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Stem cell research for medical purposes is okay, says Jakim

Stem cell research for medical purposes is okay, says Jakim

Kuala Lumpur: Despite numerous religious debates on therapeutic cloning and stem cell research, the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) on Thursday stated that when it was done for medical purposes, this form of treatment was actually encouraged.

A press statement issued by Jakim Thursday said following the 67th National Council Fatwa meeting on Feb 22, it was decided that medical treatment which replaces and recreates damaged cells and organs was encouraged as these were meant for the well-being of the people.

"It is encouraged to use frozen or leftover embryos from in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) for research purposes, with the condition that the couple's consent is obtained before the embryos reach a blastocyst stage.

"The main purpose of the therapeutic cloning is to save a human life; it produces non-foetal stem cells.

"For Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, the stem cells are taken from the embryo to obtain tissues or organs meant to treat the patients that provide DNA."

The statement added that research carried out on embryos must be done before it reaches a stage where the foetus is attached to the uterus wall as at any point prior to that, the embryo can feel no pain.

"This is similar to the fatwa issued by Singapore's Islamic Council which stated that any cloning process done to produce spare organs for medical or research purposes is encouraged. The field is still in the research phase, but may be realised in future as it would greatly benefit those who suffer from heart or kidney problems.

"These methods are meant for the well-being of the people."

Meanwhile, the Government, through the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), has allocated RM468 million this year to pay for the allowances of religious teachers, imams and district mosque administration coordinators throughout the country.

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Stem cell research for medical purposes is okay, says Jakim

Ciplas Stempeutics gets US patent for stemcell product

Drug used to treat limb disorder

Mumbai, March 4:

Stempeutics Research has received a process patent from the United States Patent and Trademarks Office for its novel stem cell-based drug Stempeucel.

The company is part of the Manipal Education and Medical Group and drugmaker Cipla entered into a joint alliance with it in 2009.

The drug will initially be used for the treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI), the companies said in a joint note, adding that the treatment option directly addresses the root cause of the disease, unlike others that treat the symptoms and not the disease.

CLI is a progressive form of peripheral arterial disease that blocks arteries in the lower extremities of the body, resulting in reduced blood flow.

It is a debilitating disease which affects patients with severe pain in the feet or toes, besides the development of sores and wounds, the note said.

If left untreated, patients may have to undergo amputation of the affected limb, it added.

Stempeutics has also submitted its applications to the regulatory Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to obtain marketing authorisation for Stempeucel.

The availability of the product in the local market is subject to DCGI approvals.

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Ciplas Stempeutics gets US patent for stemcell product

Possible HIV cure OK'd for testing

Scanning electromicrograph of an HIV-infected T cell.

HIV patients will be given genetically modified stem cells in an attempt to effectively cure them of the infection, the first time this experimental therapy has been tried.

Sangamo Biosciences, based in the Bay Area community of Richmond, received approval from federal regulators Tuesday to conduct the clinical trial.

The therapy involves removing patients' blood-forming stem cells, genetically editing them so they become resistant to HIV infection, and then placing them back into the patients. These stem cells are expected to give rise to new immune system cells with the resistant properties. As part of the process, patients will be given chemotherapy to reduce the number of their own unaltered stem cells.

If successful, the genetically modified stem cells will reconstitute a new immune system that bars the door HIV uses to infect immune cells. That would represent the closest scientists have yet come to a cure, another milestone from the dismal days of the 1980s when HIV was regarded as a virtual death sentence.

It would also represent a major triumph for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state's stem cell program, which provided $5.6 million for the trial. CIRM has been under pressure in recent years to justify the $3 billion in bond funding California voters granted in 2004 to establish the agency. CIRM is also funding a similar program by Calimmune, a Tucson, Ariz. company that performs research in California.

Researchers say the Sangamo approach is promising, but it remains to be seen how well the replacement stem cells will function. One concern is what effect the remaining, HIV-vulnerable immune cells will have, or whether they will be purged by selection by the viral attack. In addition, the altered stem cells must be examined for any unintentional side effects of their editing.

