Yearly Archives: 2019


Stem Cell Clinic > 2019

Skip the mall this Christmas. Your organ-donation consent is the best gift you can give – The Globe and Mail

By Stem Cell Clinic

Margaret Lynch is an MFA student in the creative non-fiction program at the University of Kings College in Halifax.

'Tis the season for gift shopping. That time of year when we flock online, a Pavlovian response to slick advertising. We search shopping malls and stalk special one-day-only sale racks, spending hours seeking the perfect gift. But what if we didnt have to search? What if we already carried the perfect gift within us?

Less than one-quarter of Canadians have registered to donate organs, but 90 per cent of Canadians say they support organ donation. Presumed consent is a potential solution to increase donors, meaning that people need to opt out if they dont want their organs donated. Nova Scotia has already passed this legislation, to take effect in 2020. Alberta, Quebec and Prince Edward Island seem poised to follow suit.

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The decision to donate is complicated, but all I can think about are the eight people whose lives I might save.

I was 30 years old in January, 1988. One minute, I was in my office on a frigid day where skyscraper vents exhaled plumes of white smoke that rearranged themselves against a wintry-grey Toronto sky. The next, I was at a walk-in clinic listening to the young doctor with long, blonde hair speak the words that forever changed my life.

You have acute leukemia, she said. You need to go to a hospital today. At least I had an answer for my sluggish performance on the squash court.

Within an hour, I was admitted to Toronto General Hospital, wheeled into a room with two single beds and hooked up to a bag of blood, my first transfusion. Leukemia is a blood cancer. Abnormal cells produced in the bone marrow suppress the production of normal blood cells. Transfusions are critical for people with this and other blood disorders.

I watched winter unfold like a silent movie projected through the windows of my room. Swirling snow and howling winds raged outside. Inside, there was a sameness to the days. Blood tests and transfusions, doctors and drugs.

From January to June that year, I was transfused almost every second day. Months of chemotherapy decimated my bone marrow, causing collateral damage to my cells. I learned a lot about biology that year. Mustard-yellow platelets helped my blood to clot, so I wouldnt hemorrhage while I waited for my own to recover. Crimson-coloured packed cells increased my hemoglobin and iron levels to improve my bodys oxygenation. Greenish-yellow plasma transported essential nutrients, hormones and proteins throughout my body.

I received 157 units of packed red blood cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma and albumin. Each unit represented a blood donation from someone I did not know. I am beyond grateful to each and every person who generously donated their blood to me.

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Though blood transfusions kept me alive, clinical trials and chemotherapy had failed to put me in remission. In May, 1988, I received another type of transfusion. On that day, my sisters ruby-red liquid bone marrow hung from an IV pole. Its contents dripped into a central vein in my chest through a Hickman line. I watched it and felt something I hadnt felt in four months: hope.

A bone-marrow transplant is the stuff of science fiction. Bone marrow is the soft tissue inside bones that produces blood-forming stem cells. The stem cells retrieved from my sisters marrow navigated into my own marrow where they regenerated as healthy blood cells. Im always reminded of the submarine crew in the 1966 movie, Fantastic Voyage, who were shrunk to microscopic size and ventured into the body of an injured scientist to repair damage.

Incredibly, the procedure cured my leukemia. To my sister, Mary: Thank you for giving me back my life.

I was lucky in 1988, still early days for the science of bone-marrow transplantation. Much has changed in the intervening years. Today, we know that stem-cell transplants can treat more than eighty diseases and disorders.

Three decades ago, I could only obtain a transplant because Id sourced my own matching sibling donor. Today, less than 25 per cent of people who require transplants will find a matching donor within their family. The rest rely on the generosity of unrelated donors. Canada participates in an international network of stem-cell registries with access to 36 million potential donors worldwide.

Because of my medical history, Im not an eligible blood donor, nor can I register for the stem-cell registry. But I can donate my organs, knowing my gift will be perfect for the person who needs it.

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This year, I skipped the mall. Instead, I registered my consent to help save lives by becoming an organ and tissue donor.

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Skip the mall this Christmas. Your organ-donation consent is the best gift you can give - The Globe and Mail

adult stem cells: the history of the research

By Adult Stem Cells

Anadult stem cellis anundifferentiatedcell, found among differentiated cells in tissue or an organ. The adult stem cell can renew itself and can differentiate to yield some or all of the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary role of adult stem cells in a living organism is to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Scientists also use the termsomatic stem cellto describe adult stem cells, where somatic refers to cells of the body (not the germ cells, sperm or eggs). Unlikeembryonic stem cells, which are defined by their origin (cells from the preimplantation-stage embryo), the origin of adult stem cells in some mature tissues is still under investigation.

Research on adult stem cells has generated a great deal of excitement. Scientists have found adult stem cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible. This finding has led researchers and clinicians to consider whether adult stem cells could be used for transplants. In fact, adult hematopoieticor blood-formingstem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for more than 40 years. Scientists now have evidence that stem cells exist in the brain and the heart, two locations where adult stem cells were not at firstexpected to reside. If the differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of transplantation-based therapies.

The history of research on adult stem cells began more than 60 years ago. In the 1950s, researchers discovered that the bone marrow contains at least two kinds of stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells form all the types of blood cells in the body. Bone Marrow stromal stem cells are a multipotent subset of bone marrow stromal cells that are able to form bone, cartilage, stromal cells that support blood formation, fat, and fibrous tissue.

Bone marrow stem cells are also called mesenchymal stem cells, and were discovered a few years later. These non-hematopoietic stem cells make up a small proportion of thestromal cellpopulation in the bone marrow and can generate bone, cartilage, and fat cells that support the formation of blood and fibrous connective tissue.

