Author Archives: admin


Stem Cell Clinic > Articles by: admin

Sask. man off to Malaysia for stem cell treatment

By Stem Cell Treatment

A 28-year-old North Battleford man plans to head to Malaysia next month for a stem cell treatment he hopes will cure his debilitating liver disease.

Kyle Allan is able to pay for the trip thanks to the success of a gofundme.com campaign, which rocketed past its $25,000 goal in just one week.

As of Monday, he'd raised $61,425.

"It was mind blowing," Allan said.

His girlfriend, Valerie Blais, who set up the campaign, had no idea it would do so well and had even expected to do additional fundraising.

"It's completely overwhelming. It shows so much love and support from people in our lives and the community," she said.

When Allan was about three years old, he repeatedly contracted pneumonia and other infections, and was diagnosed with Common Variable Immunodefiency, for which no cure has been identified.

He previously received an IV treatment once a month, which has now increased to once per day. Growing up, he was often tired and didn't have as much energy as other children, but as he got into his teens he improved.

"I was pretty much a normal kid," he said.

He became a welder and worked in Fort McMurray, then got his journeyman qualifications at SIAST. He was about to head back north when, on Aug. 18, 2008, he couldn't get out of bed.

See the rest here:
Sask. man off to Malaysia for stem cell treatment

Using stem cells to grow new hair

By Stem Cell Treatment

In a new study from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), researchers have used human pluripotent stem cells to generate new hair. The study represents the first step toward the development of a cell-based treatment for people with hair loss. In the United States alone, more than 40 million men and 21 million women are affected by hair loss. The research was published online in PLOS One yesterday.

"We have developed a method using human pluripotent stem cells to create new cells capable of initiating human hair growth. The method is a marked improvement over current methods that rely on transplanting existing hair follicles from one part of the head to another," said Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., associate professor in the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program at Sanford-Burnham. "Our stem cell method provides an unlimited source of cells from the patient for transplantation and isn't limited by the availability of existing hair follicles."

The research team developed a protocol that coaxed human pluripotent stem cells to become dermal papilla cells. They are a unique population of cells that regulate hair-follicle formation and growth cycle. Human dermal papilla cells on their own are not suitable for hair transplants because they cannot be obtained in necessary amounts and rapidly lose their ability to induce hair-follicle formation in culture.

"In adults, dermal papilla cells cannot be readily amplified outside of the body and they quickly lose their hair-inducing properties," said Terskikh. "We developed a protocol to drive human pluripotent stem cells to differentiate into dermal papilla cells and confirmed their ability to induce hair growth when transplanted into mice."

"Our next step is to transplant human dermal papilla cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells back into human subjects," said Terskikh. "We are currently seeking partnerships to implement this final step."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

See original here:
Using stem cells to grow new hair

Stamina doctor Davide Vannoni in 22-month plea bargain

By Stem Cell Treatment

Psychologist on trial for criminal association, fraud

(ANSA) - Turin, January 27 - A psychologist who developed the now-banned Stamina stem-cell treatment for terminal nerve disease patients entered a formal request for a plea bargain in a trial against him during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. Davide Vannoni requested a plea deal of one year and 10 months. In Italy, custodial sentences of under three years are usually suspended. Prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello backed the request, saying the withdrawal by Vannoni of an appeal to the Lazio administrative court against a provision rejecting the controversial therapy eliminated all doubt concerning the possible reiteration of the crime. Vannoni is on trial with 13 others on charges including aggravated criminal association with intent to commit fraud in connection with the therapy, which he used on terminally ill degenerative nerve disease patients. The health ministry last November decreed the end of experimentation with the controversial Stamina treatment, which supporters say could help cure degenerative nerve diseases but which experts say lacks a scientific basis. The credibility of the Stamina treatment, which involves extracting bone-marrow stem cells from a patient, supposedly turning them into neurons by exposing them to retinoic acid for two hours, and injecting them back into the patient, has long been suspect. The health ministry in late 2013 ruled that the Stamina Foundation would no longer be allowed to test the treatment on humans, and it was stripped of its non-profit status. A panel of government-appointed experts said last year it found the therapy seriously lacking in both premise and practice. Their report cited "serious imperfections and omissions in the Stamina protocol, including conceptual errors and an apparent ignorance of stem-cell biology". Vannoni told Nature magazine in a 2013 interview that he developed the therapy after receiving what he said was stem-cell treatment for a virus-induced facial paralysis in Russia in 2004.

