StemCell Therapy

Published on Mar 25, 2012

CHICAGO (AFP) - Patients with advanced heart disease who received an experimental stem cell therapy showed slight improvements in blood pumping but no change in most of their symptoms, United States researchers said on Saturday.

Study authors described the trial as the largest to date to examine stem cell therapy as a route to repairing the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

Previous studies have established that the approach is safe in human patients, but none had examined how well it worked on a variety of heart ailments.

The clinical trial involved 92 patients, with an average age of 63, who were picked at random to get either a placebo or a series of injections of their own stem cells, taken from their bone marrow, into damaged areas of their hearts.

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Stem cell therapy could repair some heart damage: Study

Public release date: 24-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kristin Wincek kwincek@mhif.org 612-863-0249 Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

CHICAGO Cell therapy may present an option for patients with ischemic heart disease to use their own bone marrow cells to repair the damaged areas of their hearts, and may pave the way for future treatment options, according to the FOCUS trial, which will be presented as a late-breaking clinical trial March 24 at the 61st annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session.

This is the largest study to date to look at stem cell therapy, using a patient's own stem cells, to repair damaged areas of the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Researchers found that left ventricular ejection fraction (the percentage of blood leaving the heart's main pumping chamber) increased by a small but significant amount (2.7 percent) in patients who received stem cell therapy. The study also revealed that the improvement in ejection fraction correlated with the number of progenitor cells (CD34+ and CD133+) in the bone marrow; and this information will help in evaluating and designing future therapies and trials.

"FOCUS is an incredibly important trial, as it has informed the cell therapy community how to better treat this high-risk patient population, and allows us to enter into an exciting, next generation of stem cell therapy armed with more data," said study investigator Timothy D. Henry, MD, an interventional cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute (MHI) at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and director of research with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

This multicenter study was conducted by the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN), which is supported through a research grant from the National Institutes of Health's National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with the goal to evaluate novel stem cell-based treatment strategies for individuals with cardiovascular disease.

FOCUS will be presented at ACC.12 by its lead investigator Emerson C. Perin, MD, PhD, director of clinical research for cardiovascular medicine at the Texas Heart Institute, one of the five sites in the CCTRN. The Minneapolis Heart Institute is another site of the five in the network, and a large number of CCTRN patients were enrolled in Minnesota.

For this study, which took place between April 2009 and April 2011, the five sites randomly selected 92 patients to receive stem cell treatment or placebo. The symptomatic patients, with an average age 63, all had chronic ischemic heart disease and an ejection fraction of less than 45 percent (baseline 34 percent) along with heart failure and/or angina and were no longer candidates for revascularization. "These patients had no other options, as medical management failed to improve their symptoms," explained the study's co-investigator Jay Traverse, MD, an interventionalist cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and physician researcher with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

Bone marrow was aspirated from the patients and processed to obtain just the mononuclear fraction of the marrow. In patients randomly selected to receive stem cell therapy, physicians inserted a catheter into the heart's left ventricle to inject 100 million stem cells in more than 15 sites that showed damage on the electromechanical mapping image of the heart.

"Studies such as these are able to be completed much faster because of the team approach of the network" said Sonia I. Skarlatos, PhD, NHBLI's deputy director of the division of cardiovascular sciences and program director of CCTRN.

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Cell therapy using patient's own bone marrow may present option for heart disease

Shortly after a mouse embryo starts to form, some of its stem cells undergo a dramatic metabolic shift to enter the next stage of development, Seattle researchers report today. These stem cells start using and producing energy like cancer cells.

Julie Mathieu

A colony of human embryonic stem cells.

This discovery is published today in EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization journal.

These findings not only have implications for stem cell research and the study of how embryos grow and take shape, but also for cancer therapy, said the senior author of the study, Dr. Hannele Ruohola-Baker, University of Washington professor of biochemistry. The study was collaborative among several research labs in Seattle.

The metabolic transition they discovered occurs very early as the mouse embryo, barely more than a speck of dividing cells, implants in the mothers uterus. The change is driven by low oxygen conditions, Ruohola-Baker explained.

The researchers also saw a specific type of biochemical slowdown in the stem cells mitochondria the cells powerhouses. The phenomenon previously was associated with aging and disease. This was the first example of the same downshift controlling normal early embryonic development.

This downshift coincides with the time when the germ line, the keeper of the genome for the next generation, is set aside, Ruohola-Baker said.. Hence reduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species may be natures way to protect the future.

Embryonic stem cells are called pluripotent because they have the ability to renew themselves and have the potential to become any cell in the body. Self-sustaining and versatile are qualities necessary for the growth, repair and maintenance of the body and for regenerative medicine therapies.