In the 1960s, scientists who were studying rats discovered two regions of the brain that contained dividing cells that ultimately become nerve cells, but despite these reports most scientists believed that the adult brain could not generate new nerve cells. It was not until the 1990s that scientists agreed that the adult brain does contain stem cells that are able to generate the brains three major cell typesastrocytesand oligodendrocytes, which are non-neuronal cells, andneurons, or nerve cells.

Adult stem cells have been identified in many organs and tissues, including brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, liver, ovarian epithelium, and testis. They are thought to reside in a specific area of each tissue (called a stem cell niche). In many tissues, current evidence suggests that some types of stem cells are pericytes, cells that compose the outermost layer of small blood vessels. Stem cells may remain quiescent (non-dividing) for long periods of time until they are activated by a normal need for more cells to maintain tissues, or by disease or tissue injury.

Scientists often use one or more methods to identify adult stem cells: Label the cells in a living tissue with molecular markers and then determine the specialized cell types they generate; Remove the cells from a living animal, label them in cell culture, and transplant them back into another animal to determine whether the cells replace (or repopulate) their tissue of origin.

Importantly, scientists must demonstrate that a single adult stem cell can generate a line of genetically identical cells that then gives rise to all the appropriate differentiated cell types of the tissue. To confirm experimentally that a putative adult stem cell is indeed a stem cell, scientists show either that the cell can give rise to these genetically identical cells in culture, and/or that a purified population of these candidate stem cells can repopulate or reform the tissue after transplant into an animal.

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adult stem cells: the history of the research

A New Gene Therapy Strategy, Courtesy of Mother Nature – Global Health News Wire

By Adult Stem Cells

3D illustration of cells releasing exosomes

Scientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of tiny nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes.

Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice with gliomas, which constitute about 80 percent of malignant brain tumors in humans.

The technique takes advantage of exosomes, fluid-filled sacs that cells release as a way to communicate with other cells.

While exosomes are gaining ground as biologically friendly carriers of therapeutic materials because there are a lot of them and they dont prompt an immune response the trick with gene therapy is finding a way to fit those comparatively large genetic instructions inside their tiny bodies on a scale that will have a therapeutic effect.

This new method relies on patented technology that prompts donated human cells such as adult stem cells to spit out millions of exosomes that, after being collected and purified, function as nanocarriers containing a drug. When they are injected into the bloodstream, they know exactly where in the body to find their target even if its in the brain.

Think of them like Christmas gifts: The gift is inside a wrapped container that is postage paid and ready to go, said senior study author L. James Lee, professor emeritus of chemical and biomolecular engineering at The Ohio State University.

And they are gifts that keep on giving, Lee noted: This is a Mother Nature-induced therapeutic nanoparticle.

The study is published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

In 2017, Lee and colleagues made waves with news of a regenerative medicine discovery called tissue nanotransfection (TNT). The technique uses a nanotechnology-based chip to deliver biological cargo directly into skin, an action that converts adult cells into any cell type of interest for treatment within a patients own body.

By looking further into the mechanism behind TNTs success, scientists in Lees lab discovered that exosomes were the secret to delivering regenerative goods to tissue far below the skins surface.

The technology was adapted in this study into a technique first author Zhaogang Yang, a former Ohio State postdoctoral researcher now at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, termed cellular nanoporation.

The scientists placed about 1 million donated cells (such as mesenchymal cells collected from human fat) on a nano-engineered silicon wafer and used an electrical stimulus to inject synthetic DNA into the donor cells. As a result of this DNA force-feeding, as Lee described it, the cells need to eject unwanted material as part of DNA transcribed messenger RNA and repair holes that have been poked in their membranes.

They kill two birds with one stone: They fix the leakage to the cell membrane and dump the garbage out, Lee said. The garbage bag they throw out is the exosome. Whats expelled from the cell is our drug.

The electrical stimulation had a bonus effect of a thousand-fold increase of therapeutic genes in a large number of exosomes released by the cells, a sign that the technology is scalable to produce enough nanoparticles for use in humans.

Essential to any gene therapy, of course, is knowing what genes need to be delivered to fix a medical problem. For this work, the researchers chose to test the results on glioma brain tumors by delivering a gene called PTEN, a cancer-suppressor gene. Mutations of PTEN that turn off that suppression role can allow cancer cells to grow unchecked.

For Lee, founder of Ohio States Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices, producing the gene is the easy part. The synthetic DNA force-fed to donor cells is copied into a new molecule consisting of messenger RNA, which contains the instructions needed to produce a specific protein. Each exosome bubble containing messenger RNA is transformed into a nanoparticle ready for transport, with no blood-brain barrier to worry about.

The advantage of this is there is no toxicity, nothing to provoke an immune response, said Lee, also a member of Ohio States Comprehensive Cancer Center. Exosomes go almost everywhere in the body, including passing the blood-brain barrier. Most drugs cant go to the brain.

We dont want the exosomes to go to the wrong place. Theyre programmed not only to kill cancer cells, but to know where to go to find the cancer cells. You dont want to kill the good guys.

The testing in mice showed the labeled exosomes were far more likely to travel to the brain tumors and slow their growth compared to substances used as controls.

Because of exosomes safe access to the brain, Lee said, this drug-delivery system has promise for future applications in neurological diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

Hopefully, one day this can be used for medical needs, Lee said. Weve provided the method. If somebody knows what kind of gene combination can cure a certain disease but they need a therapy, here it is.

