StemCell Therapy

OTTAWA A team of Canadian researchers has been awarded $442,000 to test the world's first experimental stem-cell therapy aimed at patients who suffer from septic shock, a runaway infection of the bloodstream that's notoriously difficult to treat.

The federal grant will allow researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute to use mesenchymal stem cells, found in the bone marrow of healthy adults, to treat as many as 15 patients with septic shock.

The deadly infection occurs when toxic bacteria spreads rapidly throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, leading to multiple organ failure and death in up to 40 per cent of cases.

One in five patients admitted to intensive-care units suffers from septic shock, making it the most common illness among a hospital's sickest of the sick.

Existing treatments focus on early diagnosis and intervention before organs start to fail. Patients with septic shock require aggressive resuscitation measures, large doses of intravenous antibiotics and, often, ventilators to help them breathe.

Yet because the infection can creep up on patients rapidly and cause unpredictable complications, death from septic shock remains relatively common.

The experimental therapy aims to use donor stem cells, grown and purified at the Ottawa laboratory, to dial down the body's hyperactive immune response and reduce the cascade of inflammation that leads to organ failure.

Early results from animal studies even raise the possibility that mesenchymal cells could eliminate the bacteria that causes septic shock, although the impact on humans is not yet known.

"It's a unique feature of the stem cells," said Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, the intensive-care physician who is leading the trial. "Certainly no other therapy in the past, other than antibiotics, has impacted the bacterial load in the system."

As with other stem cells, mesenchymal cells can turn into a variety of more specialized cells and tissues that help repair and regenerate damaged organs. And because mesenchymal cells are derived from adults, they sidestep the ethical issues arising from the destruction of human embryos needed to make embryonic stem cells.

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Canadian researchers receive grant to test stem-cell therapy for septic shock

13-03-2012 16:42 Hear Dr. Bowen talk about the exciting field of Regenerative Medicine. The type of regenerative medicine Dr. Bowen practices uses our own adult stem cells to achieve desired results.

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Cosmetic Regenerative Medicine - Video

Public release date: 15-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Su-Chun Zhang zhang@waisman.wisc.edu 608-265-2543 University of Wisconsin-Madison

MADISON -- Huntington's disease, the debilitating congenital neurological disorder that progressively robs patients of muscle coordination and cognitive ability, is a condition without effective treatment, a slow death sentence.

But if researchers can build on new research reported this week (March 15, 2012) in the journal Cell Stem Cell, a special type of brain cell forged from stem cells could help restore the muscle coordination deficits that cause the uncontrollable spasms characteristic of the disease.

"This is really something unexpected," says Su-Chun Zhang, a University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist and the senior author of the new study, which showed that locomotion could be restored in mice with a Huntington's-like condition.

Zhang is an expert at making different types of brain cells from human embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells. In the new study, his group focused on what are known as GABA neurons, cells whose degradation is responsible for disruption of a key neural circuit and loss of motor function in Huntington's patients. GABA neurons, Zhang explains, produce a key neurotransmitter, a chemical that helps underpin the communication network in the brain that coordinates movement.

In the laboratory, Zhang and his colleagues at the UW-Madison Waisman Center have learned how to make large amounts of GABA neurons from human embryonic stem cells, which they sought to test in a mouse model of Huntington's disease. The goal of the study, Zhang notes, was simply to see if the cells would safely integrate into the mouse brain. To their astonishment, the cells not only integrated but also project to the right target and effectively reestablished the broken communication network, restoring motor function.

The results of the study were surprising, Zhang explains, because GABA neurons reside in one part of the brain, the basal ganglia, which plays a key role in voluntary motor coordination. But the GABA neurons exert their influence at a distance on cells in the midbrain through the circuit fueled by the GABA neuron chemical neurotransmitter.

"This circuitry is essential for motor coordination," Zhang says, "and it is what is broken in Huntington patients. The GABA neurons exert their influence at a distance through this circuit. Their cell targets are far away."

That the transplanted cells could effectively reestablish the circuit was completely unexpected: "Many in the field feel that successful cell transplants would be impossible because it would require rebuilding the circuitry. But what we've shown is that the GABA neurons can remake the circuitry and produce the right neurotransmitter."

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Stem cells hint at potential treatment for Huntington's Disease

SUNRISE, Fla., March 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (BHRT.OB) announced today that it has successfully conducted a laboratory training course in partnership with the Ageless Regenerative Institute, an organization dedicated to the standardization of cell regenerative medicine. The attendees participated in hands on, in depth training in laboratory practices in stem cell science.

"We had students from all over the world attend this first course including physicians, laboratory technicians and students," said Mike Tomas, Bioheart's President and CEO. "Bioheart is pleased to be able to share our 13 years of experience in stem cell research and help expand this growing life science field."

The course included cell culture techniques and quality control testing such as flow cytometry and gram stain. In addition, participants learned how to work in a cleanroom operating according to FDA cGMP standards, regulations used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, food and medical devices. Aseptic techniques were also taught as well as cleanroom gowning, environmental monitoring and maintenance.

Future courses are open to physicians, laboratory technicians and students. After graduating the course, attendees are prepared to pursue research and careers in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine. For more information about the course, contact info@agelessregen.com.