Although they share these sought-after qualities, Pluripotent stem cells come in several flavors, Ruohola-Baker explained. They differ in subtle ways that expand or shrink their capacities as the raw living material from which animals are shaped.

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Embryonic stem cells shift metabolism in a cancer-like way upon implanting in the uterus

This discovery is published today in EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization journal.

"These findings not only have implications for stem cell research and the study of how embryos grow and take shape, but also for cancer therapy," said the senior author of the study, Dr. Hannele Ruohola-Baker, University of Washington professor of biochemistry. The study was collaborative among several research labs in Seattle.

The metabolic transition they discovered occurs very early as the mouse embryo, barely more than a speck of dividing cells, implants in the mother's uterus. The change is driven by low oxygen conditions, Ruohola-Baker explained.

The researchers also saw a specific type of biochemical slowdown in the stem cells' mitochondria the cells' powerhouses. The phenomenon previously was associated with aging and disease. This was the first example of the same downshift controlling normal early embryonic development.

"This downshift coincides with the time when the germ line, the keeper of the genome for the next generation, is set aside," Ruohola-Baker said.. "Hence reduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species may be nature's way to protect the future."

Embryonic stem cells are called pluripotent because they have the ability to renew themselves and have the potential to become any cell in the body. Self-sustaining and versatile are qualities necessary for the growth, repair and maintenance of the body and for regenerative medicine therapies.

Although they share these sought-after qualities, "Pluripotent stem cells come in several flavors," Ruohola-Baker explained. They differ in subtle ways that expand or shrink their capacities as the raw living material from which animals are shaped.

There's a big reason why the researchers wanted to understand the distinction between the stem cells that make up the inner cell mass of the free-floating mouse embryo, and those in the epiblast, or implantation stage. Mouse embryonic cells at the epiblast stage more closely resemble human embryonic stem cells -- and cancer cells.

Human stem cells and mouse epiblast stem cells have lower mitochondrial respiration activity than do earlier stage mouse stem cells. This reduction occurs despite the fact that the later stage stem cells have more mature mitochondria. The researchers confirmed that certain genes that control mitochondria are turned down during the transition from inner cells mass to epiblast cells.

Instead, the transitioning cells obtain their energy exclusively from breaking down a sugar, glucose. In contrast, the earlier stage mouse embryonic stem cells have more energy options, dynamically switching from mitochondrial respiration to glucose breakdown on demand.

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Embryonic stem cells shift metabolism in cancer-like way upon implanting in uterus

Lancme will launch what it believes to be the latest "miracle" anti-aging product next month, with a rose stem cell-based cream.

Called Absolue L'Extrait, each jar of the cream contains two million rose stem cells, with the product suitable for people of all ages to be applied on the face, eye area, hands and chest.

Retailing at 320 for 50ml, the cream will launch in April across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, before reaching the US in June.

Absolue L'Extrait has been dubbed a "miracle cream" by the brand, which began investigating how plant stem cells act on human skin many years ago.

The rose, also the emblem of the French beauty giant, was a particular point of focus. Using a biotechnological cocooning procedure, scientists transformed a cell of the Lancme Rose into a rose stem cell.

"Once you put these rose stem cells in contact with the human stem cells, you have 63% more of these cells in the skin that stay at their optimum level, which is really a first," Youcef Nabi, president of Lancme International, told WWD March 22.

Other companies to have remarked on the benefits of rose stem cells include US skincare brand Dermelect, which last year launched the Dermelect Alpine Rose Stem Cell Skincare line, a range of treatments based on the Swiss Alpine Rose which uses rose stem cells to increase skin's resilience and boost epidermal rejuvenation.

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Latest ‘miracle cream' powered by rose stem cells

By Uduak Grace Thomas

Users of ChimerMarker, a short tandem repeat chimerism analysis software solution marketed by SoftGenetics, are reporting a significant reduction in the time required to analyze STRs in blood samples of patients who have undergone bone marrow transplants.

The tool automates the process of assessing the chimerism ratio the proportion of donor cells relative to the host patients own cells in post-transplant cases based on the presence of STRs that are unique to both the patient and the donor, Don Kristt, head of molecular pathology at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel, explained to BioInform this week.

According to SoftGenetics, the software can be used to monitor chimerism levels in allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplants or hematopoietic stem cell transplants; bone marrow transplants; and cord and peripheral blood stem cell transplant samples.

