13-02-2012 13:27 NC State neurologist Dr. Natasha Olby is studying a promising new treatment for paralyzed dogs. Olby has used stem cell treatments to restore partial use of the legs and bladder control to dogs with spinal cord injuries. Her research holds promise for humans, too. A full transcript of this video is available at http://www.ncsu.edu
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Stem cell treatments for paralyzed dogs - Video
Public release date: 1-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephen Dalton sdalton@uga.edu 706-542-9857 University of Georgia
Athens, Ga. Despite the promise associated with the therapeutic use of human stem cells, a complete understanding of the mechanisms that control the fundamental question of whether a stem cell becomes a specific cell type within the body or remains a stem cell hasuntil noweluded scientists.
A University of Georgia study published in the March 2 edition of the journal Cell Stem Cell, however, creates the first ever blueprint of how stem cells are wired to respond to the external signaling molecules to which they are constantly exposed. The finding, which reconciles years of conflicting results from labs across the world, gives scientists the ability to precisely control the development, or differentiation, of stem cells into specific cell types.
"We can use the information from this study as an instruction book to control the behavior of stem cells," said lead author Stephen Dalton, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Molecular Biology and professor of cellular biology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "We'll be able to allow them to differentiate into therapeutic cell types much more efficiently and in a far more controlled manner."
The previous paradigm held that individual signaling molecules acted alone to set off a linear chain of events that control the fate of cells. Dalton's study, on the other hand, reveals that a complex interplay of several molecules controls the "switch" that determines whether a stem cell stays in its undifferentiated state or goes on to become a specific cell type, such as a heart, brain or pancreatic cell.
"This work addresses one of the biggest challenges in stem cell researchfiguring out how to direct a stem cell toward becoming a specific cell type," said Marion Zatz, who oversees stem cell biology grants at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which partially supported the work.
"In this paper, Dr. Dalton puts together several pieces of the puzzle and offers a model for understanding how multiple signaling pathways coordinate to steer a stem cell toward differentiating into a particular type of cell. This framework ultimately should not only advance a fundamental understanding of embryonic development, but facilitate the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine."
To get a sense of how murky the understanding of stem cell differentiation was, consider that previous studies reached opposite conclusions about the role of a common signaling molecule known as Wnt. About half the published studies found that Wnt kept a molecular switch in an "off" position, which kept the stem cell in its undifferentiated, or pluripotent, state. The other half reached the opposite conclusion.
Could the same Wnt molecule be responsible for both outcomes? As it turns out, the answer is yes. Dalton's team found that in small amounts, Wnt signaling keeps the stem cell in its pluripotent state. In larger quantities, it does the opposite and encourages the cell to differentiate.
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UGA study reveals basic molecular 'wiring' of stem cells
Newswise TAMPA, Fla. (March 1, 2012) A team of 18 researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have found that treating high-risk, soft tissue sarcoma patients with a combination of implanted dendritic cells (immune system cells) and fractionated external beam radiation (EBRT) provided more than 50 percent of their trial patients with tumor-specific immune responses lasting from 11 to 42 weeks.
Their study was published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics (Vol. 82, No. 2), the journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Sarcomas are relatively rare forms of cancer with about 10,000 new cases in the U.S. annually, said study co-author Dmitry Gabrilovich, M.D., Ph.D., senior member of the Moffitt Department of Immunology.
The authors note that because 50 percent of patients with large, high-grade soft tissue sarcomas develop distant metastasis, new, effective treatments are needed.
Unfortunately, conventional therapy for large, high-grade tumors is frequently systematically ineffective, making this a very deadly problem, Gabrilovich said.
According to the researchers, administration of dendritic cells has been found to be a promising method for producing an immune response because dendritic cells process antigen material and present it to other immune cells. Dendritic cells act as immune system messengers.
Many studies have shown that preoperative radiotherapy and surgery is effective in treating many soft tissue sarcomas with high-risk features, said Gabrilovich. We designed our study to investigate the effect of combining the administration of dendritic cells and EBRT for patients with soft tissue, high-risk sarcomas.
The researchers hypothesized that if dendritic cell implants were combined with EBRT (the most common kind of radiotherapy treatment that not only can kill tumor cells but release tumor antigens) the combination therapy might be complimentary when the dendritic cells helped process tumor antigens released by the EBRT treatment.
