StemCell Therapy

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Please replace the release dated January 23, 2012 with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.

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LEADING GLOBAL CELL THERAPY ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE APPEAL OF RULING ON DONOR COMPENSATION

Coalition says PBSC donor compensation poses health risks to patients and donors

A coalition of eight leading international health organizations today issued a statement supporting the U.S. Department of Justice’s appeal of the Ninth Circuit Court ruling that allows certain marrow donors to be compensated. Filed Jan. 17, the Justice Department’s appeal cites the potential for serious health risks to patients and donors if the ruling stands.

Approximately 5,000 patients each year in the United States receive marrow transplants from unrelated donors to treat leukemia, lymphoma and a number of other diseases. The marrow is a source of stem cells that are critical to restoring the immune system for these patients. Two techniques are used to extract these stem cells. The first draws marrow directly from the donor’s hip bone and the second moves the stem cells out of the bone marrow and into the bloodstream using a stimulating hormone, and then collects peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) in a procedure similar to the collection of platelets from blood donors.

Since 1984, the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) has banned payment for all marrow stem cell donations. However, a Dec. 1, 2011, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling legalized compensation for PBSC donations, but upheld the ban on compensation for marrow donation through aspiration.

“The world’s leading cell therapy organizations oppose compensating people who sell their stem cells, however collected, and believe the Ninth Circuit made an erroneous distinction between marrow stem cells extracted directly from bone or from blood,” said Jeffrey W. Chell, M.D., chief executive officer of the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a coalition member that operates the Be The Match Registry®, the world’s largest listing of volunteer marrow donors. “We fully support the Justice Department’s decision to protect patients and their donors by challenging the ruling. Those motivated by self-gain are more likely to withhold health information that would make them unsafe donors. The blood banking experience in the United States shows that this results in donations that are unacceptable from a clinical standpoint.”

The coalition includes the nonprofit NMDP, the World Marrow Donor Association, America’s Blood Centers, AABB, the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, International Society of Cellular Therapy and The Transplantation Society. Those seeking to overturn the ban against selling stem cells argue that payment for donors might increase patients’ access to bone marrow; however, the coalition asserts the opposite is true.

Paying for stem cells also would mean the U.S. no longer follows standards recognized throughout developed countries in Europe and Asia, which use volunteer donors in cell therapies. As a result, patients may not be able to use the worldwide search process. These international partnerships are vital to helping increase patients’ access to potential donors. In 2011, nearly half of the transplants facilitated by the NMDP involved either an international donor or patient.

The coalition cites the following reasons in its position against donor compensation:

Protecting Recipient and Donor Safety
A complete and truthful health history is critical to ensure that individuals are eligible to donate and that donated cells are free from infectious diseases. There is substantial scientific evidence that people wanting to sell their blood or body parts are more likely to withhold medical details and information that could harm patients. Ensuring Physicians’ Ability to Provide Quality Care
The decision of whether the donation occurs through the traditional method of bone marrow extraction or PBSC donation should be based on the best clinical judgment of the patient’s physician and will vary from patient to patient. While the donor always has the last say on whether and how to donate, PBSCs may not be in the best interests of the patient in many cases. Paying for PBSCs may cause donors to choose this method instead of a marrow extraction recommended by the recipient’s physician. Maintaining Altruistic Motivations
Compensating donors could deter those who are willing to donate for purely altruistic reasons. The more than 9.5 million members of the Be The Match Registry, as well as an additional 9 million potential donors available on international registries, are proof positive that people do not need financial incentive to save a life. Avoiding the Creation of Markets in Marrow Donation
Patients may promote donor drives with the promise of compensation, appealing to those with financial need, and not fully disclose the risks associated with the donation. For profit organizations also have an incentive to exploit their donors over a patient’s unique needs. In addition, markets put physicians in the morally dubious position of carrying out medical procedures solely for monetary profit.

For these reasons, the members of the coalition remain opposed to the selling of stem cells.

About the Coalition
The coalition includes the NMDP, America’s Blood Centers, AABB, the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, International Society of Cellular Therapy, The Transplantation Society, and the World Marrow Donor Association.

About the National Marrow Donor Program®(NMDP)
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is the global leader in providing marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants to patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases. The nonprofit organization matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research so more lives can be saved. The NMDP also operates Be The Match®, which provides support for patients, and enlists others in the community to join the Be The Match Registry® – the world’s largest listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units – contribute financially and volunteer. For more information, visit marrow.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.

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CORRECTING and REPLACING Leading Global Cell Therapy Organizations Support U.S. Department of Justice Appeal of Ruling ...

In recent court filings, the Food and Drug Administration has asserted that stem cells—you know, the ones our bodies produce naturally—are in fact drugs and subject to its regulatory oversight. So does that make me a controlled substance?

The bizarre controversy revolves around the FDA's attempt to regulate the Centeno-Schultz Clinic in Colorado that performs a nonsurgical stem-cell therapy called Regenexx-SD. It is designed to treat moderate to severe joint, tendon, ligament, and bone pain using only adult stem cells. Doctors draw your blood, spin it through a centrifuge, extract the stem cells and re-inject them into your damaged joints. It uses no other drugs. No drugs means no FDA oversight and that does not sit well with the administration.

The FDA has since argued that a) stem cells are drugs and b) they fall under FDA regulation because the clinic is engaging in interstate commerce. That's right, a process performed at the clinic using the patient's own bodily fluids constitutes interstate commerce because, according to the administration, out-of-state patients using Regenexx-SD would "depress the market for out-of-state drugs that are approved by FDA."

Funny, that sounds less like the FDA protecting the health of the country's citizens and more like the FDA defending its enforcement turf. The two parties have been at odds for over four years now, so we may have a while until we know if every American has in fact become a regulatable good subject to government regulation. [ANH-USA via Slash Gear]

Image via the AP

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According to the FDA, Your Stem Cells Are Now Drugs [Fda]

The Hindu Shinya Yamanaka, Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application, Japan delivering a lecture in Chennai on Thursday. Photo: V. Ganesan

Many more diseases can be targeted, says expert

While applications of induced pluripotent stem cells in stem cell therapy may be limited to a few diseases, its applications in drug discovery are wide-ranging, and many more diseases can be targeted, Shinya Yamanaka, Director, Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application, Japan, has said.

The Japanese scientist, whose breakthrough was the creation of embryonic-like stem cells from adult skin cells, believes that the best chance for stem cell therapy lies in offering hope to those suffering from a few conditions, among them, macular disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and spinal cord injuries.

On the other hand, there were multiple possibilities with drug discovery for a range of diseases, and Prof. Yamanaka was hopeful that more scientists would continue to use iPS for studying this potential.

He currently serves as the Director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application and as Professor at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences at Kyoto University. He is also a Senior Investigator at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) - affiliated J. David Gladstone Institutes.

An invited speaker of the CellPress-TNQ India Distinguished Lectureship Series, co-sponsored by Cell Press and TNQ Books and Journals, Prof. Yamanaka spoke to a Chennai audience on Tuesday evening about those “immortal” cells, that he originally thought would take “forever” to create, but actually took only six years.

“My fixed vision for my research team was to re-programme adult cells to function like embryonic-like stem cells. I knew it could be done, but just didn't know how to do it,” Prof. Yamanaka said.

Embryonic stem cells are important because they are pluripotent, or possess the ability to differentiate into any other type of cell, and are capable of rapid proliferation. However, despite the immense possibilities of that, embryonic cells are a mixed blessing: there are issues with post-transplant rejection (since they cannot be used from a patient's own cells), and many countries of the world do not allow the use of human embryos.

Dr. Yamanaka's solution would scale these challenges if only he and his team could find a way to endow non-embryonic cells with those two key characteristics of embryonic stem cells.

In 2006, he and his team of young researchers — Yoshimi Tokuzawa, Kazutoshi Takahashi and Tomoko Ishisaka — were able to show that by introducing four factors into mouse skin cells, it was possible to generate ES-like mouse cells. The next year, they followed up that achievement, replicating the same strategy and converted human skin cells into iPS cells. “All we need is a small sample of skin (2-3millimetres) from the patient. This will be used to generate skin fibroblasts, and adding the factors, they can be converted to iPS cells. These cells can make any type of cell, including beating cardiac myocytes (heart cells), Prof.Yamanaka explained.

iPS cells hold out for humanity a lot of hope in curing diseases that have a single cell cause. Prominent among them are Lou Gehrig's Disease or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease. Motor neurons degenerate and die, and no effective treatment exists thus far. One reason is that there have not been good disease models for ALS in humans. It is difficult to get motor neuron from human patients and motor neurons cannot divide.