SoftGenetics partnered with Kristt to develop the software, which it released last March (BI 3/18/2011). The company later added a module for testing fetal samples for maternal cell contamination prior to performing genetic testing for cystic fibrosis or other diseases (BI 9/2/2011).

The software provides capabilities for genotyping and chimerism analysis and tools to automatically identify donor and recipient peaks in samples following bone marrow transplants. It also calculates percent chimerism and quality metrics for single donor or double donor cases.

Dawn Wagenknecht, who supervises the HLA-Vascular Biology Laboratory at Franciscan St. Francis Health, told BioInform this week that her team was able to reduce the time required to calculate the ratio of donor to recipient cells in blood samples by as much as 85 percent.

She explained that the team ran parallel analyses of 10 blood samples using both ChimerMarker and a manual approach that the lab had used prior to purchasing the software, which involved manually sorting data generated by capillary sequencing in Excel spreadsheets, and then calculating the ratios either on the sheet or using a hand calculator.

In addition to the time savings, ChimerMarker also simplifies the analysis process because all the steps of the workflow are in a single package, she said.

The software also maintains records of the donor sample and the patients blood before transplantation so that the results from subsequent tests after transplant can be compared to the initial samples, she said.

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Labs Report 85 Percent Reduction in STR Analysis Time with SoftGenetics' ChimerMaker Software

22-03-2012 12:16 Dr. Victor Dzau is a physician and pioneering translational research scientist, and is widely recognized as one of the most influential medical leaders worldwide. He is currently the James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University and the President and CEO of Duke University Health System. Dr. Dzau's groundbreaking research established the curent understanding of the renin-angiotensin system, which is now known to underlie a wide range of heart and blood vessel diseases, from hypertension to heart failure. His work led directly to the development of drugs that inhibit this system, that now represent the foundation of modern medical therapy for many cardiac disorders. Dr. Dzau continues to lead an innovative and productive reseach lab, pioneering innovative stem cell and genetic treatments for heart and blood vessel diseases. Dr. Dzau has received numerous honors for his contributions to research and medicine, including the 2011 Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research.

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Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine for Cardiac Care by Dr. Victor Dzau - Video

SUNRISE, Fla., March 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (OTCBB:BHRT.OB - News), a company focused on developing stem cell therapies for heart disease, previously announced that they entered into an agreement with Stemlogix, LLC, a veterinary regenerative medicine company, to provide additional cellular products and services to the veterinary market. Under this agreement, the companies are offering stem cell banking for veterinary patients (pets). WPLG, channel 10 featured this exciting technology in a news segment which aired in the South Florida area. A small sample of tissue can be obtained from the animals during a routine procedure such as a spay or neuter. The stem cells are isolated and cryopreserved for future use as needed.

"We are excited to bring our expertise in stem cell therapy to the veterinary community," said Mike Tomas, Bioheart's President and CEO. "Stem cell therapies represent new opportunities for various types of patients and the ability to bank a pet's cells when they are young and healthy could be very valuable for future use."

WPLG, Channel 10 in Miami/South Florida featured this new technology in a news segment which aired March 15, 2012. Please see the link below:

http://www.local10.com/thats-life/health/Pet-stem-cells-frozen-banked-for-future-use/-/1717022/9285894/-/apcx9rz/-/index.html

About Bioheart, Inc.

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues. Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com.

About Stemlogix, LLC

Stemlogix is an innovative veterinary regenerative medicine company committed to providing veterinarians with the ability to deliver the best possible stem cell therapy to dogs, cats and horses at the point-of-care. Stemlogix provides veterinarians with the ability to isolate regenerative stem cells from a patient's own adipose (fat) tissue directly on-site within their own clinic or where a patient is located. Regenerative stem cells isolated from adipose tissue have been shown in studies to be effective in treating animal's suffering from osteoarthritis, joint diseases, tendon injuries, heart disorders, among other conditions. Stemlogix has a highly experienced management team with experience in setting up full scale cGMP stem cell manufacturing facilities, stem cell product development & enhancement, developing point-of-care cell production systems, developing culture expanded stem cell production systems, FDA compliance, directing clinical & preclinical studies with multiple cell types for multiple indications, and more. For more information about veterinary regenerative medicine please visit http://www.stemlogix.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

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Bioheart Labs and Stemlogix Veterinary Products Featured in Media

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2fee68d4/progenitor_and_ste) has announced the addition of Woodhead Publishing Ltd's new book "Progenitor and Stem Cell Technologies and Therapies" to their offering.

Progenitor and stem cells have the ability to renew themselves and change into a variety of specialised types, making them ideal materials for therapy and regenerative medicine. "Progenitor and stem cell technologies and therapies" reviews the range of progenitor and stem cells available and their therapeutic application.

