StemCell Therapy

Contrary to the belief that women are born with a finite number of eggs, there may in fact be a way to replenish the supply, a new study suggests.

Researchers have isolated stem cells from adult human ovaries that appear to be capable of producing eggs.

ANALYSIS: Old Genes Making Hulking Ants

The new findings follow a number of recent studies that have suggested such stem cells exist in adult mice, and can give rise to healthy offspring in animals that have had their fertility destroyed by chemotherapy. However, these studies have been controversial, because they go against years of research suggesting otherwise, experts say.

In the new study, the researchers devised a more rigorous way to isolate these cells, and for the first time, suggested their existence in people.

If true, the findings could have implications for women's fertility treatments. Currently, women who choose to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) for infertility must endure hormone injections so doctors can retrieve eggs for fertilization, said study researcher Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital. But if researchers could isolate egg-producing stem cells from ovaries, it might be possible to conduct that whole process outside the body, Tilly said.

"That whole program of IVF… becomes a non-necessity," Tilly said.

The study is published online Feb. 26 in the journal Nature Medicine.

Egg Stem Cells

In the new study, Tilly and colleagues isolated egg-producing stem cells from human ovary tissue by targeting a protein found on the surface of only these cells. In dishes, the cells grew into cells that had properties of human eggs. For instance, they had half the genetic material of other cells in the body.

Next, to show the stem cells could produce eggs, the researchers placed a gene into the stem cells that made them glow green, placed the stem cells into human ovarian tissue (taken during a biopsy), and grafted this tissue into mice. One to two weeks later, this tissue contained egg cells glowing green, showing they had formed from the stem cells, the researchers said.

NEWS: Stems Cells Improve Vision in Two Blind Patients

The researchers don't yet know if these egg cells could be fertilized to produce children. The United States does not allow human eggs to be fertilized for research purposes. The researchers also don't know whether these egg-producing stem cells are active throughout a woman's life, or only when they receive a particular signal, Tilly said, although the researchers have a follow-up study planned to address this question.

The number of egg-producing stem cells appear to be quite minute. In mice, they make up about 0.014 percent of all cells in the ovary, Tilly said.

Still a Controversy

"It's very novel and it's very exciting," said Dr. Sandra Carson, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, at Brown University's Women & Infants Hospital, who was not involved in the study.

"It certainly makes sense that there would be those stem cells still there," said Carson, noting men have stem cells that produce sperm throughout life.

However, other researchers say the new paper does not resolve the controversy of whether egg-producing cells exist in adult ovaries.

"I would like to see better characterization of this very small pool of cells that may be present in the ovary," said Dr. Marco Conti, professor and director of the Center for Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Conti noted that some properties of the egg-producing cells described in this study do not match descriptions from previous studies.

And the paper still does not address whether these cells have any role in adult humans.

"There is no real functional evidence that this pool of cells indeed contributes to [egg formation] in the adult," Conti said.

But if these cells do in fact work in the way the researchers suspect, it might be possible to grow and mature them in an environment that resembles an ovary, Carson said.

In addition, unlike human eggs, these stem cells can be frozen without damage, Tilly said, so it may be possible to store them for future use.

Tilly is a co-founder of OvaScience, Inc, which has licensed the commercial potential of these findings for development of new fertility-enhancing procedures.

More From HealthNewsDaily.com

Read this article:
Stem Cells in Ovaries May Give Women More Eggs

In the early summer of 2006, then-Senator Rick Santorum was facing a tough reelection challenge, trailing Pennsylvania's Treasurer Bob Casey by 9 points and struggling to shed his image as a Washington insider. So Santorum launched a statewide, 67-county push, raising twice as much money as Casey, hiring campaign-tested pollsters and ad-makers, and recasting himself an independent-minded fighter.

But when Santorum traveled to the conservative heartland of central Pennsylvania in July to rally supporters, his poll deficit was dropping into the double digits and his larger problem was plain to see: Santorum is a scold. At an Adams County picnic, Santorum delivered the campaign lines crafted to present his independent side, saying he had broken with President Bush on immigration, was critical of Donald Rumsfeld and stood up to the liberal media over welfare and urban policy. But Santorum also spoke to issues he said were a threat to the country: gay rights; embryonic stem cell research; fetal farms. "Scientists," he said, "Go to people who have fatal diseases and say, 'Unless you give us this ability to do this research you know all your kids or all your parents are gonna die! And that's what they tell'm, that's what these researchers, they lie to'm.'"

(PHOTOS: Political Pictures of the Week)

At first Santorum's moral doom-saying just sounds like a slightly wacky play to the extreme wing of the GOP. "Farms" where human fetuses are raised for their organs? They don't exist outside the Huxley-esque imaginings of the far right, so maybe the bill he co-sponsored that year to ban them (later signed into law by George W. Bush) amounted to nothing more than a political stunt. But eventually it becomes clear that Santorum believes America's lax morals are leading to that kind of future. First you teach teenagers about contraception; the next thing you know you are voting in favor of warehouses of fetuses, grown for the benefit of mankind.

In this election cycle, Santorum has tried to shed the image of the former K Street project leader in the Senate who made the move to highly paid consultant after his 18-point loss to Casey in 2006. He's pitching himself as the principled conservative who can stand up to Barack Obama. But in recent weeks voters have begun to see that he thinks they are part of the moral downfall of the country. And his numbers are starting to turn. It's one thing to say Obama or the liberal media are helping take the country to Satan and quite another to say anyone who thinks contraception is "OK" or supports civil unions for gays (never mind gay marriage) is complicit in the Satanic embrace.

(MORE: Arizona GOP Debate: Santorum Finds Himself in the Spotlight and On the Defensive)

For example, 59% of moderate Republicans support gay unions; 63% of independents do. Those voters might be sympathetic to a candidate who opposes civil unions, but they will be strongly against someone who tells them they're position on the issue makes them part of the country's moral collapse. I don't know exactly what Santorum was referring to when he said it, but I think it's safe to say there are a substantial number of Republicans who would take offense at his assertion that their use of contraception leads to "things in the sexual realm that are counter to how things are supposed to be".

On paper, Santorum might be a viable alternative to Romney. In a series of difficult Senate terms, Santorum was more successful than most in reaching across the aisle even as he rose in the GOP hierarchy. But Santorum sees a looming moral apocalypse, abetted by what are now mainstream positions in America. That's not a message that's going to win, even in a GOP primary.

MORE: Rick Santorum's Roll

LIST: Top 10 Political Fashion Statements

View this article on Time.com

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Read the rest here:
How Santorum's Scolding Is Dooming His Campaign

VILLA GUARDIA, Italy, Feb. 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gentium S.p.A. (Nasdaq:GENT - News) (the "Company") announced today that results from a Phase III randomised controlled trial which evaluated Defibrotide for use in preventing hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) in paediatric patients undergoing haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) were published in the medical journal, The Lancet (Vol 379). The results of Corbacioglu et al. show that Defibrotide leads to a 40% a reduction in the incidence of VOD thirty days after HSCT in patients receiving Defibrotide, compared with those who did not receive Defibrotide. Additionally, in allogeneic HSCT recipients (70% of study population), the incidence and severity of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) were significantly lower in the Defibrotide arm. These finding supports the prophylactic use of Defibrotide in the HSCT transplant setting.