“Now, iPS cells can proliferate and can be differentiated to make motor neurons in large numbers,” he explained. Already a scientist in Japan has clarified motor neuron cells from iPS. “We are hoping that in the near future we would be able to evolve drug candidates that will be useful for ALS patients.” Treatment of spinal cord injuries using iPS cells has showed good results in mice and monkey specimens, and it is likely that in two or three years, scientists will be ready to start treatment for humans.

Toxicology, or drug side effects, is another area where iPS cells can be of use. Testing drug candidates directly on patients can be extremely dangerous. However, iPS cells can be differentiated into the requisite cell type, and the drugs tested on them for reactions. And yet, as wonderful as they may seem, iPS cells do have drawbacks, and there are multiple challenges to be faced before the technology can be applied to medicine. Are they equivalent and indistinguishable from ES cells? For a technology that has been around for only five years, the questions remain about safety. Also to derive patient-specific iPS cells, the process is time, and money-consuming, Prof. Yamanaka pointed out.

There are however, solutions in the offing, for the man who made the world's jaw drop with his discovery. One would be to create an iPS cell bank, where iPS cells could be created in advance from healthy volunteers donating peripheral blood, and skin fibroblasts, apart from frozen cord blood. The process of setting a rigorous quality control mechanism to select the best and safest iPS clones is on and would be complete within a year or two. “Many scientists are studying iPS cells across the world, and I'm optimistic that because of these efforts, we can overcome the challenges of iPS, and contribute to newer treatments for intractable diseases,” Prof. Yamanaka said.

N. Ram, Director, Kasturi & Sons Limited, introduced the speaker. Mariam Ram, managing director, TNQ India; and Emilie Marcus, executive editor, Cell Press, spoke.

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“Wide-ranging applications for pluripotent stem cells”

30-01-2012 06:10 Professor Michael Schneider of Imperial College tells Alan Keys about how stem cell research is leading to treatments for heart disease. Michael describes how the availability of stem cells allows his team to determine the molecules involved in heart cell death and also how to protect those cells from death during a heart attack. Michael foresees a near future where stem cells are combined with other therapies to both repair hearts and enable hearts to self-repair. Alan Keys had his own heart repaired during an operation some years ago and currently chairs a British Heart Foundation patients committee. The British Heart Foundation part-fund the work of Michael's team at Imperial College. This interview was edited down from the original 35 minutes conversation. Read the transcript here: bit.ly Read more about Michael here: bit.ly and here: bit.ly

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Stem cells and heart repair - Video

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Washington, Feb 1 : Scientists have successfully converted mouse skin cells directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, bypassing the stem cell stage, throwing up many new possibilities in the medical world.

This new study is a substantial advance over the previous paper in that it transforms the skin cells into neural precursor cells, as opposed to neurons.

While neural precursor cells can differentiate into neurons, they can also become the two other main cell types in the nervous system: astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.

The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group from the Stanford University School of Medicine, showing that mouse and human skin cells can be turned into functional neurons or brain cells.

The multiple successes of the direct conversion method overrides the idea that pluripotency (the ability of stem cells to become nearly any cell) is necessary for a cell to transform from one type to another, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.

"We are thrilled about the prospects for potential medical use of these cells," said Marius Wernig, study co-author and assistant professor of pathology and member, Stanford's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, according to a Stanford statement.

Beside their greater versatility, the newly derived neural precursor cells offer another advantage over neurons because they can be cultivated in large numbers in the lab, a feature critical for their long-term usefulness in transplantation or drug screening.

"We've shown the cells can integrate into a mouse brain and produce a missing protein important for the conduction of electrical signal by the neurons," said Wernig, who co-authored the study with graduate student Ernesto Lujan. (IANS)

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Some nerve! Now bypass stem cells

ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2012) — Experiments in brain-injured rats show that stem cells injected via the carotid artery travel directly to the brain, where they greatly enhance functional recovery, reports a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

The carotid artery injection technique -- along with some form of in vivo optical imaging to track the stem cells after transplantation -- may be part of emerging approaches to stem cell transplantation for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans, according to the new research, led by Dr Toshiya Osanai of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.

Advanced Imaging Technology Lets Researchers Track Stem Cells

The researchers evaluated a new "intra-arterial" technique of stem cell transplantation in rats. Within seven days after induced TBI, stem cells created from the rats' bone marrow were injected into the carotid artery. The goal was to deliver the stem cells directly to the brain, without having them travel through the general circulation.

Before injection, the stem cells were labeled with "quantum dots" -- a biocompatible, fluorescent semiconductor created using nanotechnology. The quantum dots emit near-infrared light, with much longer wavelengths that penetrate bone and skin. This allowed the researchers to noninvasively monitor the stem cells for four weeks after transplantation.

Using this in vivo optical imaging technique, Dr Osanai and colleagues were able to see that the injected stem cells entered the brain on the "first pass," without entering the general circulation. Within three hours, the stem cells began to migrate from the smallest brain blood vessels (capillaries) into the area of brain injury.

After four weeks, rats treated with stem cells had significant recovery of motor function (movement), while untreated rats had no recovery. Examination of the treated brains confirmed that the stem cells had transformed into different types of brain cells and participated in healing of the injured brain area.

Further Progress toward Stem Cell Therapy for Brain Injury in Humans

Stem cells are likely to become an important new treatment for patients with brain injuries, including TBI and stroke. Bone marrow stem cells, like the ones used in the new study, are a promising source of donor cells. However, many questions remain about the optimal timing, dose, and route of stem cell delivery.

In the new animal experiments, stem cell transplantation was performed one week after TBI -- a "clinically relevant" time, as it takes at least that long to develop stem cells from bone marrow. Injecting stem cells into the carotid artery is a relatively simple procedure that delivers the cells directly to the brain.

The experiments also add to the evidence that stem cell treatment can promote healing after TBI, with significant recovery of function. With the use of in vivo optical imaging, "The present study was the first to successfully track donor cells that were intra-arterially transplanted into the brain of living animals over four weeks," Dr Osanai and colleagues write.

Some similar form of imaging technology might be useful in monitoring the effects of stem cell transplantation in humans. However, tracking stem cells in human patients will pose challenges, as the skull and scalp are much thicker in humans than in rats. "Further studies are warranted to apply in vivo optical imaging clinically," the researchers add.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, via Newswise.

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

Journal Reference:

Toshiya Osanai, Satoshi Kuroda, Taku Sugiyama, Masahito Kawabori, Masaki Ito, Hideo Shichinohe, Yuji Kuge, Kiyohiro Houkin, Nagara Tamaki, Yoshinobu Iwasaki. Therapeutic Effects of Intra-Arterial Delivery of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells in Traumatic Brain Injury of Rats—In Vivo Cell Tracking Study by Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging. Neurosurgery, 2012; 70 (2): 435 DOI: 10.1227/NEU.0b013e318230a795

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

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

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Encouraging results with stem cell transplant for brain injury

Scientists believe that if they could study liver cells from different people in the lab, they could determine how genetic differences produce these varying responses. However, liver cells are difficult to obtain and notoriously difficult to grow in a lab dish because they tend to lose their normal structure and function when removed from the body.

Now, researchers from MIT, Rockefeller University and the Medical College of Wisconsin have come up with a way to produce liver-like cells from induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, which are made from body tissues rather than embryos; the liver-like cells can then be infected with hepatitis C. Such cells could enable scientists to study why people respond differently to the infection.

This is the first time that scientists have been able to establish an infection in cells derived from iPSCs — a feat many research teams have been trying to achieve. The new technique, described this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could also eventually enable “personalized medicine”: Doctors could test the effectiveness of different drugs on tissues derived from the patient being treated, and thereby customize therapy for that patient.

The new study is a collaboration between Sangeeta Bhatia, the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT; Charles Rice, a professor of virology at Rockefeller; and Stephen Duncan, a professor of human and molecular genetics at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Stem cells to liver cells

Last year, Bhatia and Rice reported that they could induce liver cells to grow outside the body by growing them on special micropatterned plates that direct their organization. These liver cells can be infected with hepatitis C, but they cannot be used to proactively study the role of genetic variation in viral responses because they come from organs that have been donated for transplantation and represent only a small population.