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 Ageless Regenerative Institute, LLC

The Ageless Regenerative Institute (ARI) is an organization dedicated to the standardization of cell regenerative medicine. The Institute promotes the development of evidence-based standards of excellence in the therapeutic use of adipose-derived stem cells through education, advocacy, and research. ARI 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. ARI has successfully treated hundreds of patients utilizing these cellular therapies demonstrating both safety and efficacy. For more information about regenerative medicine please visit http://www.agelessregen.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 and Ageless Partner to Advance Stem Cell Field With Laboratory Training Programs

Public release date: 15-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Ganton jganton@ohri.ca 613-798-5555 x73325 Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

A team of researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has been awarded $367,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and $75,000 from the Stem Cell Network to lead the first clinical trial in the world of a stem cell therapy for septic shock. This deadly condition occurs when an infection spreads throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, resulting in severe organ damage and death in 30 to 40 per cent of cases. Septic shock accounts for 20 per cent of all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions in Canada and costs $4 billion annually. Under the leadership of Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, this new "Phase I" trial will test the experimental therapy in up to 15 patients with septic shock at The Ottawa Hospital's ICU.

The treatment involves mesenchymal stem cells, also called mesenchymal stromal cells or MSCs. Like other stem cells, they can give rise to a variety of more specialized cells and tissues and can help repair and regenerate damaged organs. They also have a unique ability to modify the body's immune response and enhance the clearance of infectious organisms. They can be found in adult bone marrow and other tissues, as well as umbilical cord blood, and they seem to be easily transplantable between people, because they are more able to avoid immune rejection.

There has been a great deal of interest in using MSCs to treat disease, with most research so far focused on heart disease, stroke, inflammatory bowel disease and blood cancers. Hundreds of patients with these diseases have already been treated with MSCs through clinical trials, with results suggesting that these cells are safe in these patients, and have promising signs of effectiveness. MSCs are still considered experimental however, and have not been approved by Health Canada as a standard therapy for any disease.

In recent years, a number of animal studies have suggested that MSCs may also be able to help treat septic shock. For example, a recent study by Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director of OHRI (and also a co-investigator on the new clinical trial) showed that treatment with these cells can triple survival in a mouse model of this condition.

"Mesenchymal stem cell therapy appears promising in animal studies, but it will require many years of clinical trials involving hundreds of patients to know if it is safe and effective," said Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, a Scientist at the OHRI, ICU Physician at The Ottawa Hospital, Assistant Professor of Medicine at uOttawa and a New Investigator with CIHR and Canadian Blood Services. "This trial is a first step, but it is a very exciting first step."

As with all "Phase I" trials, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of the therapy and determine the best dose for future studies. The 15 patients in the treatment group will receive standard treatments (such as fluids, antibiotics and blood pressure control), plus a planned intravenous dose of 0.3 to 3 million MSCs per kg of body weight. The MSCs will be obtained from the bone marrow of healthy donors and purified in the OHRI's Good Manufacturing Practice Laboratory in the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research. The researchers also plan to evaluate 24 similar septic shock patients who will receive standard treatments only (no MSCs). All patients will be rigorously monitored for side effects, and blood samples will be taken at specific time points to monitor the cells and their activity. This trial will not be randomized or blinded and it will not include enough patients to reliably determine if the therapy is effective. It will be conducted under the supervision of Health Canada and the Ottawa Hospital Research Ethics Board, and will have to be approved by both of these organizations before commencing.

"The OHRI is rapidly becoming known as a leader in conducting world-first clinical trials with innovative therapies such as stem cells," said Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director of OHRI, Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and Professor of Medicine at uOttawa. "This research is truly pushing the boundaries of medical science forward, and is providing the citizens of Ottawa with access to promising new therapies."

"The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is very pleased to support this clinical trial," said Dr. Jean Rouleau, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. "The work of Dr. McIntyre and her colleagues will not only add to our growing knowledge of the benefits of stem-cell therapies, but will hopefully lead to treatments that can help save the lives of patients where currently, our treatment options are less than optimal."

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Ottawa researchers to lead world-first clinical trial of stem cell therapy for septic shock

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received a complaint alleging the Houston company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's unregulated adult stem-cell operation is a potential danger to patients and not in compliance with federal law.

In an eight-page letter sent last month, University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner called on the FDA to investigate Celltex Therapeutics Corp., which banks people's stem cells for future reinjection in the event of disease or injury. Perry was the company's first customer last year.

"It appears their business plan involves injecting or infusing on a for-profit, commercial basis non-FDA-approved adult stem cells into paying customers," Turner wrote in the Feb. 21 letter. "This plan conflicts with FDA regulations governing human stem cells."

An FDA spokeswoman declined comment, but Turner said an agency official told him the matter has been assigned to an investigator and is being taken seriously.

Celltex co-founder David Eller said Tuesday night he is confident the company will "meet all FDA specifications." He emphasized that Celltex doesn't administer stem cells, but stores and processes them at the behest of doctors who later reinject them into patients.

Dr. Stanley Jones, a Houston orthopedic surgeon, injected Perry's stem cells during his back surgery in July.

The plan by Celltex and Perry to make Texas a leader in the therapy have been controversial since details about the governor's procedure became known last summer. The therapy, drawing on the ability of adult stem cells to replenish dying cells, is promising but thought by most medical researchers to need much more clinical study before it is commercialized.

Stem cells are a kind of medicine known as biologics, therapy involving living cells rather than chemicals. Most medical experts say that adult stem-cell therapy involves more than the "minimal manipulation" the agency allows without its oversight because the cells are isolated, cultured in a laboratory and stored for some period of time before being reinjected.

The FDA has recently stepped up enforcement of unregulated adult stem cell activity, though legal experts interviewed last fall by the Chronicle said it was unclear whether the agency would look into Perry's procedure because he seemed fully informed and unharmed by it.

The Texas Medical Board is currently considering a policy that would require providers of stem cells and other experimental drugs to use them only with the permission of independent review committees that assess trials for patient safety. The policy comes up for final approval in April.