Part one reviews basic principles for the culture of stem cells before discussing technologies for particular cell types. These include human embryonic, induced pluripotent, amniotic and placental, cord and multipotent stem cells. Part two discusses wider issues such as intellectual property, regulation and commercialisation of stem cell technologies and therapies. The final part of the book considers the therapeutic use of stem and progenitor cells. Chapters review the use of adipose tissue-derived stem cells, umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells, bone marrow, auditory and oral cavity stem cells. Other chapters cover the use of stem cells in therapies in various clinical areas, including lung, cartilage, urologic, nerve and cardiac repair.

With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, "Progenitor and stem cell technologies and therapies" is a standard reference for both those researching in cell and tissue biology and engineering as well as medical practitioners investigating the therapeutic use of this important technology.

Key Features:

- Reviews the range of progenitor and stem cells available and outlines their therapeutic application

- Examines the basic principles for the culture of stem cells before discussing technologies for particular cell types, including human embryonic, induced pluripotent, amniotic and placental, cord and multipotent stem cells

- Includes a discussion of wider issues such as intellectual property, regulation and commercialisation of stem cell technologies and therapies

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2fee68d4/progenitor_and_ste

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Research and Markets: Progenitor and Stem Cell Technologies and Therapies Reviews the Range Of Progenitor and Stem ...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)One of the last search and rescue dogs from 9/11 lives here in Maryland. She was suffering from a painful condition until her owner took action with breakthrough technology.

Mary Bubala has the story.

Red is a search and rescue dog from Annapolis, but has traveled across the country. Her missions include Hurricane Katrina, the La Plata tornadoes and the Pentagon after 9/11.

They credit them with finding 70 percent of the human remains so that helped a whole lot of those families actually get closure, said Heather Roche, Reds owner.

Sept. 11 was Reds first search. Today shes one of the last 9/11 search and rescue dogs still alive.

She retired last summer due to severe arthritis.

It would be nice if her arthritis, if she felt better, that she could do those kinds of things that she misses, Reds owner said while fighting back tears. Alright I am going to cry.

Roche did some research and found an animal hospital in northern Virginia that uses breakthrough stem cell therapy to treat arthritis in dogs.

The Burke Animal Clinic is one of just a few across the country that use stem cell therapy.

The vet harvests 1 to 2 ounces of the dogs fatty tissue, activates the stem cells and then injects them back into the troubled areas.

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Stem Cell Therapy Used To Treat 9/11 Search And Rescue Dog

POWAY, CA--(Marketwire -03/22/12)- Vet-Stem announced today the introduction of StemInsure. The StemInsure service provides banked stem cells that can be grown to supply a lifetime of stem cell therapy for dogs. One fat collection, in conjunction with another anesthetized procedure, gives access to a lifetime of stem cells.

Vet-Stem has trained over 3,500 veterinarians, provided stem cells for over 8,000 animals in the US and Canada and currently banks more than 25,000 doses for future therapeutic use. Many veterinarians and their clients have requested a method to collect and store stem cells when a dog is young, before it needs the regenerative cells for therapy. StemInsure was designed to meet this need.

A Vet-Stem credentialed veterinarian can collect as little as 5 grams of fat (about the size of a grape) from a dog or puppy during an anesthetized procedure. Many veterinarians and owners are electing to do this fat collection in conjunction with a spay or neuter. This small amount of fat is processed and stem cells are cryopreserved in Vet-Stem's state-of-the-art facility. The cells can be cultured in the future to provide enough stem cells to last for the lifetime of the dog. More information can be found at http://www.vet-stem.com/steminsure.php.

"Vet-Stem is pleased to provide StemInsure as a solution to the thousands of veterinarians and dog owners who recognize the value of Vet-Stem cell therapy. The ability to store the cells in conjunction with another procedure is a great way to ensure that the dog will have access to a lifetime of cell therapy while reducing the number of anesthetic events," said Dr. Bob Harman, DVM, MPVM, and CEO of Vet-Stem. Dr. Harman continued, "Currently, Vet-Stem Regenerative Cell Therapy is widely used to treat osteoarthritis, and tendon/ligament injuries. It is our expectation that the therapeutic use of adipose derived stem cells will continue to expand and add to the value of a lifetime supply of stem cells for dogs."

About Vet-Stem:In January of 2004, Vet-Stem introduced the first veterinary stem cell service in the United States. Since that time there has been rapid adoption of this technology for treatment of tendon, ligament, and joint injuries by the veterinary community. Studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells can dramatically improve the healing of injuries and diseases that have had very few treatment options in the past.

