Yearly Archives: 2015


Stem Cell Clinic > 2015

Regenestem Network and Charles Mahl, M.D. Launch Regenestem Miami in Westin Colonnade

By Stem Cell Clinic

MIAMI (PRWEB) February 17, 2015

Regenestem Network, a subsidiary of the Global Stem Cells Group, announced plans to join Charles Mahl, M.D. to open a Regenestem Health Clinic in the historic Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables, Florida. The state-of-the-art clinic will serve as the flagship center for the Regenestem Network and U.S. headquarters for stem cell training courses and patient treatments.

Mahl, a specialist in regenerative medicine, preventive aging medicine and pain therapy, is a member of the Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board. His recent plans to open a clinic in the spectacular landmark hotel in central Miami lead Mahl to invite Global Stem Cells Group co-founder and Regenestem CEO Ricardo DeCubas to collaborate.

The Westin Colonnade clinic will offer pain, anti-aging and aesthetic regenerative medicine treatments and therapies.

The Regenestem Network is a global family of premier regenerative medicine providers all sharing the same missionto bring the latest in stem cell medicine to patients worldwide. The Regenestem Network is comprised of physicians, medical professionals, researchers, teachers and regenerative medicine product development specialists.

Regenestems commitment to helping improve the quality of life for patients through stem cell therapies makes it a model I wanted to incorporate into the clinic, Mahl says. This collaborative framework will allow us to offer patients promising new stem cell therapies and treatments.

The clinics location within the historic Coral Gables Westin Colonnade in central Miami will welcome patients from across the U.S., Canada, and worldwide. Located just five minutes from the University of Miami, the iconic neoclassical hotel built in the early 20th century that originally served as the offices for Coral Gables intellectual founder George Merrick now serves as a 157-room hotel and hosts a mix of offices and retail space.

According to DeCubas, the clinic will make pain management, anti-aging and aesthetic regenerative medicine treatments readily available to physicians and patients in a clinical setting.

We could not be more pleased or gratified to announce this new shared path of medical and scientific promise with Dr. Mahl and the Coral Gables Community, DeCubas says.

This opens new possibilities for discovery and treatments, and we are proud to work alongside Dr. Mahl to grow Regenestem Health into a cornerstone of patient care that will serve the community for years to come.

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Regenestem Network and Charles Mahl, M.D. Launch Regenestem Miami in Westin Colonnade

Sertoli cell – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Uncategorized

A Sertoli cell (a kind of sustentacular cell) is a "nurse" cell of the testicles that is part of a seminiferous tubule.

It is activated by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and has FSH-receptor on its membranes. It is specifically located in the convoluted seminiferous tubules (since this is the only place in the testes where the spermatozoa are produced). Development of Sertoli cells is directed by the testis-determining factor protein.

Because its main function is to nourish the developing sperm cells through the stages of spermatogenesis, the Sertoli cell has also been called the "mother" or "nurse" cell. Sertoli cells also act as phagocytes, consuming the residual cytoplasm during spermatogenesis. Translocation of germ cells from the base to the lumen of the seminiferous tubules occurs by conformational changes in the lateral margins of the Sertoli cells.

Sertoli cells secrete the following substances:

The tight junctions of Sertoli cells form the blood-testis barrier, a structure that partitions the interstitial blood compartment of the testis from the adluminal compartment of the seminiferous tubules. Because of the apical progression of the spermatogonia, the tight junctions must be dynamically reformed and broken to allow the immunoidentical spermatogonia to cross through the blood-testis barrier so they can become immunologically unique. Sertoli cells control the entry and exit of nutrients, hormones and other chemicals into the tubules of the testis as well as make the adluminal compartment an immune-privileged site.

The cell is also responsible for establishing and maintaining the spermatogonial stem cell niche, which ensures the renewal of stem cells and the differentiation of spermatogonia into mature germ cells that progress stepwise through the long process of spermatogenesis, ending in the release of spermatozoa. Sertoli cells bind to spermatogonial cells via N-cadherins and galctosyltransferase (via carbohydrate residues).

During the maturation phase of spermiogenesis, the Sertoli cells consume the unneeded portions of the spermatozoa.

Sertoli cells are required for male sexual development. During male development, the gene SRY activates SOX9, which then activates and forms a feedforward loop with FGF9. Sertoli cell proliferation and differentiation is mainly activated by FGF9.[2] The absence of FGF9 tends to cause a female to develop [3]

Once fully differentiated, the Sertoli cell is unable to proliferate. Therefore, once spermatogenesis has begun, no more Sertoli cells are created.

