Health will fund 17 projects developing lab-on-a-chip applications to improve drug screening.

By Cristina Luiggi

After treating terminally ill patients with an unauthorized experimental probiotic procedure, two California doctors can no longer participate in human research.

Continued here:
Stem Cell Treatment = Drug

July 30, 2012

Stem cells create new heart cells in baby mice, but not in adults, study shows

Kotlikoff Lab

In a two-day-old mouse, a heart attack causes active stem cells to grow new heart cells; a few months later, the heart is mostly repaired. But in an adult mouse, recovery from such an attack leads to classic after-effects: scar tissue, permanent loss of function and life-threatening arrhythmias.

A new study by Cornell and University of Bonn researchers found that stem cells did not create new heart cells in adult mice after a heart attack, settling a decades-old controversy about whether stem cells play a role in the recovery of the adult mammalian heart following infarction -- the leading cause of sudden death in the developed world -- where heart tissue dies due to artery blockage.

"If you did have fully capable stem cells in adults, why are there no new heart cells after an infarct? And is this due to the lack of stem cells or due to something special about the infarct that inhibits stem cells from forming new heart cells?" asked Michael Kotlikoff, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, and senior author of the paper appearing Aug. 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Beating heart cells

This movie shows beating heart cells in culture that originated as stem cells (look closely around the center of the frame). The researchers used a mouse model where heart cells fluoresced red and undifferentiated stem cells fluoresced green. All of the cells shown in the movie were green at the time of culture and they turn red after they become heart cells. There were no red cells to start, indicating that the origin of the beating red cells was green stem cells. Watch video

Co-author Michelle Steffey, a small-animal surgeon in Cornell's veterinary college, developed a procedure to infarct a neonatal mouse heart that is only one-tenth-of-an-inch wide. "It was a tour-de-force technically to infarct and recover those baby mice," said Kotlikoff.

The baby mice grew new heart cells and almost completely recovered from infarction, proving that the infarction did not inhibit stem cells from growing new heart cells. The same procedure was carried out on adult mice and no new heart cells formed, confirming that adults do not have the requisite stem cells to create new heart cells, called myocytes, though new blood vessel cells were created.

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Stem cells create new heart cells in baby mice, but not in adults, study shows

Public release date: 30-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Laura Bailey baileylm@umich.edu 734-647-1848 University of Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich.In the first human study of its kind, researchers found that using stem cells to re-grow craniofacial tissuesmainly boneproved quicker, more effective and less invasive than traditional bone regeneration treatments.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research partnered with Ann Arbor-based Aastrom Biosciences Inc. in the clinical trial, which involved 24 patients who required jawbone reconstruction after tooth removal.

Patients either received experimental tissue repair cells or traditional guided bone regeneration therapy. The tissue repair cells, called ixmyelocel-T, are under development at Aastrom, which is a U-M spinout company.

"In patients with jawbone deficiencies who also have missing teeth, it is very difficult to replace the missing teeth so that they look and function naturally," said Darnell Kaigler, principal investigator and assistant professor at the U-M School of Dentistry. "This technology and approach could potentially be used to restore areas of bone loss so that missing teeth can be replaced with dental implants."

William Giannobile, director of the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research and chair of the U-M Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, is co-principal investigator on the project.

The treatment is best suited for large defects such as those resulting from trauma, diseases or birth defects, Kaigler said. These defects are very complex because they involve several different tissue typesbone, skin, gum tissueand are very challenging to treat.

The main advantage to the stem cell therapy is that it uses the patient's own cells to regenerate tissues, rather than introducing man-made, foreign materials, Kaigler said.

The results were promising. At six and 12 weeks following the experimental cell therapy treatment, patients in the study received dental implants. Patients who received tissue repair cells had greater bone density and quicker bone repair than those who received traditional guided bone regeneration therapy.

Continued here:
Stem cell therapy could offer new hope for defects and injuries to head, mouth

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2012) Stem cells can actually replace dead heart tissue after a heart attack very early in life -- but those same cells lose that regenerative ability in adults, according to researchers at Cornell University and the University of Bonn.

The study, using mice as subjects, found that undifferentiated precursor cells grow new heart cells in a two-day-old mouse, but not in adult mice, settling a decades-old controversy about whether stem cells can play a role in the recovery of the adult mammalian heart following infarction -- where heart tissue dies due to artery blockage.

"While the existence of these cells in adults is controversial, if one did have fully capable stem cells in adults, why are there no new heart cells after an infarct? Whether this is due to a lack of stem cells or to something special about the infarct that inhibits stem cells from forming new heart cells is the question we addressed, taking advantage of the fact that the newborn mouse has these cells," said Michael Kotlikoff, dean of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and senior author of the paper. The paper will appear Aug. 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Kotlikoff and his fellow researchers found that two-day-old mice grew new heart cells and almost completely recovered from infarction, proving that the injury did not inhibit stem cells from growing new heart cells. The same procedure was carried out on adult mice and no new heart cells formed, confirming that adults do not have the requisite stem cells to create new heart cells, called myocytes, though new blood vessel cells were created.

The stem cells found in the adult heart "have lost the ability to become heart cells, and are only capable of forming new vessels," Kotlikoff said. Single stem cells differentiate into all tissues at the start of life, but over time these cells become "developmentally restricted" or specialized to form only certain tissues.

Sophie Jesty, Michele Steffey, and Frank Lee are the paper's lead authors and the work is part of a long-term collaboration with Professor Bernd Fleischmann's team at the University of Bonn.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, New York State Stem Cell Science and the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.

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Stem cells repair hearts early in life, but not in adults