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Vet-Stem Announces StemInsure(R): A Small Fat Sample Now, a Lifetime of Stem Cells Later

What used to be medical trash is now treating cancer. The University of Virginia's Medical Center is the first place in Virginia to take advantage of stem cells from umbilical cords and they are pleased with the results.

Dr. Mary Laughlin, the director of stem cell transplantation at UVA,said, "These are cells that are routinely thrown away, these cells save lives."

A lab within the UVA Medical Center contains numerous tubes where non-embryonic stem cells reside. They come from umbilical cord blood and give hope topatients suffering leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

Dr. Laughlin added, "They can completely replace a patient's bone marrow in the immune system. Oneof 10 cancer patients are able to find those cells through existing adult registries."

Thefive million babies that are born each year will soon solve that problem. The cells that are normally tossed out attack cancer cells.

Denise Mariconda, a nurse within the stem cell transplant program, stated, "It looks like a blood transfusion." Dr. Laughlin added, "It is in many ways like a cancer vaccine."

The first transplants were made in January and the transplant program at the UVA Medical Center admits it takes getting used to.

Mariconda said, "It is a process that's not like having your heart fixed in a one-day setting and you know that it's better."

These cells are not cause for controversy. Dr. Laughlin said, "Use of cord-blood is approved by all religious groups including the Vatican."

Babies' immune systems are not fully educated at the time of birth, making these cells effective. Dr. Laughlin, added, "That allows us to cross transplant barriers."

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Stem Cell Transplant Program Offered at UVA Medical Center

"Our research shows that reprogramming somatic cells does not require passing through a pluripotent stage," explains Schler. "Thanks to this new approach, tissue regeneration is becoming a more streamlined - and safer - process."

Up until now, pluripotent stem cells were considered the 'be-all and end-all' of stem cell science. Historically, researchers have obtained these 'jack-of-all-trades' cells from fully differentiated somatic cells. Given the proper environmental cues, pluripotent stem cells are capable of differentiating into every type of cell in the body, but their pluripotency also holds certain disadvantages, which preclude their widespread application in medicine. According to Schler, "pluripotent stem cells exhibit such a high degree of plasticity that under the wrong circumstances they may form tumours instead of regenerating a tissue or an organ." Schler's somatic stem cells offer a way out of this dilemma: they are 'only' multipotent, which means that they cannot give rise to all cell types but merely to a select subset of them - in this case, a type of cell found in neural tissue - a property, which affords them an edge in terms of their therapeutic potential.

To allow them to interconvert somatic cells into somatic stem cells, the Max Planck researchers cleverly combined a number of different growth factors, proteins that guide cellular growth. "One factor in particular, called Brn4, which had never been used before in this type of research, turned out to be a genuine 'captain' who very quickly and efficiently took command of his ship - the skin cell - guiding it in the right direction so that it could be converted into a neuronal somatic stem cell," explains Schler. This interconversion turns out to be even more effective if the cells, stimulated by growth factors and exposed to just the right environmental conditions, divide more frequently. "Gradually, the cells lose their molecular memory that they were once skin cells," explains Schler. It seems that even after only a few cycles of cell division the newly produced neuronal somatic stem cells are practically indistinguishable from stem cells normally found in the tissue.

Schler's findings suggest that these cells hold great long-term medical potential: "The fact that these cells are multipotent dramatically reduces the risk of neoplasm formation, which means that in the not-too-distant future they could be used to regenerate tissues damaged or destroyed by disease or old age; until we get to that point, substantial research efforts will have to be made." So far, insights are based on experiments using murine skin cells; the next steps now are to perform the same experiments using actual human cells. In addition, it is imperative that the stem cells' long-term behaviour is thoroughly characterized to determine whether they retain their stability over long periods of time.

"Our discoveries are a testament to the unparalleled degree of rigor of research conducted here at the Mnster Institute," says Schler. "We should realize that this is our chance to be instrumental in helping shape the future of medicine." At this point, the project is still in its initial, basic science stage although "through systematic, continued development in close collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, the transition from the basic to the applied sciences could be hugely successful, for this as well as for other, related, future projects," emphasizes Schler. This, then, is the reason why a suitable infrastructure framework must be created now rather than later. "The blueprints for this framework are all prepped and ready to go - all we need now are for the right political measures to be ratified to pave the way towards medical applicability."