Read the rest here:
Stamina doctor Davide Vannoni in 22-month plea bargain

Integrins are essential in stem cell binding to defective cartilage for joint regeneration

By Stem Cell Medical Center

IMAGE:BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD.... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, January 26, 2015--The promise for using mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to repair cartilage damage caused by osteoarthritis depends on the MSC being able to attach efficiently to the defective cartilage. A novel laboratory model in which artificially created cartilage lesions and labeled MSC were used to test factors that might improve MSC binding and the effectiveness of future MSC-based therapies is described in BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.

In the article "1 Integrins Mediate Attachment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Cartilage Lesions," D. Zwolanek, PhD, and coauthors, University of Veterinary Medicine (Vienna, Austria), University of Cologne Medical Faculty (Germany), University Medical Center Rotterdam (The Netherlands) present the results of experiments using a combination of ex vivo and in vivo model systems of defective cartilage. They studied the effects of serum, plasma hyaluronic acid, and various cell adhesion-related proteins such as integrins on the attachment of MSC to the extracellular matrix of the cartilage.

###

About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMed Central. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many areas of science and biomedical research, including DNA and Cell Biology, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy, HGT Methods, and HGT Clinical Development, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Original post:
Integrins are essential in stem cell binding to defective cartilage for joint regeneration

BioTime Announces Issuance of 14 New Patents in the Fields of Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Technology, and Cancer …

By Uncategorized

Pluripotent stem cells are cells capable of indefinite expansion and then differentiation into any and all of the cell types of the human body. Examples of pluripotent stem cells are human embryonic stem cells (hES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. These stem cells potentially offer a new technology platform for the manufacture of a wide array of cell types designed to be transplanted into the body to restore healthy tissue function.

BioTime and its subsidiaries are focused on developing and commercializing a broad portfolio of innovative cellular therapeutics and diagnostic products, while also continuing to build value in other ways, such as through the addition of new patents to our industry-leading intellectual property estate, said Dr. Michael D. West, Ph.D., BioTimes Chief Executive Officer. We are making significant strides in patenting our core platform of pluripotent stem cell technology and strengthening our competitive position in regenerative medicine. For the first time in history, pluripotent stem cells offer a means of manufacturing previously rare and valuable human cell types in a cost-effective manner and on an industrial scale. We plan to utilize our strengthened patent position to drive value for our shareholders as the field of regenerative medicine begins to address the large and growing markets associated with chronic and age-related degenerative disease.

New Patents Owned by BioTime or one of its subsidiaries:

European patent 1809739 This issued patent claims cell culture media for the proliferation and scale-up of hES cells. The patent issuing in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and Sweden provides a propagation medium for culturing hES cells in the laboratory such that the cells proliferate without differentiating as defined in the claims. The technology allows the user to rapidly produce high-quality embryonic stem cells for use in therapy and drug discovery, in a cost-effective and controlled manner, from defined or commercially available reagents. The patent is therefore useful for manufacturing products from hES cells. Patents in the same family have previously issued in the United States, Australia, UK, Israel, Singapore and Hong Kong, with additional applications pending.

Canada patent 2559854 and China patent ZL200580008779.0 These patents claim a differentiation method for making high purity heart muscle preparations from pluripotent stem cells such as hES cells suitable for use in regenerative medicine. The issued claims cover methods wherein the pluripotent stem cells are treated with specific growth factors and differentiation conditions to manufacture beating heart muscle cells. The patents are therefore useful in the manufacture and commercialization of heart muscle cells for research, for the testing of drugs on the heart, and potentially for regenerating heart muscle following a heart attack or heart failure. Patents in the same family have previously issued in the United States, Australia, UK, Israel, Japan and Singapore, with additional applications pending.