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A New Gene Therapy Strategy, Courtesy of Mother Nature - Global Health News Wire

Taiwan Healthcare+ Expo 2019: A 360 exposure to MedTech and Therapeutic world – BSA bureau

By Stem Cell Medicine

Taiwan Healthcare provides convenient access to certified and high-quality medical services supported by its burgeoning biotechnology industry.

The Taiwan Healthcare+ Expo T2019 was an enriching exposure to advanced medicine and digital technology which had an engaging encounter with practitioners of the healthcare sectors, medical professionals and MedTech explorers from around the world during 3rd to 6th Dec 2019, at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

Expo 2019 witnessed more than 173,705 visitors, 2800+ international professionals, 52 hospital & medical institutes, 28 industry associations, 12 medical conferences and much more knowledge sharing platforms. Expo also convened 25,000 professional visitors including hospital decision-makers, buyers, distributors, Venture capitalists, company executives as 600 exhibitors hosting in 1,850 booths from 17 countries.

Healthcare + Expo Taiwan was the key Asia Pacific forum for interdisciplinary collaboration between the medical, health, IT / electronics, and bio-pharmaceutical sectors, which provides a common stage for the development of medical technology, innovation and new ventures.

Medicine and technology being the key drivers, Healthcare+ Expo have seen rapid growth in size and significance of procurement, networking, and marketing since its inception in 2015. The expo encourages global participation from buyers, enterprises, Hospital management executives, health industry BD executives, distributors, medical agencies, and venture capitalists to showcase smart healthcare and Hospital equipments. More than 2800 international professionals from Europe (4.1%), Southeast/South Asia (47.2%), Northeast Asia (11.3%), America (9.3%), China, Hong Kong, Macao (20%), Middle East (2%) explored the offering of modern health care technology.

Australia-Taiwan Biomedical & Digital Health Forum:

A forum organized by Australian authorities, Chine Medical University Hospital and Research Center for Biotechnology and Medicine Policy explored the landscape in bio-innovations and digital health development in Australia and Taiwan, with a view to identifying and developing opportunities for collaborations. The Australian and Taiwanese speakers shared their expertise and insights in their areas of specialization to unleash the potential MedTech capabilities to leverage innovative health technologies and solutions.

The Global leading medical system innovator and prime players in therapeutic solutions viz. Hitachi, IBA, Varian and Sumitomo launched the symposium featuring the latest developments, applications and business models of advanced therapies

Exhibition Themes

The expo had 7 exhibition themes, hospitals/medical institute (32%), smart healthcare (20%), preventive medicine/ health management (17%), depicting bio-innovation (12%), biotech/ pharmaceuticals (7%), genetic medicine/cell therapy (7%), Bio agriculture (5%).

Hospitals and medical institutes: Halthcare+ Expo 2019 hosted the Hospitals and medical institutes from the diversified sectors which offer advanced medical technology and surgery solutions, medical specialities, speciality diagnosis, nursing care services, hospital management, and health IT system.

Smart healthcare and hospital equipments: Advances in healthcare AI and technology are uplifting the medical facilities with smart hospital solutions and system, mobile healthcare devices, sensors and wearable products, hospital equipments, diagnosis, monitoring device and surgical products.

Preventive medicine/health management: Focusing majorly on Personal health management, health evaluation/ promotion services, disease prevention supplies, health supplements, sport medicine, assistive technologies, training products, long term care organisations, assisted living and nursing homes, speciality clinical, pharmacies, medical insurance, home healthcare, telemedicine, home-use medical devices and rehabilitation product

Bio innovation: Innovative technologies from academic and research institutes and start-ups, R&D services, collaborations, and incubator services, financial, intellectual property, commercialisation, and regulatory consulting services

Biotech /pharmaceutical: The key industries for the production of any active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), CMOs, CROs, CDMOs, new drugs, biologics, vaccines and generics, new drug development, testing, manufacturing equipment, and pharmaceutical plant construction services

Genetic medicine/ cell therapy: An elevated interest in precision medicine has encouraged the procedures like genetic testing, screening, and disease risk assessment, biomarker-based diagnostics, reagents, and instruments, cell therapies, stem cell storage services, regenerative medicine, and related reagents, instruments

Bio-agricultural: Development of natural ingredients and cultivation and production of organic products, bio-detection reagents, products, and services for plants, animals, and food safety, animal feed activities, drugs and vaccines and plant growth regulators

An interactive platform beneficiary to every attendee

Global professionals gathered at the Taiwan Expo 2019 with the purpose of sourcing the products and their service (24.1%), source partnering (18.8%), purchase products and their services (6.1%), to develop a business network (15.5%) and to gather market and sector intelligence (31.5%).

Bio B2B platform: Taiwan Expo B2B platform was designedaccurately for bio-business professionalsto find value-added partnerships in Taiwan in fields ranging from APIs, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, to bio-agricultural and health supplement companies. Bio B2B connected professionals and industrialists seeking new pipelines and technology platform, innovative and high-quality bio-medical products, manufacturing-distributing or contract research services with the suitable bio-medical companies in Taiwan that fit their specific needs.Expo 2019 assisted the aspirants in compiling, selecting, and making available remarkable achievements and technological developments originated in Taiwan in medicine and biotechnology sectors.

A hope to Patients: The Expo platform was a demo guide to the world-class medical facilities Taiwan Healthcare network can offer to patients. Taiwan is known for its high-quality niche medical services such as liver transplantation, craniofacial surgery, artificial reproductive technology, comprehensive minimally-invasive surgeries, and many more with high success rate.

A Professional manual to medical practitioners:The Expo exhibits were enriching to practising healthcare professionals to grab an opportunity with hospital collaboration projects, medical & clinical partnerships and hospital management cooperation with leading medical centres in Taiwan. Medical professionals evaluated the opportunity for direct collaboration request with a medical team.

