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Stem cell centre coming to Kamloops? – CFJC Today Kamloops

KAMLOOPS My curiosity was sparked when I read that a stem cell centre was opening in Kamloops (Kamloops This Week, March 21, 2017).

So I went to the location of the centre at 470 Columbia St only to find a parking lot. Thinking that the address might be wrong, I searched the directory of the medical building next door and found that no stem cell centre was listed.

The Stem Cell Centers website lists Kamloops as the only one in Canada. Dr. Richard Brownlee is named as the surgeon with more information coming soon.

Stem cell therapy, says the website, can help with orthopedic or pain management, ophthalmological conditions, cardiac or pulmonary conditions, neurological conditions, and auto-immune diseases, among many other conditions and disease that results in damaged tissue.

One of the ophthalmological conditions they treat is macular degeneration. If your vision is fading due to macular degeneration, you know its time to seek help. Our non-invasive Stem Cell Therapy treatment might be the solution for you.

I wanted get Dr. Brownlees reaction to news that an unproven stem cell treatment had resulted in blindness according to the New England Journal of Medicine as reported in the Globe and Mail, March 20, 2017.

This week, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) reported on three individuals who went blind after receiving an unproven stem cell treatment at a Florida clinic. The patients paid thousands of dollars for what they thought was a clinical trial on the use of stem cells to treat macular degeneration.

The writer of the Globe and Mail article, Timothy Caulfield, Research Chair of the in Health Law and Policy at the University of Alberta, doesnt name the Florida clinic.

The Stem Cell Centers website refers optimistically to treatment for macular degeneration at a Florida clinic, although apparently not theirs since no Florida clinic appears on their list. It tells of how Doug Oliver suffered from macular degeneration before stem cells were extracted from his hip bone and injected them into his eyes. Almost immediately, Olivers eyesight started to improve. I began weeping, he said.

Caulfield encourages caution. Health science gets a lot of attention in the popular press. People love hearing about breakthroughs, paradigm shifts and emerging cures. The problem is, these stories are almost always misleading. It can also help to legitimize the marketing of unproven therapies.

Reports from the Stem Cell Centers own website are cautionary as well. It quotes an abstract from a study done by the Southern California College of Optometry on how stem cells might ultimately be used to restore the entire visual pathway.

The promise of stem cell research is phenomenal. Scientific American (Jan., 2017) reports that brains can be grown in a lab dish from stem cells taken from skin. These samples can be used to research brain disorders ranging from schizophrenia to Alzheimer's disease, and to explore why only some babies develop brain-shrinking microcephaly after exposure to the Zika virus.

However, Dr. George Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School, concludes that there are only a handful of clinical applications available and they are for skin and blood-related ailments.

Practice, it seems, has not yet matched the promise of stem cell research.

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Stem cell centre coming to Kamloops? - CFJC Today Kamloops

Local Doctor Working To ‘Brew Blood’ To Combat Certain Disorders – CBS Boston / WBZ

March 28, 2017 6:44 PM By Dr. Mallika Marshall

BOSTON (CBS) An everyday problem in the medical community is a lack of blood donations which are needed for transfusions worldwide.

Aware of this issue, scientists are working on a procedure that could brew blood to help combat certain blood disorders.

Scientists work on brewing blood to end lack of blood supply. (WBZ-TV)

As a child in Jamaica, Claud DAguilar was diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Its something thats genetic. It starts from birth so basically youre going through this forever and ever. Amen. Until you die.

Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to become curved and rigid, leading to severe pain.

Hell on wheels, explained DAguilar. The most excruciating pains you could think about. Something I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.

Anemia is another common complication and often requires multiple blood transfusions. Thats where George Murphy, PhD, a stem cell scientist at the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Boston Medical Center, enters the picture.

Dr. George Murphy, stem cell scientist, explains the brewing blood process. (WBZ-TV)

We like to actually work on diseases that directly impact this under-served community, one of which is sickle cell disease, said Murphy.

