Author Archives: admin


Stem Cell Clinic > Articles by: admin

Celltex autologous stem cell case study published in Stem Cells and … – PR Newswire (press release)

By Stem Cell Medical Center

"The favorable clinical response in these two young patient warrants further clinical trials using either autologous or allogenic mesenchymal stem cells," the authors wrote in their conclusion.

Dr. Young has extensive academic experience in cell biology, molecular biology, protein science, biochemistry and animal models. Dr. Young is responsible for supervising the production of Celltex's mesenchymal stem cells; evaluating Celltex's stem cells' quality, identity, properties and clinical applications; and she is heavily involved in designing Celltex research, clinical studies and trials, along with physicians in multiple medical centers.

"We are very encouraged by the clinical data obtained in this study, which showed favorable clinical response to Celltex's proprietary stem cell technology in dysautonomia patients," states Dr.Young. "This study is a great representation of Celltex's commitment to leading the United States into the future of regenerative medicine through adult stem cells."

Celltex uses its proprietary technology which isolates, multiplies and banks autologous (one's own) adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to be used for regenerative therapy for injuries and chronic pain as well as a number of conditions, including vascular, degenerative and autoimmune diseases.

Celltex is registered with the United States Food and Drug Administration as a Human Cell and Tissue Products (HCT/P) establishment that multiplies human cells and cellular products. The company operates in a state-of-the-art laboratory compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards as recommended by the FDA for the manufacturing of biological products.

To learn more about Celltex, visit http://www.celltexbank.com

About Celltex Therapeutics Corporation Celltex is a Houston-based biotechnology company that is leading the United States into the future of adult stem cell therapy with its proprietary technology. Celltex is committed to expanding the use of adult stem cell therapy by licensed physicians, with the goal of securing the future of regenerative medicine in the United States. For more information about Celltex Therapeutics Corporation, please visit http://www.celltexbank.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/celltex-autologous-stem-cell-case-study-published-in-stem-cells-and-development-demonstrates-favorable-response-in-pediatric-patients-300422155.html

SOURCE Celltex Therapeutics Corporation

Homepage

Originally posted here:
Celltex autologous stem cell case study published in Stem Cells and ... - PR Newswire (press release)

Kansas stem cell center success inspires lawmaker change of heart – National Right to Life News

By Stem Cell Medical Center

By Kathy Ostrowski, Legislative Director, Kansans for Life

Kansas Democrat State Rep. John Wilson expressed regret to MSCTC conferees Dr. David Prentice and Dr. Buddhadeb Dawn for not voting with the majority in 2013 to create the successful stem cell center

Once in a blue moon, a lawmaker publicly admits he regrets how he voted. Those of us present at Tuesdays hearing in the Kansas House Health & Human Services committee witnessed such a concession.

The focus of the hearing was the status report on the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center (MSCTC), given primarily by Board advisor, Dr. David Prentice and the Director, Dr. Buddhadeb Dawn. The room was packed and the presentation was positively uplifting.

Gov. Sam Brownback, along with the Kansas Legislature, had approved the formation of the MSCTC in 2013 to be housed at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. The Center is designed to serve as a regional hub of stem cell therapy, research, and education as well as an engine for increased processing of ethically-derived, adult stem cells (ASCs) for patient use.

There are numerous kinds of ASCs derived from different human tissues (see graphic). The point is that no ASCs require the destruction of human embryos.

In 2013, those paying careful attention to the stem cell issue realized the overblown expectations about the usefulness of stem cells derived from human embryos. Yet state Rep. John Wilson (D-Lawrence) was still unconvinced of the need to fund a patient-centered medical center using only non-embryonic stem cells. He voted against the measure, although the MSCTC passed.

On Tuesday, during the Q&A period, Wilson congratulated the Center for its success and acknowledged that he regretted voting against its creation. KFL later thanked Wilson for his remarks and joined him in his enthusiasm for the Center.

ADULT STEM CELL PROJECTS

Dr. David Prentice

Dr. Prentice, a native Kansan and frequent expert testifying on bioethical issues at the Kansas Statehouse, described ASC therapies as the gold standard in regenerative medicine, with over 1.5 million people having been treated to date, world-wide. His presentation examined the real patients who are benefitting from the current therapies offered at the MSCTC, such as 300 patients annually receiving stem cells in collaboration with the KU Cancer Center.