Dr Shih-Sheng Chang, Chief Secretary, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, said, The annual Taiwan Healthcare Expo presents cutting-edge biotechnologies and their applications in the medical field. It also provides a platform for hospitals, medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies as well as technology companies to exchange the latest information. This year CMUH was honoured to present developments on stem cell therapies, immune cell therapies, medical AI system application, and 3D printing. It successfully attracted more than 3000 visitors.

Dr Hsiu-Ling Hsiao, CSO, Ever Supreme (ES) Bio-Technology, as one of the exhibitor says, The annual Taiwan Healthcare Expo provided the opportunities for our company to present our accomplishments and portfolio to the public. It also helps us to be visible and to get a connection with international experts and customers. In compliance with the new policy of Regulations Governing Specific Cellular Therapeutic Technology (RGSCTT) in Taiwan, ES is the first biotechnology company approved to use Dendritic Cells (DC) to treat all stages of 8 cancers.

Visitors to the Expo were encouraged to take diagnosis test to learn their health status, consult the medical experts or experience the latest development of healthcare services, purchase health beneficiary products, nutrition, healthcare aids, medical alert systems, medical supplies, patient care, mobile services for health and sports gears and many more interactive activities.

Also, Refer:

Taiwan Healthcare+ Expo B2B opportunities

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Taiwan Healthcare+ Expo 2019: A 360 exposure to MedTech and Therapeutic world - BSA bureau

Lawmakers Present Mother & Daughter With the Signed Bill They Inspired – River Journal Staff

By Stem Cell Medicine

Dreams Law will require New Yorkers with a Central Venous Line to have access to safe and continued care when discharged from a hospital

This week, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and Senator David Carlucci along with health advocates presented 14-year-old, stem cell transplant survivor, Dream Shepherd and her mother, Diana Lemon, with a pen certificate, officially recognizing Dreams Law (A.212/S.474)was signed by Governor Cuomo.

Dreams Law guarantees safe and continued care for patients with a Central Venous Line after being discharged from the hospital, something not afforded to Dream following her release.

Dreams story is one of strength in the face of adversity, but is also a story of the medical system failing New York families, said Assemblywoman Galef. Senator Carlucci and I advocated for this bill because no family should be left in the lurch when dealing with a life-threatening illness. I am so pleased that the Governor is supportive of this bill and has expanded its coverage.

New Yorkers should be able to leave a hospital with the care they need when at home, saidSenator David Carlucci. Central Venous Lines can easily cause infection, and thankfully because of Diana, Dream is here today. We cannot let insurance companies do this to another family. Dreams Law will better protect New Yorkers, and I thank Assemblywoman Galef and the Governor for their support of the bill.

As a parent my goal is to raise my children up to be victors over any circumstances put before them and thats what has been done. Four long years of lobbying Dreams law, its my intention that this legislation will empower caregivers and give adequate care for patients that need it the most, said Diana Lemon, Dreams mother.

I have no doubt this law will improve health outcomes for children with pediatric cancer, sickle cell disease, children who have had transplants and any other child who is discharged home with a central venous line, saidRhonda Ryan, Director of the Family Support Program for Friends of Karen. I believe there will be a decreased risk of infections and fewer hospitalizations as a result of this law. We are grateful at Friends of Karen that this important law has been passed. Our professional staff will inform the families with whom we work that parents or guardians now have the opportunity for professional nursing care in the home if they so choose.

In December of 2014, Dream had a stem cell transplant to battle Sickle Cell Disease and doctors put in a Central Venous Line that went to Dreams heart to administer medication. Upon discharge, Dreams insurance would not cover a home nurse to care for the Central Venous Line because they said it was not medically necessary.

Dreams mother could not afford a caretaker and without the proper medical knowledge had to care for her daughter. In NYS Health facilities, only registered nurses are allowed to administer medications with the use of a Central Venous Line, and according to the New England Journal of Medicine about 28,000 people die each year in Intensive Care Units due to blood stream infections from a Central Venous Line.

In the wake of this harrowing experience, Diana and Dream made it their mission to work with lawmakers so that no other family would find themselves in a similar position.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer added, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo for his support of this legislation, that will truly help to give some of our most vulnerable patients the best possible care. Dreams Law will ensure that all patients who are discharged from local hospitals will continue to have access to specialized treatment from a skilled caretaker, guaranteeing the best chance for recovery from devastating illnesses.

Noah Doherty, General Manager Accucare Nursing & Home Care, said, Im proud to be part of a State where our elected officials understand the importance of private duty nursing in the home. Infusion therapy at home can save the life of a medically fragile child. Id like to thank Senator David Carlucci and Assemblywoman Sandy Galef for their tireless efforts with Dreams Law.

Galef and Carlucci are now working to amend Dreams Law to apply to all New Yorkers leaving the hospital, regardless of condition or further care needed so appropriate patient care is part of any discharge plan from a hospital.

Dreams Law will take effect immediately and can be amended when the legislative session begins in January.

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Lawmakers Present Mother & Daughter With the Signed Bill They Inspired - River Journal Staff

Sorrento Announces Dr. Robin Smith as New Member of the Board of Directors – GlobeNewswire

By Stem Cell Medicine

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE, "Sorrento") announced today that Robin L. Smith, MD, MBA has been appointed to its Board of Directors.

Dr. Smith is a business leader, entrepreneur, medical doctor, author and philanthropist who has held various C-Suite and board positions in the biopharmaceutical industry. Her experience includes significant contributions on numerous board committees for public medical, digital and health care entities. She currently serves on the boards of directors of Celularity, Inc., a pioneer company focused on cancer and regenerative medicine, Seelos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEEL), Spiritus Therapeutics, which she co-founded, the International Board of Sanford Health, and is the Chairman, President and founder of the Cura Foundation.