In a commentary article to the study, Drs. Uwe Platzbecker and Martin Bornhauser from Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Universitatsklinikum "Carl Gustav Carus" Dresden, Germany, conclude "Most importantly, defibrotide prophylaxis was well tolerated and did not lead to an increased risk of bleeding. Restriction by the legislative authorities means that there are few randomised trials in children, and thus Corbacioglu and colleagues' investigation is a pivotal European study, one that will hopefully change practice in paediatric patients and might also provide an impetus to investigate treatment options for adult patients."

About the Study Results

In the intention-to-treat analysis, 22 (12%) of 180 participants in the Defibrotide group had VOD by 30 days after HSCT compared with 35 (20%) of 176 controls (risk difference --7.7%, 95% CI --15.3 to --0.1; Z test for competing risk analysis p=0.048). In the per-protocol population, 18 (11%) of 159 participants in the Defibrotide group had VOD by 30 days after HSCT compared with 34 (20%) of 166 controls (risk difference --9.2%, 95% CI --17.0 to --1.3; Z test for competing risk analysis p=0.022). Additionally, in the intention-to-treat population, incidence and severity (grades 1--4) of acute graft-versus host disease were lower in the Defibrotide arm than they were in the control group (incidence p=0.006 and severity p=0.006 at 30 days and incidence p=0.005 and severity p=0.003 at 100 days after HSCT). The incidence of adverse events was similar between the Defibrotide and control arm, demonstrating that Defibrotide is well tolerated.

About the Study Design

The Phase III European pediatric prevention trial is a multi-center, open-label, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the prophylactic use of Defibrotide in pediatric patients undergoing stem cell transplantation who are at high risk for hepatic VOD. In the two-armed trial, patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to either receive Defibrotide prophylaxis or no prophylaxis (control arm) . Patients in the prophylaxis arm received 25 mg/kg/day of Defibrotide in four divided doses beginning at the time of conditioning. Patients in the control arm did not receive Defibrotide for VOD prophylactic measures. The primary endpoint of the study was development of VOD within 30 days post HSCT based on the modified Seattle criteria.

About VOD

Veno-occlusive disease is a potentially life-threatening condition, which typically occurs as a significant complication of stem cell transplantation. Certain high-dose conditioning regimens used as part of stem cell transplantation can damage the lining cells of hepatic blood vessels and result in VOD, a blockage of the small veins in the liver that leads to liver failure and can result in significant dysfunction in other organs such as the kidneys and lungs (so-called severe VOD). Stem cell transplantation is a frequently used treatment modality following high-dose chemotherapy and radiation therapy for hematologic cancers and other conditions in both adults and children. At present there is no approved agent for the treatment or prevention of VOD in the United States or the European Union.

About Gentium

Gentium S.p.A., located in Como, Italy, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and manufacture of drugs to treat and prevent a variety of diseases and conditions, including vascular diseases related to cancer and cancer treatments. Defibrotide, the Company's lead product candidate, is an investigational drug that has been granted Orphan Drug status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Medicinal Product Designation by the European Medicines Agency, both to treat and to prevent VOD, as well as Fast Track Designation by the U.S. FDA to treat VOD.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent the Company's belief regarding future results, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside the Company's control. It is possible that actual results, including with respect to the possibility of any future regulatory approval, may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. For a discussion of some of the risks and important factors that could affect future results, see the discussion in our Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the caption "Risk Factors."

Go here to read the rest:
The Lancet Publishes Results from Gentium's Phase III Defibrotide Trial for the Prevention of VOD in Paediatric Patients

21-02-2012 20:08 What Is Azoospermia? Azoospermia is the term used to describe a complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate. Why no sperm production in azoospermia? Because one of these reasons includes, mutations like y deletion, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, mumps orchitis or testicular trauma. In azoospermia the spermatogonia cells cannot divide. or in other cases, the germ cells division arrest in late stages. Azoospermia Treatment. In some cases azoospermic men could produce sperm in few tubules, but it is very hard to find it and need special surgery. the tissue containing sperm is passed on to the embryologists who will process the tissue in preparation from IVF or ICSI. The risks and complications include but are not limited to bleeding, infection, injury to the testicle, depleting the amount of hormones that are produced by your testicles and chronic discomfort. Take Sperm Hope Treatment before any surgery to increase the chances to find good sperm for IVF or ICSI. What happen if this technique didn't work? The good news is that in most Azoospermia cases few spermatogonia stem cells could be found. This study showed the ability of spermatogonia stem cells to divide in the lab conditions. Sperm hope treatment try to fix the azoospermia problem by stimulate these cells to divide. spermhope.com

Originally posted here:
Azoospermia and Treatment - Video

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2012) — Researchers from The University of Nottingham have demonstrated how a species of flatworm overcomes the aging process to be potentially immortal.

The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) and may shed light on the possibilities of alleviating aging and age-related characteristics in human cells. Planarian worms have amazed scientists with their apparently limitless ability to regenerate. Researchers have been studying their ability to replace aged or damaged tissues and cells in a bid to understand the mechanisms underlying their longevity.

Dr Aziz Aboobaker from the University's School of Biology, said: "We've been studying two types of planarian worms; those that reproduce sexually, like us, and those that reproduce asexually, simply dividing in two. Both appear to regenerate indefinitely by growing new muscles, skin, guts and even entire brains over and over again.

"Usually when stem cells divide -- to heal wounds, or during reproduction or for growth -- they start to show signs of aging. This means that the stem cells are no longer able to divide and so become less able to replace exhausted specialised cells in the tissues of our bodies. Our aging skin is perhaps the most visible example of this effect. Planarian worms and their stem cells are somehow able to avoid the aging process and to keep their cells dividing."

One of the events associated with aging cells is related to telomere length. In order to grow and function normally, cells in our bodies must keep dividing to replace cells that are worn out or damaged. During this division process, copies of the genetic material must pass on to the next generation of cells. The genetic information inside cells is arranged in twisted strands of DNA called chromosomes. At the end of these strands is a protective 'cap' called a telomere. Telomeres have been likened to the protective end of a shoelace which stops strands from fraying or sticking to other strands.

Each time a cell divides the protective telomere 'cap' gets shorter. When they get too short, the cell loses its ability to renew and divide. In an immortal animal we would therefore expect cells to be able to maintain telomere length indefinitely so that they can continue to replicate. Dr Aboobaker predicted that planarian worms actively maintain the ends of their chromosomes in adult stem cells, leading to theoretical immortality.

Dr Thomas Tan made some exciting discoveries for this paper as part of his PhD. He performed a series of challenging experiments to explain the worm's immortality. In collaboration with the rest of the team, he also went some way to understanding the clever molecular trick that enabled cells to go on dividing indefinitely without suffering from shortened chromosome ends.

Previous work, leading to the award of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, had shown that telomeres could be maintained by the activity of an enzyme called telomerase. In most sexually reproducing organisms the enzyme is most active only during early development. So as we age, telomeres start to reduce in length.