Prentice detailed some specific projects already underway, some in pre-clinical research phase, and others in planning stages. They include numerous new and innovative uses for ASCs targeting the brain, heart, spinal cord, liver, and joints.

Of particular interest is the groundbreaking direction MSCTC is taking on graft-versus-host disease, which can be a serious complication for some bone marrow adult stem cell transplants. Graft-versus-host is a problem in which stem cells not derived from the patient are introduced into the patient to replace those lost through chemo/radiation, but the cells begin to attack the new host as foreign.

Dr. Buddhadeb Dawn

MSCTCs director, cardiologist Dr. Dawn, is described by Prentice as one of the world leaders in cardiac repair technologies. With Dr. Dawn and other specialists at the Center, patients with severe heart ailments formerly without hope are given hope with adult stem cells.

Director Dawn pointed proudly to the Centers accomplishments in a mere 3 years, and described continuing efforts to collaborate with other scientists and private companies as well as develop methods and products that can be patented.

The fifth MSCTC annual conference is scheduled for September 15-16. Details about it and the Center can be found at http://www.kumc.edu/msctc.html.

The Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, committed to advancing the use of ethical science, is proving itself to be everything we hoped for.

See the rest here:
Kansas stem cell center success inspires lawmaker change of heart - National Right to Life News

Toulon teen with POTS just ‘wants to be a normal kid’ – Peoria Journal Star

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Gary L. Smith of the Journal Star

TOULON A Stark County teenager who has endured a lengthy ordeal from a debilitating autoimmune disorder now faces extensive and expensive further treatment.

BrookeLynn Montgomery, 15, has been an athlete and 2016 Junior Miss Stark County Queen, and a person looking at her would never imagine that she suffers from such symptoms as severe chest pain, headaches, heart palpitations, and fatigue, noted an aunt who has started a fundraising drive for medical and family expenses on gofundme.com.

They call it an invisible illness, because when you look at her, she looks fine, said Patricia Edwards, who lives in Florida. But inside, its like shes running a marathon.

The Wethersfield High School freshman has been diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome involving a malfunction of the autonomic nervous symptom. The imposing term reflects a major diagnostic criterion of a heart rate increase of 40 beats per minute or more upon standing.

Brookes resting heart rate is 62, and it would go up over 100, and that didnt even require standing, said her mother, Shelly Montgomery. That would be just turning over in bed.

POTS is not a disease in itself but rather a cluster of symptoms that are frequently seen together, according to Dysautonomia International. It can have many underlying disorders, and symptoms can include low blood volume, fiber neuropathy, dizziness, exercise intolerance, nausea, diminished concentration, fainting, and shortness of breath.

While POTS predominantly impacts young women who look healthy on the outside, researchers compare the disability seen in POTS to the disability seen in conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and congestive heart failure, the organization says on its website.

After symptoms that appeared in 2015 led to discovery of enlarged lymph nodes, it appeared possible that there might be a recurrence from an abdominal tumor that led to removal of Brookes appendix and part of her colon during an earlier health crisis in 2012. But the biopsy was negative, and the POTS diagnosis was eventually confirmed in May 2016 by Dr. Mark J. Holterman, a professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.

I have a lot of faith in him. Hes been our saving grace, said Shelly Montgomery. If it had not been for him, I dont think wed be sane today.

Brooke has been in and out of Childrens Hospital of Illinois at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria several times for treatments that have included medications, biological response therapy, chemotherapy, and plasmapheresis, a plasma-exchange process. But her case was made complex by allergic reactions to some medications, and the plasma process has become increasingly less effective in reducing her pain, family members said.

In the last four months, she has declined rapidly, and is no longer able to attend school, noted Edward Smith of Toulon, a grandfather. Theyre looking at getting her home tutoring.

The next medical step will be going to Chicago later this month for experimental stem cell-based treatment arranged by Holterman. Shelly Montgomery said Saturday that the doctor was out of the country and the family was still waiting to learn the details of time and place.

Hell be putting things in motion when he gets back, she said. Hes very optimistic. He feels that the (stem cell treatment) is going to do a lot for her.

Because the treatment is experimental, the cost will not be covered by the insurance that has helped with some prior expenses. Even with some fees waived, its expected to cost $5,000 to $6,000, Edwards said on the gofundme page for BrookeLynns Medical Expenses.