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FDA receives complaint about Houston company that stored Gov. Perry's stem cells

Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters

A boy looks at the skeleton of a mammoth in the Ice Age Museum in Moscow.

Good news for anyone who wishes we could revert to prehistoric times, or really, anyone who thinks woolly mammoths are awesome. Scientists in Asia have announced plans to recreate the giant creature that stomped around the Earth some 4,500 years ago.

On Tuesday, scientist Hwang Woo-suk of South KoreasSooam Biotech Research Foundation signed an agreement with Vasily Vasiliev of RussiasNorth-Eastern Federal University to clone a mammoth, AFP reports.

(MORE: Japanese Scientist Says Well Have Mammoths by 2015)

Hwang, once lauded as a pioneer in the field of cloning, lost a bit of credibility in 2006 when some of his breakthrough human stem cell research turned out to be fabricated. However, experts have verified his work in creating the worlds first cloned dog, Snuppy, in 2005. Hwangs next goal could also come to fruition now that portions of Siberias permafrost have thawed and left behind mammoth remains. Sooam officials said the foundation will launch research this year.

So how exactly does one go about cloning a woolly mammoth? The scientists plan to replace the nuclei of elephant egg cells with those of a mammoth, producing embryos with mammoth DNA. Then, those embryos will be planted into the wombs of elephants for delivery. The mammoth cells would come from internal organs, skin, bones and blood. Finding well-preserved tissue with an undamaged gene will be the most difficult task, the researchers told the AFP.

Though the initiative is quite ambitious, the researchers said theyre confident, given their previous success in cloning animals and the success of their colleagues. South Korean scientists have already cloned animals including a cat, dogs, a pig, a cow and a wolf.

MORE: Free Woolly Out of the Cold

Read more:
The Woolly Mammoth's Return? Scientists Plan to Clone Extinct Creature

Hendrik Poinar, a scientist who believes he is close to cracking the woolly mammoth's genetic code, says that cloning extinct species is now possible. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.

By Alan Boyle

Russian and South Korean scientists, including the cloning expert who was the focus of a stem-cell scandal six years ago, have signed a deal to try re-creating a woolly mammoth using cells recovered from 10,000-year-old frozen remains.

The papers for the joint research project were signed on Tuesday by Hwang Woo-Suk, chief technology officer for South Korea's Sooam Biotech Research Foundation; and Vasily Vasiliev, vice director of Russia's North-Eastern Federal University, during a ceremony at Hwang's office in Seoul.

Hwang is infamous for his role in human embryonic stem-cell research: In 2004 and 2005, he and his colleagues claimed to have extracted stem cells from what they characterized as the world's first cloned human embryos. But in late 2005, his work was found to have been based on fabricated data, and he was barred from continuing research with human cells.

Despite the disgrace, Hwang continued working with animal cloning techniques. Before the scandal broke, his team announced that they produced the world's first cloned dog, nicknamed Snuppy, and that claim has stood up to scrutiny. Last October, Hwang's team at Sooam unveiled eight cloned coyotes that had been produced by injecting nuclei from coyote skin cells into dog eggs. At the time, he said he was interested in cloning an endangered African dog species known as the lycaon ... and was interested in cloning a mammoth, too.

In December, Japanese news media said that scientists recovered a seemingly viable sample of bone marrow from a frozen mammoth thigh bone in Russia's Sakha Republic, and that a mammoth could be cloned back from extinction within five years. This week, Agence France-Presse reported that North-Eastern Federal University is working with the Japanese scientists and with the Koreans. The Beijing Genomics Institute is said to be taking part in the Korean-Russian project as well.

Reports from Seoul suggest that the mammoth-cloning effort could be launched this year if the Russians can ship the remains to Sooam's laboratory. "The first and hardest mission is to restore mammoth cells," a colleague of Hwang's at Sooam, Hwang In-Sung, told AFP.

Jung Yeon-Je / AFP - Getty Images

South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk, (far left) and Vasily Vasiliev, vice director of North-Eastern Federal University of Russia's Sakha Republic (far right), exchange agreements during a signing ceremony on joint research at Hwang's office in Seoul on Tuesday.

Link:
Disgraced scientist leads mammoth-cloning effort

New route of administration provides greater convenience and choice for physicians and patients

TORONTO, March 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Janssen Inc. announced today that Health Canada has approved an expanded indication for VELCADE (bortezomib) to include subcutaneous administration in the treatment of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.1,2 This route of administration was studied in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. With this approval, Canadians living with multiple myeloma can now receive a convenient, subcutaneous (under the skin) injection that allows for greater physician and patient treatment choice.3 VELCADE was first approved in Canada under a Notice of Compliance with Conditions in January 2005 for the treatment of multiple myeloma patients who have relapsed following front-line therapy and are refractory to their most recent therapy. In 2008, VELCADE was also approved as part of combination therapy for the treatment of patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma who are unsuitable for stem cell transplantation.

"The new option of the subcutaneous delivery route has the potential for more patients to benefit from bortezomib. Patients with poor venous access will have improved convenience. For patients with pre-existing peripheral neuropathy and patients at high risk for developing peripheral neuropathy this alternate route will also result in improved safety with the reduced risk of developing worsening of neuropathy," said Dr. Kevin Song, MD, FRCPC, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver General Hospital and the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program of BC, Vancouver. "In addition, subcutaneous delivery of bortezomib provides physicians and patients the opportunity to tailor treatment based on individual preferences and circumstances. I have no doubt that the subcutaneous delivery route will become the preferred option."