This project identified a possible planarian version of the gene coding for this enzyme and turned down its activity. This resulted in reduced telomere length and proved it was the right gene. They were then able to confidently measure its activity and resulting telomere length and found that asexual worms dramatically increase the activity of this gene when they regenerate, allowing stem cells to maintain their telomeres as they divide to replace missing tissues.

Dr Tan pointed out the importance of the interdisciplinary expertise: "It was serendipitous to be sandwiched between Professor Edward Louis's yeast genetics lab and the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, both University of Nottingham research centres with expertise in telomere biology. Aziz and Ed kept demanding clearer proof and I feel we have been able to give a very satisfying answer."

However, what puzzled the team is that sexually reproducing planarian worms do not appear to maintain telomere length in the same way. The difference they observed between asexual and sexual animals was surprising, given that they both appear to have an indefinite regenerative capacity. The team believe that sexually reproductive worms will eventually show effects of telomere shortening, or that they are able to use another mechanism to maintain telomeres that would not involve the telomerase enzyme.

Dr Aboobaker concluded: "Asexual planarian worms demonstrate the potential to maintain telomere length during regeneration. Our data satisfy one of the predictions about what it would take for an animal to be potentially immortal and that it is possible for this scenario to evolve. The next goals for us are to understand the mechanisms in more detail and to understand more about how you evolve an immortal animal."

Professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive, said: "This exciting research contributes significantly to our fundamental understanding of some of the processes involved in aging, and builds strong foundations for improving health and potentially longevity in other organisms, including humans."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Nottingham, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Thomas C. J. Tan, Ruman Rahman, Farah Jaber-Hijazi, Daniel A. Felix, Chen Chen, Edward J. Louis, and Aziz Aboobaker. Telomere maintenance and telomerase activity are differentially regulated in asexual and sexual worms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, February 27, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118885109

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Go here to see the original:
Immortal worms defy ageing

Public release date: 27-Feb-2012
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Contact: Emma Thorne
emma.thorne@nottingham.ac.uk
44-115-951-5793
University of Nottingham

Researchers from The University of Nottingham have demonstrated how a species of flatworm overcomes the ageing process to be potentially immortal.

The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) and may shed light on the possibilities of alleviating ageing and age-related characteristics in human cells.

Planarian worms have amazed scientists with their apparently limitless ability to regenerate. Researchers have been studying their ability to replace aged or damaged tissues and cells in a bid to understand the mechanisms underlying their longevity.

Dr Aziz Aboobaker from the University's School of Biology, said: "We've been studying two types of planarian worms; those that reproduce sexually, like us, and those that reproduce asexually, simply dividing in two. Both appear to regenerate indefinitely by growing new muscles, skin, guts and even entire brains over and over again.

"Usually when stem cells divide ? to heal wounds, or during reproduction or for growth ? they start to show signs of ageing. This means that the stem cells are no longer able to divide and so become less able to replace exhausted specialised cells in the tissues of our bodies. Our ageing skin is perhaps the most visible example of this effect. Planarian worms and their stem cells are somehow able to avoid the ageing process and to keep their cells dividing."

One of the events associated with ageing cells is related to telomere length. In order to grow and function normally, cells in our bodies must keep dividing to replace cells that are worn out or damaged. During this division process, copies of the genetic material must pass on to the next generation of cells. The genetic information inside cells is arranged in twisted strands of DNA called chromosomes. At the end of these strands is a protective 'cap' called a telomere. Telomeres have been likened to the protective end of a shoelace which stops strands from fraying or sticking to other strands.

Each time a cell divides the protective telomere 'cap' gets shorter. When they get too short, the cell loses its ability to renew and divide. In an immortal animal we would therefore expect cells to be able to maintain telomere length indefinitely so that they can continue to replicate. Dr Aboobaker predicted that planarian worms actively maintain the ends of their chromosomes in adult stem cells, leading to theoretical immortality.

Dr Thomas Tan made some exciting discoveries for this paper as part of his PhD. He performed a series of challenging experiments to explain the worm's immortality. In collaboration with the rest of the team, he also went some way to understanding the clever molecular trick that enabled cells to go on dividing indefinitely without suffering from shortened chromosome ends.

Previous work, leading to the award of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, had shown that telomeres could be maintained by the activity of an enzyme called telomerase. In most sexually reproducing organisms the enzyme is most active only during early development. So as we age, telomeres start to reduce in length.

This project identified a possible planarian version of the gene coding for this enzyme and turned down its activity. This resulted in reduced telomere length and proved it was the right gene. They were then able to confidently measure its activity and resulting telomere length and found that asexual worms dramatically increase the activity of this gene when they regenerate, allowing stem cells to maintain their telomeres as they divide to replace missing tissues.

Dr Tan pointed out the importance of the interdisciplinary expertise: "It was serendipitous to be sandwiched between Professor Edward Louis's yeast genetics lab and the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, both University of Nottingham research centres with expertise in telomere biology. Aziz and Ed kept demanding clearer proof and I feel we have been able to give a very satisfying answer."

However, what puzzled the team is that sexually reproducing planarian worms do not appear to maintain telomere length in the same way. The difference they observed between asexual and sexual animals was surprising, given that they both appear to have an indefinite regenerative capacity. The team believe that sexually reproductive worms will eventually show effects of telomere shortening, or that they are able to use another mechanism to maintain telomeres that would not involve the telomerase enzyme.

Dr Aboobaker concluded: "Asexual planarian worms demonstrate the potential to maintain telomere length during regeneration. Our data satisfy one of the predictions about what it would take for an animal to be potentially immortal and that it is possible for this scenario to evolve. The next goals for us are to understand the mechanisms in more detail and to understand more about how you evolve an immortal animal."

Professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive, said: "This exciting research contributes significantly to our fundamental understanding of some of the processes involved in ageing, and builds strong foundations for improving health and potentially longevity in other organisms, including humans."

###

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Continued here:
Immortal worms defy aging

By Alison McLennan & Matthew Rimmer

The field of synthetic biology poses a number of challenges for patent law.

With promises of improved medical treatments, greener energy and even artificial life, the field of synthetic biology has captured the public imagination and attracted significant government and commercial investment.

This excitement reached a crescendo on 21 May 2010, when scientists at the J Craig Venter Institute in the United States announced that they had made a “self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell”. This was the first living cell to have an entirely human-made genome, which means that all of the cell’s characteristics were controlled by a DNA sequence designed by scientists.

This achievement in biological engineering was made possible by combining molecular biotechnology, gene synthesis technology and information technology.

Possibilities of synthetic biology
In his autobiography, A Life Decoded, J. Craig Venter contends that synthetic biology has the potential to address concerns about energy security, climate change and sustainable development: “My company, Synthetic Genomics Inc., is already trying to turn an organism into a biofactory that could make clean hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water or soak up more carbon dioxide.”

He elaborated on his long-term scientific aspirations: “From there I want to take us far from shore into unknown waters, to a new phase of evolution, to the day when one DNA-based species can sit down at a computer to design another.”

Venter maintained: “I plan to show that we understand the software of life by creating true artificial life”.

Another leading researcher, Jay D. Keasling, is confident that the field of synthetic biology can increase access to essential medicines – particularly to provide protection against malaria.