In addition, It is unclear at this point how long Brooke will stay in Chicago or how many trips to Chicago will need to be made, she added. Funds are needed immediately to help the family with medical costs as well as travel expenses.

Donations can also be made to the Brooke Montgomery Medical Expenses account at State Bank of Toulon, 102 W. Main St., Toulon IL 61483.

It was very difficult to accept the idea of requesting financial help, said Shelly Montgomery, who is a dental technician in Peoria. Brookes father, Donald Montgomery, is assistant manager at a farm supply store in Kewanee, and the family lives north of Toulon. An older daughter, Alyssa Watt, 23, lives in Kewanee.

But even with some insurance coverage, co-pays and other non-covered costs have been substantial, she said. And the financial impact has been increased by extra trips to Peoria and missed days of work, she added.

Its time to let family and friends help out, she said.

The family is in uncharted territory, she acknowledged, dealing with a condition that has no cure but has been reported to improve greatly in cases when the best treatment is found. The family is determined to find it.

Brooke has a new normal, and its not an acceptable normal. She shouldnt have to go through what she goes through every day, her mother said. Shes such a tough kid. She doesnt just sit and sulk about it. She just wants to go back to school and be a normal kid.

Gary L. Smith can be reached at (800) 516-0389 or glsmith@mtco.com. Follow him on Twitter @Glsmithx.

View original post here:
Toulon teen with POTS just 'wants to be a normal kid' - Peoria Journal Star

Here’s the first 3D glimpse of how DNA is packaged up in a single cell – Ars Technica

By Embryonic Stem Cells

Enlarge / Intact genome from a mouse embryonic stem cell with 20 chromosomes colored differently

In a first, researchers have worked out a way to unravel and model the tangled, 3D structures of intact mammalian genomes from individual cells.

The new method, published Monday in Nature, could help researchers study how the complex loops, twists, and bunches of a tightly packaged genome influence which bits of the blueprints are actively used by the cells, and when.

In humans, for instance, genome packaging bundles nearly two meters worth of DNA strings into a nucleus about 0.005 millimeters wide. How all that DNA is bundled affects whether important genes are available for decoding by cellular machinery, while others are boxed up and shoved aside until theyre needed. Such carefully orchestrated genetic activity affects everything a cell doesfrom carrying out basic functions, to allowing stem cells to differentiate into any type of cell, to triggering diseases.

Intact genome from a mouse embryonic stem cell with 20 chromosomes colored differently.

Tom Collins, a genetics and molecular scientist at Wellcome Trust, who was not a study author, called the new, more detailed method an exciting step forward. This detail will reveal some of the underlying principles that govern the organization of our genomesfor example, how chromosomes interact or how structure can influence whether genes are switched on or off, he said in a statement. If we can apply this method to cells with abnormal genomes, such as cancer cells, we may be able to better understand what exactly goes wrong to cause disease and how we could develop solutions to correct this.

To pull off the high resolution look at DNA-packaging, researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome TrustMRC Stem Cell Institute joined colleagues to combine cell images and a molecular technique called Hi-C. First, the researchers took super zoomed-in images of eight mouse embryonic stem cells genomes. Next, researchers turned to Hi-C, an established method to reveal the structure of genome packaging based on DNA sequences that are caught residing near each other. (Hi-C isnt an acronym. Its a riff on 3C, a shorthand for Chromosome Conformation Capture Analysis.)

Basically, in Hi-C, the cells are fixed with formaldehyde so that bits of DNA held together by protein packing tapestay stuck together. Then researchers use enzymes that act like molecular scissors and snip the genome into tiny fragments. This leaves scraps of DNA strings held together by packaging proteins that are themselves held together by the formaldehyde.

Imagine two short pieces of DNA pinched together at the middle by a piece of tape, creating an X shape. Researchers then fuse those dangling DNA fragments together and create a single piece of DNA from the two fragment that were once just physically close together. After stripping away the tape, the researchers can sequence across the fusion points and reveal which bits of DNA were close to each other thanks to packaging.

This is the structure of a mouse embryonic stem cell genome. The blue indicates active genes, while the yellow indicates genes interacting with the membrane.