Recently however, some scientists have found a way to grow these cells outside of the body. This gives rise to the possibility of repairing some defects that cause male infertility.

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Sertoli cell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dr. Raj at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Achieving 80% Success with Stem Cell Therapy

By Stem Cell Treatment

Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) February 17, 2015

The top stem cell clinic in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills is now achieving 80% success with stem cell therapy for all types of arthritis and soft tissue indications. This includes hip, knee, shoulder, elbow and ankle injections for helping patients achieve pain relief and avoid surgery. Call (310) 438-5343 for more information on the treatment options available and scheduling.

Dr. Raj, who was recently named a Super Doc Southern California for the 4th year in a row, has been performing stem cell therapy on patients for years. This includes athletes, weekend warriors, celebrities, executives, senior citizens and students as well.

There are two methods offered for the treatment, one of which is Bone Marrow derived. This includes harvesting bone marrow from the patient's hip area, and then the material is immediately processed to concentrate the stem cells and growth factors. the fluid is then injected into the problem area. An internal review at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute has shown that 80% of patients achieve excellent pain relief and increased functional abilities. This includes getting back to athletics, recreational activities and walking more.

The second method of treatment involves amniotic derived stem cell rich injections. The amniotic fluid is processed at an FDA regulated lab, with no fetal tissue being involved and no embryonic stem cells at all. Amniotic fluid has been used tens of thousands of times worldwide for many indications, and contains growth factors, hyaluronic acid and stem cells.

Indications for the treatment include tennis and golfer's elbow, plantar fasciitis, degenerative arthritis of the hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, ligament injuries, and tendonitis of the shoulder, knee, achilles and more.

Dr. Raj is a Double Board Certified orthopedic doctor in Los Angeles and serves as an ABC News Medical Correspondent and a WebMD expert. He is called frequently by networks for his opinion on orthopedic matters, and is on the Medical Advisory Board for R3 Stem Cell.

For more information and scheduling with the top stem cell clinic in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, call (310) 438-5343.

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Dr. Raj at Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Achieving 80% Success with Stem Cell Therapy

Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. Provides Update on its Product Development and Partnering Activities

By Stem Cell Treatment

ALAMEDA, Calif. & JERUSALEM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX) and its subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. (Cell Cure) today provided an update on Cell Cures product development and partnering activities.

On February 16, 2015, Cell Cure opened the clinical trial of OpRegen titled Phase I/IIa Dose Escalation Safety and Efficacy Study of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells Transplanted Subretinally in Patients with Advanced Dry-Form Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Geographic Atrophy at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Patient enrollment is expected to begin shortly. OpRegen consists of animal product-free retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with high purity and potency.

On October 31, 2014, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Cell Cure's Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate the clinical trial of OpRegen in patients with the severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with geographic atrophy (GA). While treatment options exist for the treatment of the wet form of AMD, it amounts to only about 10% of the disease prevalence. There is currently no FDA-approved therapy for the dry form occurring in approximately 90% of those afflicted with AMD. Cell Cure intends to transplant OpRegen as a single dose into the subretinal space of patients eyes in order to test the safety and efficacy of the product in this leading cause of blindness.

The Phase I/IIa clinical trial, will evaluate three different dose regimens of OpRegen. Following transplantation, the patients will be followed for 12 months at specified intervals, to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the product. Following the initial 12 month period, patients will continue to be monitored at longer intervals for an additional period of time. A secondary objective of the clinical trial will be to examine the ability of transplanted OpRegen to engraft, survive, and moderate disease progression in the patients. In addition to thorough characterization of visual function, a battery of ophthalmic imaging modalities will be used to quantify structural changes and rate of GA expansion.

Cell Cure also announced today that the option granted to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Teva) under a Research and Exclusive Option Agreement of October 7, 2010 to license-in rights to its OpRegen product has expired without having been exercised by Teva. Cell Cure will therefore be continuing the clinical development of OpRegen on its own and pursuing discussions with other potential strategic partners, including those that have already indicated interest in participating in development and commercialization of the product.

Cell Cure also announced that US patent No. 8,956,866 relating to a proprietary method of manufacturing RPE cells (the active ingredient of OpRegen) is expected to issue on February 17, 2015. This patent combined with other patents and patent applications in the BioTime family of companies provides significant patent protection for this novel therapeutic modality for AMD.

The large markets currently associated with therapies for the wet form of AMD combined with the elegance of RPE replacement therapy for the larger unmet needs associated with the dry form, highlights why Cell Cure has prioritized the development of this product, said Dr. Charles Irving, CEO of Cell Cure. We look forward to initiation of the trials and providing updates in the coming months.

About Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the major diseases of aging and is the leading eye disease responsible for visual impairment of older persons in the US, Europe and Australia. AMD affects the macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision that is important for facial recognition, reading and driving. There are two forms of AMD. The dry form (dry-AMD) advances slowly and painlessly but may progress to geographic atrophy (GA) in which RPE cells and photoreceptors degenerate and are lost. Once the atrophy involves the fovea (the center of the macula), patients lose their central vision and may develop legal blindness. There are about 1.6 million new cases of dry-AMD in the US annually, and as yet there is no effective treatment for this condition. About 10% of patients with dry-AMD develop wet (or neovascular) AMD, the second main form of this disease, which usually manifests acutely and can lead to severe visual loss in a matter of weeks. Wet-AMD can be treated with currently-marketed VEGF inhibitors. However, such products typically require frequent repeated injections in the eye, and patients often continue to suffer from continued progression of the underlying dry-AMD disease process. Current estimated annual sales of VEGF inhibitors for the treatment of the wet form of AMD are estimated to be in excess of $5 billion worldwide. The root cause of the larger problem of dry-AMD is believed to be the dysfunction of RPE cells. One of the most exciting therapeutic approaches to dry-AMD is the transplantation of healthy, young RPE cells to support and replace the patients old degenerating RPE cells, which may prevent progression of the atrophy as well as the development of wet-AMD. Pluripotent stem cells, such as hESCs, can provide an unlimited source for the derivation of such healthy RPE cells for transplantation.

About OpRegen

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Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. Provides Update on its Product Development and Partnering Activities

Changing stem cell structure can tackle obesity

By Stem Cell Treatment

Slight regulation in the length of primary cilia -- small hair-like projections found on most cells -- can prevent the production of fat cells from human stem cells taken from an adult bone marrow, reveals new research.

"This is the first time that it has been shown that subtle changes in primary cilia structure can influence the differentiation of stem cell into fat.

"Since primary cilia length can be influenced by various factors including pharmaceuticals, inflammation and even mechanical forces, this study provides new insight into the regulation of fat cell formation and obesity," said co-author Melis Dalbay of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

Part of the process by which calories are turned into fat involves Adipogenesis, the differentiation of stem cells into fat cells.

The researchers showed that during this process of Adipogenesis, the length of primary cilia increases associated with movement of specific proteins onto the cilia.

Furthermore, by genetically restricting this cilia elongation in stem cells the researchers were able to stop the formation of new fat cells.

Recent research has found that many conditions including kidney disease, blindness, problems with bones and obesity can be caused by defects in primary cilia.

"This research points towards a new type of treatment known as 'cilia-therapy' where manipulation of primary cilia may be used in future to treat a growing range of conditions including obesity, cancer, inflammation and arthritis," said lead author prof Martin Knight.

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Changing stem cell structure can tackle obesity

Stem cell clinics and unapproved, for-profit human …

By Stem Cell Clinic

Posted by Paul Knoepfler on January 19, 2015 ( Comments)

Editors note: I met Dr. Paul Knoepfler online in the wake of my two posts on Gordie Howe and his stem cell treatment for stroke. I was impressed by his posts on the topic and what I saw at his own blog. Given that hes a stem cell researcher, I wanted him to write a post on stem cell clinics like the one that treated Gordie Howe, and, Im happy to say, he accepted my invitation and agreed to write this post. I hope to persuade him to write more for us in the future, even though he has his own blog.

When I started blogging in 2010 the stem cell arena was a very different place.

Back then the hot topic was the battle over the legality of federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. That battle is over, or at least in hibernation, with a 2013 federal court ruling allowing such funding to continue. The stem cell debate of today, which in its own way is just as fierce as the old one, is focused on how best to regulate the clinical translation and commercialization of innovative stem cell technologies.

The stakes in this new stem cell battle on the regulatory front are very high both for the stem cell field and for patients. Too little regulation could lead to harm to patients and damage to the stem cell field at a crucial juncture in its history, while too much regulation could stifle stem cell and regenerative medicine innovations.

Stem cell clinics should be better-regulated than a Starbucks

The goal of stem cell advocates, including myself, is to find a regulatory sweet spot where science-based, innovative stem cell medicine can advance expeditiously. On the other side we have largely physicians and lawyers along with some patients arguing for drastically-reduced regulation and acceleration of for-profit stem cell interventions to patients, even without concrete data supporting safety or efficacy.