Dr. Smith has been recognized for her extensive leadership in the biopharmaceutical industry winning an array of industry awards and business recognitions. She received the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF) 2019 Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Award for International Diplomacy in 2019, the 2018 HEALinc Future Health Humanitarian Award, the Business Intelligence Groups Woman of the Year Award in 2018 and the 2018 Gold Stevie Award for Woman of the Year (Government or Non-Profit). In April 2016, Pope Francis awarded Dr. Smith Dame Commander with Star Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare and Science by The National Museum of Catholic Art and Library. Dr. Smith is a 2016 recipient of the Women of Power and Influence Awards and winner of the 2014 Brava Award.

She received her B.A. degree from Yale University and her M.D. degree from the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Smith holds an M.B.A. degree from the Wharton School of Business and completed the Stanford University Directors Program and received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Thomas Jefferson Medical College

Sorrento is an exciting clinical stage, antibody-centric, biopharmaceutical company with unique assets and a commendable commitment to developing new therapies for individuals with life threatening illnesses. The company has an incredibly talented management team and innovative scientists. I am honored to join their board and appreciate the opportunity to work with the team and other board members, commented Dr. Smith.

Dr. Henry Ji, Chairman and CEO, commented, We are very excited to have Robin join our board. She brings deep medical, business knowledge and diversity at a critical time for our company. I believe Dr. Smith will be an invaluable addition to our board and can be a great contributor to a bright future for Sorrento Therapeutics.

About Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Sorrento is a clinical stage, antibody-centric, biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to turn malignant cancers into manageable and possibly curable diseases. Sorrento's multimodal multipronged approach to fighting cancer is made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology platforms, including key assets such as fully human antibodies (G-MAB library), antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) as well as CAR-T and oncolytic virus (Seprehvir).

Sorrento's commitment to life-enhancing therapies for cancer patients is also demonstrated by its effort to advance a first-in-class (TRPV1 agonist) RTX and ZTlido. RTX is completing a phase IB trial in terminal cancer patients. ZTlido was approved by US FDA on February 28, 2018.

For more information visit http://www.sorrentotherapeutics.com

Media and Investor Relations

Alexis Nahama, SVP Corporate Development

Telephone: 1.858.203.4120

Email: mediarelations@sorrentotherapeutics.com

ZTlido and G-MAB are trademarks owned by Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sorrento, respectively.

Seprehvir, is a registered trademark of VirttuBiologics Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TNK Therapeutics, Inc. and part of the group of companies owned by Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

2019 Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Sorrento Announces Dr. Robin Smith as New Member of the Board of Directors - GlobeNewswire

GSK announces positive headline results in phase 3 study of Benlysta in patients with lupus nephritis | Antibodies | News Channels -…

By Adult Stem Cells

DetailsCategory: AntibodiesPublished on Friday, 20 December 2019 13:14Hits: 540

- BLISS-LN achieves primary endpoint and all major secondary endpoints

- On-track for regulatory submission during the first half of 2020

LONDON, UK I December 18, 2019 I GSK today announced positive headline results for intravenous (IV) Benlysta (belimumab) in the largest controlled phase 3 study in active lupus nephritis (LN), an inflammation of the kidneys caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which can lead to end-stage kidney disease.

The Efficacy and Safety of Belimumab in Patients with Active Lupus Nephritis (BLISS-LN) study, involving 448 patients, met its primary endpoint demonstrating that a statistically significant greater number of patients achieved Primary Efficacy Renal Response (PERR) over two years when treated with belimumab plus standard therapy compared to placebo plus standard therapy in adults with active LN (43% vs 32%, odds ratio (95% CI) 1.55 (1.04, 2.32), p=0.0311).

Dr Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer and President R&D, GSK said: "Lupus nephritis is one of the most common and serious complications of SLE, occurring in up to 60% of adult patients. The results of the BLISS-LN study show that Benlysta could make a clinically meaningful improvement to the lives of these patients who currently have limited treatment options."

Dr Richard Furie,Chief of the Division of Rheumatology and Professor at the Feinstein Institutes atNorthwell Health and Lead Investigator of BLISS-LN said: "My journey with Benlysta began nearly twenty years ago when we performed the very first clinical research trial in lupus patients. To see it culminate in a successful phase 3 lupus nephritis study is a key achievement as the inadequate response of our patients with kidney disease to conventional treatment has long been an area in need of major improvement."

Belimumab also demonstrated statistical significance compared to placebo across all four major secondary endpoints: Complete Renal Response (CRR) after two years (the most stringent measure of renal response), Ordinal Renal Response (ORR) after two years, PERR after one year, and the time to death or renal-related event. In BLISS-LN, safety results for patients treated with belimumab were generally comparable to patients treated with placebo plus standard therapy. The safety results are consistent with the known profile of belimumab.

Benlysta is currently not recommended for use in severe active lupus nephritis anywhere in the world because it has not been previously evaluated in these patients. Based on these positive phase 3 data, GSK plans to progress regulatory submissions in the first half of 2020 to seek an update to the prescribing information.

The full results will be submitted for future presentation at upcoming scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed publications.

About lupus nephritisSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus, is a chronic, incurable, autoimmune disease associated with a range of symptoms that can fluctuate over time including painful or swollen joints, extreme fatigue, unexplained fever, skin rashes and organ damage. In lupus nephritis (LN), SLE causes kidney inflammation, which can lead to end-stage kidney disease. Despite improvements in both diagnosis and treatment over the last few decades, LN remains an indicator of poor prognosis.1,2 Manifestations of LN include proteinuria, elevations in serum creatinine, and the presence of urinary sediment.