From the the eight stem cells, processed individually, the researchers captured between 37,000 and 122,000 DNA junctions. This represents just 1.2 to 4.1 percent of the total possible junctions that could have been in the genomes. But, combined with the high resolution images, they captured enough to assemble 3D structures. When the researchers overlaid data indicating which genes were active or dormant onto their 3D structures, that data squared with the genes positions within the messy balls.

"Knowing where all the genes and control elements are at a given moment will help us understand the molecular mechanisms that control and maintain their expression," saidErnest Laue, lead study author and biochemist at Cambridge.

Nature, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/nature21429 (About DOIs).

Read more from the original source:
Here's the first 3D glimpse of how DNA is packaged up in a single cell - Ars Technica

The craftsmanship of mimicking embryogenesis in a dish – BioNews

By Embryonic Stem Cells

The regulatory mechanisms governing organ development are, in general, poorly defined. To recreate the complex processes involved in organ growth and maturation, scientists have started fiddling with three-dimensional (3D) cell culture. The 3D self-organisation cell/tissue culture approach is conceptually quite different from standard tissue engineering, where cells are cultured in a flat 2D environment. The idea behind itis that realistic tissue formation is dictated both by the internal processes of the cells, and their interactions with the surrounding environment, including communication with neighbouring cells. Therefore, in vivo tissue development could be more accurately simulated by placing cells within an optimal 3D microenvironment.

A breakthrough happened in 2011, when a Japanese group from RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology in Kobe reported that in a 3D culture of mouse embryonic stem cell aggregates, the cells self-organised to form organoid tissues including an eyecup-like structure and a functional frontal part of the pituitary gland (1, 2). Although mice are not men, in biological science a standard path is to be able to reproduce in human systems what was discovered first in mice. Indeed, a couple of years later, a team from Austria grew cerebral organoids with discrete brain regions by placing human pluripotent stem cells in a 3D culture system (3).

The next major game-changer in the field of organoids was a study reporting self-assembly of functional human liver 'buds'. Liver buds are functional units formed at the early stages of organ development (4). This time, the starting point was not 3D aggregates of one pluripotent stem cell line; instead, three different cell types liver cells derived from induced pluripotent stemcells, connective tissue stem cells, and blood vessel cells were mixed in a specific ratio, which led to the self-assembly of a functional liver bud. Such functional organoids, built from several distinct cell types, represent a new generation of organoids. By using advanced genome editing techniques, such as CRISPR, to interfere with a single gene expression or function in each of the participating cell types, we will be able to study the complex cell communication signals that govern organogenesis. We will be able to define which cell type is providing which signalling molecules and what their roles are establishing the different cell types that make up tissue.

The laboratory of Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz from the University of Cambridge used a similar approach to generate structures highly resembling post-implantation mouse embryos (5). They combined a single mouse embryonic stem cell with a small clump of three trophoblast stem cells (stem cells that would form the placenta), and cultured them within Matrigel, a 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold, in a medium that allowed both cell types co-develop. To examine the cross-talk between the two cells types and the signalling pathways involved, the team used cell lines with specific mutations in one of the two cell types, and monitored how lack of a specific gene and/or signal affected the morphogenesis of an embryo-like structure.

I do not see why we would not be technically able to mimic human embryogenesis in a dish using a similar approach. However, I could see how that can be viewed with a touch of controversy even though, in my mind, there are no ethical issues or controversy at all. Although the embryo-like structures might resemble human embryos in vivo, they would have no potential to develop into a live organism. To those prophets who would see such development as a collapse of ethos and humanity, I want to say that I am pretty confident that in the future women will still be a part of our society. They will still be pregnant and they will still deliver babies. They will not be replaced with incubators nurturing endless copies of some future version of Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump. Pregnancy and fetal development are too complex to be simulated.

The future of this work, as I see it, is not only as a 'powerful platform to dissect physical and molecular mechanisms that mediate critical crosstalk during natural embryogeneisis', as the Cambridge team say (5), but also as a sophisticated model for human embryotoxicity screening, to learn more about embryo development and the causes of infertility. Currently used in vitro testing protocols are based on animal embryos, not human embryos, and therefore lack specificity and predictability. This model has the potential to be used for large-scale throughput screening of the multiple stages of human embryo development. By studying and testing these stages, we can learn about the growth and differentiation processes of the embryo in great detail. Furthermore, we can test in vitro whether potential drug candidates affect any of these early embryo development stages. In such a way the embryotoxic or cancerous potential of an agent could be easily assessed in a human system, and many unexplained infertility cases classified as 'infertility of unknown etiology' could be resolved and appropriately addressed.