However, civil society groups and technology activists have raised concerns about the risks synthetic biology may pose to security, public health and the environment. The ETC Group, for instance, is concerned that organisms made with synthetic biology (such as engineered bacteria) could be released into the environment, with unknown effects. They’re also concerned about potential weaponisation of synthetic biology.

Patentability
There has been much controversy over the application of patent law to emerging technologies, with large legal battles over the patentability of information technology and business methods, genetic testing, medical information, and stem cell research.

The field of synthetic biology also poses a number of challenges for patent law and public policy. One of the most important questions patent experts (such as Professor Graham Dutfield) are asking is whether synthetic biology is too different from previous biotechnologies to apply existing objections to the patenting of living things.

In addition to considering patentability of synthetic biology, patent offices and courts will have to consider the novelty, inventiveness and utility of the claimed inventions and scope of the claims, in light of the scientific knowledge in this field.

In the United States, patent applications for synthetic biology have fallen into two broad categories: ?1) biological tools, methods and products.?
2) computer programs. This includes software for design of biological devices and programs for analysis of biochemical activity within cells.

Some US patent applications have focused on the construction of a synthetic cell. Scientists at the J Craig Venter Institute, for example, have filed applications for patents on a minimal bacterial genome, a synthetic genome and a method of installing a genome into a cell.

Other US patent applications have involved the creation of useful biological products from cells, such as Jay D. Keasling and colleagues’ production of a malaria drug precursor in a genetically modified cell.

There are also patent applications for various methods of biofuel production.

Law reform
US President Barack Obama’s Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues recommended that synthetic biology be regulated using the principles of public beneficence, responsible stewardship, intellectual freedom and responsibility, democratic deliberation and justice and fairness.

The Commission was, however, hopeful that synthetic biology could “be developed in an ethically responsible manner”.

But intellectual property expert Arti K. Rai has concerns that, as patent thickets have been a problem in the information technology and biotechnology sector, this could also slow the progress of synthetic biology research.

To counter this risk, some scientists and researchers have called for the introduction of a broad defence of experimental use, under patent law, to protect them from the threat of patent litigation.
The US-based group of scientists, BioBricks Foundation, already promotes open innovation in this field and have created a space to share their own research, right from the establishment of a new field.

Sharing of information and resources in synthetic biology research is facilitated by the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, which is supported by a culture of sharing in the synthetic biology community.

Somewhat more radically, biopunks – do-it-yourself biologists – question the use of intellectual property rights altogether in the field of synthetic biology. The international group of do-it-yourself biologists, known as DIYbio, has groups in North America, Europe and Asia, and individual members in many countries including Australia.

In his book, Biopunk, Marcus Wohlsen explains that in the US he’s observed, “An intellectual property system designed to spur innovation by allowing inventors to profit off their inventions has become in biopunks’ eyes a high-stakes game of low-stakes progress.”

The emerging field of synthetic biology is ripe for law review and reform, both overseas and at home in Australia. We’re seeing a proliferation of patents in this field, with the potential for significant impact on health, the environment and the economy.

If governments are serious about the progress of biological research, they will have to consider the implications of patenting and licensing of synthetic biology.

Alison McLennan ?is a PhD candidate & Vice-Chancellor’s Scholar at the Australian National University, where Matthew Rimmer is an ?ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor in Intellectual Property. This article was originally published at The Conversation.

Link:
Inventing life: patent law and synthetic biology

There is a tremendous opportunity in genetic medicine for innovation and for new players to make significant contributions, because it is still experimental, noted biologist and Nobel Laureate Dr David Baltimore said yesterday.
“Today, it is mainly the province of biotechnology companies and universities, not big pharmaceutical companies,” he observed in a keynote presentation at the Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy 2012.
There are new genetic tools available – though they are still experimental - to treat diseases which involve adding, subtracting or modifying genes in the cells of the body.
“However, they are powerful tools and I am confident they will be an important part of the medicine of the future,” he said.
Speaking on ‘The hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) as a target for therapy against cancer and Aids,’ Dr Baltimore explained that HSCs are one of the few cell types routinely used for bone marrow transplant.
The HSCs are easily accessible, retroviruses can be used to carry genes into these stem cells, the genes are then expressed in all of cells that derive from the HSC and can correct inherited defects and bring genes that perform therapy under a programme called engineering immunity.
“Though the human immune system is a wondrous creation of evolution yet it is not without certain limitations. One, in particular, is its poor ability to stop the growth of cancer cells– another is its hosting of HIV.
“In the case of cancer, the machinery of immunity can attack cancers but it rarely attacks with the necessary power. For HIV, the ability of the virus to use the CD4 and CCR5 proteins as receptors means that CD4 cells are the major cell type in which the virus grows.
“We have been trying to supply genes to the immune system by gene transfer methods that would improve its ability to block cancer and block infection of CD4 cells by HIV.
“For cancer, we have focused on T cell receptor genes. For HIV, we have used a small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) targeted to CCR5. We have been quite successful in mice with both strategies and are now moving to humans.
“In both cases, our experiments with mice have focused on putting genes into HSCs as, once these cells are altered, they provide modified blood cells to the body for life.
“In our human cancer trials we first used peripheral T cells for modification with dramatic effect but it has been transient.
“We are now moving to stem cells. For the siRNA against CCR5, we plan to initiate trials within six months using autologous, gene-modified stem cells,” he added.
The ensuing panel discussion on ‘Opportunities and challenges for stem cell research,’ saw Prof Irving Weissman (Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine) cautioning against ‘phoney organisations engaged in stem cell therapy.’
Prof Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte (Salk Institute for Biological Studies, US) stated that stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood should be considered as one of the key cells for use in regenerative medicine.
The session also featured Dr Alan Trounson (California Institute of Regenerative Medicine), Prof Roger Pedersen (The Anne McLaren Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, University of Cambridge), Dr Lawrence Corey (University of Washington) and with Dr Richard Klausner (managing partner of biotechnology venture capital firm The Column Group) as moderator.
Earlier, Ambassador Edward P Djerejian (founding director, James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, US) spoke about the collaboration with Qatar Foundation on stem cell research.

See original here:
‘Scope for innovation in genetic medicine’

Contrary to the belief that women are born with a finite number of eggs, there may in fact be a way to replenish the supply, a new study suggests.

Researchers have isolated stem cells from adult human ovaries that appear to be capable of producing eggs.

The new findings follow a number of recent studies that have suggested such stem cells exist in adult mice, and can give rise to healthy offspring in animals that have had their fertility destroyed by chemotherapy. However, these studies have been controversial, because they go against years of research suggesting otherwise, experts say.

In the new study, the researchers devised a more rigorous way to isolate these cells, and for the first time, suggested their existence in people.

If true, the findings could have  implications for women's fertility treatments. Currently, women who choose to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) for infertility must endure hormone injections so doctors can retrieve eggs for fertilization, said study researcher Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital. But if researchers could isolate egg-producing stem cells from ovaries, it might be possible to conduct that whole process outside the body, Tilly said.

"That whole program of IVF… becomes a non-necessity," Tilly said.

The study is published online today (Feb. 26) in the journal Nature Medicine.

Egg stem cells

In the new study, Tilly and colleagues isolated egg-producing stem cells from human ovary tissue by targeting a protein found on the surface of only these cells. In dishes, the cells grew into cells that had properties of human eggs. For instance, they had half the genetic material of other cells in the body.