He and his team are working on growing personalized blood cells in the lab that could one day help patients like DAguilar.

In essence, sort of brew blood, said Murphy.

Blood being brewed in lab. (WBZ-TV)

Using a small sample of a patients own blood, scientists can reprogram red blood cells back into master stem cells and then coax them back into red blood cells that are unique to that patient. They can then grow the red blood cells over and over again in the lab.

We could actually make a stem cell line from those particular patients who suffer from sickle cell disease, says Murphy.

Such personalized blood could meet a patients transfusion demands and even reduce the effects of the disease. DAguilar said that would be a win.

Scientist rotates brewed blood in sac. (WBZ-TV)

Not only for me but other people suffering, he said. That would be a godsend.

The process could assist millions of people worldwide who need blood products.

You could actually make a universal supply of blood that could be transfused into anyone, says Murphy.

Although not ready for prime time yet, stem cell derived blood could be available for transfusions in the general population, as Murphy says, Sooner than you think.

Follow Dr. Mallika Marshall on Twitter Mallika Marshall, MD, is an Emmy-award winning journalist and physician who serves as the regular Health Reporter at WBZ-TV in Boston. A practicing physician who is Board Certified in both internal medicine a...

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Local Doctor Working To 'Brew Blood' To Combat Certain Disorders - CBS Boston / WBZ

Study points to dangers in unproven stem cell treatments in local clinics – Miami’s Community Newspapers

Three South Florida women suffered serious loss of vision soon after receiving stem cell treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at a Broward clinic in 2015, according to a study published today recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The retinal detachments, bleeding in the eyes and other blinding complications in these three patients raise concerns about stem cell clinics that charge patients for their services and that lack clinical data to support their practices, said Thomas Albini, MD, associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and co-author of the study.

Albini said the three patients ages 72, 78 and 88 were concerned about losing their independence, including the ability to drive, due to AMD, a disorder that involves the gradual loss of the eyes photoreceptor cells and the leading cause of vision loss among elderly patients in the United States.

Patients seeking stem cell treatments for medical problems should only consider a carefully controlled clinical trial at an academic medical center, Albini said. Paying thousands of dollars to a local clinic for an unproven stem cell treatment as these patients did is extremely risky with a low probability of a successful outcome.

Five other Bascom Palmer physicians were co-authors of the study, Vision Loss after Intravitreal Injection of Autologous Stem Cells for AMD, in the journal: Ajay E. Kuriyan, MD; Justin H. Townsend, MD; Marianeli Rodriguez, MD, PhD; Philip J. Rosenfeld, MD, PhD; and Harry W. Flynn Jr., MD. Other co-authors were faculty members from the University of Rochester Medical Center; Dean McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma; Center for Sight, Sarasota, and Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University.

In the study, the Bascom Palmer ophthalmologists discussed how the Broward clinic (its name was not disclosed) first harvested stem cells from the adipose fat tissues of the three patients and then injected the cells into both eyes of each patient.

Within 36 hours of their treatment at the Broward clinic, two of the three patients sought emergency care at Bascom Palmer for serious blinding conditions including ocular hypertension, vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, and/or lens dislocation. Although the patients had suffered only moderate vision loss prior to their treatment, a year later their visual acuities ranged from 20/200 to total blindness.

While numerous stem cell therapies for medical disorders are being investigated at research institutions with appropriate regulatory oversight, many stem cell clinics are treating patients without that oversight and with potentially little concern for patient safety, Albin isaid. In this instance, these patients paid $5,000 each for a procedure that had never been studied in a clinical trial for possible improvement of vision.

Albini said the patients might have developed vision loss from retinal or optic nerve toxicity from the injected stem cells, enzymes or other materials, or from elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), which damages the optic nerve.

Several cellular therapy approaches are now being investigated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registered and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved clinical trials, according to the study.