The combination treatment resulted in dramatic increases in immune T cells in the tumors, explained Gabrilovich. The presence of T cells in the tumors positively correlated with the development of tumor-specific immune responses.
An important finding in this study was that no patient had significant tumor specific immune responses before the combined therapy. After the combination treatment, tumor specific responses were observed in 52.9 percent of trial patients.
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Researchers Find Sarcoma Tumor Immune Response With Combination Therapy
28-02-2012 12:11 Joyce Evans shows us a type of therapy that some athletes swear by. Using stem cells to heal sports and tissue related injuries. Fox 29, WTXF Reports.
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Stem Cell Therapy With Wraps - Video
HOUSTON - A possible cure for hearing loss in children....that's what physicians are hoping to achieve from the first ever FDA-approved study of stem cells to treat hearing loss in children.
The folks over at Memorial Hermann are studying the safety of using a child's own umbilical cord blood stem cells.....to repair a damaged inner ear.
If it's a success....it would become the first treatment to restore normal hearing.
It has been the most painful thing Ive ever gone through, having to see your child go through challenges its very difficult, very hard, said Wilma Shay.
Wilma Shay's 2 year old son Shane was born premature and failed his newborn hearing test.
A month after getting him home....she knew something was wrong.
Once I just stood behind him and clapped my hands real hard and he didnt move so I said okay lets get him checked out , said Shay.
Hes not hearing well, he has profound hearing loss on both ears. He has severe speech delay as well because of the profound hearing loss, said Shanes ENT at Memorial Hermann, Dr. Sancak Yuksel.
Shane was diagnosed with auditory neuropathy...where sound enters the ear normally, but the transmission of signals from the inner ear to the brain are impaired.
I have him in several days of speech therapy and I also work with him at home, said Shay.
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Stem Cells Could Cure Hearing Loss
Calvin Cole is president of StemCyte in Covina, which stores stem cells gathered from umbilical cord blood. StemCyte has forged partnerships with many hospitals and national organizations to accept and process cord blood donations and make stem cell treatment available for patients across the country. (Sarah Reingewirtz / Staff Photographer)
COVINA - Calvin Cole likes to refer to StemCyte as "the American Red Cross of stem cells."
Housed in a 40,000-square-foot building at 1589 Industrial Park St. in Covina, StemCyte is one of the most accredited and experienced cord- blood banks in the world.
"Right now, we have more than 36,000 high-quality cord-blood units under our management," Cole said.
StemCyte has forged partnerships with many hospitals and national organizations to accept and process cord-blood donations and make cord blood available for patients across the country.
It is one of the very few family blood banks that specialize in both private banking and public banking.
So exactly what is cord blood?
Umbilical cord blood remains in the placenta and in the attached umbilical cord after childbirth. It's collected because it contains stem cells that can be used to treat a variety of cancers and other genetic disorders.
But first it must be processed - and stored.
"They put in anti-coagulants and then it's manipulated," Cole said. "Some products are discarded and some additives are added to preserve the cells. Then they are frozen to 200 degrees below zero."
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StemCyte provides both public and private cord blood banking
By Andrew Winner
There are those who say theres a use for every little thing in this world, no matter how vile or off-putting. An enterprising dentist is doing his part to prove that's true. Japanese dental researchers have found that halitosis -- that is, bad breath -- is an ideal incubator for cultivating hepatic (liver) cells.
In a finding that could have far-reaching impacts on diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons, stem cells harvested from human dental pulp became liver cells at an astonishing rate when incubated with hydrogen sulphide, the chemical compound responsible for bad breath.
Talk about the ultimate silver lining. The study was published Monday in IOP Publishing's Journal of Breath Research.
Stem cell therapy treats damaged tissue by introducing new cells, but it can sometimes be difficult to safely and effectively produce these new cells. Study author Dr. Ken Yagaeki and his team at Nippon Dental University believe the use of stem cells from dental pulp could eventually replace existing methods of stem cell production, two of which use human bone marrow and fetal bovine serum as source material. In fact, Yagaeki went out on a limb to show that dental pulp is a viable source of stem cells.
For Yagaeki, observing the resilience of teeth plagued by cavities made him wonder if there werent more stem cells in dental pulp than previously thought. Despite some skepticism from colleagues, he reports that 60-80 percent of human dental pulp cells are stem cells, up markedly from the previous estimate of 1 percent.