Multiple myeloma is characterized by excessive numbers of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow.4 Symptoms of the disease often include bone pain, fatigue, unusual bleeding (usually from the nose and gums), frequent infections and fevers, thirst, weight loss and nausea or vomiting. Multiple myeloma may also cause structural bone damage resulting in painful fractures.5 The goal of multiple myeloma treatment is to relieve symptoms, avoid complications, and prolong life.6

"Myeloma Canada endorses Health Canada's decision to approve the subcutaneous administration of VELCADE," said Aldo Del Col, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Myeloma Canada. "From a patient perspective, subcutaneous administration may reduce the risk of neuropathy, thereby allowing patients to continue their treatment to optimize clinical outcomes."

The results of an open-label, randomized, phase III non-inferiority study1 conducted with 222 patients with relapsed multiple myeloma randomly assigned to receive subcutaneous or intravenous bortezomib found that patients receiving bortezomib subcutaneously achieved a four-cycle overall response (ORR) of 42 per cent and complete response (CR) rate of six per cent, while patients receiving bortezomib intravenously achieved an ORR of 44 per cent and a CR rate of nine per cent. The overall safety profile was similar between the two arms. However, differences were observed in the incidence of peripheral neuropathy (PN). In the subcutaneous arm of the trial, six per cent of patients experienced PN of grade three or higher, compared with 16 per cent in the intravenous arm. In the subcutaneous arm, 38 per cent of patients experienced PN of all grades, compared with 53 per cent of patients in the intravenous arm. Dose reductions occurred due to drug related adverse events in 31 per cent of patients in the subcutaneous treatment group compared with 43 per cent of the intravenously treated patients.7 In the subcutaneous treatment group, 18 per cent of patients discontinued study treatment due to a drug-related adverse event compared with 23 per cent in the intravenous treatment group.8

"This new indication further supports the efficacy of bortezomib for patients living with multiple myeloma," added Dr. Song. "In addition, subcutaneous delivery may offer greater convenience to patients and healthcare providers."

About Multiple Myeloma in Canada Multiple myeloma is the second most prevalent blood cancer after non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.9 In 2011, there were approximately 7,000 Canadians living with multiple myeloma and the prevalence in Canada continues to rise.1 According to the 2011 Canadian Cancer Statistics report released by the Canadian Cancer Society, the total new cases of multiple myeloma diagnosed annually in Canada are estimated at 2,300, with the total number of deaths from multiple myeloma estimated at 1,370 annually.8 The average age at diagnosis is 62 years for men and 61 years for women, and only four per cent of cases are diagnosed in individuals under the age of 45.11

About VELCADE(bortezomib) for Injection1 VELCADE offers a completely novel approach to treating multiple myeloma by acting on a unique target in cells called the proteasome. By blocking the proteasome, VELCADE disrupts processes related to the growth and survival of cancer cells. The proteasome is a structure that exists in all cells and plays an important role in breaking down proteins that control how the cell lives and grows.

VELCADE was first approved in Canada under a Notice of Compliance with Conditions in January 2005 for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have relapsed following front-line therapy and are refractory to their most recent therapy.

Excerpt from:
Health Canada approves subcutaneous administration of VELCADE®* in multiple myeloma

SUNRISE, Fla., March 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (BHRT.OB) announced today that it has successfully conducted a laboratory training course in partnership with the Ageless Regenerative Institute, an organization dedicated to the standardization of cell regenerative medicine. The attendees participated in hands on, in depth training in laboratory practices in stem cell science.

"We had students from all over the world attend this first course including physicians, laboratory technicians and students," said Mike Tomas, Bioheart's President and CEO. "Bioheart is pleased to be able to share our 13 years of experience in stem cell research and help expand this growing life science field."

The course included cell culture techniques and quality control testing such as flow cytometry and gram stain. In addition, participants learned how to work in a cleanroom operating according to FDA cGMP standards, regulations used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, food and medical devices. Aseptic techniques were also taught as well as cleanroom gowning, environmental monitoring and maintenance.

Future courses are open to physicians, laboratory technicians and students. After graduating the course, attendees are prepared to pursue research and careers in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine. For more information about the course, contact info@agelessregen.com.

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 Ageless Regenerative Institute, LLC

The Ageless Regenerative Institute (ARI) is an organization dedicated to the standardization of cell regenerative medicine. The Institute promotes the development of evidence-based standards of excellence in the therapeutic use of adipose-derived stem cells through education, advocacy, and research. ARI 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. ARI has successfully treated hundreds of patients utilizing these cellular therapies demonstrating both safety and efficacy. For more information about regenerative medicine please visit http://www.agelessregen.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.

Read the original here:
Bioheart and Ageless Partner to Advance Stem Cell Field With Laboratory Training Programs

Newswise New York, NY (March 14, 2012) Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) scientists have developed a way to recreate an individuals immune system in a mouse. The personalized immune mouse offers researchers an unprecedented tool for individualized analysis of abnormalities that contribute to type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, starting at the onset of disease. The findings were published today in the online edition of Science Translational Medicine.

The mouse model could also have clinical applications, such as predicting how a particular patient might respond to existing drugs or immunotherapies, reports senior author Megan Sykes, Michael J. Friedlander Professor of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and Surgical Sciences (in Surgery) at CUMC. Dr. Sykes is also Director for the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology. In addition, the model might prove useful for developing individualized immunotherapies for fighting infection or cancer or for lessening a patients rejection of transplanted tissue.

Researchers have been searching for new ways to tease apart the various factors that contribute to autoimmune disease. While large-scale studies of human populations have provided important clues to the genetic basis of immune diseases, they have offered little information about the specific role the genes play, says Dr. Sykes. Its difficult to isolate these mechanisms when looking at groups of patients who have had disease for different lengths of time or have been receiving different treatments. And the fact that they already have the disease makes it difficult to distinguish what underlies and propagates the autoimmune process.