As of Nov. 2, 2016, at least 13 trials were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov studying the role of intravitreal injections of various stem cell populations. However, Albini cautioned that not every trial registered on the site has been approved by an IRB or the FDA.

Some clinics are claiming that treatments using the patients own stem cells dont require FDA oversight or clinical trials, even though there is no evidence the treatments are safe or effective, he said. Almost all legitimate research is funded by an institution or company with an established protocol, lots of pre-clinical data and extensive pre-trial and post-trial evaluations.

For information on Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, contact Marla Bercuson at 305-326-6190 or send email to mbercuson@med.miami.edu, or visit http://www.bascompalmer.org.

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Study points to dangers in unproven stem cell treatments in local clinics - Miami's Community Newspapers

Global Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) Market 2017- Astellas Pharma Inc/ Ocata Therapeutics, STEMCELL … – First Newshawk

Worldwide Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) Market 2017 Industry Research Report presents a professional and complete analysis of global Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) market on the current situation.

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2017 Worldwide Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) report also includes Upstream raw materials, equipment and Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) downstream customer analysis. In addition to this, the report also covers future development plans, and marketing channels are studied on Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) scenario.

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In conclusion, The Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) Report 2017 presents feasibility study and entire Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) research conclusions are offered. Hence it is an important guide for all users interested in analyzing market growth and knowing the market trends.

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Using stem cells to create an endless supply of blood – Tristatehomepage.com

Stem cells More health news

(CNN) - For decades, scientists have sought to create red blood cells in the lab -- a "holy grail" that some hoped could ease regional blood shortages, especially for people with rare blood types.

But now British researchers say they have overcome a major barrier that has plagued many scientists: creating enough red cells to fill a blood bag. Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.

"When we kept (the cells) continually dividing for a year, we were quite excited," said Jan Frayne, a biochemist at the University of Bristol and one of the study's lead authors.

The latest study "is a dramatic step forward because it gives us the view that we can actually scale up to whole units of blood," said Dr. Harvey Klein, chief of the NIH Clinical Center's Department of Transfusion Medicine. Klein was not involved in the study.

Two to three drops of blood may contain a billion red cells, according to the American Red Cross.

"This technology gives us that particular dream, or at least it brings us a lot closer," said Klein.

To ramp up production, the UK researchers infected stem cells with cervical cancer genes. By inserting cancer genes from human papilloma virus (HPV) into bone marrow cells, Frayne and her colleagues were able to create the first adult red blood cells that could multiply an infinite number of times. These cells are referred to as "immortal."

The concept may be a familiar one to those who have read the book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," in which a related strain of HPV led to the production of HeLa cells, which are widely used in scientific research. These cells were taken from a cervical cancer biopsy from Lacks, who passed away in 1951 but whose cells still multiply in laboratories today.

As the red blood cells mature, they spit out the nucleus -- the core that houses their DNA -- giving the cells a signature round, dimpled shape. Frayne and her colleagues filtered those cells from the rest, so the final batch did not contain the active cancer genes.

Frayne said that a small number of these stem cells can be found in a simple blood draw, too; there's no need to do an invasive biopsy of the bone. Since her team completed the study last year, she said, they have already created two new immortal cell lines this way.

"It's a brilliant approach, and they seemed to have solved several of the really important bottlenecks," said Dr. Robert Lanza, Chief Scientific Officer at the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Lanza is no stranger to the research; he tried to solve the same problem years ago using embryonic stem cells.

But his cells didn't eject the nucleus well enough, and fetal blood cells have too tight a grip on oxygen; they are less likely to drop off the oxygen where it needs to go. Eventually, though, he abandoned the research because "it's not really commercially viable."

Many others have attempted to create blood in the lab, using stem cells from umbilical cords and other sources. But these stem cells fizzle out and stop dividing at a certain point.

"It's almost like they desperately want to carry on differentiating" into mature cells, Frayne said.

In 2011, a group of French researchers transfused lab-grown red blood cells -- which grew from stem cells, though not Frayne's endless supply -- into one human. The cells functioned and survived normally.