Although nobody reported regeneration of those tissues from dental pulp, I had a hypothesis that dental pulp would be a good source of somatic stem cells, Dr. Yagaeki wrote in an e-mail. Of course all people denied my hypothesis. In the meeting of International Association for Dental Research, a chairman of my session called us as stupid.
After this vindicating discovery, Yagaeki looked to test the impact of halitosis on the development of stem cells into hepatic cells.
After stem cells were harvested from the center of human teeth (dont worry the teeth extractions were part of normal dental treatments), the samples were then split into test and control groups. Using a battery of tests, researchers were able to show that a very high percentage of the stem cells incubated in an environment with hydrogen sulphide successfully became hepatic cells.
It was a lucky discovery. Initially, Yagaeki had attempted to learn about negative effects of hydrogen sulphide on the samples before noticing that in small concentrations, the compound had the opposite effect.
By David Cyranoski of Nature magazine
With Texas pouring millions of dollars into developing adult stem-cell treatments, doctors there are already injecting paying customers with unproven preparations, supplied by an ambitious new company.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any such stem-cell treatment for routine clinical use, although it does sanction them for patients enrolled in registered clinical trials. Some advocates of the treatments argue, however, that preparations based on a patient's own cells should not be classed as drugs, and should not therefore fall under the FDA's jurisdiction.
There are certainly plenty of people eager to have the treatments. Texas governor Rick Perry, for instance, has had stem-cell injections to treat a back complaint, and has supported legislation to help create banks to store patients' harvested stem cells.
One company that has benefited from this buoyant climate is Celltex Therapeutics, which "multiplies and banks" stem cells derived from people's abdominal fat, according to chairman and chief executive David Eller. Its facility in Sugar Land, just outside Houston, opened in December 2011 and houses the largest stem-cell bank in the United States.
Celltex was founded by Eller and Stanley Jones, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed Perry's procedure, and it uses technology licensed from RNL Bio in Seoul. Because clinical use of adult-stem-cell treatments are illegal in South Korea, RNL has since 2006 sent more than 10,000 patients to clinics in Japan and China to receive injections.
Celltex says that although it processes and banks cells, it does not carry out stem-cell injections. It declined to answer Nature's questions about whether its cells have been used in patients. But there is evidence that the company is involved in the clinical use of the cells on US soil, which the FDA has viewed as illegal in other cases.
Public hype
In addition to the publicity surrounding Perry's treatment, a woman named Debbie Bertrand has been blogging about her experiences during a five-injection treatment with cells prepared at Celltex. Her blog (http://debbiebertrand.blogspot.com) hosts photographs of herself alongside Jones; Jennifer Novak, a Celltex nurse; Jeong Chan Ra, chief executive of RNL Bio; and her doctor, Jamshid Lotfi, a neurologist who works for the United Neurology clinic in Houston. Another photo is captioned: "My cells are being processed in here for my next infusion!!!" A third shows Bertrand, Lotfi and a physician called Matthew Daneshmand, who is, according to the caption, injecting Bertrand's stem cells into an intravenous drip, ready for the infusion. Nature has been unable to contact Bertrand.
Lotfi says that he has administered cells processed by Celltex to more than 20 people. "Five or six" -- including Bertrand -- have multiple sclerosis and "four or five" have Parkinson's disease, he says. Lotfi explains that patients sign up for treatment by contacting Novak, and that cells are prepared by removing about five grams of fat -- containing roughly 100,000 mesenchymal stem cells -- from the patient's abdomen. Over a three-week period, the cells are cultured until they reach about 800 million cells. Lotfi says that patients get at least three injections of 200 million cells each, and that the cells do not take effect for a few months. According to Lotfi, Celltex charges US$7,000 per 200 million cells, and pays Lotfi $500 per injection.
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Stem-Cell Therapy Takes Off in Texas
Women may make new eggs throughout their reproductive yearschallenging a longstanding tenet that females are born with finite supplies, a new study says. The discovery may also lead to new avenues for improving women's health and fertility.
A woman has two ovaries, which release eggs during her monthly ovulation.(Learn more about the human body.)
Previous research had suggested that a woman is born with all the egg cells she will ever have in her lifetime.
But in recent experiments, scientists discovered a new type of stem cell in the ovaries thatwhen grown in the labgenerates immature egg cells.The same immature cells isolated from adult mouse ovaries canturn into fertile eggs.