Several research groups have attempted to create a personalized immune mouse. However, each model has had significant limitations, such as an inability to generate the full complement of immune cells and incompatibilities between tissues used to recreate the human immune system, leading to graft-versus-host disease.

Dr. Sykes model, in contrast, is able to recreate a robust and diverse human immune system, including T cells, B cells, and myeloid cells (which generate a variety of immune cells), free of immune incompatibilities.

The model is made by transplanting human bone marrow stem cells (also known as CD34+ cells), along with a small amount (approximately 1 cubic mm) of HLA-matched immature thymus tissue, into an immunodeficient mouse. (The HLA, or human leukocyte antigen, system mediates interactions among various immune cells.) The thymus tissue is implanted into the mouses kidney capsule, a thin membrane that envelops the kidney and serves as an incubator. Within six to eight weeks, the transplanted thymus tissue is seeded by circulating human CD34+ cells (which are infused into the mouses bloodstream), and begins generating human immune cells from the CD34+ cells.

A key to the models success was the teams discovery that freezing and thawing the transplanted thymus tissue, as well as administering antibodies against CD2 (a glycoprotein that mediates T cell development and activation), depletes mature T cells from the tissue graft. This prevents rejection of the human CD34+ cells and graft-versus-host disease, while preserving function of the thymus tissue.

Dr. Sykes intends to use the personalized immune mouse to study type 1 diabetes. We hope to find out what is fundamentally different about patients immune systems, compared with those of healthy individuals, before any disease develops, she says.

The studies should also reveal more about the genetics of type 1 diabetes. A number of HLA-associated genes have been linked to type 1 diabetes, she explains. About a third of the population has one of more of these genes. But a much smaller percentage of the population actually develops the disease. What this means is, the HLA genes are necessary, but not sufficient, to cause type 1 diabetes. Using the personalized immune mouse, we expect to learn more about the role that non-HLA genes play in the disease.

Dr. Sykes paper is entitled, A model for personalized in vivo analysis of human immune responsiveness. Her coauthors are Hannes Kalscheuer (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, and CUMC), Nichole Danzl (CUMC), Takashi Onoe (Harvard and CUMC), Ted Faust (Harvard and CUMC), Robert Winchester (CUMC), Robin Goland (CUMC), Ellen Greenberg (CUMC), Thomas R Spitzer (Harvard), David G. Savage (CUMC), Hiroyuki Tahara (CUMC), Goda Choi (CUMC), and Yong-Guang Yang (Harvard and CUMC).

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"Personalized Immune" Mouse Offers New Tool for Studying Autoimmune Diseases Model May Allow Development of ...

Public release date: 14-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karin Eskenazi ket2116@columbia.edu 212-342-0508 Columbia University Medical Center

New York, NY (March 14, 2012) Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) scientists have developed a way to recreate an individual's immune system in a mouse. The "personalized immune mouse" offers researchers an unprecedented tool for individualized analysis of abnormalities that contribute to type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, starting at the onset of disease. The findings were published today in the online edition of Science Translational Medicine.

The mouse model could also have clinical applications, such as predicting how a particular patient might respond to existing drugs or immunotherapies, reports senior author Megan Sykes, Michael J. Friedlander Professor of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and Surgical Sciences (in Surgery) at CUMC. Dr. Sykes is also Director for the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology. In addition, the model might prove useful for developing individualized immunotherapies for fighting infection or cancer or for lessening a patient's rejection of transplanted tissue.

Researchers have been searching for new ways to tease apart the various factors that contribute to autoimmune disease. "While large-scale studies of human populations have provided important clues to the genetic basis of immune diseases, they have offered little information about the specific role the genes play," says Dr. Sykes. "It's difficult to isolate these mechanisms when looking at groups of patients who have had disease for different lengths of time or have been receiving different treatments. And the fact that they already have the disease makes it difficult to distinguish what underlies and propagates the autoimmune process."

Several research groups have attempted to create a personalized immune mouse. However, each model has had significant limitations, such as an inability to generate the full complement of immune cells and incompatibilities between tissues used to recreate the human immune system, leading to graft-versus-host disease.

Dr. Sykes' model, in contrast, is able to recreate a robust and diverse human immune system, including T cells, B cells, and myeloid cells (which generate a variety of immune cells), free of immune incompatibilities.

The model is made by transplanting human bone marrow stem cells (also known as CD34+ cells), along with a small amount (approximately 1 cubic mm) of HLA-matched immature thymus tissue, into an immunodeficient mouse. (The HLA, or human leukocyte antigen, system mediates interactions among various immune cells.) The thymus tissue is implanted into the mouse's kidney capsule, a thin membrane that envelops the kidney and serves as an incubator. Within six to eight weeks, the transplanted thymus tissue is seeded by circulating human CD34+ cells (which are infused into the mouse's bloodstream), and begins generating human immune cells from the CD34+ cells.

A key to the model's success was the team's discovery that freezing and thawing the transplanted thymus tissue, as well as administering antibodies against CD2 (a glycoprotein that mediates T cell development and activation), depletes mature T cells from the tissue graft. This prevents rejection of the human CD34+ cells and graft-versus-host disease, while preserving function of the thymus tissue.

Dr. Sykes intends to use the personalized immune mouse to study type 1 diabetes. "We hope to find out what is fundamentally different about patients' immune systems, compared with those of healthy individuals, before any disease develops," she says.