South Korea patent1543500B The patent titled, Hematopoietic Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells, claims methods for using pluripotent stem cell technology for inducing immune tolerance of cells transplanted into a patient (that is, in helping to prevent the rejection of transplanted cells). As such, the patent claims may be useful in commercializing diverse types of transplantable cells. Patents in the same family have previously issued in Australia, UK, Israel, Japan and Singapore, with additional applications pending.

Canada patent 2468335 The patent describes cartilage-forming cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells such as hES cells. The claims in the patent relate to a system of making the cartilage-forming cells using factors of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family, of immortalizing the cells with the human telomerase gene, pharmaceutical formulations of the cells for therapeutic use in arthritis, as well as other claims. The patent is therefore useful for the manufacture of such cells for use in research and potentially in therapy for a number of applications in orthopedic medicine. Patents in the same family have previously issued in the United States, Australia, Singapore, Israel and South Korea, with additional applications pending.

Israel patent208116 The patent titled, Differentiation of Primate Pluripotent Stem Cells to Hematopoietic Lineage Cells, claims methods for the manufacture of dendritic cells from primate pluripotent stem cells. Dendritic cells are cells that trigger an immune response to a particular molecule. Often their role is to stimulate the immune system to attack microorganisms such as bacteria. BioTimes subsidiary Asterias Biotherapeutics is developing hES cell-derived dendritic cells modified to trigger an immune response to specific antigens related to cancer. A patent in the same family has previously issued in the United States, with additional applications pending.

Singapore patent 188098 The patent titled, Synthetic Surfaces for Culturing Stem Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes, claims certain polymers upon which heart muscle cells derived from pluripotent stem cells may be cultured. The patent is potentially useful for the manufacture of human heart muscle cells for drug screening and toxicity testing and for use in the manufacture of such cells for transplantation into human subjects for the treatment of heart disease. A patent in the same family has previously issued in the United States, with additional applications pending.

Singapore patent 176957 The patent titled, Differentiated Pluripotent Stem Cell Progeny Depleted of Extraneous Phenotypes, claims methods for the purification of pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes by the removal of contaminating cells that display an antigen called epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). This method is potentially useful in the purification of such oligodendrocytes prior to their use in research or human therapy. Patents in the same family have previously issued in the United States and China, with additional applications pending.

More here:
BioTime Announces Issuance of 14 New Patents in the Fields of Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Technology, and Cancer ...

Helmholtz International Fellow Award for Prof. Amanda Fisher from London

By Uncategorized

The British cell biologist Professor Amanda Gay Fisher of Imperial College London (ICL) has been honored with the Helmholtz International Fellow Award for her excellent research. Fisher is one of seven outstanding researchers from abroad who received the award, each of which is endowed with 20,000 euros. According to the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization, the award also includes an invitation to visit one or several Helmholtz research centers. Professor Fisher wishes in particular to strengthen her existing collaborations with the Berlin Institute of Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) of the Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch.

In her research, Professor Fisher focuses on gene regulation, a fundamental process of life which controls every biological function, including cell division, cell differentiation and regeneration. Professor Fisher, who started her research career in the 1980s, has earned an international reputation in this field. She is known for her pioneering work on HIV, the AIDS virus, describing the function of several of its genes. She also is an expert in epigenetic gene regulation - a process in which molecular biological information not contained in the DNA regulates which genes are turned on and which genes are kept silent. She also has an expertise in T lymphocyte development (immune cells) and in embryonic stem cells.

Professor Fisher is director of the MRC (Medical Research Council) Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC), which forms part of the Institute for Clinical Sciences (ICS) at Imperial College London. In addition, she is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), which was founded by the MDC and the Charit - Universittsmedizin Berlin in 2013. All these institutions have a strong interest in "bench-to-bedside" research employing translational and systems biological approaches.

In 2014 Professor Fisher was elected Fellow of the Royal Society for her outstanding achievements in biomedical research. In 2010 she received the Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET (Science, Engineering & Technology) Award, and in 2003 she became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in Britain. In 2002 she was honored with the EMBO Gold Medal for her AIDS research.