Stem cells,found in embryos and certain adult body tissues, have the potential to grow into many different types of cells.
(See"Liposuction Fat Turned Into Stem Cells, Study Says.")
The finding reinforces the team's previous experiments in mice, which had identified a new type of ovarian stem cell that renews a female mouse's source of eggs throughout its fertile years.
That study, published in the journal Nature in 2004, was the "first to reach the conclusion that this long-held belief in our fieldthat young girls are given a bank account at birth that you can no longer deposit eggs to, just withdraw fromwas no longer true," said study leaderJonathan Tilly.
By reinforcing these earlier results in people, the new study is a "big step forward" from the mouse work, emphasized Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
From a purely biological perspective, the concept that a woman would continually generate new eggs during her reproductive years makes sensesince men constantly replenish their sperm, Tilly added. (Read how men produce 1,500 sperm a second.)
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Women Can Make New Eggs After All, Stem-Cell Study Hints
20-12-2011 08:50 If you would like more information please call us Toll Free at 877-578-7908. Or visit our website at http://www.usastemcells.com Or click here to have a Free Phone Constultation with Dr. Matthew Burks usastemcells.com Real patient testimonials for USA Stem Cells. Adult stem cell therapy for COPD, Emphysema, and Pulmonary fibrosis.
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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which examines ethical issues raised by new developments in biology and medicine, launched a consultation on Thursday on the ethics of new technologies and devices that intervene in the human brain.
The three main areas of the group's focus are brain-computer interfaces, neurostimulation and neural stem cell therapy.
Here are some details about each area of research and how it is being explored.
* Brain computer interfaces (BCIs)
BCIs measure and analyse a person's brain signals and convert them into an output such as movement.
A paralysed person, for example, could use a BCI to operate a wheelchair, or someone who has extreme difficulty speaking could use a BCI to communicate via a computer voice.
These sorts of applications have been shown to be successful in a few reported cases, but the technology has not yet been developed for regular clinical use and there are questions over whether these technologies are reliable enough for use in everyday life.
Military applications, such as remote control of vehicles and machinery are not yet in wide use but are being researched and tested, mainly in the United States.
Some commercial BCI developments are already on the market in the gaming sector. Gamers can buy a wireless headset that aims to replace a joystick by controlling game play through brain signals.
The use of BCIs sometimes require surgery to implant electrodes into a person's brain, although the most successful current developments are less invasive ones That detect brain signals from the scalp.
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Factbox - Neurotechnologies in spotlight of UK ethics review
Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico has been granted full accreditation for its clinical stem cell trials
Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) February 29, 2012
We are pleased that RMI undertook this process, says David Audley, executive director of the ICMS. The clinic understood that patient safety can only be assured through strict evaluation and rigorous oversight. From day one they have embraced the transparency that this program requires.
RMI is the first clinic to achieve this status under the ICMS Accreditation Program. The clinic has undergone two separate site audits as well as an institutional review board review evaluation. Most importantly, the clinic has placed in excess of 50 patients into the Treatment Registry for long-term outcome tracking. The safety profile has been excellent, continued Audley. We have tracked patients over at least two follow-ups and a minimum of six months and not seen a single cell-related adverse event.
The ICMS is currently evaluating nearly a dozen clinics worldwide. Accreditation is based upon the Guidelines for the Practice of Cell-Based Medicine developed and published by the ICMS. Key components of these guidelines are the ethical recruitment of patients, proper consent of patients and compliance with local laws and regulations in the treatment of patients.
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Mr. David Audley International Cellular Medicine Society 503-884-6590 Email Information
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International Cellular Medicine Society Grants First Worldwide Accreditation to Tijuana Clinical Trial
SAN DIEGO, CA and PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire -02/28/12)- Medistem Inc. (Pinksheets: MEDS.PK - News) announced today its Annual "Evening with Medistem" Event will take place in Portland, Oregon on March 7th, 2012. The event is being hosted by Vladimir Zaharchook, Vice Chairman at Medistem, Inc., and will feature stem cell luminaries and pioneers working with Medistem including Dr. Amit Patel, Director of Regenerative Medicine at University of Utah and the first person to administer stem cells into patients with heart failure, Dr. Michael Murphy, Vascular Surgeon at Indiana University and Principal Investigator for Medistem's FDA clinical trial in patients with risk of amputation, and Dr. Alan Lewis, former CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, advisory board member of Medistem.