More information: Han D.W., Tapia N., Hermann A., Hemmer K., Hing S., Arazo-Bravo M.J., Zaehres H., Frank S., Moritz S., Greber B., Yang J.H., Lee H.T., Schwamborn J.C., Storch A., Schler H.R. (2012) Direct Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Neural Stem Cells by Defined Factors, Cell Stem Cell, CELL-STEM-CELL-D-11-00679R3

Provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (news : web)

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Somatic stem cells obtained from skin cells for first time ever

TEL-AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Procognia (TASE:PRCG) is pleased to announce that the feasibility stage of the research, which focused on the glycosylation structures of stem cells, has been successfully completed. The research, directed by Prof. Dov Zipori from the Weizmann Institute of Science, was designed to develop a platform that will significantly improve the ability to identify and develop unique stem cells for transplant and treatment. Today, stem cell treatment faces a number of challenges, which both parties aim to handle successfully and therefore make a significant contribution to this field.

The feasibility stage focused on mesenchymal stem cells, and the results displayed the ability to:

Each of the above factors has the potential to significantly improve the abilities of the medical and scientific communities to successfully use stem cells for effective, successful transplants and medical treatment. In cooperation with Yeda Research & Development, the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute, Procognia has submitted a US patent that covers the research and its unique findings.

According to the results of the feasibility stage, Procognia will continue its research with Prof. Zipori to develop a platform that will:

Mesenchymal stem cells migrate towards tumors and affect them, and therefore can also be used as carriers for drugs that will affect the tumors.

Within the framework of the agreement, Procognia has the option to commercialize products for diagnostic and therapeutic uses on the basis of the joint development process, in exchange for Yeda Research & Development receiving appropriate royalties.

Procognia estimates that the development stage of this platform will take approximately two years.

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Procognia Announced That the Feasibility Stage of the Company's Research in Stem Cells in Cooperation with the ...

A battle is heating up between a Republican-led state House panel and the University of Michigan over whether U-M must disclose its number of embryonic stem-cell lines.

It's the latest in a series of disagreements in recent months about everything from university funding to unionization of graduate student research assistants.

This time, Republicans on the subcommittee are upset with what they call U-M's "thumbing of their nose" at requests for information about embryonic stem cells. Several lawmakers said that if they don't get the information -- required under language passed in last year's budget -- they'll look at docking U-M's state aid.

U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said the university doesn't have an exact number of stem cells. She said it's important, instead, to place the work in the context of medical advances stem cells are leading.

Leonard Fleck, an ethics professor at Michigan State University's Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, said he doesn't believe lawmakers should legislate with the budget. He said that will be especially true as a better understanding of human genetics transforms medicine but runs afoul of some religious convictions.

Rep. Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, admitted the issue is about more than stem-cell research.

"It about the power of the Legislature to ask for reports. We're going to stand behind those requirements," he said.

Those involved in stem-cell research say a feud between Republican members of the state House higher education subcommittee and the University of Michigan is more about personal beliefs than state mandates.

The subcommittee is demanding to know the number of embryonic stem-cell lines and four related numbers at U-M. In a private meeting earlier this year, the chairman of the subcommittee told U-M officials they could lose state funding if they don't give those details.

U-M didn't give legislators the numbers, and now several committee members say they want to dock some of its state aid for flaunting the Legislature.

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Battle with GOP lawmakers over stem cells could cost U-M state aid

Scientists in SA have generated non-embryonic stem cells for the first time, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) announced on Tuesday.

These "induced adult pluripotent stem cells" were developed from adult skin cells and can be prompted to grow into any type of adult cell, such as those in the heart or brain.

The technology is important for research into regenerative medicine, but is not yet widely used.

While the technology is not novel, the development of the capacity to grow these stem cells in SA is important for researchers investigating diseases affecting Africans, said CSIR post-doctoral fellow Janine Scholefield. The CSIR had replicated techniques devised by Japanese researchers in 2007.

"Cutting-edge medical research is not useful to Africans if knowledge is being created and applied only in the developed world," said CSIR head of gene expression and biophysics Musa Mhlanga. "Given the high disease burden in Africa, our aim is to become creators of knowledge, as well as innovators and expert practitioners of the newest and best technologies," The CSIR said that adult-generated stem cells were more acceptable to people who objected to using stem cells from embryos.

"The other critical thing is the cells (that will be grown) are an exact genetic match to the person who donated the skin cells, so we can circumvent the problem of tissue rejection," Dr Scholefield said.

"We can also develop models of disease in a petri dish in the laboratory," she said, explaining that this would enable researchers to investigate rare diseases without the need for human subjects.