About BLISS-LNBLISS-LN,which enrolled 448 adult patients, was a phase 3, 104-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled post-approval commitment study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IV belimumab 10 mg/kg plus standard therapy (mycophenolate mofentil for induction and maintenance, or cyclophosphamide for induction followed by azathioprine for maintenance, plus steroids) compared to placebo plus standard therapy in adult patients with active lupus nephritis. Active lupus nephritis was confirmed by kidney biopsy during screening visit using the 2003 International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) criteria, and clinically active kidney disease.

The primary endpoint PERR was defined as estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) 60 mL/min/1.73m2 or no decrease in eGFR from pre-flare of > 20%; and urinary protein:creatinine ratio (uPCR) 0.7; and not a treatment failure. The most stringent secondary endpoint CRR was defined as eGFR is no more than 10% below the pre-flare value or within normal range; and uPCR < 0.5; and not a treatment failure. ORR was defined as complete, partial or no response.

About Benlysta (belimumab)Benlysta, a BLyS-specific inhibitor, is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to soluble BLyS. Benlysta does not bind B cells directly. By binding BLyS, Benlysta inhibits the survival of B cells, including autoreactive B cells, and reduces the differentiation of B cells into immunoglobulin-producing plasma cells.

The current US and EU indication for Benlysta are summarised below:

In the US, "Benlysta is indicated for the treatment of patients aged 5 years and older with active, autoantibody-positive, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who are receiving standard therapy. Limitations of Use: The efficacy of Benlysta has not been evaluated in patients with severe active lupus nephritis or severe active central nervous system lupus. Benlysta has not been studied in combination with other biologics or intravenous cyclophosphamide. Use of Benlysta is not recommended in these situations."

Full US prescribing information including Medication Guide is available at: https://www.gsksource.com/pharma/content/dam/GlaxoSmithKline/US/en/Prescribing_Information/Benlysta/pdf/BENLYSTA-PI-MG.PDF

In the EU, "Benlysta is indicated as "add-on therapy in patients aged 5 years and older with active, autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with a high degree of disease activity (e.g., positive anti-dsDNA and low complement) despite standard therapy."

The Precaution and Warnings for Benlysta includes information that "Benlysta has not been studied in the following adult and paediatric patient groups, and is not recommended: severe active central nervous system lupus; severe active lupus nephritis; HIV; a history of, or current, hepatitis B or C; hypogammaglobulinaenia (IgG < 400mg/dl) or IgA deficiency (IgA < 10 mg/dl); a history of major organ transplant or hematopoietic stem cell/marrow transplant or renal transplant."

The EU Summary of Product Characteristics for Benlysta is available on: http://www.ema.europa.eu

Benlysta is available as an intravenous and a subcutaneous formulation. The Benlysta subcutaneous formulation is not approved for use in children.

GSK's commitment to immunologyGSK is focused on the research and development of medicines for immune-mediated diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, that are responsible for a significant health burden to patients and society. Our world-leading scientists are focusing research on the biology of the immune system with the aim to develop immunological-based medicines that have the potential to alter the course of inflammatory disease. As the only company with a biological treatment approved for adult and paediatric lupus, GSK is leading the way to help patients and their families manage this chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease. Our aim is to develop transformational medicines that can alter the course of inflammatory disease to help people live their best day, every day.

SOURCE: GlaxoSmithKline

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GSK announces positive headline results in phase 3 study of Benlysta in patients with lupus nephritis | Antibodies | News Channels -...

Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Market to Achieve Massive Growth in the Near Future – Info Street Wire

By Adult Stem Cells

The Global Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Market Analysis to 2027 is a specialized and in-depth study of the medical device industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global umbilical cord blood banking market with detailed market segmentation by product, application, end users, and geography. The global umbilical cord blood banking market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.

Umbilical cord blood banking or cord blood banking is the practice of preserving blood from the umbilical cord for future use. Such preserved cord blood is used in medical therapies in the similar approach as that of stem cells derived from bone marrow. Umbilical cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby and also retrieved from the placenta after delivery. It is enriched with adult stem cells and these stem cells play a vital role in regulating all biological activities and in developing tissues in the human body.

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The market of umbilical cord blood banking is anticipated to grow with a significant rate in the coming years, owing to factors such as, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is the key driver of the umbilical cord blood banking market. Globally, umbilical cord blood banking market is growing rapidly due to, various government associations and initiatives are also supporting the growth of the market. Asia Pacific region are expected to offer growth opportunities for the players operating in the market owing to increasing prevalence of chronic diseases.

The global umbilical cord blood banking market is segmented on the basis of product, application, and end users. The product segment includes, public cord blood banks, and private cord blood banks. The umbilical cord blood banking market based on the application is segmented as, cancer, blood disorders, metabolic disorders, immune disorders, osteoporosis and, others application. Based on the end users, the umbilical cord blood banking market is segmented as, hospitals, pharmaceutical research and, research institutes.

Key Market Players:

1. CBR Systems, Inc.2. Cordlife.3. LifeCell4. StemCyte India Therapeutics Pvt. Ltd.5. Vita 346. Americord Registry LLC.7. ESPERITE N.V8. Global Cord Blood Corporation.9. SMART CELLS PLUS.10. Cord Blood America, Inc.

The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global umbilical cord blood banking market based on product, application, and end users. It also provides market size and forecast till 2027 for overall Umbilical cord blood banking market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South & Central America. The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 13 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.