Next, to show the stem cells could produce eggs, the researchers placed a gene into the stem cells that made them glow green, placed the stem cells into human ovarian tissue (taken during a biopsy), and grafted this tissue into mice. One to two weeks later, this tissue contained egg cells glowing green, showing they had formed from the stem cells, the researchers said.

The researchers don't yet know if these egg cells could be fertilized to produce children. The United States does not allow human eggs to be fertilized for research purposes. The researchers also don't know whether these egg-producing stem cells are active throughout a woman's life, or only when they receive a particular signal, Tilly said, although the researchers have a follow-up study planned to address this question.

The number of egg-producing stem cells appear to be quite minute. In mice, they make up about 0.014 percent of all cells in the ovary, Tilly said.

Still a controversy

"It's very novel and it's very exciting," said Dr. Sandra Carson, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, at Brown University's Women & Infants Hospital, who was not involved in the study.

"It certainly makes sense that there would be those stem cells still there," said Carson, noting men have stem cells that produce sperm throughout life.

However, other researchers say the new paper does not resolve the controversy of whether egg-producing cells exist in adult ovaries.

"I would like to see better characterization of this very small pool of cells that may be present in the ovary," said Dr. Marco Conti, professor and director of the Center for Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Conti noted that some properties of the egg-producing cells described in this study do not match descriptions from previous studies.

And the paper still does not address whether these cells have any role in adult humans.

"There is no real functional evidence that this pool of cells indeed contributes to [egg formation] in the adult," Conti said.

But if these cells do in fact work in the way the researchers suspect, it might be possible to grow and mature them in an environment that resembles an ovary, Carson said.

In addition, unlike human eggs, these stem cells can be frozen without damage, Tilly said, so it may be possible to store them for future use.

Tilly is a co-founder of OvaScience, Inc, which has licensed the commercial potential of these findings for development of new fertility-enhancing procedures.

Pass it on:  Women's ovaries may contain stem cells that are capable of producing eggs after birth.

This story was provided by MyHealthNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily staff writer Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner. Find us on Facebook.

Original post:
Stem Cells in Women's Ovaries May Produce New Eggs, Study Finds

February 27, 2012

Japanese scientists have recently discovered that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) – the chemical responsible for such malodorous phenomena as human flatulence, bad breath and rotten eggs – can be used to efficiently convert stem cells from human teeth into liver cells.

While the fetid chemical compound is produced in small quantities by the human body for use in a variety of biological signaling mechanisms, at high concentrations it is highly poisonous and extremely flammable.

A team of researchers at the Nippon Dental University in Tokyo collected stem cells from the teeth of patients undergoing extractions. The cells were harvested from the central part of the tooth known as the pulp which is made up predominantly of connective tissue and cells.

Stem cells recovered from the pulp were then divided into two groups and incubated in sealed chambers, one filled with hydrogen sulfide and the other a control group.

The cells from each chamber were then examined at three-day intervals to look for signs of transformation into liver cells. One such indicator is the ability to store glycogen, a compound that can be converted to glucose when the body needs energy.

According to a report of their findings that appeared this week in the Journal of Breath Research, the team was able to convert the stem cells to liver cells in relatively high numbers. And what’s more, said the team, H2S appears to help produce comparatively high quality, functional liver cells.

Lead researcher Ken Yaegaki explained that “[h]igh purity means there are less ‘wrong cells’ that are being differentiated to other tissues, or remaining as stem cells … These facts suggest that patients undergoing transplantation with the hepatic cells may have almost no possibility of developing teratomas (malignant tumors) or cancers.”

For the thousands of people around the world with chronic liver disease, this is a most welcome discovery, one that Yaegaki believes could potentially revolutionize this field of medicine.

“Until now, nobody has produced the protocol to regenerate such a huge number of hepatic cells for human transplantation,” added Yaegaki.

“Compared to the traditional method or suing fetal bovine serum to produce the cells, our method is productive and, most importantly, safe.”

Yaegaki’s hope is that his team’s discovery may eventually be fine-tuned to allow scientists to produce ample liver cells in a lab for use in repairing liver damage in human patients.

Moreover, this and similar studies in recent years have also gotten researchers in other fields questioning the possibilities for using hydrogen sulfide with other types of stem cells.

A team of researchers in China, for instance, recently reported using H2S to increase the survival rate of mesenchymal stem cells extracted from the bone marrow of rats.

—

On the Net:

Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

View original post here:
Researchers Use Noxious Gas To Convert Stem Cells To Liver Cells

Tokyo, Feb 27 (IANS) A compound that gives the mouth its bad breadth or halitosis, can also help tweak stem cells from human dental pulp into liver cells, a study reveals.

Researchers from Nippon Dental University, Japan, showed that hydrogen sulphide (H2S) (which smells like rotten eggs) boosted the ability of adult stem cells to differentiate into hepatic (liver) cells, furthering their reputation as a reliable source for future liver-cell therapy.

This is the first time that liver cells have been produced from human dental pulp and, even more impressively, have been produced in high numbers of high purity, the Journal of Breath Research reported.

"High purity means there are less 'wrong cells' that are being differentiated to other tissues, or remaining as stem cells," said a university statement.

"Moreover, these facts suggest that patients undergoing transplantation with the hepatic cells may have almost no possibility of developing teratomas or cancers, as can be the case when using bone marrow stem cells," said Ken Yaegaki, who led the study.

Yaegaki and his group used stem cells from dental pulp -- the central part of the tooth made up of connective tissue and cells -- which were obtained from the teeth of dental patients who were undergoing routine tooth extractions.

"Until now, nobody has produced the protocol to regenerate such a huge number of hepatic cells for human transplantation. Compared to the traditional method of using fetal bovine serum to produce the cells, our method is productive and, most importantly, safe" concluded Yaegaki.

Read more from the original source:
Bad breath chemical converts dental pulp into liver cells

Washington, Feb 27 (ANI): The odorous compound responsible for halitosis - otherwise known as bad breath - may play a key role in harvesting stem cells taken from human dental pulp, a new study has suggested.

In the study, Japanese scientists showed that hydrogen sulphide (H2S) increased the ability of adult stem cells to differentiate into hepatic (liver) cells, furthering their reputation as a reliable source for future liver-cell therapy.

This is the first time that liver cells have been produced from human dental pulp and, even more impressively, have been produced in high numbers of high purity.

"High purity means there are less 'wrong cells' that are being differentiated to other tissues, or remaining as stem cells. Moreover, these facts suggest that patients undergoing transplantation with the hepatic cells may have almost no possibility of developing teratomas or cancers, as can be the case when using bone marrow stem cells," said lead author of the study Dr. Ken Yaegaki.

The remarkable transforming ability of stem cells has led to significant focus from research groups around the world and given rise to expectations of cures for numerable diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

In this study, Dr. Yaegaki and his group, from Nippon Dental University, Japan, used stem cells from dental pulp - the central part of the tooth made up of connective tissue and cells - which were obtained from the teeth of dental patients who were undergoing routine tooth extractions.

Once the cells were sufficiently prepared, they were separated into two batches (a test and a control) and the test cells incubated in a H2S chamber.