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'Personalized immune' mouse offers new tool for studying autoimmune diseases

When skin cells are reprogrammed, many of their cellular properties are recalibrated as they aquire stem cell properties and then are induced to become skin cells again. In order for these "induced" stem cells to be viable in treatment for humans (tissue regeneration, personalized wound healing therapies, etc.), researchers need to understand how they retain or even improve their characteristics after they are reprogrammed.

Since the initial discovery of reprogramming, scientists have struggled with the unpredictability of the cells due to the many changes that occur during the reprogramming process. Classifying specific epigenetic signatures, as this study did, allows researchers to anticipate ways to produce cell types with optimal properties for tissue repair while minimizing unintended cellular abnormalities.

The researchers used reprogrammed cells to generate three-dimensional connective tissue that mimics an in vivo wound repair environment. To verify the role of the protein (PDGFRbeta) in tissue regeneration and maintenance, the team blocked its cellular expression, which impaired the cells' ability to build tissue.

"We determined that successful tissue generation is associated with the expression of PDGFRbeta. Theoretically, by identifying the epigenetic signatures that indicate its expression, we can determine the reprogrammed cells' potential for maintaining normal cellular characteristics throughout development," said first author Kyle Hewitt, PhD, a graduate of the cell, molecular & developmental biology program at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, and postdoctoral associate in the Garlick laboratory at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM).

"The ability to generate patient-specific cells from the reprogrammed skin cells may allow for improved, individualized, cell-based therapies for wound healing. Potentially, these reprogrammed cells could be used as a tool for drug development, modeling of disease, and transplantation medicine without the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells," said senior author Jonathan Garlick, DDS, PhD, a professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial pathology and director of the division of tissue engineering and cancer biology at TUSDM.

Jonathan Garlick is also a member of the cell, molecular & developmental biology program faculty at the Sackler School and the director of the Center for Integrated Tissue Engineering (CITE) at TUSDM.

More information: Hewitt KJ, Shamis Y, Knight E, Smith A, Maione A, Alt-Holland A, Garlick JA. Journal of Cell Science. "PDGFRbeta Expression and Function in Fibroblasts Derived from Pluripotent Cells is Linked to DNA Demethylation" Published online February 17, 2012, doi: 10.1242/jcs.099192

Provided by Tufts University

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Epigenetic signatures direct the repair potential of reprogrammed cells

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

With the global demand for biotechnology solutions to mounting health concerns growing every day, Rainbow Coral Corp. (OTCBB: RBCC.OB - News) has been working hard to deliver the kinds of breakthroughs that doctors, scientists, and researchers the world over are begging for.

Today, Rainbow BioSciences, the biotech division of Rainbow Coral Corp. (OTCBB: RBCC.OB - News) announced that it has signed a deal to acquire an interest in the cutting-edge biotech firm Nano3D Biosciences, Inc. (n3D). One of the hottest emerging biotech developers in the world, n3D is producing new tools that could challenge long-held assumptions about healthcareand change lives in the process.

The agreement is the culmination of months of work and negotiations. N3D is a terrific fit with RBCCs aggressive focus on company growth. The companys new breakthrough cell-culturing technology, the Bio-Assembler, is fully commercialized already. RBCCs participation will provide n3D with the funds for marketing and distributing the Bio-Assembler to new markets as cellular research in the biotech sector explodes around the globe.

The acquisition has RBCC well-positioned to participate in the potentially dramatic upside that many bioscience companies realize at this stage. N3Ds Bio-Assembler could be poised to revolutionize the way stem cell research and the study of other living tissues is conducted worldwide, with the potential to ultimately reduce the development timeline for new life-saving drug therapies.

For more information on Rainbow BioSciences, RBCCs biotechnology division, please visit http://www.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.

Rainbow BioSciences will develop new medical and research technology innovations to compete alongside companies such as Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTIC - News), Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB - News), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT - News) and Elan Corp. (NYSE: ELN - News).

About Rainbow BioSciences

Rainbow BioSciences, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp. (OTCBB: RBCC.OB - News). The company continually seeks out new partnerships with biotechnology developers to deliver profitable new medical technologies and innovations. For more information on our growth-oriented business initiatives, please visit our website at [www.RainbowBioSciences.com]. For investment information and performance data on the company, please visit http://www.RainbowBioSciences.com/investors.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Excerpt from:
RBCC Closes Deal with Game Changing Biotech Firm

Public release date: 15-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Ganton jganton@ohri.ca 613-798-5555 x73325 Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

A team of researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has been awarded $367,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and $75,000 from the Stem Cell Network to lead the first clinical trial in the world of a stem cell therapy for septic shock. This deadly condition occurs when an infection spreads throughout the body and over-activates the immune system, resulting in severe organ damage and death in 30 to 40 per cent of cases. Septic shock accounts for 20 per cent of all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions in Canada and costs $4 billion annually. Under the leadership of Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, this new "Phase I" trial will test the experimental therapy in up to 15 patients with septic shock at The Ottawa Hospital's ICU.

The treatment involves mesenchymal stem cells, also called mesenchymal stromal cells or MSCs. Like other stem cells, they can give rise to a variety of more specialized cells and tissues and can help repair and regenerate damaged organs. They also have a unique ability to modify the body's immune response and enhance the clearance of infectious organisms. They can be found in adult bone marrow and other tissues, as well as umbilical cord blood, and they seem to be easily transplantable between people, because they are more able to avoid immune rejection.

There has been a great deal of interest in using MSCs to treat disease, with most research so far focused on heart disease, stroke, inflammatory bowel disease and blood cancers. Hundreds of patients with these diseases have already been treated with MSCs through clinical trials, with results suggesting that these cells are safe in these patients, and have promising signs of effectiveness. MSCs are still considered experimental however, and have not been approved by Health Canada as a standard therapy for any disease.