Since 2012 a total of 43 Fellows including the seven scientists of this selection round have received the Helmholtz International Fellow Award.

###

A photo of Professor Fisher can be downloaded from the internet at: https://www.mdc-berlin.de/44046890/en/news/2015

Contact: Barbara Bachtler Press Department Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch in the Helmholtz Association Robert-Rssle-Strae 10; 13125 Berlin; Germany Phone: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 96 Fax: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 33 e-mail: presse@mdc-berlin.de http://www.mdc-berlin.de/en

Further information:

http://www.helmholtz.de/en/ http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/courses/clinical-sciences/ http://csc.mrc.ac.uk/ https://www.mdc-berlin.de/13800178/en/bimsb

More:
Helmholtz International Fellow Award for Prof. Amanda Fisher from London

Hogan's budget includes some cuts, some status quo for economic development programs

By Stem Cell Medicine

Advocates for programs spending state dollars on stem cell research or investment in technology companies were nervous about what Gov. Larry Hogan's budget would hold for them, given warnings of "strong medicine" to cure fiscal woes.

But after Hogan's spending plan was unveiled Friday, they were relieved to find that the Republican's business-friendly message spared several economic development programs that were popular under Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley.

The budget matches O'Malley's for a tax credit encouraging investment in biotechnology companies, and only trims the prior administration's commitment to stem cell research by a tenth. As part of efforts to close an $800 million state deficit, there are significant proposed cuts to tax credits for film productions and cybersecurity companies in the state.

Business advocates said they were relieved that cuts weren't deeper given the fiscal challenges, though they still plan to fight to maintain if not increase allotments for popular programs. But many said they see the budget overall as confirmation of Hogan's pro-business campaign message.

"I think you see that in the fact that there were not extremely large cuts," said Mathew Palmer, senior vice president for government affairs for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. "In these tough fiscal times, it's going to be hard to make any huge increased investments."

One Democratic lawmaker said he was "pleasantly surprised" to see so many programs linked to O'Malley's Democratic administration well-funded particularly the state stem cell fund, which Republicans frequently target for cuts and restrictions.

"It's hard to imagine Anthony Brown's budget would look much different," said Sen. Richard Madaleno, referring to O'Malley's presumptive heir who lost the election in November to Hogan. Madaleno represents Montgomery County and is vice chairman of the senate's Budget and Taxation Committee.

In general, Hogan's budget proposal was austere. The roughly $40 billion plan would take away cost-of-living raises for state workers and cut state agencies' budgets by 2 percent across the board, the latter an extension of action O'Malley took before leaving office.

The General Assembly is allowed to make further cuts or, to a limited extent, rearrange budgets, but it cannot add to Hogan's proposal.

Given warnings of budget pain to come, supporters of many programs feared worse. The balance of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, which provides grants to researchers at universities, institutions and companies across the state, had fluctuated over O'Malley's two terms and frequently was targeted by Republicans seeking to limit its use to research on adult stem cells including some tapped to serve in Hogan's administration, Madaleno noted.

Read more:
Hogan's budget includes some cuts, some status quo for economic development programs

Regenexx Advanced Stem Cell Support Formula | Health Link …

By Stem Cell Medical Center

1. Who is the Regenexx Advanced Stem Cell Support Formula for?

This supplement was designed for people who have joint pain and are looking for a natural, nutritional supplement to help support their joint health.

The Advanced Regenexx Stem Cell Support Formula is formulated as an innovative formula of nutritional supplements that helps maintain and support normal joint health and functioning. In Regenexx laboratory studies, the supplements used in this formula helped to maintain the health of the cell environment and provide support for the joints natural cartilage growth (chondrogenesis) process.

The Regenexx Advanced Stem Cell Support Formula is designed to work as a nutritional supplement by being taken orally as a one ounce daily drink. It will not work as intended when rubbed on the body.

There are products in the Regenexx Advanced Stem Cell Support Formula that are derived from corn, shellfish and black pepper.