Frayne said that the first human trials will begin in England later this year, though they will not be using the immortal cells from her new study. Making the new cells under industry standards, Frayne said, could take at least several more years.

A number of other prior studies have sought to create oxygen-carrying liquids without the need for blood cells, but none of them have proved to be widely usable. In fact, a 2008 analysis found that they carried an increased risk of heart attack and death. A blood substitute called PolyHeme was famously rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration after 10 patients suffered heart attacks out of 81 who received it.

Whole blood contains a lot of other bits and pieces that may not necessarily be grown in a lab, said Lanza: blood-clotting platelets, proteins, immune cells and ions like iron.

But Lanza also said that the advantage of lab-grown blood is that it avoids common problems for patients who require multiple transfusions over their lifetime, such as those with sickle cell disease. For example, iron, which can be toxic at high concentrations, can accumulate with successive blood bags, which are given during a transfusion. Human blood, though rigorously tested, also carries a very small risk of transmitting disease.

And stem cells could be used to create Type O cells, fit for nearly any patient's IV, Lanza said. Known as the "universal donor," Type O is the blood type most often requested by hospitals, but it is frequently in short supply, he said.

But where Lanza really expects to see this technology is on the battlefield.

The Department of Defense technology research agency, known as DARPA, has funded similar studies in the past, such as a "blood pharming" study with a medical device company formerly known as Arteriocyte.

Lanza, who met with DARPA officials about his own blood cell research in the past, said that the military wants to use lab-grown blood "for patients who have massive blood loss, particularly in the battlefield, where a soldier is blown up by a bomb and there isn't time for blood typing."

"I think the goal ultimately is to put this on the back of a Humvee," he said.

That research, however, met the same obstacles other scientists faced in the past, Klein said.

"They were not able to make sufficient amounts blood at any kind of reasonable cost," said Klein, who also serves on the FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee. Though familiar with the DARPA research, he was not involved in evaluating its products.

To mass produce blood in the lab, Frayne and her colleagues would need lots of expensive liquids to grow the cells and a battery of new equipment that complies with manufacturing standards -- all of which will cost money.

"To make big huge vats of it would be outside of our ability in a research lab," she said. "We'd have to have company interest."

A hospital in the US might pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to purchase and test a unit of donated blood, and it may charge far more to transfuse it to patients. Producing a pint of blood using her method, Frayne said, would likely be several times more expensive than buying bags from blood donors in the UK.

But Frayne is optimistic that costs will come down. She hopes that lab-grown cells will be shown to last longer, and therefore doctors might need to use less blood less frequently. That's because stem cells can be collected while they're young, Frayne said, while human blood has cells of all different ages. Many donated blood cells die not long after transfusion.

Collected blood expires, too. Currently, the Red Cross, which claims to provide 40% of the country's blood supply, stores red blood cells for up to 42 days.

That aside, Klein said that lowering the cost to $1,000 to $2,000 per unit of blood would make these cells worth the price for a small subset of patients who have rare blood types or need regular transfusions. For the typical hospital patient, however, it would probably not be very practical or cost-effective, he said.

But it is their willingness to invest money in the research, Klein said, that may have led to the British team's success where the US and other countries have faltered.

"They have put a great deal of financial muscle behind doing this on a national basis, which we simply haven't seen in the United States," he said, adding that perhaps there was an element of "healthy skepticism (in the US) that maybe it will never in our lifetime be practical."

"I don't share that skepticism," he said.

But what about the rogue red cell that slips through the filter with its cancer genes still intact? Lanza calls these cells "escapees."

"When you're dealing with such huge numbers of cells," said Lanza, "there may be a few of these cells that would slip in."

Frayne said that these cells are highly unlikely to cause any form of blood cancer. The cancer genes are only switched on by a certain antibiotic, and by the time the cells are collected, any remaining nuclei are no longer working. Before ablood transfusion, radiation can also be used to destroy any leftover DNA without affecting normal cells, she said.