In recent years, a number of animal studies have suggested that MSCs may also be able to help treat septic shock. For example, a recent study by Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director of OHRI (and also a co-investigator on the new clinical trial) showed that treatment with these cells can triple survival in a mouse model of this condition.

"Mesenchymal stem cell therapy appears promising in animal studies, but it will require many years of clinical trials involving hundreds of patients to know if it is safe and effective," said Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre, a Scientist at the OHRI, ICU Physician at The Ottawa Hospital, Assistant Professor of Medicine at uOttawa and a New Investigator with CIHR and Canadian Blood Services. "This trial is a first step, but it is a very exciting first step."

As with all "Phase I" trials, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of the therapy and determine the best dose for future studies. The 15 patients in the treatment group will receive standard treatments (such as fluids, antibiotics and blood pressure control), plus a planned intravenous dose of 0.3 to 3 million MSCs per kg of body weight. The MSCs will be obtained from the bone marrow of healthy donors and purified in the OHRI's Good Manufacturing Practice Laboratory in the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research. The researchers also plan to evaluate 24 similar septic shock patients who will receive standard treatments only (no MSCs). All patients will be rigorously monitored for side effects, and blood samples will be taken at specific time points to monitor the cells and their activity. This trial will not be randomized or blinded and it will not include enough patients to reliably determine if the therapy is effective. It will be conducted under the supervision of Health Canada and the Ottawa Hospital Research Ethics Board, and will have to be approved by both of these organizations before commencing.

"The OHRI is rapidly becoming known as a leader in conducting world-first clinical trials with innovative therapies such as stem cells," said Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director of OHRI, Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and Professor of Medicine at uOttawa. "This research is truly pushing the boundaries of medical science forward, and is providing the citizens of Ottawa with access to promising new therapies."

"The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is very pleased to support this clinical trial," said Dr. Jean Rouleau, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. "The work of Dr. McIntyre and her colleagues will not only add to our growing knowledge of the benefits of stem-cell therapies, but will hopefully lead to treatments that can help save the lives of patients where currently, our treatment options are less than optimal."

Link:
Ottawa researchers to lead world-first clinical trial of stem cell therapy for septic shock

EDMONDS, Wash., March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Washington Center for Pain Management is participating in a nationwide FDA-cleared adult stem cell study testing novel treatment for chronic low back pain and has enrolled its first patient. The study will test the use of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) adult stem cells derived from bone marrow that will be directly injected into the lumbar disc. The minimally invasive procedure may offer an alternative to back surgery for eligible patients with chronic pain from degenerative discs.

An estimated 30 million people in the United States suffer from back pain. Degenerative disc disease is the most common cause of low-back pain, which develops with the gradual loss of a material called proteoglycan, which cushions the bones of the spine and enables normal motion.

Most patients with low-back pain respond to physical therapy and medications, but in advanced cases, artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion -- removal of the degenerated discs and the fusion of the bones of the spine -- is necessary. However, these surgeries often are not entirely effective.

"Millions of Americans are debilitated by chronic low back pain," says Dr Hyun Joong Hong MD, the lead investigator at The Washington Center for Pain Management. "This promising therapy is at the cutting edge of medical science and has the potential to create a paradigm shift in our approach to minimally invasive solutions to this disease."

Researchers will enroll approximately 100 study participants. About fifteen participants will be enrolled at The Washington Center for Pain Management and the rest at 11 other medical centers throughout the United States. The trial is scheduled to last for three years.

Washington Center for Pain Management is enrolling study participants suffering from moderate low-back pain for a minimum of six months and whose condition has not responded to other, conventional treatments.

Once enrolled, patients are randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups:

Patients will receive a single injection of their assigned test agent directly into the center of the target discs within their spine and will be monitored for safety. Patients will also be monitored using imaging to identify any changes in their disease condition or disease progression. Use of pain medications, self-reports of pain, subsequent surgical interventions and assessments of disability, quality of life, productivity and activity will be evaluated. Repair of the disc and reduction of chronic back pain will be assessed in each patient.

Promising results have been observed in prior research using animal models when stem cells were investigated for the repair of damaged spine discs. The cells were well tolerated in these study animals.

This study is sponsored by Mesoblast Limited, a world leader in the development of biologic products for the broad field of regenerative medicine. Mesoblast has the worldwide exclusive rights to a series of patents and technologies developed over more than 10 years relating to the identification, extraction, culture and uses of adult Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs). The MPCs are derived from young adult donors' bone marrow and are immune tolerant.

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Washington Center for Pain Management Begins Enrollment in United States Stem Cell Therapy Study in Subjects With ...

LEUVEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire -03/15/12)- TiGenix NV (EURONEXT: TIG) today gave a business update and announced financial results for the full year 2011.

Business highlights

Financial highlights

"TiGenix has created a new and strong basis in 2011 on which we can build going forward and we have strengthened our position as the European leader in cell therapy," says Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "We have delivered on our promises: we have obtained national reimbursement for ChondroCelect in Belgium and made progress in other European markets. We advanced all clinical stem cell programs on plan, and raised substantial funds from specialized healthcare investors and through non-dilutive financing. Today, TiGenix is well-positioned to reach the next value-enhancing inflection points."

Business Update

Successful integration of Cellerix reinforces leadership position in cell therapyIn May 2011, TiGenix closed the business combination with the stem cell therapy company Cellerix, creating the European leader in cell therapy. During 2011 the Company succeeded in rapidly integrating both entities. The Company now combines top line revenues with an advanced pipeline of clinical stage regenerative and immuno-modulatory products. TiGenix's operations are supported by a strong commercial and manufacturing infrastructure for advanced cell therapies, an experienced international management team and a solid cash position.