The latter group is a key part of a rapidly-proliferating stem cell clinic industry in the US. It consists of for-profit stem cell clinics that collectively have already conducted stem cell transplants on potentially thousands of patients without federal regulatory approval. These clinics have in effect thrown down the gauntlet to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with their use of non-FDA approved stem cell products on patients.

The FDA is the regulatory body legally empowered to regulate biologic products and hence stem cells in the US. However, the clinics generally argue that they and their stem cell products should not be regulated by the FDA because they believe that the products are not drugs and they as the physicians transplanting the stem cells are just conducting the practice of medicine. FDA guidance over the years has consistently conflicted with this view and indicated to the contrary that these clinics are generally producing a stem cell product that is a biological drug. Even so the clinics at this time do not have FDA approval to make and use stem cell biological drugs. Such approval can come in response to what is called an Investigational New Drug (IND) application. The clinics do not have IND approval from the FDA for their stem cell products or devices and do not have the licensing (called a Biological License Application or BLA) needed to produce and administer biological drug products such as certain types of stem cells. Collectively, for these reasons (absence of BLA and INDs), I define such clinics as unlicensed and their products as unapproved or unproven. Note that the physicians practicing at such clinics generally do have medical licenses from state medical boards, so they personally are licensed in that sense. These clinic physicians frequently further point out that doctors themselves can only be directly regulated by state medical boards and not by the FDA.

Where does the FDA get its authority to regulate stem cell products and clinics? The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FDC) Act and the Public Health Service (PHS) Act give the FDA the legal authority and responsibility to regulate biologics including human stem cells. Therefore, barring a federal court specifically overturning a particular FDA decision, FDA regulations are essentially law when it comes to clinical use of stem cells in the US. The FDA is given certain authority over stem cell biological products and procedures more specifically under several regulations including 21 CFR Part 1271.10, modified by 21 CFR 1271.15, which details exceptions to its regulatory requirements. A key term to know before trying to decipher the verbiage in these regulations is human cell and tissue products or HCT/Ps, which basically means human biological products including human stem cells.

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Global Stem Cells Group Announces Alliance with Advancells

By Stem Cell Treatment

MIAMI (PRWEB) February 16, 2015

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. announced an alliance with India-based stem cells company Advancells.com, to share protocols and expand GSCG operations in the India subcontinent with stem cell training and a new treatment center.

Advancells, a pioneer stem cell company with some of the most advanced protocols in the world, focuses on therapeutic applications of regenerative medicine primarily used in stem cells generated from the patients own body. Advancells delivers technologies for safe and effective treatments using their flagship technologies including autologous stem cell therapy from bone marrow and adipose tissue to patients worldwide; Global Stem Cells Group will implement some Advancells technologies in the Regenestem Netowork of worldwide clinics.

Since 2005, Advancells has safely treated thousands of patients for a range of diseases and medical conditions in its various clinics around the globe. Advancells is supported by physicians, stem cell experts and clinical research scientists to continually monitor and improve the effectiveness of its quality management system with excellence and innovation.

"We are pleased to partner with Global Stem Cells Group, to combine our knowledge and expand our ability to bring stem cell medicine to patients worldwide, says Advancells CEO Vipul Jain. I am looking forward to a long and productive alliance.

For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(AT)stemcellsgroup.com, or call 305-224-1858.

About the Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

About the Regenestem Network:

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Global Stem Cells Group Announces Alliance with Advancells

Twitter can help doctors treat patients better

By Stem Cell Doctors

Toronto, Feb 15:

Using Twitter can help physicians be better prepared to answer questions from their patients, according to new research.

The study by researchers from the University of British Columbia has found more and more health care professionals are embracing social media.

This challenges common opinion that physicians are reluctant to jump on the social media bandwagon.

Many people go online for health information, but little research has been done on who is participating in these discussions or what is being shared, said Julie Robillard, lead author and neurology professor at UBCs National Core for Neuroethics and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.

Robillard and psychology student Emanuel Cabral spent six months monitoring conversations surrounding stem cell research related to spinal cord injury and Parkinsons disease on Twitter.

They found roughly 25 per cent of the tweets about spinal cord injury and 15 per cent of the tweets about Parkinsons disease were from health care professionals.

The study found the majority of tweets were about research findings, particularly the ones perceived as medical breakthroughs. The most shared content were links to research reports.

The study also found the users tweeting about spinal cord injury and Parkinsons disease differed.

Users who tweeted about spinal cord injury talked about clinical trials, while users who tweeted about Parkinsons disease mostly talked about new tools or methods being developed to conduct research.

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Twitter can help doctors treat patients better

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