Link:
The craftsmanship of mimicking embryogenesis in a dish - BioNews

Some genetic variations difficult to evaluate using current stem cell modeling techniques – Phys.Org

By Uncategorized

March 13, 2017

Some heritable but unstable genetic mutations that are passed from parent to affected offspring may not be easy to investigate using current human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) modeling techniques, according to research conducted at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published March 14, in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The study serves to caution stem cell biologists that certain rare mutations, like the ones described in the study, are difficult to recreate in laboratory-produced stem cells.

Stem cell-based disease modeling involves taking cells from patients, such as skin cells, and introducing genes that reprogram the cells into human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). These "master cells" are unspecialized, meaning they can be pushed to become any type of mature cell needed for research, such as skin, liver or brain. The hiPSCs are capable of renewing themselves over a long period of time, and this emerging stem cell modeling technique is helping elucidate the genetic and cellular mechanisms of many different disorders.

"Our study describes how a complex chromosomal rearrangement genetically passed by a patient with psychosis to her affected son was not well recreated in laboratory-produced stem cells," says Kristen Brennand, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine, and the study's senior investigator. "As stem cell biologists dive into studying brain disorders, we all need to know that this type of rare mutation is very hard to model with induced stem cells."

To investigate the genetic underpinnings of psychosis, the research team used hiPSCs from a mother diagnosed with bipolar disease with psychosis, and her son, diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. In addition to the normal 46 chromosomes (23 pairs), the cells in mother and son had a very small extra chromosome, less than 1/10th normal size. This microduplication of genes is increasingly being linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, and the extra chromosomal bit, known as a marker (mar) element, falls into the category of abnormally duplicated genes.

For the first time, the Mount Sinai research team tried to make stem cells from adult cells with this type of mar defect. Through the process, they discovered that the mar element was frequently lost during the reprogramming process.

While mar elements in the general population are rare (less than .05 percent in newborn infants), more than 30 percent of individuals with these defects are clinically abnormal, and mar elements are also significantly more likely to be found in patients with developmental delays.

The study found that the mother's cells were mosaic, meaning some cells were normal while others were not, and the hiPSCs the team created accurately replicated that condition: some were normal and some had the extra mar chromosome. But the technique did not work well with the son's cells. While all of his cells should have had the mar element, as with his mother, some of the reprogrammed stem cells did not contain the extra bit of chromosome.

"We realized we kept losing the mutation in the stem cells we made, and the inability to recreate cells with mar elements may hamper some neuropsychiatric research," says Dr. Brennand. "The bottom line is that it is essential that stem cell biologists look for existing mar elements in the cells they study, in order to check that they are retained in the new stem cells."

Explore further: Researchers engineer new thyroid cells

Researchers have discovered a new efficient way to generate thyroid cells, known as thyrocytes, using genetically modified embryonic stem cells.

A protein that stays attached on chromosomes during cell division plays a critical role in determining the type of cell that stem cells can become. The discovery, made by EPFL scientists, has significant implications for ...

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have used human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to identify a characteristic of abnormal brain development in schizophrenia. Published in Translational Psychiatry, ...

Oxygen in the air is well known to cause damaging rust on cars through a process known as oxidation. Similarly, a research group at Lund University in Sweden, has now identified that certain cells during embryonic development ...

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)adult cells reprogrammed back to an embryonic stem cell-like statemay better model the genetic contributions to each patient's particular disease. In a process called cellular reprogramming, ...

Successful reprogramming of muscle cells derived from biopsies of patients with Andersen's syndrome (AS) led to the formation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that can serve as a valuable model for understanding the ...

New research by Professor Beth Shapiro of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute and University of Alberta Professor Duane Froese has identified North America's oldest bison fossils and helped construct a bison genealogy establishing ...

Scientists have determined the first 3D structures of intact mammalian genomes from individual cells, showing how the DNA from all the chromosomes intricately folds to fit together inside the cell nuclei.

Scientists have documented many cases in which the timing of seasonal events, such as the flowering of plants or the emergence of insects, is changing as a result of climate change. Now researchers studying a grassland ecosystem ...

Most fish live either in fresh water or salt water, but others, including tilapia, have the remarkable ability to physiologically adjust to varying salinity levelsa trait that may be critically important as climate change ...