Please see the Joint Supplement page (Supplement Detailed Information and Ingredients section) on the Regenexx website to view the list of ingredients.

Please discuss this with your physician. Duplicating ingredients may be wasteful. If you choose you can use our one a day innovative formula of nutritional supplements that help maintain and support normal joint health and functioning.

The Regenexx Advanced Stem Cell Support Formula has not been tested for safety with medication. Please discuss this with your physician.

Turmeric extracts (curcumin) have the potential to trigger biliary colic (gallbladder disease, gallbladder pain) in predisposed individuals with gallstones. Please discuss this with your physician.

BioPerine is a black pepper extract. It is used to help enhance the absorption of curcumin.

Visit link:
Regenexx Advanced Stem Cell Support Formula | Health Link ...

Woman left housebound and suicidal by rare illness that has made her face and body "balloon"

By Stem Cell Treatment

A WOMAN whose face and body swell up and balloon because of a rare illness hopes new stem cell treatment available in the US could rid her of the condition.

Christie Newport, 33, is virtually housebound after bullies taunted her with the nickname "rubber dingy lips", leaving her contemplating suicide.

She now hopes to raise 12,000 to pay for new specialist treatment in Califirnia.

Christie's lips, stomach, arms and legs have gradually bloated due to Melkersson Rosenthal syndrome. But a range of procedures and medicines in the UK, including plastic surgery on her lips, all failed.

The US treatment costs a minimum of 12,000, but its arrival has left Christie determined to beat the condition. She said: "I have one of the worst cases there is and I just don't feel like I have a life any more.

"It's like it has been stolen by my illness. I'm prepared to do anything to get the treatment because I can't live like this. If I could avoid living like this I would do it tomorrow."

Christie, from Ashton-on-Ribble, Lancs, was diagnosed with the condition at the age of 18, despite dealing with symptoms since childhood.

Her health has worsened to the point her airways swell and she has problems with her lungs and extreme pain and now has type two steroid induced diabetes and a paralysed right diaphragm. She is also infertile.

She said: "It's spread through my body now and I am lucky if I can get a couple of hours out of bed in the day. It has made me realise how limited my life has become."

Follow this link:
Woman left housebound and suicidal by rare illness that has made her face and body "balloon"

Heard about a public stem cell bank in Chennai?

By Stem Cell Treatment

CHENNAI: There is a public stem cell bank in Chennai where people can donate stem cell stems, but most clinicians and people are unaware of it.

In her presentation at the 58th All India Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Saranya Narayan, medical director and co-founder of Jeevan Stem Cell Bank, said many clinicians were not aware of the existence of the public stem cell bank in the city that could store stem cells for free of cost and help patients with hematological illnesses like thalassemia and blood cancer.

"The only operational public stem cell bank is in Chennai. We function with the grant from the Tamil Nadu government and help from the World Bank. But many clinicians are not aware of this public bank," the doctor said.

She explained that stem cell is separated from the umbilical cord blood which is collected during the birth of a baby and is stored.

While awareness is important, the doctor had also observed that many clinicians feel that counselling families for donating cord blood is eating into their consultation time.

"We have sent our staff members for counselling families in some hospitals. But with the pamphlets and awareness material, it is easy to convince families to donate. We also found that some doctors say they do not have an infrastructure to collect cord blood. We give them the kit to collect the cord blood," she explained.

The lack of awareness among people on the benefits of stem cells leaves about 90 percent of cord blood ending up as a medical waste, the doctor said.

"There is a 60 to 80 percent success rate in stem cell transplant treatment for hematological illnesses. So a donor's stem cell is used on someone else with the illness. But if the donor or donor's family has an illness and needs it, they can approach us. We will either give the donor's own stem cells or find a suitable match and provide them at a concessional rate," Dr Saranya said.

While the level of donation of umbilical cord blood is low, the doctor noted that about 40 percent of cord blood donations are rejected for various reasons, including volume below 60ml, leaks from blood bag, large clots in blood bag and delay in transportation of the cord blood for preservation.

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

Link:
Heard about a public stem cell bank in Chennai?

→←