They were harvested and analysed after 3, 6 and 9 days to see if the cells had successfully transformed into liver cells.

To test if the cells successfully differentiated under the influence of H2S, the researchers carried out a series of tests looking at features that were characteristic of liver cells.

In addition to physical observations under the microscope, the researchers investigated the cell's ability to store glycogen and then recorded the amount of urea contained in the cell.

"Until now, nobody has produced the protocol to regenerate such a huge number of hepatic cells for human transplantation. Compared to the traditional method of using fetal bovine serum to produce the cells, our method is productive and, most importantly, safe," Dr. Yaegaki added.

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has the characteristic smell of rotten eggs and is produced throughout the body in the tissues.

Although its exact function is unknown, researchers have been led to believe that it plays a key role in many physiological processes and disease states.

The study has been published in IOP Publishing's Journal of Breath Research. (ANI)

Continued here:
'Bad breath' chemical may fuel development of dental pulp stem cells

27 February 2012

Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc

("Angel" or "the Company")

Grant of Share Options - Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) Scheme

Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc, (AIM:ABH), the biopharmaceutical contract manufacturer, is pleased to announce share options totaling 16,806,723 were awarded to Dr. Stewart White, Commercial Director, under the Company's Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) share option scheme on 24 February 2012. All share options are exercisable at a price of 0.238p per share, subject to performance and retention criteria being met and are the first share options awarded to Dr. White since his appointment last year.

The exercise dates are as follows:

Exercise Dates

Number of options

04/06/2012 - 03/06/2022

3,361,345

31/12/2012 - 30/12/2022

6,722,689

31/03/2013 - 30/03/2023

6,722,689

Dr Paul Harper, Executive Chairman of Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc said:

"The Board of Directors is delighted to award these options to Dr. White to reflect the commitment made to ensure the success of the Company."

For further information:

Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc

Lorna Peers, Finance Director +44 (0) 131 445 6077

Stewart White, Commercial Director http://www.angelbio.com

Grant Thornton, Corporate Finance

Colin Aaronson / Melanie Frean / Elliot Berg +44 (0) 20 7383 5100

Hybridan LLP (Broker)

Claire Noyce / Deepak Reddy +44 (0) 20 7947 4350

Media (Frankfurt: 725292 - news) enquiries:

The Communications Portfolio Ltd

Ariane Comstive / Caolan Mahon +44 (0) 20 7536 2028 / 2029

ariane.comstive@communications-portfolio.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Angel Biotechnology Holdings plc is a full service contract bio-manufacturing partner to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Angel specialises in advanced biologics including biopharmaceutical proteins and cell therapies, such as cellular vaccines and stem cells. At present, Angel's products are principally used in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials with a view to becoming the contract manufacturer of choice on a continuing basis.

Drug development companies outsource their biopharmaceutical manufacturing requirements to Angel to reduce their own capital requirements and enable them to develop products more rapidly. In addition, Angel provides complete regulatory services and documentation to its customers while its manufacturing processes adhere to the most stringent regulatory requirements. Products are produced to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards as required by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and in facilities that are certified to European standards by the Medicines (Xetra: 938858 - news) and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Its (Euronext: ALITS.NX - news) customers range from early-stage biotechnology companies including ReNeuron plc and US-based Pathfinder Cell Therapy, to established pharmaceutical companies such as Russian-based Materia Medica Holdings.

Angel has two facilities: Pentlands Science Park near Edinburgh where it employs 38 people, and a site in Cramlington, near Newcastle (Frankfurt: 725198 - news) -upon-Tyne, which is expected to be commissioned by the end of Q1 2012, initially employing up to 10 people.

More information is available at http://www.angelbio.com .

- Ends -

Continued here:
Angel Biotechnology - Grant of Share Options

NEWARK, Calif., Feb. 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM - News) today announced that it will participate in the Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy, which is being held in Qatar from February 27 to March 1, 2012. The Company, which is the leader in development of cell-based therapeutics for central nervous system disorders, was specifically invited by the conference's sponsors, the State of Qatar and Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, as well as the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy of Rice University, and is the only company to be invited.

Ann Tsukamoto, Ph.D., StemCells' Executive Vice President, Research and Development, will make a presentation on the clinical translation of human neural stem cells. StemCells was the first company to receive authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration to conduct a clinical trial of purified human neural stem cells, and the Company is currently conducting two clinical trials with a third anticipated to start later this year. Dr. Tsukamoto will also be the moderator of the panel session on neurological disorders, which is scheduled to be held on March 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Arabian Standard Time (AST).

In addition, Irving Weissman, M.D., Chairman of StemCells' Scientific Advisory Board, will make a keynote presentation to the conference on Tuesday, February 28 at 9:00 a.m. AST. Dr. Weissman, who is Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research, Professor of Pathology and Professor of Developmental Biology at the Stanford School of Medicine, and Director of the Stanford Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, will speak on normal and neoplastic stem cells. Dr. Weissman will also participate in a panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges for stem cell research, and will moderate a panel discussion on pluripotent stem cells.

The Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy will bring together more than 400 international participants from industry, academia and public policy, including leading experts from each of these sectors. The conference's objectives are to showcase the latest stem cell research from around the world, while promoting discussion and awareness of scientific, ethical and regulatory issues related to this innovative and dynamic field.

About StemCells, Inc.

StemCells, Inc. is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery. The Company's lead therapeutic product candidate, HuCNS-SC(R) cells (purified human neural stem cells), is currently in development as a potential treatment for a broad range of central nervous system disorders. The Company recently completed a clinical trial in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in children, and expects to report the trial results soon. The Company is also conducting a Phase I/II clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury, and expects to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial in dry age- related macular degeneration in the near future. In addition, the Company is pursuing preclinical studies of its HuCNS-SC cells in Alzheimer's disease. StemCells also markets stem cell research products, including media and reagents, under the SC Proven(R) brand, and is developing stem cell-based assay platforms for use in pharmaceutical research, drug discovery and drug development. Further information about StemCells is available at http://www.stemcellsinc.com.

The StemCells, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7014

Apart from statements of historical fact, the text of this press release constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. securities laws, and is subject to the safe harbors created therein. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the clinical development of its HuCNS-SC cells; the Company's ability to commercialize drug discovery and drug development tools; and the future business operations of the Company. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Such statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions that may or may not ultimately prove valid. The Company's actual results may vary materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject, including those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.

Excerpt from:
StemCells, Inc. to Participate in Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy 2012

20-02-2012 17:34 Is getting your hamburger from a lab instead of an animal on the horizon? CNN's Mary Snow reports.

Continued here:
Creating a burger from stem cells - Video

February 27, 2012, 12:41 AM EST

By Ryan Flinn

Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Stem cells taken from human ovaries were used to produce early-stage eggs by scientists in Boston who may have created a new method to help infertile women.

Females have a fixed number of eggs from birth that are depleted by the time of menopause. The finding, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, challenges the belief that their ovaries can’t make more. The research was led by Jonathan Tilly, the director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology.

Tilly reported in 2004 that ovarian stem cells in mice create new eggs, or oocytes, in a way similar to how stem cells in male testes produce sperm throughout a man’s life. His latest work, if reproduced, would suggest the same is true for human ovaries, potentially pointing at new ways to aid fertility by delaying when the ovaries stop functioning.