In 2007 Medistem discovered an entirely new type of stem cell, the Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC). This cell has proven it is a "universal donor" and can be used to treat many more conditions compared to other types of stem cells. The company received FDA clearance to begin clinical trials in September of 2011 for critical limb ischemia, a condition that is associated with amputation. Medistem is also running a Phase II clinical trial for heart failure using the new stem cell. The ERC stem cell does not involve the highly controversial use of fetal tissue, can be produced very economically and administered to the patient in a very simple manner. Medistem is exploring ways to expand clinical trials of its stem cell into other diseases.
"Stem cells and regenerative medicine offer hope in clinical conditions in which hope previously did not exist," said Dr. Stanley Cohan, Head of Neurology at the St Vincent's Hospital, the largest center for treatment of multiple sclerosis in the Pacific Northwest, who will be attending the event. "We are honored in the Portland community to have this distinguished team of accomplished researchers and medical doctors convene here and discuss with us possible collaborations."
"As a long-time member of the Portland academic community, it is exciting to have companies such as Medistem to visit us and share their experiences 'from the trenches' of what it takes to push a cellular drug through the FDA," said Dr. Shoukrat Milipotiv, Associate Scientist in the Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences of ONPRC, Oregon Stem Cell Center and Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Molecular & Medical Genetics, and co-director of the ART/ESC core at the Center. He is an internationally recognized researcher in the area of stem cells.
"The Event is an annual celebration to honor our team and collaborators for the successes of the previous year, while at the same time educate the local business and medical community on the latest research on stem cells not just at Medistem but internationally," said Thomas Ichim, Ph.D Chief Executive Officer of Medistem Inc. "2012 is particularly exciting for us due to approvals for two clinical trials, and the initiation of patient treatments within this context."
About Medistem Inc.
Medistem Inc. is a biotechnology company developing technologies related to adult stem cell extraction, manipulation, and use for treating inflammatory and degenerative diseases. The company's lead product, the endometrial regenerative cell (ERC), is a "universal donor" stem cell being developed for critical limb ischemia and heart failure.
Cautionary Statement
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of our securities. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. Factors which may cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
28-02-2012 16:16 Albert Rodriguez, MD administers stem cell therapy for Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. stemcelldrR.com, email airpainmd@aol.com
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Stem Cell Therapy Procedure and Outcome - Video
SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, announced today Goldman Small Cap Research has reissued its buy recommendation on Nuvilex with a short term price target of $0.50 per share.
According to the research report prepared by Goldman, The current share price represents but a fraction of its true value, in our view. With recently increased interest and valuation in the pancreatic cancer treatment arena, we believe that Nuvilex is worth $0.20 just on the oncology therapies alone and that the shares will reach $0.50 in the next six months. Looking ahead, as milestone events occur, $1.00 per share is within reach over the next 12-18 months.
Goldman bases this value projection, in part, on the pending acquisition of SG Austria assets, and with it complete control over the cell encapsulation technology that forms the backbone of Nuvilexs planned biotechnology development. The report states in part the following:
Following execution of the SG Austria asset acquisition, we expect to see a flurry of events and progress on the development side which will serve as catalysts, including when management submits its protocol for the next stage pancreatic cancer trial. We would not be surprised to see the stock break through the $0.50 price on such news as well as progress on the next stage of trials for other therapies.
One reason we are so convinced of the great buying opportunity is the fact that pancreatic cancer treatments are currently at the forefront of the biotech space and are enjoying very high valuations. Although Nuvilex is a not a drug producer, but an existing therapy enhancer through the use of its live cell encapsulation enhancement platform, the timing of these milestone events could not be better for Nuvilex and a re-valuation of its offering.
The Goldman report also compares alternative oncology therapies, including Gemzar from Threshold Pharmaceuticals and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals drug encapsulation technology, noting that, contrary to these treatments, the Nuvilex live-cell encapsulation technology is not limited to one specific use, but can be adapted to use for a host of cell types. The report states, Its difficult to compare apples-to-apples in this space as Nuvilex is the only firm utilizing live-cell encapsulation therapy for cancer, while all the other treatments are based upon a particular drug usage. Contrasting the results of different Phase II clinical trials, the Goldman report comments that the pancreatic cancer therapy, based on completed Phase 1/2 data, appears to have yielded statistically greater results than competing technologies.