North America holds the largest share for umbilical cord blood banking market. This largest share of the region can be attributed to increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and rising awareness about importance of cord blood. However, Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the umbilical cord blood banking market over the forecast period. Although the region currently holds a nominal share in the global market, it offers enormous growth potential owing to vast improvement in health care reforms and increasing awareness of stem cell banking in selected countries of Asia Pacific, such as India, China, and Japan.

The report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South & Central America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the umbilical cord blood banking market in these regions.

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The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long term strategies

Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets

Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it

Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution

Examine the political, economic, social and technology impact of the five regions namely: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and South America.

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Answer ALS Project to Better Understand and Treat Disease Moves into New Phase – ALS News Today

By Stem Cell Treatment

Touted as the largestamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) investigative effort to date, the Answer ALS research program has finished an initial technology infrastructure stage and is ready to embark on its goal of finding more effective ALS treatmentsand, ideally, a cure.

A consortium of nearly two dozen medical research centers, technology companies, and 1,000 ALS patients, the program seeks to build the most comprehensive clinical, genetic, molecular, and biochemical assessment ever done into ALS. Results will be shared via secure links with the global research community.

Led byJohns Hopkins University and the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research, the program aims to answer questions about ALS and find new therapies through use of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. The project entails creating up to 1,000 unique stem cell lines from ALS patients and healthy controls, modeling the disease on a large scale and across its many variations.

Built by Avanade and other tech firms, the expansive cloud-based research infrastructures feature is its ability to handle an unprecedented amount of data. As work progresses, the platform will permit Answer ALS to incorporate new data and emerging technologies.

Today we can interrogate cell function like never before, Emily Baxi, PhD, executive director of the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research, said in a press release. Answer ALS researchers are essentially building thousands of patient profiles constructed piece by piece from multiple sources of data.

Using the power of AI and machine learning to integrate and analyze these profiles, we hope Answer ALS will lay the groundwork for uncovering ALS patient subgroups and identify the most effective treatment strategies for each, Baxi added.

Key to the infrastructure is a data query engine Avanade developed as part of the companys Technology for Social Good initiative, aimed at non-profit organizations. The engine enables scientists to submit a complex research question and get a response within hours, rather than days or weeks.

Designed by Jeffrey Rothstein, MD, PhD, founder and director of the Robert Packard Center, Answer ALS grew from a collaboration among the center, institutions, and Team Gleason, an organization founded by former National Football League player Steve Gleason after his ALS diagnosis.

Gleason and Team Gleason hosted a summit in 2013 attended by scientists, patients, caregivers, and other ALS stakeholders. The idea was to devise a novel plan to defeat ALS. A year later, the result was Answer ALS, said to be the worlds largest single ALS research project.

If we truly want to have an impact on seemingly incurable diseases like ALS, Parkinsons, Alzheimers and dozens of others, large scale, coordinated and collaborative efforts aided by technology are the best way to rapidly move forward, said Gleason. We havent answered ALS yet, but we are closer than ever before. Our work with technology partners like Avanade is a big reason for that.

Avanades purpose is to make a genuine human impact, said Pam Maynard, Avanades CEO. And what better way to do that than to help Answer ALS search for treatments, or even a cure for ALS? Our Avanade team is excited an honored to work with this inspiring group of medical researchers, technology partners and patient participants.

This project is fully enrolled, with 1,000 ALS patients taking part. Updates on the Answer ALS project can be found here.

Mary M. Chapman began her professional career at United Press International, running both print and broadcast desks. She then became a Michigan correspondent for what is now Bloomberg BNA, where she mainly covered the automotive industry plus legal, tax and regulatory issues. A member of the Automotive Press Association and one of a relatively small number of women on the car beat, Chapman has discussed the automotive industry multiple times of National Public Radio, and in 2014 was selected as an honorary judge at the prestigious Cobble Beach Concours dElegance. She has written for numerous national outlets including Time, People, Al-Jazeera America, Fortune, Daily Beast, MSN.com, Newsweek, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press. The winner of the Society of Professional Journalists award for outstanding reporting, Chapman has had dozens of articles in The New York Times, including two on the coveted front page. She has completed a manuscript about centenarian car enthusiast Margaret Dunning, titled Belle of the Concours.

Total Posts: 6

Ins holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where she specialized in blood vessel biology, blood stem cells, and cancer. Before that, she studied Cell and Molecular Biology at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and worked as a research fellow at Faculdade de Cincias e Tecnologias and Instituto Gulbenkian de Cincia. Ins currently works as a Managing Science Editor, striving to deliver the latest scientific advances to patient communities in a clear and accurate manner.

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Answer ALS Project to Better Understand and Treat Disease Moves into New Phase - ALS News Today

Before the 90 Days Stephanie is YouTuber Stepanka. Is she really ill & bi? – Starcasm

By Stem Cell Doctors

TLC dropped the first preview trailer for the fourth season of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days this week, and among the six new couples featured is the franchises first same-sex relationship. After striking up a relationship on social media, 29-year-old Stephanie Matto from Yonkers, New York is flying to Australia to meet her 24-year-old girlfriend, Erika Owens.

In addition to coming out to her family, Stephanie is also taking a huge risk making the trip because she suffers from a life-threatening illness that means a common cold can kill me. But, Stephanie is a popular YouTuber with a long resume of view-grabbing antics, so how much (if any) of her story is just a stunt to get on the show?

Stephanie Matto is better known by her YouTube name Stepanka. Stepankas YouTube channel has been around for at least six years, and she has amassed just under 350,000 subscribers. Scrolling through her channel will reveal a cacophony of clickbaity thumbnails with titles like I Lost My Virginity AGAIN! My Pooping Routine! and Finally Releasing My Nudes! If you go solely by her video titles, it seems Stephanie breaks up once a month and always has a crazy story to go with it. She also buys A LOT of bikinis and lingerie, and tries it ALL on for her viewers. (And looks great while doing it!)