To make cells with more genetic variation, Bhatia and Rice decided to team up with Duncan, who had shown that he could transform iPSCs into liver-like cells.

Such iPSCs are derived from normal body cells, often skin cells. By turning on certain genes in those cells, scientists can revert them to an immature state that is identical to embryonic stem cells, which can differentiate into any cell type. Once the cells become pluripotent, they can be directed to become liver-like cells by turning on genes that control liver development.

In the current paper, MIT postdoc Robert Schwartz and graduate student Kartik Trehan took those liver-like cells and infected them with hepatitis C. To confirm that infection had occurred, the researchers engineered the viruses to secrete a light-producing protein every time they went through their life cycle.

“This is a very valuable paper because it has never been shown that viral infection is possible” in cells derived from iPSCs, says Karl-Dimiter Bissig, an assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine. Bissig, who was not involved in this study, adds that the next step is to show that the cells can become infected with hepatitis C strains other than the one used in this study, which is a rare strain found in Japan. Bhatia’s team is now working toward that goal.

Genetic differences

The researchers’ ultimate goal is to take cells from patients who had unusual reactions to hepatitis C infection, transform those cells into liver cells and study their genetics to see why they responded the way they did. “Hepatitis C virus causes an unusually robust infection in some people, while others are very good at clearing it. It’s not yet known why those differences exist,” Bhatia says.

One potential explanation is genetic differences in the expression of immune molecules such as interleukin-28, a protein that has been shown to play an important role in the response to hepatitis infection. Other possible factors include cells’ expression of surface proteins that enable the virus to enter the cells, and cells’ susceptibility to having viruses take over their replication machinery and other cellular structures.

The liver-like cells produced in this study are comparable to “late fetal” liver cells, Bhatia says; the researchers are now working on generating more mature liver cells.

As a long-term goal, the researchers are aiming for personalized treatments for hepatitis patients. Bhatia says one could imagine taking cells from a patient, making iPSCs, reprogramming them into liver cells and infecting them with the same strain of hepatitis that the patient has. Doctors could then test different drugs on the cells to see which ones are best able to clear the infection.

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This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.

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Stem cells could drive hepatitis research forward

OTTAWA , Feb. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - The following is a statement by Russell Williams , President of Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) on the announcement by the Government of Canada today to ensure that personalized medicine will allow for more effective treatments, thus supporting our Canadian health care system in a more sustainable way.

"Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies welcome this commitment by the Government of Canada to establish personalized medicine as the way to transform the delivery of health care to patients.

"At Rx&D, we believe that providing the right medicine with the right dose to the right patient at the right time is crucial to improving health outcomes for Canadians. With the rise of chronic disease and an aging population, all governments are grappling with unprecedented demand for health care services. It is clear that we face a collective challenge to sustain and improve our health care system where traditional approaches are no longer efficient.

"We commend the Government of Canada's commitment to engage in this work. Pharmaceutical innovation is a proven tool to help Canadians live longer, healthier, more productive lives. It is critical to the future productivity of our country, our workplaces, our communities and our citizens. Innovation is essential for "patient-centered" care.

"The development of new and more effective medicines and vaccines continues to change the face of health care in Canada . Canadians now survive life threatening illnesses and live with chronic conditions in ways not possible for previous generations.

"We applaud the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Genome Canada and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium for their vision and leadership to develop and implement a scientific innovation that will result in better health for Canadians."

About Rx&D

Rx&D is the association of leading research-based pharmaceutical companies dedicated to improving the health of Canadians through the discovery and development of new medicines and vaccines. Our community represents 15,000 men and women working for 50 member companies and invests more than $1 billion in research and development each year to fuel Canada's knowledge-based economy. Guided by our Code of Ethical Practices, our membership is committed to working in partnership with governments, healthcare professionals and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.

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Statement - Rx&D Applauds Government of Canada for Investing in Personalized Medicine

UT Arlington engineer developing Biomask to aid soldiers recovering from facial burns

1/24/2012 6:05 PM EST

UT Arlington engineers working with Army surgeons are developing a pliable, polymer mask embedded with electrical, mechanical and biological components that can speed healing from disfiguring facial burns and help rebuild the faces of injured soldiers.

The Biomask project is led by Eileen Moss, an electrical engineer and research scientist based at the UT Arlington Automation & Robotics Research Institute in Fort Worth. Project partners include the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and Northwestern University in Chicago. The work is funded through a $700,000 research grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command.

"This gives our wounded warriors hope," said Col. Robert G. Hale, commander of the U.S. Army Dental and Trauma Research Detachment in San Antonio, which is part of the Institute of Surgical Research. "That's what it's all about. We're improving their quality of life."

Northwestern University and the Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio are currently involved in researching wound healing, while Moss and her UT Arlington team are focused on developing Biomask prototypes that will be tested by the other collaborators. They will be able to provide Moss with feedback to improve the device.

Hale expects Moss's device to be in use at military medial centers within five years. The device also may aid in stem cell regeneration to regrow missing tissue where the Biomask is placed, he said.

Moss began her work toward the Biomask as a doctoral student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her dissertation focused on research into polymer-based microfluidic systems for biomedical applications. She joined UT Arlington in 2007 to continue the research.

Current burn treatment typically involves removing damaged areas followed by grafting. The outcomes may be good, but the procedures also may result in deformities, speech problems and scarring.

To aid burn victims, Army physicians have used polyethylene foam on damaged tissue that applies a vacuum to promote healing in the wounds, Hale said.

"We couldn't use that on the face because topographically the face is very complex," he said. "We couldn't get a good seal."

Plastic surgeons had shown Hale a three-dimensional, clear silicone mask that compressed the burns slightly to avoid lumpy scars. Engineers were called on to mesh the technologies and develop a better device.

"We wanted something that blended restorative medicine and tissue engineering," Hale said. "That's where UT Arlington came in. Engineers are problem-solvers, and they're solving this one right now."

The Biomask will be embedded with arrays of sensing and treatment components. The components will allow localized monitoring and localized activation of treatment that can be applied to different parts of the wound as needed, Moss said. The sensors will provide physicians feedback about the healing process and help them direct appropriate therapy to different tissues.

"We think the Biomask will become the ultimate tool for treating burns," Moss said. "It's a thinking device. As the wounds heal, the Biomask will be able to adjust treatment to provide faster and better results."

Moss said she and members of her team have traveled to San Antonio where Hale has shared the stories of soldiers with traumatic injuries that may benefit from her work.

"That really put the research into perspective," Moss said. "It helps us keep focused on the goal, that of improving these soldiers' lives."

Moss's work is representative of the groundbreaking research under way at The University of Texas at Arlington, a comprehensive research institution of 33,439 students in the heart of North Texas. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more.

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Biomask project could regrow burn victims' faces

31-01-2012 15:24 MDA Vice President of Research Sanjay Bidichandani explains the promising research being done in neuromuscular disease research using adult stem cells.

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Stem Cell Therapy in Neuromuscular Disease Research - Video

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Treating stroke patients with stem cells taken from their own bone marrow appears to safely help them regain some of their lost abilities, two small new studies suggest.

Indian researchers observed mixed results in the extent of stroke patients' improvements, with one study showing marked gains in daily activities, such as feeding, dressing and movement, and the other study noting these improvements to be statistically insignificant. But patients seemed to safely tolerate the treatments in both experiments with no ill effects, study authors said.

"The results are encouraging to know but we need a larger, randomized study for more definitive conclusions," said Dr. Rohit Bhatia, a professor of neurology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and author of one of the studies. "Many questions -- like timing of transplantation, type of cells, mode of transplantation, dosage [and] long-term safety -- need answers before it can be taken from bench to bedside."

The studies are scheduled to be presented Wednesday and Thursday at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting in New Orleans.

Stem cells -- unspecialized cells from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood or human embryos that can change into cells with specific functions -- have been explored as potential therapies for a host of diseases and conditions, including cancer and strokes.

In one of the current studies, 120 moderately affected stroke patients ranging from 18 to 75 years old were split into two groups, with half infused intravenously with stem cells harvested from their hip bones and half serving as controls. About 73 percent of the stem cell group achieved "assisted independence" after six months, compared with 61 percent of the control group, but the difference wasn't considered statistically significant.