Still, Frayne said, "These are all really good points to be raising, and they need to be looked at."

But none of these concerns have slowed a deluge of requests to use her cells, Frayne said, though perhaps not from whom you'd expect. It's not blood banks hoping to capitalize on a new, if untested, method. In fact, it's other researchers who, until now, have not had an unlimited way to study diseases like malaria, which infect red blood cells. "That's where all my requests are coming from," she said.

Klein, Lanza and Frayne all said lab-grown blood cells are not meant to replace blood donors. To fill a national blood service, or even a single hospital, will require another major leap in the research.

"They're not going to put the Red Cross out of business," said Lanza. "Volunteer blood donations are always going to be the first line of defense -- but with this technology, you have a safety net."

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Using stem cells to create an endless supply of blood - Tristatehomepage.com

Discovery of a new regulatory protein provides new tool for stem cell … – Science Daily

Discovery of a new regulatory protein provides new tool for stem cell ...
Science Daily
Bioengineers have discovered a protein that regulates the switch of embryonic stem cells from the least developed 'nave' state to the more developed 'primed' ...

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Discovery of a new regulatory protein provides new tool for stem cell ... - Science Daily

SCIENCE SAYS: Unavoidable typos in DNA help fuel cancer – The Times and Democrat

WASHINGTON Cancer patients often wonder "why me?" Does their tumor run in the family? Did they try hard enough to avoid risks like smoking, too much sun or a bad diet?

Lifestyle and heredity get the most blame but new research suggests random chance plays a bigger role than people realize: Healthy cells naturally make mistakes when they multiply, unavoidable typos in DNA that can leave new cells carrying cancer-prone genetic mutations.

How big? About two-thirds of the mutations that occur in various forms of cancer are due to those random copying errors, researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday in the journal Science.

Whoa: That doesn't mean most cases of cancer are due solely to "bad luck." It takes multiple mutations to turn cells into tumors and a lot of cancer is preventable, the Hopkins team stressed, if people take proven protective steps.

Thursday's report is an estimate, based on a math model, that is sure to be hotly debated by scientists who say those unavoidable mistakes of nature play a much smaller role.

But whatever the ultimate number, the research offers a peek at how cancer may begin.

And it should help with the "why me" question from people who have "done everything we know can be done to prevent cancer but they still get it," said Hopkins' Dr. Bert Vogelstein, a pioneer in cancer genetics who co-authored the study. "They need to understand that these cancers would have occurred no matter what they did."

You might inherit some mutations, like flaws in BRCA genes that are infamous for causing aggressive breast and ovarian cancers in certain families.

More commonly, damage is caused by what scientists call environmental factors the assault on DNA from the world around us and how we live our lives. There's a long list of risks: Cigarette smoke, UV light from the sun, other forms of radiation, certain hormones or viruses, an unhealthy diet, obesity and lack of exercise.

Then there are those random copy errors in cells what Vogelstein calls our baseline rate of genetic mutations that will occur no matter how healthy we live.

One way to think of it: If we all have some mutations lurking in our cells anyway, that's yet another reason to avoid known risks that could push us over the edge.

New cells are formed when an existing cell divides and copies its DNA, one cell turning into two. Every time DNA is copied, about three random mutations occur, Vogelstein said.

We all harbor these kinds of mutations and most don't hurt us because they're in genes that have nothing to do with cancer or the body's defense mechanisms spot and fix the damage, said Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society, who wasn't involved in the new research.

But sometimes the errors hit the wrong spot and damage genes that can spur cancerous growth or genes that help the cell spot and fix problems. Then the damaged cells can survive to copy themselves, allowing important mutations to gradually build up over time. That's one reason the risk of cancer increases with age.

Thursday's study follows 2015 research by Vogelstein and statistician Cristian Tomasetti that introduced the idea that a lot of cancer may be due to "bad luck," because those random DNA copying mistakes are more common in some kinds of cancer than others. Cancer prevention advocates worried the idea might sway people to give up on healthier lifestyles.