Looking through Stephanies channel will also turn up the video I Was in Love With a Girl | My First Bisexual Experience uploaded in June of 2016. Hmmmmmm

Here is a screen shot of a sampling of Stepanka video thumbnails:

If youre curious as to why Stephanie opted to go with the Czech version of her name, other than it seeming a bit sexier, it appears as though her mother is from the Czech Republic. Stephanies mom Magda graduated from the Palackeho University in Olomouc, Czech Republic in 1984. Stephanies dad was a lifelong resident of Connecticut before passing away in 2013 at just 57 years of age. (Stephanie has several videos about the passing of her father.) Its unclear if Stephanies mother come to the United States on a K-1 spousal visa.

So, is Stephanie and her Australian girlfriend Erikas relationship just a stunt to get on the show? Obviously I cannot know for sure, but I can say with absolute confidence that it is something Stephanie would do. And Im not alone in that opinion.

After Stephanie revealed to her fans that she was going to be dating Erika on the new season of Before the 90 Days, one fan responded by writing: So this is real? I thought it was just a spoof you cleverly put together. Stephanie assured him (and us): Its real!!!

Another fan responded with excitement: Omg yassss! I knew youd be back on reality TV. Cant wait to watch!

Wait, what?!

Stephanie has quite an extensive resume outside of her YouTube channel. She published a book titled Mean Boys & Memories: A Compilation of My Most Outrageous, Hideous, and Embarrassing Stories that is currently available on Amazon. She has also appeared on Nickelodeon and MTV, according to her Backstage profile. That profile also mentions an untitled reality series for ABC Family in which Stephanie played herself.

Here is Stephanies brief About Me from her profile that focuses on her acting background, but once again mentions reality TV:

Stephanie Matto is a young actress, having worked Nickelodeons hit series All That. She is a creative and unique comedian with an extensive training background in acting techniques, dance, acting for camera, and voice production/speech. She has done TV work, film work, as well as reality TV.

I did some digging and I did find a bankruptcy lawsuit involving a third party company that mentions Stephanie being attached to an untitled relationship program in October of 2010. Its unclear if that is the same show as referenced in Stephanies bio.

Stephanie was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2016, a rare bone marrow disorder that is often fatal. Here is information on aplastic anemia from the Mayo Clinic:

Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells. Aplastic anemia leaves you feeling fatigued and with a higher risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding.

A rare and serious condition, aplastic anemia can develop at any age. Aplastic anemia may occur suddenly, or it can occur slowly and get worse over a long period of time. Treatment for aplastic anemia may include medications, blood transfusions or a stem cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant.

Stephanies diagnosis made headlines last year, including an article by The Daily Mail. Heres Stephanie looking back on her symptoms just prior to being diagnosed:

Every single time my body would brush against anything or even carrying my bag would result in a bruise. Someone could put their hand on my arm and within an hour Id have a bruise in the shape of fingerprints.

The most intense bruise I got was when I was carrying shopping bags home one day and a few hours later I looked at my hands and they were a sea of blue-green. It looked as if all the veins in my hands had burst out blood.

After her diagnosis, Stephanie began having blood transfusions every other day. She was in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant, but there was no match for her on the registry. With no known cure for her condition, doctors told Stephanie about a new treatment in which horse proteins are injected into a patient to help induce an auto-immune reaction in the body and stop the immune system from attacking blood cells, reports The Daily Mail.

Soon after her diagnosis, Stephanie launched a GoFundMe campaign which managed to exceed her goal of $10,000. From the campaign:

Hey guys,

Just last week I was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a severe blood disorder that causes your bone marrow to fail and not produce enough white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. I will be needing a bone marrow transplant, and until I get one I will be on a course of intense drugs similiar to what chemo-patients receive. When I heard the news, I was in disbelief. I have always eaten healthy and led an active lifestyle. Literally, in the matter of less than a week, my whole life has been turned upside-down. I am devastated. It is going to be a daily struggle, and in addition to that, I have run into issues with insurance. I have state insurance which only covers so much, and am now in the process of trying to get new insurance in the state of NY. During that gap, I am paying for treatments out of pocket. It is my goal to raise enough to get me through the next month or so without the proper insurance I need. Your help means the world to me, and thank you for your support during my difficult time.

If you cannot donate at this time, I completely understand, but please consider joining the national bone marrow donor registry. It may not save my life, but could save someone elses.

The treatment Stephanie received worked well enough that she was declared in remission six months later. Unfortunately, a few months down the line my blood levels went downhill again, Stephanie recalls to The Daily Mail. I felt like I was back to square one when I needed to get a blood transfusion again after being transfusion free for four months.

Stephanie returned to Maryland in September of last year where doctors offered another round of the immunosuppressive treatment.

In August of this year, Stephanie described herself as being in partial remission. Im on a very high dose of immunosuppressive therapy, which means my t-cells are very low, she said in a youTube video. Also, I have a very suppressed immune system in general, so my white blood cell count is not that of a normal persons, so I get sick very, very easily.

With my health condition, a common cold can kill me, Stephanie says in the Before the 90 Days Season 4 preview trailer. As sensational as that may sound, it isnt untrue.

You can follow along with Stephanie and Erikas international relationship journey when Before the 90 Days returns to TLC on Sunday, February 23 at 8/7c. I will wrap up with the trailer and some sexy snaps of Stephanie from her Instagram account:

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com

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Before the 90 Days Stephanie is YouTuber Stepanka. Is she really ill & bi? - Starcasm

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