In the other study, presented by Bhatia, 40 patients whose stroke occurred between three and 12 months prior were also split into two groups, with half receiving stem cells, which were dissolved in saline and infused over several hours. When compared to controls, stroke patients receiving stem cell therapy showed statistically significant improvements in feeding, dressing and mobility, according to the study. On functional MRI scans, the stem cell recipients also demonstrated an increase in brain activity in regions that control movement planning and motor function.

Neither study yielded adverse effects on patients, which could include tumor development.

But Dr. Matthew Fink, chief of the division of stroke and critical care neurology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said that the therapy's safety is the only thing the two studies seemed to demonstrate.

"The thing to keep in mind is that these are really phase one trials," said Fink, also a professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "I'm concerned that people get the idea that now stem cell treatment is available for stroke, and that's not the case."

Fink noted that the cells taken from study participants' hip bones can only be characterized as "bone marrow aspirates" since the authors didn't prove that actual stem cells were extracted.

"They haven't really analyzed if they're stem cells and what they turn into when they go into circulation," he added. "The best way to look at this is, it's very preliminary . . . when patients come to me to talk about it, I'm going to tell them it's years away before we know if this is going to work."

Studies presented at scientific conferences should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more information on stem cells.

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Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise for Stroke, Studies Say

24-01-2012 18:39 Four minute excerpt from the Spotlight on Genomics seminar presentation during the January 17th 2012 California Institute for Regnerative Medicine governing board meeting. The video features a conversation between Catriona Jamieson, director for stem cell research at UCSD Moores Cancer Center, and one of her patients who is participating in a clinical trial for the treatment of myelofibrosis, a life-threatening blood disorder.

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Clinical Trial for Myelofibrosis that Targets Cancer Stem Cells | CIRM Spotlight on Genomics - Video

31-01-2012 13:32 James P. Watson, MD lecture sample from the 11th Clinical Applications for Age Management Medicine Conference, Fall 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada Pre-Conference Track 2: Regenerative and Cell Based Medicine This lecture focused on regenerative and cell-based medicine, Autologous Stem Cell Research. This field continues to grow in use by physicians across the world. From platelet rich plasma to culture expanded stem cells, the need for information about the applications of these therapies to treat patients has never been greater. This track will focus on the latest developments in cell-based medicine with speakers who are driving the research and using these technologies as part of their everyday practice of medicine. For more information about our upcoming conference visit our website http://www.agemed.org Or contact us at conference@agemed.org

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An Overview of Data Trends in Autologous Stem Cell Research and Clinical Use - James P. Watson, MD - Video

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Cell Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0203537/Cell-Therapy---Technologies-Markets-and-Companies.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Biological_Therapy

This report describes and evaluates cell therapy technologies and methods, which have already started to play an important role in the practice of medicine. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is replacing the old fashioned bone marrow transplants. Role of cells in drug discovery is also described. Cell therapy is bound to become a part of medical practice.

Stem cells are discussed in detail in one chapter. Some light is thrown on the current controversy of embryonic sources of stem cells and comparison with adult sources. Other sources of stem cells such as the placenta, cord blood and fat removed by liposuction are also discussed. Stem cells can also be genetically modified prior to transplantation.

Cell therapy technologies overlap with those of gene therapy, cancer vaccines, drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Pharmaceutical applications of stem cells including those in drug discovery are also described. Various types of cells used, methods of preparation and culture, encapsulation and genetic engineering of cells are discussed. Sources of cells, both human and animal (xenotransplantation) are discussed. Methods of delivery of cell therapy range from injections to surgical implantation using special devices.

Cell therapy has applications in a large number of disorders. The most important are diseases of the nervous system and cancer which are the topics for separate chapters. Other applications include cardiac disorders (myocardial infarction and heart failure), diabetes mellitus, diseases of bones and joints, genetic disorders, and wounds of the skin and soft tissues.

Regulatory and ethical issues involving cell therapy are important and are discussed. Current political debate on the use of stem cells from embryonic sources (hESCs) is also presented. Safety is an essential consideration of any new therapy and regulations for cell therapy are those for biological preparations.

The cell-based markets was analyzed for 2011, and projected to 2021.The markets are analyzed according to therapeutic categories, technologies and geographical areas. The largest expansion will be in diseases of the central nervous system, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Skin and soft tissue repair as well as diabetes mellitus will be other major markets.

The number of companies involved in cell therapy has increased remarkably during the past few years. More than 500 companies have been identified to be involved in cell therapy and 278 of these are profiled in part II of the report along with tabulation of 268 alliances. Of these companies, 160 are involved in stem cells. Profiles of 69 academic institutions in the US involved in cell therapy are also included in part II along with their commercial collaborations. The text is supplemented with 52 Tables and 11 Figures. The bibliography contains 1,050 selected references, which are cited in the text.