"We are getting closer to using stem cells as part of routine medical practice, but are still a long way off from using these cells for degenerative diseases of the central nervous system," said Michael Pepper, professor of i mmunology at the University of Pretoria.

Prof Pepper said there were several hundred clinical trials using stem cells under way around the world, but most were still at an early stage.

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SA cracks stem cell conundrum

ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2012) Breaking new ground, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Mnster, Germany, have succeeded in obtaining somatic stem cells from fully differentiated somatic cells. Stem cell researcher Hans Schler and his team took skin cells from mice and, using a unique combination of growth factors while ensuring appropriate culturing conditions, have managed to induce the cells' differentiation into neuronal somatic stem cells.

"Our research shows that reprogramming somatic cells does not require passing through a pluripotent stage," explains Schler. "Thanks to this new approach, tissue regeneration is becoming a more streamlined -- and safer -- process."

Up until now, pluripotent stem cells were considered the 'be-all and end-all' of stem cell science. Historically, researchers have obtained these 'jack-of-all-trades' cells from fully differentiated somatic cells. Given the proper environmental cues, pluripotent stem cells are capable of differentiating into every type of cell in the body, but their pluripotency also holds certain disadvantages, which preclude their widespread application in medicine. According to Schler, "pluripotent stem cells exhibit such a high degree of plasticity that under the wrong circumstances they may form tumours instead of regenerating a tissue or an organ." Schler's somatic stem cells offer a way out of this dilemma: they are 'only' multipotent, which means that they cannot give rise to all cell types but merely to a select subset of them -- in this case, a type of cell found in neural tissue -- a property, which affords them an edge in terms of their therapeutic potential.

To allow them to interconvert somatic cells into somatic stem cells, the Max Planck researchers cleverly combined a number of different growth factors, proteins that guide cellular growth. "One factor in particular, called Brn4, which had never been used before in this type of research, turned out to be a genuine 'captain' who very quickly and efficiently took command of his ship -- the skin cell -- guiding it in the right direction so that it could be converted into a neuronal somatic stem cell," explains Schler. This interconversion turns out to be even more effective if the cells, stimulated by growth factors and exposed to just the right environmental conditions, divide more frequently. "Gradually, the cells lose their molecular memory that they were once skin cells," explains Schler. It seems that even after only a few cycles of cell division the newly produced neuronal somatic stem cells are practically indistinguishable from stem cells normally found in the tissue.

Schler's findings suggest that these cells hold great long-term medical potential: "The fact that these cells are multipotent dramatically reduces the risk of neoplasm formation, which means that in the not-too-distant future they could be used to regenerate tissues damaged or destroyed by disease or old age; until we get to that point, substantial research efforts will have to be made." So far, insights are based on experiments using murine skin cells; the next steps now are to perform the same experiments using actual human cells. In addition, it is imperative that the stem cells' long-term behaviour is thoroughly characterized to determine whether they retain their stability over long periods of time.

"Our discoveries are a testament to the unparalleled degree of rigor of research conducted here at the Mnster Institute," says Schler. "We should realize that this is our chance to be instrumental in helping shape the future of medicine." At this point, the project is still in its initial, basic science stage although "through systematic, continued development in close collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, the transition from the basic to the applied sciences could be hugely successful, for this as well as for other, related, future projects," emphasizes Schler. This, then, is the reason why a suitable infrastructure framework must be created now rather than later. "The blueprints for this framework are all prepped and ready to go -- all we need now are for the right political measures to be ratified to pave the way towards medical applicability."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

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Somatic stem cells obtained from skin cells; pluripotency 'detour' skipped

21-03-2012 23:31 CAUTION!!! DR. LOPEZ CORVALA and Dr. JESUS PEREZ will SCAM YOU at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana if you have TREATMENT THERE. After receiving stem cells for my cirrhosis, I did not show ANY IMPROVEMENT. They TRICKED ME into signing a CLINICAL TRIAL and said that I SIGNED PAPERS saying I might not show any improvement. They are using that against me by refusing to refund me or give me more stem cells. DO NOT GO THERE. Their website is regenerativemedicine.mx. They brag about how "great they are," that this is a state of the art hospital. DON'T BELIEVE THEM. THEY ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY. Regenerativemedicine.com is a scam. Only some of their patients improve and they video them the day after stem cells when they are sill in their hospital gowns. I said NO, that I would do a review after a few months. You can't tell that soon, that's ridiculous!!!