As a result of the merger, the Company's development focus has shifted from early stage preclinical programs towards a number of highly promising clinical stage products for inflammatory and autoimmune disorders of high unmet medical need, each addressing markets in excess of EUR 1 billion. TiGenix product pipeline is based on a proprietary stem cell platform that exploits expanded allogeneic (donor-derived) adult stem cells derived from human adipose (fat) tissue ('eASCs'). The platform has been extensively characterized in line with requirements of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is supported by exhaustive preclinical and CMC packages.

Given its focus on cell therapy, TiGenix is in the process of divesting its ChondroMimetic franchise, which is based on a biomaterial platform. To be able to concentrate on its core business and move forward with a clean slate, TiGenix has decided to write-off the intellectual property related to the OrthoMimetics acquisition.

ChondroCelect commercial roll-out progressing with first national reimbursementChondroCelect obtained reimbursement in Belgium in May 2011, and is today available in 22 specialized treatment centers.

TiGenix is selling ChondroCelect in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain under managed access and private insurance schemes, while pursuing national reimbursement in these countries and France.

Read more:
TiGenix Reports Full Year 2011 Financial Results

EDMONDS, Wash., March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Washington Center for Pain Management is participating in a nationwide FDA-cleared adult stem cell study testing novel treatment for chronic low back pain and has enrolled its first patient. The study will test the use of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) adult stem cells derived from bone marrow that will be directly injected into the lumbar disc. The minimally invasive procedure may offer an alternative to back surgery for eligible patients with chronic pain from degenerative discs.

An estimated 30 million people in the United States suffer from back pain. Degenerative disc disease is the most common cause of low-back pain, which develops with the gradual loss of a material called proteoglycan, which cushions the bones of the spine and enables normal motion.

Most patients with low-back pain respond to physical therapy and medications, but in advanced cases, artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion -- removal of the degenerated discs and the fusion of the bones of the spine -- is necessary. However, these surgeries often are not entirely effective.

"Millions of Americans are debilitated by chronic low back pain," says Dr Hyun Joong Hong MD, the lead investigator at The Washington Center for Pain Management. "This promising therapy is at the cutting edge of medical science and has the potential to create a paradigm shift in our approach to minimally invasive solutions to this disease."

Researchers will enroll approximately 100 study participants. About fifteen participants will be enrolled at The Washington Center for Pain Management and the rest at 11 other medical centers throughout the United States. The trial is scheduled to last for three years.

Washington Center for Pain Management is enrolling study participants suffering from moderate low-back pain for a minimum of six months and whose condition has not responded to other, conventional treatments.

Once enrolled, patients are randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups:

Patients will receive a single injection of their assigned test agent directly into the center of the target discs within their spine and will be monitored for safety. Patients will also be monitored using imaging to identify any changes in their disease condition or disease progression. Use of pain medications, self-reports of pain, subsequent surgical interventions and assessments of disability, quality of life, productivity and activity will be evaluated. Repair of the disc and reduction of chronic back pain will be assessed in each patient.

Promising results have been observed in prior research using animal models when stem cells were investigated for the repair of damaged spine discs. The cells were well tolerated in these study animals.

This study is sponsored by Mesoblast Limited, a world leader in the development of biologic products for the broad field of regenerative medicine. Mesoblast has the worldwide exclusive rights to a series of patents and technologies developed over more than 10 years relating to the identification, extraction, culture and uses of adult Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs). The MPCs are derived from young adult donors' bone marrow and are immune tolerant.

Read the rest here:
Washington Center for Pain Management Begins Enrollment in United States Stem Cell Therapy Study in Subjects With ...

Civil servants urged to donate stem cells Last Updated(Beijing Time):2012-03-13 10:37

China should mobilize civil servants to donate their hemopoietic stem cells to help people with life-threatening blood diseases, proposed a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee.

The publicity campaign mobilizing civil servants to donate would also allow them to develop a more intimate relationship with citizens, said Guo Changjiang, vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China, according to Beijing Times.

Statistics from the China Marrow Donor Program show that more than 20,000 civil servants donated their stem cells by the end of 2011, accounting for 0.33 percent of civil servants in China.

On the whole, the China Marrow Donor Program collected 1.46 million stem cell blood samples by the end of 2011, accounting for 0.11 percent of the population. The stock is limited compared to other countries.

At present there are nearly 1 million blood disease patients in China in need of a transplant of stem cells. Since it's difficult to find two sets of stem cells compatible enough for a transplant, a much larger stem cell pool is needed, according to medical experts.

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Civil servants urged to donate stem cells

Edited by M. A. Hayat 384 pp, $209 New York, NY, Springer, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-9-4007-2015-2

Stem cells and cancer stem cells are 2 distinct, evolving, and promising areas of research. Hematopoietic stem cells are already used in the treatment of bone marrow failure and hematologic malignancies, and there is now great interest in isolating stem cells from other organs for use in replenishing damaged tissue in the heart, brain, bones, and other organs and structures. In contrast, cancer stem cells, a newly recognized component of some cancers, have some properties of pluripotent stem cells in that they replicate without normal cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. Moreover, they are naturally resistant to chemotherapy because of drug-exuding pumps, DNA repair proteins, and dormancy; thus, these cells are now suspected to be the root cause of relapse and metastasis after conventional therapies in some malignancies, especially leukemia. Targeting cancer stem cells in addition to cancer cells may therefore lead to better eradication of cancer than is presently possible.

Read the original:
Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells: Therapeutic Applications in Disease and Injury, Volume 2 [Book and Media Reviews]