CELL THERAPY -1TABLE OF CONTENTS0. Executive Summary 231. Introduction to Cell Therapy 27Introduction 27Historical landmarks of cell therapy 27Interrelationship of cell therapy technologies 29Cells and organ transplantation 29Cells and protein/gene therapy 30Cell therapy and regenerative medicine 31Cells therapy and tissue engineering 31Therapy based on cells involved in disease 32Advantages of therapeutic use of cells 32Cell-based drug delivery 33Cells as vehicles for gene delivery 33Red blood cells as vehicles for drug delivery 33Advantages of cell-based drug delivery 34Limitations of cell-based drug delivery 342. Cell Therapy Technologies 35Introduction 35Cell types used for therapy 35Sources of cells 35Xenografts 36Cell lines 36Immortalized cells 36Blood component therapy 36Therapeutic apheresis 36Leukoreduction 37Platelet therapy 37Basic technologies for cell therapy 38Cell culture 38Automated cell culture devices 38Cell culture for adoptive cell therapy 39Observation of stem cell growth and viability 39Companies involved in cell culture 39Cell sorting 41Flow cytometry 41A dielectrophoretic system for cell separation 42Adult stem cell sorting by identification of surface markers 42ALDESORTER system for isolation of stem cells 42Dynabead technology for cell sorting 42Molecular beacons for specific detection and isolation of stem cells 43Multitarget magnetic activated cell sorter 43Nanocytometry 43Scepter™ cytometer 44Companies supplying cell sorters 44Cell analysis 45Cell analyzers 45In vivo cell imaging 45Measuring cell density 46Single-cell gene expression analysis 46Preservation of cells 47Innovations in cryopreservation 47Packaging of cells 48Selective expansion of T cells for immunotherapy 48Cloning and cell therapy 49Techniques for cell manipulation 49Cell-based drug discovery 50Advantages and limitations of cell-based assays for drug discovery 50Advantages and limitations of cell-based toxicity screening 50Quality control of cells for drug discovery 51Companies involved in cell-based drug discovery 51Drug delivery systems for cell therapy 53Intravenous delivery of stem cells 53Pharmacologically active microcarriers 53Devices for delivery of cell therapy 54Artificial cells 55Applications of artificial cells 55Cell encapsulation 55Diffusion capsule for cells 56Encapsulated cell biodelivery 56Therapeutic applications of encapsulated cells 56Nitric oxide delivery by encapsulated cells 58Implantation of microencapulated genetically modified cells 58Ferrofluid microcapsules for tracking with MRI 59Companies involved in encapsulated cell technology 59Electroporation 60Gene therapy 60Cell-mediated gene therapy 61Fibroblasts 61Chondrocyte 62Skeletal muscle cells 62Vascular smooth muscle cells 63Keratinocytes 63Hepatocytes 63Lymphocytes 63Mammalian artificial chromosomes 64In vivo tracking of cells 64Molecular imaging for tracking cells 64MRI technologies for tracking cells 65Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as MRI contrast agents 66Visualization of gene expression in vivo by MRI 66Role of nanobiotechnology in development of cell therapy 66Cell transplantation for development of organs 67Cells transplantation and tolerance 67Strategies to improve tolerance of transplanted cells 68Encapsulation to prevent immune rejection 68Prevention of rejection of xenotransplants 68Expansion of allospecific regulatory T cells 68Removal and replacement of pathogenic cells of the body 69Therapeutic leukocytapheresis 693. Stem Cells 71Introduction 71Biology of stem cells 72Embryonic stem cells 72Growth and differentiation of ESCs 72Mechanisms of differentiation of ESCs 73Chemical regulation of stem cell differentiation 73In vitro differentiation of hESCs 73SIRT1 regulation during stem cell differentiation 73Regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation 74hESCs for reprogramming human somatic nuclei 74Stem cells differentiation in the pituitary gland 74Influence of microenvironment on ESCs 75Role of genes in differentiation of ESCs 75Global transcription in pluripotent ESCs 75Role of p53 tumor suppressor gene in stem cell differentiation 76Role of Pax3 gene in stem cell differentiation 76Signaling pathways and ESC genes 76Epigenetics of hESCs 77Chromatin as gene regulator for ESC development 77Comparison of development of human and mouse ESCs 78Mechanism of regulation of stem cells for regeneration of body tissues 78Role of microenvironments in the regulation of stem cells 79Regulation and regeneration of intestinal stem cells 79Parthenogenesis and human stem cells 79Uniparental ESCs 80Bone marrow stem cells 81Hematopoietic stem cells 81Role of HSCs in the immune system 83Derivation of HSCs from ESCs 83Mesenchymal stem cells 83Multipotent adult progenitor cells 85Side population (SP) stem cells 85Differentiation of adult stem cells 86Growth and differentiation of HSCs 87Signaling pathways in the growth and differentiation of HSCs 87Mathematical modeling of differentiation of HSCs 87Role of prions in self renewal of HSCs 88Sources of stem cells 88Sources of of human embryonic stem cells 88Nuclear transfer to obtain hESCs 88Direct derivation of hESCs from embryos without nuclear transfer 89Alternative methods of obtaining hESCs 90Establishing hESC lines without destruction of embryo 90Altered nuclear transfer 91Small embryonic-like stem cells 91Advantages and disadvantages of ESCs for transplantation 92Use of ESC cultures as an alternative source of tissue for transplantation 92Spermatogonial stem cells 93Amniotic fluid as a source of stem cells 94Amniotic fluid stem cells for tissue repair and regeneration 94Generation of iPS cells from AF cells 94Placenta as source of stem cells 95Amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells 95Placenta as a source of HSCs 96Umbilical cord as a source of MSCs 96Umbilical cord blood as source of neonatal stem cells 96Cryopreservation of UCB stem cells 97UCB as source of MSCs 98Applications of UCB 98Advantages of UCB 98Limitations of the use of UCB 99Licensing and patent disputes involving UCB 100Infections following UCB transplants 100Unanswered questions about UCB transplantation 101Companies involved in UCB banking 101UCB banking in the UK 102US national UCB banking system 103Future prospects of UCB as a source of stem cells 104Induced pluripotent stem cells derived from human somatic cells 104Characteristics of iPSCs 105DNA methylation patterns of iPS cells 105iPSCs derived from oocytes through SCNT 105iPSCs derived from skin 106iPSCs derived from blood 106Use of retroviral vectors for generation of iPSCs 107Use of non-integrating viral vectors for generation of iPSCs 107Generation of clinically relevant iPSCs 108Generation of RBCs from iPSCs 109iPSCs and disease modeling 109iPSCs for patient-specific regenerative medicine 110Concluding remarks about clinical potential of iPSCs 110Induced conditional self-renewing progenitor cells 110Sources of adult human stem cells 111Adipose tissue as a source of stem cells 111Intravenous infusion of adipose tissue derived MSCs 112iPSCs derived from adult human adipose stem cells 112Regulation of adipose stem cells differentiation 112Transforming adult adipose stem cells into other cells 113Multipotent stem-like cells derived from vascular endothelial cells 113Skin as a source of stem cells 113Controlling the maturation of embryonic skin stem cells 113Epidermal neural crest stem cells 114Follicle stem cells 114Mesenchymal stem cells in skin 115Regulation of stem cells in hair follicles 115Skin-derived precursor cells 115Stem cells in teeth 116Peripheral blood stem cells 116Spleen as a source of adult stem cells 117Search for master stem cells 117Vascular cell platform to self-renew adult HSC 117Adult stem cells vs embryonic stem cells 118Biological differences between adult and embryonic stem cells 118Neural crest stem cells from adult hair follicles 118Transdifferentiation potential of adult stem cells 119Limitations of adult stem cells 120Comparison of human stem cells according to derivation 120VENT cells 121Stem cell banking 121Stem cell technologies 122Analysis of stem cell growth and differentiation 122Tracking self-renewal and expansion of transplanted muscle stem cells 122Stem cell biomarkers 122Endoglin as a functional biomarker of HSCs 123STEMPRO? EZChek? for analysis of biomarkers of hESCs 123SSEA-4 as biomarker of MSCs 123p75NTR as a biomarker to isolate adipose tissue-derived stem cells 123Neural stem cell biomarker 124Protein expression profile as biomarker of stem cells 124Real-time PCR for quantification of protein biomarkers 124Study of stem cell pathways 125Study of stem cell genes 125Gene inactivation to study hESCs 125RNAi to study gene inactivation in hESCs 126Study of ESC development by inducible RNAi 126Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes 127Homologous recombination of ESCs 127Immortalization of hESCs by telomerase 127Gene modification in genomes of hESCs and hiPSCs using zinc-finger nuclease 128miRNA and stem cells 128Role of miRNAs in gene regulation during stem cell differentiation 128Influence of miRNA on stem cell formation and maintenance 129Transcriptional regulators of ESCs control miRNA gene expression 129Stem cells and cloning 130Cell nuclear replacement and cloning 130Nuclear transfer and ESCs 130Cloning from differentiated cells 131Cloning mice from adult stem cells 132Creating interspecies stem cells 132Cloned cells for transplantation medicine 133Claims of cloning of hESCs 133Cytogenetics of embryonic stem cells 134Engraftment, mobilization and expansion of stem cells 135Adipogenesis induced by adipose tissue-derived stem cells 136Antisense approach for preservation and expansion of stem cells 136Biomatrials for ESC growth 137Chemoattraction of neuronal stem cells through GABA receptor 137Enhancement of HSC engraftment by calcium-sensing receptor 137Enhancement of stem cell differentiation by Homspera 138Ex vivo expansion of human HSCs in culture 138Ex vivo expansion of MSCs 139Ex vivo expansion of UCB cells for transplantation 139Expansion of HSCs in culture by inhibiting aldehyde dehydrogenase 139Expansion of adult stem cells by activation of Oct4 140Expansion of transduced HSCs in vivo 140Expansion of stem cells in vivo by Notch receptor ligands 140Mobilization of HSCs by growth factors 140Mobilization of stem cells by cytokines/chemokines 141Mobilization of adult human HSCs by use of inhibitors 142Mobilization of stem cells by HYC750 142Mobilization of stem cells by hyperbaric oxygen 143Mobilization by adenoviral vectors expressing angiogenic factors 143Selective mobilization of progenitor cells from bone marrow 143Selective Amplification 144Stem cell mobilization by acetylcholine receptor agonists 144Use of parathyroid hormone to increase HSC mobilzation 144Technologies for inducing differentiation of stem cells 145Generation of RBCs from hematopoietic stem cells 145Generation of multiple types of WBCs from hESCs and iPSCs 145Growth factor-induced differentiation of MAPCs 145Lineage selection to induce differentiation of hESCs 146Mechanical strain to induce MSC differentiation 146Neurotrophin-mediated survival and differentiation of hESCs 146Synthetic biology and stem cells 147Use of RNAi to expand the plasticity of autologous adult stem cells 147Use of carbohydrate molecules to induce differentiation of stem cells 148Limitations of the currently available stem cell lines in the US 148Stem cell separation 148Stem cell culture 149Culture of hMSCs 150Elimination of contaminating material in stem cell culture 150Long-term maintenance of MSC multipotency in culture 151Nanofiber scaffolds for stem cell culture 152Conversion of stem cells to functioning adipocytes 152Mass production of ESCs 152Promoting survival of dissociated hESCs 153Analysis and characterization of stem cells 153Havesting and identification of EPCs 153Labeling of stem cells 154Labeling, imaging and tracking of stem cells in vivo 154Perfluorocarbon nanoparticles to track therapeutic cells in vivo 154Project for imaging in stem cell therapy research 155Quantum dots for labeling and imaging of stem cells 155Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for tracking MSCs 156Applications of stem cells 156Commercial development and applications of adult stem cells 157Retrodifferentiation of stem cells 157MultiStem 157Controlling the maintenance process of hematopoietic stem cells 157Self renewal and proliferation of HSCs 157Aging and rejuvenation of HSCs 158Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation 158Role of stem cells in regeneration 158Promotion of regeneration by Wnt/beta-catenin signaling 159Stem cells and human reproduction 159Expansion of spermatogonial stem cells 159Conversion of ESCs into spermatogonial stem cells 159Conversion of stem cells to oocytes 160ESCs for treatment of infertility in women 160Cloning human embryos from oocytes matured in the laboratory 161In utero stem cell transplantation 161Innovations in delivery of stem cells 162Polymeric capsules for stem cell delivery 163Immunological aspects of hESC transplantation 163Immunosuppression to prevent rejection of hESC transplants 163Histocompatibility of hESCs 163Strategies for promoting immune tolerance of hESCs 164Stem cells for organ vascularization 164Activation of EphB4 to enhance angiogenesis by EPCs 165Advantages and limitations of clinical applications of MSCs 165Biofusion by genetically engineering stem cells 166Stem cell gene therapy 166Combination of gene therapy with nuclear transfer 166Gene delivery to stem cells by artificial chromosome expression 167Genetic manipulation of ESCs 167Genetic engineering of human stem cells for