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Hospital Angeles Tijuana STEM CELL SCAM with Dr. Lopez Corvala Lap Band and Dr. Jesus Perez - Video

SUNRISE, Fla., March 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (OTCBB:BHRT.OB - News), a company focused on developing stem cell therapies for heart disease, previously announced that they entered into an agreement with Stemlogix, LLC, a veterinary regenerative medicine company, to provide additional cellular products and services to the veterinary market. Under this agreement, the companies are offering stem cell banking for veterinary patients (pets). WPLG, channel 10 featured this exciting technology in a news segment which aired in the South Florida area. A small sample of tissue can be obtained from the animals during a routine procedure such as a spay or neuter. The stem cells are isolated and cryopreserved for future use as needed.

"We are excited to bring our expertise in stem cell therapy to the veterinary community," said Mike Tomas, Bioheart's President and CEO. "Stem cell therapies represent new opportunities for various types of patients and the ability to bank a pet's cells when they are young and healthy could be very valuable for future use."

WPLG, Channel 10 in Miami/South Florida featured this new technology in a news segment which aired March 15, 2012. Please see the link below:

http://www.local10.com/thats-life/health/Pet-stem-cells-frozen-banked-for-future-use/-/1717022/9285894/-/apcx9rz/-/index.html

About Bioheart, Inc.

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues. Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com.

About Stemlogix, LLC

Stemlogix is an innovative veterinary regenerative medicine company committed to providing veterinarians with the ability to deliver the best possible stem cell therapy to dogs, cats and horses at the point-of-care. Stemlogix provides veterinarians with the ability to isolate regenerative stem cells from a patient's own adipose (fat) tissue directly on-site within their own clinic or where a patient is located. Regenerative stem cells isolated from adipose tissue have been shown in studies to be effective in treating animal's suffering from osteoarthritis, joint diseases, tendon injuries, heart disorders, among other conditions. Stemlogix has a highly experienced management team with experience in setting up full scale cGMP stem cell manufacturing facilities, stem cell product development & enhancement, developing point-of-care cell production systems, developing culture expanded stem cell production systems, FDA compliance, directing clinical & preclinical studies with multiple cell types for multiple indications, and more. For more information about veterinary regenerative medicine please visit http://www.stemlogix.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

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Bioheart Labs and Stemlogix Veterinary Products Featured in Media

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BioTime, Inc. (NYSE Amex:BTX), a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced that Chief Executive Officer, Michael D. West, Ph.D., will present a corporate overview of BioTime and its subsidiaries with an update on recent developments at the 2012 Maxim Group Growth Conference on Monday, March 26, 2012, 11:00 a.m. EDT, at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. The presentation will be webcast and available online at the Investors section of the BioTime website at http://www.biotimeinc.com.

The 5th annual Maxim Group Growth Conference is designed to provide institutional clients with the opportunity to gain an in-depth perspective on the issues affecting the growth of presenting companies. The one-day event will feature more than 80 company presentations across six designated industry tracks including the healthcare and biotechnology sectors.

About BioTime, Inc.

BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is developed through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of applications. BioTime develops and markets research products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary ACTCellerate cell lines, culture media, and differentiation kits. BioTime's wholly owned subsidiary ES Cell International Pte. Ltd. has produced clinical-grade human embryonic stem cell lines that were derived following principles of Good Manufacturing Practice and currently offers them for use in research. BioTime's therapeutic product development strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. Cell Cure's minority shareholder Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has an option to clinically develop and commercialize Cell Cure's OpRegen retinal cell product for use in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. BioTime's subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer, including the diagnostic product PanC-DxTM currently being developed for the detection of cancer in blood samples, therapeutic strategies using vascular progenitor cells engineered to destroy malignant tumors. ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. is developing applications of BioTime's proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells to treat cardiovascular and blood cell diseases. BioTime's newest subsidiary, LifeMap Sciences, Inc., is developing an online database of the complex cell lineages arising from stem cells to guide basic research and to market BioTime's research products. In addition to its stem cell products, BioTime develops blood plasma volume expanders, blood replacement solutions for hypothermic (low-temperature) surgery, and technology for use in surgery, emergency trauma treatment and other applications. BioTime's lead product, Hextend, is a blood plasma volume expander manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Hospira, Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corp. under exclusive licensing agreements. Additional information about BioTime, ReCyte Therapeutics, Cell Cure, OrthoCyte, OncoCyte, BioTime Asia, LifeMap Sciences, and ESI can be found on the web at http://www.biotimeinc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for BioTime and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of BioTime and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in BioTime's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. BioTime disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

To receive ongoing BioTime corporate communications, please click on the following link to join our email alert list: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=83805&p=irol-alerts

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BioTime CEO Michael D. West to Present at 2012 Maxim Group Growth Conference