This time around, the duo analyzed mutations involved in 32 types of cancer to estimate that 66 percent of the gene flaws are due to random copy errors. Environmental and lifestyle factors account for another 29 percent, while inherited genes made up just 5 percent of the mutations.

The same person can harbor a mix of mutations sparked by random DNA mistakes, heredity or environmental factors. And which is the most common factor differs by cancer, the Hopkins team said.

For example, they estimate that random cell errors account for 77 percent of critical mutations in pancreatic cancer while still finding some caused by lifestyle risks like smoking. And the random DNA mistakes caused nearly all the mutations leading to childhood cancers, which is not surprising because youngsters have had little time to be exposed to environmental risks.

In contrast, most lung cancer mutations were the result of lifestyle factors, mainly from smoking. And while lung tissue doesn't multiply frequently, the small number of mutations caused by chance DNA errors might explain rare cases of never-smokers who still get sick.

"This paper is a good paper," said the cancer society's Brawley. "It gives prevention its due respect."

Estimates from Britain suggest 42 percent of cancers are potentially preventable with a healthy lifestyle, and the Hopkins team says their mutation research backs that idea.

But Dr. Yusuf Hannun, Stony Brook University's cancer center director, contends that's just the number known to be preventable today researchers may discover additional environmental risks we can guard against in the future.

He said the Hopkins paper exaggerates the effect of the unavoidable DNA mistakes. His own 2015 research concluded they account for 10 to 30 percent of cancer cases.

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SCIENCE SAYS: Unavoidable typos in DNA help fuel cancer - The Times and Democrat

Life Extension and Insilico Medicine Use Artificial Intelligence to Develop Ageless – WholeFoods Magazine

Fort Lauderdale, FL Life Extension has partnered with Insilico Medicine to introduce Ageless Cell, the first supplement in its GEROPROTECT line to promote healthy aging by inhibiting cellular senescence.

Cellular senescence is a natural part of the aging process where cells no longer function optimally, affecting organ function, cellular metabolism, and the inflammation response. The accumulation of these senescent cells contributes to the process of aging. The Ageless Cell supplements inhibit the effects of cellular senescence by acting as geroprotectors, or interventions aimed to increase longevity and impede the onset of age-related diseases by targeting and inhibiting senescence-inducing pathways and inhibiting the development of senescent cells.

The partnership with Insilico Medicine allowed researchers to use deep learning algorithms to comb through hundreds of studies and thousands of data points a process that could have taken decades to identify four key anti-aging nutrients: N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC), myricetin, gamma-tocotrienol, and EGCG. These compounds target pathways that are known to contribute to or protect against the development of senescent cells.

Specifically, NAC upregulates signaling pathways that protect cells against oxidative stress, which promotes cellular senescence. It also reduces pathways that promote inflammation. Myricetin regulates a family of stress-responsive signaling molecules known to regulate aging in many tissues. It also promotes cell differentiation and self-repair. Gamma tocotrienol modulates the mevalonate pathway that controls cholesterol production, cancer promotion, and bone formation. And EGCG regulates the Wnt pathway that determines the fate of developing cells and also prevents sugar-induced damage to tissues, helping to suppress their pro-aging effects.

Clinical aging studies are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to perform at this time. Our collaboration with Insilico Medicine has allowed us to develop geroprotective formulations by using artificial intelligence to study very large data sets, said Andrew G. Swick, Ph.D., senior vice president of product development and scientific affairs for Life Extension.

Scientists found these four nutrients have various complementary and reinforcing properties to influence key anti-aging pathways and combat aging factors by modulating specific biological pathways. By rejuvenating near-senescent cells and encouraging the bodys healthy process for dealing with senescent cells, Ageless Cell turns back the clock at the cellular level, said Michael A. Smith, M.D., senior health scientist for Life Extension.

Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., CEO of Insilico Medicine said, Together, these four natural compounds represent the beginning of the future anti-aging cocktails identified using artificial intelligence under expert human supervision.

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Life Extension and Insilico Medicine Use Artificial Intelligence to Develop Ageless - WholeFoods Magazine

Japanese Man Is First to Receive ‘Reprogrammed’ Stem Cells from Another Person – Scientific American

On March 28, a Japanese man in his 60s became the first person to receive cells derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that had been donated by another person.

The surgery is expected to set the path for more applications of iPS cell technology, which offers the versatility of embryonic stem cells without the latters ethical taint. Banks of iPS cells from diverse donors could make stem cell transplants more convenient to perform, while slashing costs.

iPS cells are created by removing mature cells from an individual (from their skin, for example), reprogramming these cells backto an embryonic state, and then coaxing them to become a cell type useful for treating a disease.

In the recent procedure, performed on a man from Hyogo prefecture, skin cells from an anonymous donor were reprogrammed and then turned into a type of retinal cell that was transplanted onto the retina of thepatient who suffers from age-related macular degeneration. Doctors hope the cells will stop progression of the disease, which can lead to blindness.

In a procedure performed in September 2014at the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, a Japanese woman received retinal cells derived from iPS cells. They were taken from her own skin, though, and then reprogrammed. Such cells prepared for a second patient were found to contain genetic abnormalities and never implanted.

The team decided to redesign the study based on new regulations, and no other participants were recruited to the clinical study. In February 2017, the team reported that the one patient had fared well. The introduced cells remained intactand vision had not declined as would usually be expected with macular degeneration.

In todays procedure performed at the same hospital and by the same surgeon Yasuo Kurimoto doctors used iPS cells that had been taken from a donors skin cells, reprogrammed and banked. Japans health ministry approved the study, which plansto enroll 5 patients, on 1 February.

Using a donor's iPS cells does not offer an exact genetic match, raising the prospect of immune rejection. But Shinya Yamanaka, the Nobel Prize-winning stem-cell scientist who pioneered iPS cells, has contended that banked cells should be a close enough match for most applications.

Yamanaka is establishing an iPS cell bank, which depends on matching donors to recipients via three genes that code for human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) proteins on the cell surface that are involved in triggering immune reactions. HisiPS Cell Stock for Regenerative Medicine currently has cell lines from just one donor. But by March 2018, they hope to create 5-10 HLA-characterized iPS cell lines, which should match 30%-50% of Japans population.

Use of these ready-made cells has advantages for offering stem cell transplants across an entire population, says Masayo Takahashi, an ophthalmologist at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology who devised the iPS cell protocol deployed in todays transplant. The cells are available immediately versus several months wait for a patients own cells and are much cheaper. Cells from patients, who tend to be elderly, might have also accumulated genetic defects that could increase the risk of the procedure.

At a press conference after the procedure, Takahashi said the surgery had gone well but that success could not be declaredwithout monitoring the fate of the introduced cells. She plans to make no further announcements about patient progress until all five procedures are finished. We are at the beginning, she says.

This article is reproduced with permission and wasfirst publishedon March 28, 2017.

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Japanese Man Is First to Receive 'Reprogrammed' Stem Cells from Another Person - Scientific American

Sheriff: Crushed up medicine, paraphernalia found in inmate’s cell … – wivb.com

WARSAW, N.Y. (WIVB) An inmate at the Wyoming County Jail was charged with having contraband in her cell during a search.

Nicole Sullivan, 31, was serving time for criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument when the Wyoming County Sheriffs office says crushed up medication was found in her cell.

In addition to that, the Sheriffs office says paraphernalia used to inhale the medication was also found.

After this, Sullivan was charged with promoting prison contraband. She was arraigned in Village of Warsaw Court and held on $500 bail.

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Sheriff: Crushed up medicine, paraphernalia found in inmate's cell ... - wivb.com