enhancing angiogenesis 168HSCs for gene therapy 168Helper-dependent adenoviral vectors for gene transfer in ESCs 169Lentiviral vectors for in vivo gene transfer to stem cells 169Linker based sperm-mediated gene transfer technology 169Mesenchymal stem cells for gene therapy 169Microporation for transfection of MSCs 170Regulation of gene expression for SC-based gene therapy 170Stem cells and in utero gene therapy 170Therapeutic applications for hematopoietic stem cell gene transfer 171The future of hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy 171Stem cell pharmaceutics 171Cardiomyocytes derived from hESCs 171ESCs as source of models for drug discovery 172hESC-derived hepatocytes for drug discovery 173Pharmaceutical manipulation of stem cells 173Role of stem cells in therapeutic effects of drugs 175Stem cells for drug discovery 175Stem cells for drug delivery 176Stem cell activation for regeneration by using glucocortoids 176Toxicology and drug safety studies using ESCs versus other cells 177Future challenges for stem cell technologies 179Study of the molecular mechanism of cell differentiation 179MBD3-deficient ESC line 180In vivo study of human hemopoietic stem cells 180Stem cell biology and cancer 180Research into plasticity of stem cells from adults 181Stem cells and aging 181Activation of bone marrow stem cells into therapeutic cells 182Role of nitric oxide in stem cell mobilization and differentiation 183Stem cell genes 183Gene expression in hESCs 183The casanova gene in zebrafish 184Nanog gene 184Stem cell proteomics 185hESC phosphoproteome 186Proteomic studies of mesenchymal stem cells 186Proteomic profiling of neural stem cells 186Proteome Biology of Stem Cells Initiative 187Genomic alterations in cultured hESCs 187Hybrid embryos/cybrids for stem cell research 187Generation of patient-specific pluripotent stem cells 188Markers for characterizing hESC lines 189Switch of stem-cell function from activators to repressors 189Stem cell research at academic centers 190International Regulome Consortium 191Companies involved in stem cell technologies 191Concluding remarks about stem cells 196Challenges and future prospects of stem cell research 1974. Clinical Applications of Cell Therapy 199Introduction 199Cell therapy for hematological disorders 199Transplantation of autologous hematopoietic stem cells 199Hemophilias 199Ex vivo cell/gene therapy of hemophilia B 199Cell/gene therapy of hemophilia A 200Hematopoietic stem cell therapy for thrombocytopenia 201Stem cell transplant for sickle cell anemia 201Treatment of chronic acquired anemias 202Implantation of genetically engineered HSCs to deliver rhEpo 202Drugs acting on stem cells for treatment of anemia 202Stem cell therapy of hemoglobinopathies 203Stem cells for treatment of immunoglobulin-light chain amyloidosis 203Future prospects of cell therapy of hematological disorders 203Cell therapy for immunological disorders 204Role of dendritic cells in the immune system 204Modifying immune responses of DCs by vaccination with lipiodol-siRNA mixtures 204Potential of MSCs as therapy for immune-mediated diseases 205Stem cell therapy of chronic granulomatous disease 205Stem cell therapy of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency 206Stem cell therapy of autoimmune disorders 206Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with stem cells 206Treatment of Crohn's disease with stem cells 207Stem cell transplants for scleroderma 207Role of T Cells in immunological disorders 208Autologous T cells from adult stem cells 208Cell therapy for graft vs host disease 209MSCs for GVHD 210Cell therapy for viral infections 210T-cell therapy for CMV 210T-cell therapy for HIV infection 211T-cell immunity by Overlapping Peptide-pulsed Autologous Cells 211Anti-HIV ribozyme delivered in hematopoietic progenitor cells 212Dendritic-cell targeted DNA vaccine for HIV 212Cell therapy of lysosomal storage diseases 212Niemann-Pick disease 213Gaucher's disease 213Fabry's disease 214Cell therapy for diabetes mellitus 214Limitations of current treatment 215Limitations of insulin therapy for diabetes mellitus 215Limitations of pancreatic transplantation 215Islet cell transplantation 216Autologous pancreatic islet cell transplantation in chronic pancreatitis 216Clinical trials of pancreatic islet cell transplants for diabetes 216Drawbacks of islet cell therapy 217Use of an antioxidant peptide to improve islet cell transplantation 217Cdk-6 and cyclin D1 enhance human beta cell replication and function 218A device for delivery of therapeutic cells in diabetes 218Monitoring of islet cell transplants with MRI 218Concluding remarks about allogeneic islet transplantation for diabetes 219Encapsulation of insulin producing cells 219Encapsulated porcine pancreatic islet cells for pancreas 219Encapsulated insulinoma cells 220Magnetocapsule enables imaging/tracking of islet cell transplants 220Islet precursor cells 221Dedifferentiation of ? cells to promote regeneration 221Pharmacological approaches for ? cell regeneration 222Xenotransplantation of embryonic pancreatic tissue 222Non-pancreatic tissues for generation of insulin-producing cells 223Exploiting maternal microchimerism to treat diabetes in the child 223Bio-artificial substitutes for pancreas 223Role of stem cells in the treatment of diabetes 224Embryonic stem cells for diabetes 224HSC transplantation to supplement immunosuppressant therapy 225Human neural progenitor cells converted into insulin-producing cells 225Insulin-producing cells derived from UCB stem cells 226iPS cells for diabetes 226Isolation of islet progenitor cells 226Pancreatic progenitor cells Expansion in vitro 227Pancreatic stem cells 227Stem cell injection into portal vein of diabetic patients 227Dendritic cell-based therapy for type 1 diabetes 228Vaccine for diabetes 228Gene therapy in diabetes 228Viral vectors for gene therapy of diabetes 229Genetically engineered dendritic cells 229Genetically altered liver cells 229Genetically modified stem cells 230Companies developing cell therapy for diabetes 230Concluding remarks about cell and gene therapy of diabetes 231Cell therapy of gastrointestinal disorders 232Inflammatory bowel disease 232Cell therapy for liver disorders 233Types of cells and methods of delivery for hepatic disorders 233Bioartificial liver 234Limitations of bioartificial liver 235Stem cells for hepatic disorders 235Deriving hepatocytes from commercially available hMSCs 236Implantation of hepatic cells derived from hMSCs of adipose tissue 236MSC derived molecules for reversing hepatic failure 236Cell-based gene therapy for liver disorders 237Transplantation of genetically modified fibroblasts 237Transplantation of genetically modified hepatocytes 237Intraperitoneal hepatocyte transplantation 238Genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells 238Use of iPSCs derived from somatic cells for liver regeneration 238Clinical applications 238Future prospects of cell-based therapy of hepatic disorders 239Cell therapy of renal disorders 239Bioartificial kidney 240Cell-based repair for vascular access failure in renal disease 240Mesangial cell therapy for glomerular disease 240Stem cells for renal disease 241Role of stem cells in renal repair 241Bone marrow stem cells for renal disease 241MSC therapy for renal disease 242Cell therapy for pulmonary disorders 242Delivery of cell therapy for pumonary disorders 242Intratracheal injection of cells for pulmonary hypoplasia 242Role of stem cells in pulmonary disorders 243Lung stem cells 243Lung tissue regeneration from stem cells 243Role of stem cells in construction of the Cyberlung 244Respiratory epithelial cells derived from UCB stem cells 244Respiratory epithelial cells derived from hESCs 244Lung tissue engineering with adipose stromal cells 245Cell-based tissue-engineering of airway 245Pulmonary disorders that can be treatable with stem cells 245Acute lung injury and ARDS treated with MSCs 246Bronchopulmonary dysplasia treated with MSCs 247Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated with MSCs 247Cystic fibrosis treatment with genetically engineered MSCs 247Lung regeneration by integrin ?6?4-expressing alveolar epithelial cell 248Pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment with EPCs 248Cell therapy for disorders of bones and joints 249Repair of fractures and bone defects 249Adult stem cells for bone grafting 250Cell therapy for osteonecrosis 250Cell therapy for cervical vertebral interbody fusion 250ESCs for bone repair 251Intrauterine use of MSCs for osteogenesis imperfecta 251In vivo bone engineering as an alternative to cell transplantation 251MSCs for repair of bone defects 251MSCs for repair of bone fractures 254Osteocel 255Stem cells for repairing skull defects 255Stem cell-based bone tissue engineering 255Spinal fusion using stem cell-based bone grafts 256Osteoarthritis and other injuries to the joints 257Mosaicplasty 257Autologous cultured chondrocytes 257Autologous intervertebral disc chondrocyte transplantation 258Cartilage repair by genetically modified fibroblasts expressing TGF-? 259Generation of cartilage from stem cells 260Role of cell therapy in repair of knee cartilage injuries 261Role of cells in the repair of anterior cruciate ligament injury 263Autologous tenocyte implantation in rotator cuff injury repair 263Platelet injection for tennis elbow 264Cell therapy of rheumatoid arthritis 264Cell therapy for diseases of the eye 265Cell therapy for corneal repair 265Stem cell therapy for limbal stem cell deficiency 266Role of stem cells in fibrosis following eye injury 267Stem cell transplantation for radiation sickness 267MSCs for treatment of radiation damage to the bone 267MSCs for regeneration of ovaries following radiotherapy damage 268Cell therapy for regeneration 268Stem cells for regenerating organs 268Umbilical cord blood for regeneration 269Role of stem cells in regeneration of esophageal epithelium 269Cell therapy for regeneration of muscle wasting 269Wound healing: skin and soft tissue repair 270Cells to form skin substitutes for healing ulcers 271CellSpray for wound repair 271Cell therapy for burns 272Closure of incisions with laser guns and cells 273Follicular stem cells for skin and wound repair 273Reprogramming autologous stem cells for wound regeneration 274Role of amniotic fluid MSCs in repair of fetal wounds 274Genetically engineered keratinocytes for wound repair 274MSCs for wound healing 275Regeneration of aging skin by adipose-derived stem cells 275Repair of aging skin by injecting autologous fibroblasts 275Role of cells in tissue engineering and reconstructive surgery 275Stem cells for tissue repair 275Scaffolds for tissue engineering 276Improving vascularization of engineered tissues 276Enhancing vascularization by combining cell and gene therapy 277Choosing cells for tissue engineering 277ESCs vs adult SCs for tissue engineering 277Use of adult MSCs for tissue engineering 278Nanobiotechnology applied to cells for tissue engineering 279Stem cells for tissue engineering of various organs 279Engineering of healthy living teeth from stem cells 279Adipose tissue-derived stem cells for breast reconstruction 280Improving tissue engineering of bone by MSCs 281Intra-uterine repair of congenital defects using amniotic fluid MSCs 281Cell-based tissue engineering in genitourinary system 282Urinary incontinence 282Tissue engineering of urinary bladder 283Label retaining urothelial cells for bladder repair 283MSCs for bladder repair 284Tissue-engineering of urethra using autologous cells 284Repair of the pelvic floor with stem cells from the uterus 284Reconstruction of vagina from stem cells 285Facial skin regeneration by stem cells as an alternative to face transplant 285Reconstruction of cartilage for repair of craniofacial defects 285Cell therapy for rejuvenation 286Cell therapy for performance enhancement in sports 286Application of stem cells in veterinary medicine 286Use of stem cells to repair tendon injuries 286Stem cells for spinal cord injury in dogs 2875. Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disorders 289Introduction to cardiovascular disorders 289Limitations of current therapies for myocardial ischemic disease 289Types of cell therapy for cardiovascular disorders 289Cell-mediated immune modulation for chronic heart disease 290Human cardiovascular progenitor cells 291Inducing the proliferation of cardiomyocytes 291Pericardial origin of colony-forming units 292Role of the SDF-1-CXCR4 axis in stem cell therapies for myocardial ischemia 292Role of splenic myocytes in repair of the injured heart 292Reprogramming of fibroblasts into functional cardiomyocytes 293Small molecules to enhance myocardial repair by stem cells 293Cell therapy for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease 293MyoCell™ (Bioheart) 294Cardiac stem cells 294Cardiomyocytes derived from epicardium 295Methods of delivery of cells to the heart 296Cellular cardiomyoplasty 296IGF-1 delivery by nanofibers to improve cell therapy for MI 296Non-invasive delivery of cells to the heart by Morph®guide catheter 296Cell therapy for cardiac revascularization 297Transplantation of cardiac progenitor cells for revascularization of myocardium 297Stem cells to prevent restenosis after coronary angioplasty 297Role of cells in cardiac tissue repair 298Modulation of cardiac macrophages for repair of infarct 298Transplantation of myoblasts for myocardial infarction 298Patching myocardial infarction with fibroblast culture 299Cardiac repair with myoendothelial cells from skeletal muscle 299Myocardial tissue engineering 300Role of stem cells in repair of the heart 301Role of stem cells in cardiac regen