Commenting on The Goldman Report, Nuvilex Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Robert Ryan, stated, The report did an excellent job highlighting the value and capabilities of our cell encapsulation technology, not just for cancer therapy, but also for the vast array of treatments where live-cell encapsulation can aid multiple diseases. In the case of the completed cancer trials, it generated superior results with lower drug dosages, and reduced chemotherapeutic side effects. As we move forward with diabetes and stem cell therapy treatments, we are confident our success will, as Goldman predicts prompt leaders in multiple treatment segments to partner with Nuvilex in order to maintain their respective market shares.
Investors are recommended to study the Goldman Research Report for a detailed review and valuation methodology regarding Nuvilex.
About Nuvilex
Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have isolated egg producing stem cells from human ovarian tissues.
Scientists at the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, MGH used a special fluorescence-activated cell sorting protocol in mice models to grow new eggs from isolated stem cells.
The new study is seen as a precursor to solving fertility issues in women of reproductive ages. If made viable, the study could benefit young women undergoing cancer therapy and older women who have to resort to egg donors.
The current breakthrough challenges the widely-accepted notion that while men generate sperms throughout life, women are born with a fixed supply of eggs that deplete with age and are finally exhausted at menopause.
The current research, published in the March issue of Nature Medicine is a follow-up on an earlier landmark 2004 Nature paper suggesting that female mammals have the capability of producing egg cells throughout their adult reproductive stages.
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"The discovery of oocyte precursor cells in adult human ovaries, coupled with the fact that these cells share the same characteristic features of their mouse counterparts that produce fully functional eggs, opens the door for development of unprecedented technologies to overcome infertility in women and perhaps even delay the timing of ovarian failure," said Jonathan Tilly, lead researcher and Director for Reproductive Biology at the MGH Vincent Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
To examine their arguments, the researchers injected green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled mouse oocyte-producing stem cells (OSCs) into the ovaries of normal adult mice. Several months later, the recipient mouse ovaries showed the presence of follicles containing oocytes (immature egg cells) with and without the marker protein. Similar GFP-labeled and unlabeled oocytes were observed in cell clusters flushed from the animals' oviducts after induced ovulation.
The GFP-labeled mouse eggs were fertilized in the lab to produce embryos that went on to the hatching blastocyst cell reproductive stages, indicating potential for normal egg cell development.
According to Tilly, "In this paper we provide the three key pieces of evidence requested by those who have been skeptical of our previous work."We developed and extensively validated a cell-sorting protocol to reliably purify OSCs from adult mammalian ovaries, proving once again that these very special cells exist. We tested the function of mouse oocytes produced by these OSCs and showed that they can be fertilized to produce healthy embryos. And we identified and characterized an equivalent population of oocyte-producing stem cells isolated from adult human ovaries", he added.
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Ovarian Stem Cells Holds Promise for Infertile Women: Study
Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico has been granted full accreditation for its clinical stem cell trials
Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) February 29, 2012
We are pleased that RMI undertook this process, says David Audley, executive director of the ICMS. The clinic understood that patient safety can only be assured through strict evaluation and rigorous oversight. From day one they have embraced the transparency that this program requires.
RMI is the first clinic to achieve this status under the ICMS Accreditation Program. The clinic has undergone two separate site audits as well as an institutional review board review evaluation. Most importantly, the clinic has placed in excess of 50 patients into the Treatment Registry for long-term outcome tracking. The safety profile has been excellent, continued Audley. We have tracked patients over at least two follow-ups and a minimum of six months and not seen a single cell-related adverse event.
The ICMS is currently evaluating nearly a dozen clinics worldwide. Accreditation is based upon the Guidelines for the Practice of Cell-Based Medicine developed and published by the ICMS. Key components of these guidelines are the ethical recruitment of patients, proper consent of patients and compliance with local laws and regulations in the treatment of patients.
###
Mr. David Audley International Cellular Medicine Society 503-884-6590 Email Information
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International Cellular Medicine Society Grants First Worldwide Accreditation to Tijuana Clinical Trial
24-02-2012 12:40 Dr. Michael Jumper answers questions about Coats Diseases at the 2012 Pediatric Retinal Vascular Disease Conference in San Francisco, California.
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Q: Can gene therapy or stem cell therapy save Coats' eyes? - Video
London, Feb 29 : Children shot with their own stem cells, for the very first time in a rare immune disorder, have shown improvement.