When an individual cell needs to move somewhere, it manages just fine on its own. It extends protrusions from its leading edge and retracts the trailing edge to scoot itself along, without having to worry about what the other ...

A subset of protein complexes whose role has long been thought to consist only of chemically degrading and discarding of proteins no longer needed by cells appears to also play a role in sending messages from one nerve cell ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

See the article here:
Some genetic variations difficult to evaluate using current stem cell modeling techniques - Phys.Org

Fate Therapeutics cleared to begin clinical trial assessing NK cell therapy in blood cancer; shares up 9% – Seeking Alpha

By Uncategorized

Thinly traded micro cap Fate Therapeutics (FATE +9.4%) jumps out the blocks on more than a 6x surge in volume in response to its announcement that the FDA has approved its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for FATE-NK100, an adaptive memory natural killer (NK) cell product. The approval paves the way for a first-in-human clinical trial in patients with advanced acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The early-stage study, to be conducted at the University of Minnesota, will determine the maximum tolerated dose of a single intravenous administration of FATE-NK100 in an accelerated dose escalation design in four patients.

FATE-NK100 is a next-generation immunotherapy based on a subset of NK cells that have shown robust anti-tumor activity in addition to promoting endogenous T cell response while resisting immune checkpoints.

NK cells identify and kill cancer cells by recognizing a range of stress signals expressed on tumor cells. Normal healthy cells are unaffected/unharmed. This is a different mechanism of action compared to T cells which require a specific tumor antigen to elicit an immune response and must be customized for each patient. The company says a significant advantage of NK-based immunotherapy is the avoidance of graft-versus-host disease, a common and potentially serious side-effect of T cell therapies.

More here:
Fate Therapeutics cleared to begin clinical trial assessing NK cell therapy in blood cancer; shares up 9% - Seeking Alpha

New Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy passes Phase I/II Trials – Labiotech.eu (blog)

By Stem Cell Treatment

TiGenix announces positiveone-year results forits phase I/II trial of donor-derived cardiac stem cell therapy in acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

The Belgian biotech TiGenixis developing allogeneic stem cell therapies. Now the companyhasannouncedthat its cardiac stem cell therapyAlloCSC-01 reached its primary endpoints in aphase I/IItrial.

In 2015, the companyacquired Coretherapixin a292M deal for its allogeneic cardiac stem cell pipeline, which is being developed for the treatment of AMI.The first-in-human trial was designed to test the safety and feasibility of an intracoronary infusion of donor-derivedexpanded cardiac stem cells (AlloCSCs)in patients with AMI and left ventricular dysfunction.

AlloCSC-01consists of adult allogeneic cardiac stem cells isolated from the heartof donors and expanded in vitro. In vivo studies suggest that these cellshave cardio-reparative potential by activating regenerative pathways and promoting the formation of new hearttissue.

Thecurrent phase II study demonstrated thesafety of these allogeneic stem cells. Initial results also revealed a larger reduction of infarct size in a subgroup of patients.

Myocardial infarction caused by blockade of coronary arteries

TiGenix is well known forChondroCellect, which was the first cell therapyto reach the European market for the repair of knee cartilage.After the companyrecently withdrew its market authorization for this product, due to a lack of reimbursement, the biotech is focusing on another stem cell therapy, Cx601, in addition to AlloCSC-01. Under development for Crohns disease, Cx601 is currently awaitingEMA approval and is in phase III trials in the US.

For a late-stage clinical company, TiGenix has a low market cap of191M. Even so, the company seems to be doing well these days with the progress of Cx601 and AlloCSC-01.

If AlloCSC-01 obtains market approval, it could treat the more than 1.9 millionpeople affected by AMI, a major cause of heart failure. So far, most treatments are palliative or restore myocardial function by angioplasty and insertion of a stent to support the vascular lumen.

Stem cell therapy of the heart is definitely not a new topic, but many trials have been conducted using the patients own stem cells derived from the bone marrow. A recent meta-analysisof such trials has suggested that these therapies are safe, but do not enhance cardiac function. TiGenixs approach using allogeneic heart-derived stem cells may offer a new and promisingopportunity in thefield.

Images via shutterstock.com / Liya Graphics andVeronika Zakharova

Read the original here:
New Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy passes Phase I/II Trials - Labiotech.eu (blog)

→←