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Cell Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies

The federal government is pledging up to $67.5 million for research into "personalized medicine," which tailors treatment to a patient's genetics and environment.

The funds will flow through Genome Canada, the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the federal government's health research agency.

Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and Minister of State for Science Gary Goodyear made the announcement at the University of Ottawa's health campus Tuesday.

The field of personalized medicine is touted as having the potential to transform the way patients are treated. It looks at the genetic makeup of a person, the patient's environment and the exact course of a particular disease so that an appropriate and effective treatment can be tailored for that individual.

The idea is to move from a one-size-fits-all approach to one that is designed for a specific person and relies on the genetic signatures, or biomarkers, of both the patient and the disease.

Proponents of personalized medicine say it is likely to change the way drugs are developed, how medicines are prescribed and generally how illnesses are managed. They say it will shift the focus in health care from reaction to prevention, improve health outcomes, make drugs safer and mean fewer adverse drug reactions, and reduce costs to health-care systems.

"The potential to understand a person's genetic makeup and the specific character of their illness in order to best determine their treatment will significantly improve the quality of life for patients and their families and may show us the way to an improved health-care system and even save costs in certain circumstances," Aglukkaq said in a news release.

Research projects could last four years

The sequencing of the human genome paved the way for personalized medicine and there have been calls for more research funding so that the discoveries in laboratories can be translated further into the medical field so they will benefit patients more.

Identifying a person's genetic profile, for example, could then indicate a susceptibility to a certain disease, if the biomarkers of that disease have also been discovered. If people know they are genetically at risk of an illness they can take actions to prevent it, and their health-care providers can monitor for it.

Cancer patients could be pre-screened to determine if chemotherapy would work for them, which could not only save a lot of money on expensive treatments but also prevent pain and suffering for patients.

Genome Canada is leading the research initiative, in collaboration with Cancer Stem Cell Consortium and CIHR which on Tuesday launched its Personalized Medicine Signature Initiative. CIHR is committing up to $22.5 million to the large-scale initiative with the other two partners, but it will be providing more funding for other projects under its personalized medicine program.

The research projects are aiming to bring together biomedical, clinical, population health, health economics, ethics and policy researchers to identify areas that are best suited to personalized medicine.

Oncology, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders, diabetes and obesity, arthritis, pain, and Alzheimer’s disease are all considered to be areas that hold promise for personalized medicine.

Funding will also go to projects that are aimed at developing more evidence-based and cost-effective approaches to health care.

Researchers can get up to four years of funding, but 50 per cent of their requested funding must be matched from another source, such as a provincial government or from the academic or private sectors.

Genome Canada, CIHR and the cancer consortium will invest a maximum of $5 million in each individual project.

The successful applicants for the $67.5 million worth of funding won't be announced until December.

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'Personalized medicine' gets $67.5M research boost

30-01-2012 08:31 US: Senomyx's Fake Flavors http://www.corpwatch.org China: Businesses Sell Aborted Babies as Stamina Booster Pills http://www.lifenews.com Pepsi Uses Aborted Fetal Cells In Flavor Enhancers govtslaves.info Products and Companies that use Aborted Fetuses brie-hoffman.hubpages.com Senomyx Website http://www.senomyx.com

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Baby Stem Cell Franken-food - Pepsi, Coke, Nestle, Starbucks

Bypassing stem cells, mouse skin cells have been converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the animal's nervous system, according to new research at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The startling success of this method seems to refute the idea that "pluripotency" -- the ability of stem cells to become nearly any cell in the body -- is necessary for a cell to transform from one cell type to another.