“The 50-year-old belief in our field wasn’t actually based on data proving it was impossible, or not ongoing,” Tilly said in a telephone interview. “It was simply an assumption made because there was no evidence indicating otherwise. We have human cells that can produce new oocytes.”

In the study, healthy ovaries were obtained from consenting patients undergoing sex reassignment surgery. The researchers were able to identify ovarian stem cells because they express a rare protein that’s only seen in reproductive cells.

The stem cells from the ovaries were injected into human ovarian tissue that was then grafted under the skin of mice, which provided the blood supply that enabled growth. Within two weeks, early stage human follicles with oocytes had formed.

7-Million Eggs

A female is most endowed with oocytes, or eggs, as a fetus, when she has about 7 million. That number that drops to 1 million by birth, and around 300,000 by puberty. By menopause, the number is zero. Since the 1950’s, scientists thought that ovarian stem cells capable of producing new eggs are only active during fetal development.

“This paper essentially opens the door to the ability to control oocyte development in human ovaries,” Tilly said.

About 10 percent of women of child-bearing age in the U.S., or 6.1 million, have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases of female infertility are caused by problems with ovulation, hormone imbalance or age.

The study by Tilley and his colleagues offers “a new model system for understanding the human egg cell,” said David F. Albertini, director of the Center for Reproductive Services and professor in the department of molecular and integrative physiology at Kansas University, in a telephone interview.

‘Practical Applications”

Still, “there’s a long way to go before this has real practical applications. I’ve spent 35 years of my life studying egg cells and this is a cell that is at least as complicated as a neuron in the brain, if not more,” Albertini said.

The work needs to be reproduced and expanded by other scientists “to make it into something that will make us confident the cells are safe to use and we could actually use them to repopulate an egg-depleted ovary,” he said.

Tilly’s team is exploring the development of an ovarian stem-cell bank that can be cryogenically frozen and thawed without damage, unlike human eggs, he said. The researchers are also working to identify hormones and other growth factors for accelerating production of eggs from human ovarian stem cells and ways to improve in-vitro fertilization.

“The problem we face with IVF is we don’t have many eggs to work with,” he said. “These cells are renewable. If we are successful -- and it’s a big if -- in generating functioning eggs from these cells, we can generate as many eggs as we need to on a per patient basis.”

Tilly is also collaborating with researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K. to determine whether the oocytes can be developed into fully mature human eggs for fertilizing. The U.S bans creating or fertilizing embryos for experimental purposes, he said.

A company Tilly co-founded, Boston-based OvaScience Inc., has licensed the technology for potential commercial applications.

--With assistance from Sarah Frier in New York. Editors: Angela Zimm, Andrew Pollack

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Flinn in San Francisco at rflinn@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net

Read the rest here:
Ovarian Stem Cells Produce Eggs in Method That May Aid Fertility

Researchers have isolated egg-producing stem cells from the ovaries of reproductive age women and shown these can produce what appear to be normal egg cells or oocytes, according to a new study.

The discovery "opens the door for development of unprecedented technologies to overcome infertility in women" according to the scientist who led the study.

Jonathan Tilly, of Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States, said: "The primary objective of the current study was to prove that oocyte-producing stem cells do in fact exist in the ovaries of women during reproductive life, which we feel this study demonstrates very clearly."

The researchers developed a precise cell-sorting technique to isolate oocyte producing stem cells (OSCs) without contamination from other cells, according to an article in the March issue of Nature Medicine.

The cells were able, in the laboratory, to form cells spontaneously with characteristic features of oocytes. Further experiments on mice showed such eggs could be fertilised.

Dr Tilly's team is exploring potential clinical applications from its findings which include the establishment of human OSC banks - since these cells, unlike human oocytes, can be frozen and thawed without damage - and the development of mature human oocytes from OSCs for in vitro fertilisation, plus other approaches to improve the outcomes of IVF and other infertility treatments.

In 2004 a report from Dr Tilly's team challenged the fundamental belief, held since the 1950s, that female mammals are born with a finite supply of eggs that is depleted throughout life and exhausted at menopause.

Dr Tilly said: "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."

Dr Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC: "This is a nice study which shows quite convincingly that women's ovaries contain stem cells that can divide and make eggs.

"Not only does this re-write the rule book, it opens up a number of exciting possibilities for preserving the fertility of women undergoing treatment for cancer, or just maybe for women who are suffering infertility by extracting these cells and making her new eggs in the lab."

Excerpt from:
Stem cell boost in fertility study

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — For 60 years, doctors have believed women were born with all the eggs they’ll ever have. Now Harvard scientists are challenging that dogma, saying they’ve discovered the ovaries of young women harbor very rare stem cells capable of producing new eggs.

If Sunday’s report is confirmed, harnessing those stem cells might one day lead to better treatments for women left infertile because of disease — or simply because they’re getting older.

“Our current views of ovarian aging are incomplete. There’s much more to the story than simply the trickling away of a fixed pool of eggs,” said lead researcher Jonathan Tilly of Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital, who has long hunted these cells in a series of controversial studies.

Tilly’s previous work drew fierce skepticism, and independent experts urged caution about the latest findings.

A key next step is to see whether other laboratories can verify the work. If so, then it would take years of additional research to learn how to use the cells, said Teresa Woodruff, fertility preservation chief at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Still, even a leading critic said such research may help dispel some of the enduring mystery surrounding how human eggs are born and mature.

“This is going to spark renewed interest, and more than anything else it’s giving us some new directions to work in,” said David Albertini, director of the University of Kansas’ Center for Reproductive Sciences. While he has plenty of questions about the latest work, “I’m less skeptical,” he said.

Scientists have long taught that all female mammals are born with a finite supply of egg cells, called ooctyes, that runs out in middle age. Tilly, Mass General’s reproductive biology director, first challenged that notion in 2004, reporting that the ovaries of adult mice harbor some egg-producing stem cells. Recently, Tilly noted, a lab in China and another in the U.S. also have reported finding those rare cells in mice.

But do they exist in women? Enter the new work, reported Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine.

First, Tilly had to find healthy human ovaries to study. He collaborated with scientists at Japan’s Saitama Medical University, who were freezing ovaries donated for research by healthy 20-somethings who underwent a sex-change operation. Continued...

Tilly also had to address a criticism: How to tell if he was finding true stem cells or just very immature eggs. His team latched onto a protein believed to sit on the surface of only those purported stem cells and fished them out. To track what happened next, the researchers inserted a gene that makes some jellyfish glow green into those cells. If the cells made eggs, those would glow, too.

“Bang, it worked — cells popped right out” of the human tissue, Tilly said.

Researchers watched through a microscope as new eggs grew in a lab dish. Then came the pivotal experiment: They injected the stem cells into pieces of human ovary. They transplanted the human tissue under the skin of mice, to provide it a nourishing blood supply. Within two weeks, they reported telltale green-tinged egg cells forming.

That’s still a long way from showing they’ll mature into usable, quality eggs, Albertini said.

And more work is needed to tell exactly what these cells are, cautioned reproductive biologist Kyle Orwig of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who has watched Tilly’s work with great interest.