The condition, known as X-CGD, is caused by faulty genes. Doctors were able to take a sample of the children's stem cells, manipulate them in the lab and reintroduce them. This gave the children a working copy of the faulty gene and their condition improved, enabling them to temporarily fight off infections.
It is the third immune disorder that doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital have successfully tackled. The others were the life-threatening conditions, X-SCID and ada-SCID, and 90 percent of treated children have improved, with some showing signs that their immune system has been normalised for good.
Remy Helbawi, 16, from South London, was the first child with X-CGD to be treated. The condition only affects boys and means that while his body produces the white blood cells to fight viruses it does not have the correct cells to fight off bacterial or fungal infections, The Telegraph reports.
The resulting infections can be life-threatening. Up until now the only treatment has been a bone marrow transplant which would offer a permanent cure.
Remy's brother who also had the disease was found a bone marrow match and was successfully treated that way but no match has been found for Remy and a serious lung infection was threatening his life.
Remy said: "Until I was 10 I had the same life as anyone else, except I had eczema a lot of the time. I didn't have a fungal infection until about ten, but when I got my first fungal infection my life changed. I missed a lot of school, I had lots of tests and was in hospital. I would get exhausted after climbing stairs."
Before undergoing the gene therapy, Remy had to have chemotherapy which made his hair fall out and he was kept in isolation for a month.
Remy's nurse Helen Braggins said: "Remy had been unwell for last two years and began to miss school. He had significant fungal lung disease in January of last year, which was getting worse. Without some radical treatment intervention, Remy would not have survived and was becoming increasingly short of breath." (IANS)
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Children improve in rare disorder with own stem cells
SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, announced today Goldman Small Cap Research has reissued its buy recommendation on Nuvilex with a short term price target of $0.50 per share.
According to the research report prepared by Goldman, The current share price represents but a fraction of its true value, in our view. With recently increased interest and valuation in the pancreatic cancer treatment arena, we believe that Nuvilex is worth $0.20 just on the oncology therapies alone and that the shares will reach $0.50 in the next six months. Looking ahead, as milestone events occur, $1.00 per share is within reach over the next 12-18 months.
Goldman bases this value projection, in part, on the pending acquisition of SG Austria assets, and with it complete control over the cell encapsulation technology that forms the backbone of Nuvilexs planned biotechnology development. The report states in part the following:
Following execution of the SG Austria asset acquisition, we expect to see a flurry of events and progress on the development side which will serve as catalysts, including when management submits its protocol for the next stage pancreatic cancer trial. We would not be surprised to see the stock break through the $0.50 price on such news as well as progress on the next stage of trials for other therapies.
One reason we are so convinced of the great buying opportunity is the fact that pancreatic cancer treatments are currently at the forefront of the biotech space and are enjoying very high valuations. Although Nuvilex is a not a drug producer, but an existing therapy enhancer through the use of its live cell encapsulation enhancement platform, the timing of these milestone events could not be better for Nuvilex and a re-valuation of its offering.
The Goldman report also compares alternative oncology therapies, including Gemzar from Threshold Pharmaceuticals and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals drug encapsulation technology, noting that, contrary to these treatments, the Nuvilex live-cell encapsulation technology is not limited to one specific use, but can be adapted to use for a host of cell types. The report states, Its difficult to compare apples-to-apples in this space as Nuvilex is the only firm utilizing live-cell encapsulation therapy for cancer, while all the other treatments are based upon a particular drug usage. Contrasting the results of different Phase II clinical trials, the Goldman report comments that the pancreatic cancer therapy, based on completed Phase 1/2 data, appears to have yielded statistically greater results than competing technologies.
Commenting on The Goldman Report, Nuvilex Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Robert Ryan, stated, The report did an excellent job highlighting the value and capabilities of our cell encapsulation technology, not just for cancer therapy, but also for the vast array of treatments where live-cell encapsulation can aid multiple diseases. In the case of the completed cancer trials, it generated superior results with lower drug dosages, and reduced chemotherapeutic side effects. As we move forward with diabetes and stem cell therapy treatments, we are confident our success will, as Goldman predicts prompt leaders in multiple treatment segments to partner with Nuvilex in order to maintain their respective market shares.
Investors are recommended to study the Goldman Research Report for a detailed review and valuation methodology regarding Nuvilex.
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Nuvilex Reveals Goldman Small Cap Research Cites Groundbreaking Cancer Therapy in Updating Buy Recommendation