It raises the possibility that embryonic stem cell research, as well as a related technique called "induced pluripotency," could be supplanted by a more direct way of generating cells for therapy or research.

"Not only do these cells appear functional in the laboratory, they also seem to be able to integrate ... in an animal model," said lead author and graduate student Ernesto Lujan.

The study was published online Jan. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The finding implies that it may one day be possible to generate a variety of neural-system cells for transplantation that would perfectly match a human patient.

While much research has been devoted to harnessing the potential of embryonic stem cells, taking those cells from an embryo and then implanting them in a patient could prove difficult because they would not match genetically.

The Stanford team is working to replicate the work with skin cells from adult mice and humans.

But Lujan emphasized that

much more research is needed before any human transplantation experiments could be conducted.

In the meantime, however, the ability to quickly and efficiently generate cells -- grown in mass quantities in the laboratory, and maintained over time -- will be valuable in disease and drug-targeting studies.

Contact Lisa M. Krieger at 408-920-5565.

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Stanford scientists bypass stem cells to create nervous system cells

TUESDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Using stem cells to create liver-like cells for laboratory research may advance efforts to find out why people respond differently to hepatitis C infection, scientists say.

It's not clear why some people are resistant to hepatitis C, while others are highly susceptible to the infectious disease that can cause liver inflammation and organ failure.

Studying liver cells from various people could reveal genetic factors behind these different responses, but liver cells are difficult to obtain and to grow in a lab dish.

Now, U.S. researchers have found a way to create liver-like cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are made from body tissues rather than embryos. These liver-like cells can then be infected with hepatitis C.

The research was published Jan. 30 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It's the first time that scientists have been able to establish an infection in iPSC-derived cells. The technique was developed by a team from MIT, Rockefeller University and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Along with benefiting hepatitis C research, the new technique may eventually have a role in personalized medicine, the researchers said in a MIT news release. By testing the effectiveness of different drugs on tissues derived from a patient, doctors could customize therapy for that patient, they said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about hepatitis C.

See the article here:
Stem Cells May Further Hepatitis C Research

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2012) — Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group showing that mouse and human skin cells can be directly converted into functional neurons.

The multiple successes of the direct conversion method could refute the idea that pluripotency (a term that describes the ability of stem cells to become nearly any cell in the body) is necessary for a cell to transform from one cell type to another. Together, the results raise the possibility that embryonic stem cell research and another technique called "induced pluripotency" could be supplanted by a more direct way of generating specific types of cells for therapy or research.

This new study, published online Jan. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a substantial advance over the previous paper in that it transforms the skin cells into neural precursor cells, as opposed to neurons. While neural precursor cells can differentiate into neurons, they can also become the two other main cell types in the nervous system: astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. In addition to their greater versatility, the newly derived neural precursor cells offer another advantage over neurons because they can be cultivated to large numbers in the laboratory -- a feature critical for their long-term usefulness in transplantation or drug screening.

In the study, the switch from skin to neural precursor cells occurred with high efficiency over a period of about three weeks after the addition of just three transcription factors. (In the previous study, a different combination of three transcription factors was used to generate mature neurons.) The finding implies that it may one day be possible to generate a variety of neural-system cells for transplantation that would perfectly match a human patient.

"We are thrilled about the prospects for potential medical use of these cells," said Marius Wernig, MD, assistant professor of pathology and a member of Stanford's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. "We've shown the cells can integrate into a mouse brain and produce a missing protein important for the conduction of electrical signal by the neurons. This is important because the mouse model we used mimics that of a human genetic brain disease. However, more work needs to be done to generate similar cells from human skin cells and assess their safety and efficacy."

Wernig is the senior author of the research. Graduate student Ernesto Lujan is the first author.

While much research has been devoted to harnessing the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, taking those cells from an embryo and then implanting them in a patient could prove difficult because they would not match genetically. An alternative technique involves a concept called induced pluripotency, first described in 2006. In this approach, transcription factors are added to specialized cells like those found in skin to first drive them back along the developmental timeline to an undifferentiated stem-cell-like state. These "iPS cells" are then grown under a variety of conditions to induce them to re-specialize into many different cell types.

Scientists had thought that it was necessary for a cell to first enter an induced pluripotent state or for researchers to start with an embryonic stem cell, which is pluripotent by nature, before it could go on to become a new cell type. However, research from Wernig's laboratory in early 2010 showed that it was possible to directly convert one "adult" cell type to another with the application of specialized transcription factors, a process known as transdifferentiation.

Wernig and his colleagues first converted skin cells from an adult mouse to functional neurons (which they termed induced neuronal, or iN, cells), and then replicated the feat with human cells. In 2011 they showed that they could also directly convert liver cells into iN cells.

"Dr. Wernig's demonstration that fibroblasts can be converted into functional nerve cells opens the door to consider new ways to regenerate damaged neurons using cells surrounding the area of injury," said pediatric cardiologist Deepak Srivastava, MD, who was not involved in these studies. "It also suggests that we may be able to transdifferentiate cells into other cell types." Srivastava is the director of cardiovascular research at the Gladstone Institutes at the University of California-San Francisco. In 2010, Srivastava transdifferentiated mouse heart fibroblasts into beating heart muscle cells.

"Direct conversion has a number of advantages," said Lujan. "It occurs with relatively high efficiency and it generates a fairly homogenous population of cells. In contrast, cells derived from iPS cells must be carefully screened to eliminate any remaining pluripotent cells or cells that can differentiate into different lineages." Pluripotent cells can cause cancers when transplanted into animals or humans.

The lab's previous success converting skin cells into neurons spurred Wernig and Lujan to see if they could also generate the more-versatile neural precursor cells, or NPCs. To do so, they infected embryonic mouse skin cells -- a commonly used laboratory cell line -- with a virus encoding 11 transcription factors known to be expressed at high levels in NPCs. A little more than three weeks later, they saw that about 10 percent of the cells had begun to look and act like NPCs.

Repeated experiments allowed them to winnow the original panel of 11 transcription factors to just three: Brn2, Sox2 and FoxG1. (In contrast, the conversion of skin cells directly to functional neurons requires the transcription factors Brn2, Ascl1 and Myt1l.) Skin cells expressing these three transcription factors became neural precursor cells that were able to differentiate into not just neurons and astrocytes, but also oligodendrocytes, which make the myelin that insulates nerve fibers and allows them to transmit signals. The scientists dubbed the newly converted population "induced neural precursor cells," or iNPCs.

In addition to confirming that the astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes were expressing the appropriate genes and that they resembled their naturally derived peers in both shape and function when grown in the laboratory, the researchers wanted to know how the iNPCs would react when transplanted into an animal. They injected them into the brains of newborn laboratory mice bred to lack the ability to myelinate neurons. After 10 weeks, Lujan found that the cells had differentiated into oligodendroytes and had begun to coat the animals' neurons with myelin.

"Not only do these cells appear functional in the laboratory, they also seem to be able to integrate appropriately in an in vivo animal model," said Lujan.

The scientists are now working to replicate the work with skin cells from adult mice and humans, but Lujan emphasized that much more research is needed before any human transplantation experiments could be conducted. In the meantime, however, the ability to quickly and efficiently generate neural precursor cells that can be grown in the laboratory to mass quantities and maintained over time will be valuable in disease and drug-targeting studies.

"In addition to direct therapeutic application, these cells may be very useful to study human diseases in a laboratory dish or even following transplantation into a developing rodent brain," said Wernig.

In addition to Wernig and Lujan, other Stanford researchers involved in the study include postdoctoral scholars Soham Chanda, PhD, and Henrik Ahlenius, PhD; and professor of molecular and cellular physiology Thomas Sudhof, MD.

The research was supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the New York Stem Cell Foundation, the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Stinehart-Reed Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University Medical Center. The original article was written by Krista Conger.

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

Journal Reference:

E. Lujan, S. Chanda, H. Ahlenius, T. C. Sudhof, M. Wernig. Direct conversion of mouse fibroblasts to self-renewing, tripotent neural precursor cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1121003109

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

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

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