But if they’re really competent stem cells, Orwig asked, then why would women undergo menopause? Indeed, something so rare wouldn’t contribute much to a woman’s natural reproductive capacity, added Northwestern’s Woodruff.

Tilly argues that using stem cells to grow eggs in lab dishes might one day help preserve cancer patients’ fertility. Today, Woodruff’s lab and others freeze pieces of girls’ ovaries before they undergo fertility-destroying chemotherapy or radiation. They’re studying how to coax the immature eggs inside to mature so they could be used for in vitro fertilization years later when the girls are grown. If that eventually works, Tilly says stem cells might offer a better egg supply.

Further down the road, he wonders if it also might be possible to recharge an aging woman’s ovaries.

The new research was funded largely by the National Institutes of Health. Tilly co-founded a company, OvaScience Inc., to try to develop the findings into fertility treatments.

More here:
Report: Stem cells may create new eggs

An experiment that produced human eggs from stem cells could one day be a boon for women who are desperate to have a baby, according to a study published on Sunday.

The work sweeps away the belief that a woman has only a limited stock of eggs and replaces it with the theory that the supply is continuously replenished from precursor cells in the ovary, its authors said.

"The prevailing dogma in our field for the better part of the last 50 or 60 years was that young girls at birth were given a bank account of eggs at birth that's not renewable," said Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the research.

"As they become mature and become a woman, they use those eggs up (and) the ovaries will fail when they enter menopause."

Tilly first challenged the "bank account" doctrine eight years ago, suggesting female mammals continue producing egg-making cells into adulthood rather than from a stock acquired at birth.

His theory ran into a firestorm.

Other scientists challenged the accuracy of his experiments or dismissed their conclusions as worthless, given that they had only been conducted on lab mice.

But the new work, said Tilly, not only confirms his controversial idea, but takes it farther.

In it, his team isolated egg-producing stem cells in human ovaries and then coaxed them into developing oocytes, as eggs are called.

Building on a feat by Chinese scientists, they pinpointed the oocyte stem cells by using antibodies which latched onto a protein "handle" located on the side of these cells.

The team tagged the stem cells with a fluorescent green protein -- a common trick to help figure out what happens in lab experiments.

The cells were injected into biopsied human ovarian tissue which was then grafted beneath the skin of mice.

Within 14 days, the graft had produced a budding of oocytes. Some of the eggs glowed with the fluorescent tag, proving that they came from the stem cells. But others did not, which suggested they were already present in the tissue before the injection.

Tilly said "the hairs were standing up on my arm" when he saw time-elapse video showing the eggs maturing in a lab dish.

Further work needs to be done to test the viability of the eggs, and little is known about the hormones or other mechanisms by which oocytes emerge from the stem cells.

But the impact could be far-reaching, Tilly said.

"If we can guide the process correctly, I think it opens up a chance that sometime in the future, we might get to the point of actually having an unlimited source of human eggs," Tilly said in a video recording released to the press.

"A woman could come in, have a small biopsy taken from her ovary for us to retrieve these cells. Once we get these cells out, we can take a hundred of them and make a million of them.

"If we can get to the stage of generating functional human eggs outside the body, it would rewrite essentially human assisted reproduction."

According to a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital, Tilly's team are already exploring the idea of banks where oocyte stem cells can be frozen and stored, and then retrieved when a woman wants to have a baby.

Human eggs are extremely delicate and likely to suffer damage when frozen and thawed, but this risk does not apply to the egg cells that make them, it said.

Previous work has shown that around one in 10 women of reproductive age is at risk of premature ageing of the ovaries, a finding with repercussions in societies where women opt ever later to become mothers.

See the original post:
Pioneering lab work aims to smash women's fertility barrier

WASHINGTON -- For 60 years, doctors have believed women were born with all the eggs they'll ever have. Now Harvard scientists are challenging that dogma, saying they've discovered the ovaries of young women harbor very rare stem cells capable of producing new eggs.

If Sunday's report is confirmed, harnessing those stem cells might one day lead to better treatments for women left infertile because of disease -- or simply because they're getting older.

"Our current views of ovarian aging are incomplete. There's much more to the story than simply the trickling away of a fixed pool of eggs," said lead researcher Jonathan Tilly of Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital, who has long hunted these cells in a series of controversial studies.

Tilly's previous work drew fierce skepticism, and independent experts urged caution about the latest findings.

A key next step is to see whether other laboratories can verify the work. If so, then it would take years of additional research to learn how to use the cells, said Teresa Woodruff, fertility preservation chief at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Still, even a leading critic said such research may help dispel some of the enduring mystery surrounding how human eggs are born and mature.

"This is going to spark renewed interest, and more than anything else it's giving us some new directions to work in," said David Albertini, director of the University of Kansas' Center for Reproductive Sciences. While he has plenty of questions about the latest work, "I'm less skeptical," he said.

Scientists have long taught that all female mammals are born with a finite supply of egg cells, called ooctyes, that runs out in middle age. Tilly, Mass General's reproductive biology director, first challenged that notion in 2004, reporting that the ovaries of adult mice harbor some egg-producing stem cells. Recently, Tilly noted, a lab in China and another in the U.S. also have reported finding those rare cells in mice.

But do they exist in women? Enter the new work, reported Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine.

First Tilly had to find healthy human ovaries to study. He collaborated with scientists at Japan's Saitama Medical University, who were freezing ovaries donated for research by healthy 20-somethings who underwent a sex-change operation.

Tilly also had to address a criticism: How to tell if he was finding true stem cells or just very immature eggs. His team latched onto a protein believed to sit on the surface of only those purported stem cells and fished them out. To track what happened next, the researchers inserted a gene that makes some jellyfish glow green into those cells. If the cells made eggs, those would glow, too.

"Bang, it worked -- cells popped right out" of the human tissue, Tilly said.

Researchers watched through a microscope as new eggs grew in a lab dish. Then came the pivotal experiment: They injected the stem cells into pieces of human ovary. They transplanted the human tissue under the skin of mice, to provide it a nourishing blood supply. Within two weeks, they reported telltale green-tinged egg cells forming.

That's still a long way from showing they'll mature into usable, quality eggs, Albertini said.

And more work is needed to tell exactly what these cells are, cautioned reproductive biologist Kyle Orwig of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who has watched Tilly's work with great interest.

But if they're really competent stem cells, Orwig asked, then why would women undergo menopause? Indeed, something so rare wouldn't contribute much to a woman's natural reproductive capacity, added Northwestern's Woodruff.

Tilly argues that using stem cells to grow eggs in lab dishes might one day help preserve cancer patients' fertility. Today, Woodruff's lab and others freeze pieces of girls' ovaries before they undergo fertility-destroying chemotherapy or radiation. They're studying how to coax the immature eggs inside to mature so they could be used for in vitro fertilization years later when the girls are grown. If that eventually works, Tilly says stem cells might offer a better egg supply.

Further down the road, he wonders if it also might be possible to recharge an aging woman's ovaries.

The new research was funded largely by the National Institutes of Health. Tilly co-founded a company, OvaScience Inc., to try to develop the findings into fertility treatments.

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Ovary stem cells can produce new eggs, researchers say