The treatment is to be given at City of Hope in Duarte. It's an advance on a similar clinical trial already under way by Sangamo. That treatment uses a specific kind of immune cell, a kind called CD4+, that is the main target of HIV. But other immune cell types also appear to be involved. In other words, the ongoing Sangamo trial, now in Phase 2, reconstitutes one critical part of the immune system, but not all.

More than 70 patients have already been treated, and some of them have already been shown to control their HIV without anti-HIV medication, said Geoff Nichol, Sangamo's executive vice president of research and development. But the cells are not "infinitely renewable," Nichols said. So at some point the cells must be replenished with more grown in the lab.

The new trial aims at producing the full spectrum of immune cells by using stem cells. Moreover, the altered stem cells, to be given in a bone marrow transplant, potentially could provide new immune cells for life. Once the transplanted cells are found to have taken up residence and are functioning, patients will be taken off antiretroviral therapy and doctors will watch to see if their new immune system can control HIV without therapy.

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Possible HIV cure OK'd for testing

Global Pharma Rising Stars Outlook 2015

DUBLIN, Mar. 05, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets

(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5sqnn3/global_rising) has announced the addition of the "Global Rising Stars Outlook 2015" report to their offering.

Innovative Therapies for treating diseases are being sought after with fresh vigor as new targets , approaches and biology is discovered. One field which is poised to bring a paradigm change in the way diseases are treated in the next decades is the Stem cell therapy/Regenerative Medicine space.

The number of companies and products in the clinic have reached a critical mass warranting a close watch for those interested in keeping pace with the development of new medicines. The Regenerative medicine Universe is large and new companies are being added to it rapidly. As a result we have used some filters to select a few names for a detailed coverage in our Outlook this year.

Key Criteria for Our Selection are:

- Uniqueness of the Technology platform and the ability to scale up commercially in case of positive outcome of products in the pipeline - Pipeline and clinical data analysis - Marketed product and commercial tie up. Robustness of the Management, financial and business model.

Key Topics Covered:

Part 1- Rising Stars in Regenerative Medicine and Stem cell based Cell Therapies-Drugs of the Future

Part II-Indian Innovators- Rising Stars:

Companies Mentioned

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Global Pharma Rising Stars Outlook 2015

Stem Cell Therapy for Bone Fractures – Board-Certified Orhopedic Surgeon, Wade McKenna DO – Video


Stem Cell Therapy for Bone Fractures - Board-Certified Orhopedic Surgeon, Wade McKenna DO
Dr. McKenna discusses how bone fractures, including non-union fractures can be treated non-surgically with a the patient #39;s own bone marrow stem cells augmented with AlphaGEMS amniotic tissue...

By: Riordan-McKenna Institute

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Stem Cell Therapy for Bone Fractures - Board-Certified Orhopedic Surgeon, Wade McKenna DO - Video

Riordan-McKenna Institute of Regenerative Orthopedics and Stem Cell Therapy Announces Open House in Southlake, Texas …

Southlake, Texas (PRWEB) March 05, 2015

RMI specializes in Stemnexa non-surgical treatment of acute and chronic orthopedic conditions such as meniscal tears, ACL injuries, rotator cuff injuries, runners knee, tennis elbow, and joint pain due to degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis. Stemnexa may also be administered during orthopedic surgeries to promote better post-surgical outcomes.

Stemnexa combines the latest, patented scientific advances in nearly pain-free bone marrow harvesting with two complimentary cellular technologies: Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) and *AlphaGEMS amniotic tissue product.

BMAC contains a patients own mesenchymal stem cells (MSC,) hematopoietic stem cells (CD34+), growth factors and other progenitor cells. AlphaGEMS is composed of collagens and other structural proteins, which provide a biologic matrix that supports angiogenesis, tissue growth and new collagen during tissue regeneration and repair.

*AlphaGEMS product is harvested from donated amniotic sac tissue after normal healthy births. For more information about AlphaGEMS, please visit: http://www.rmiclinic.com/non-surgical-stem-cell-injections-joint-pain/stemnexa-protocol/

Find out more about RMI in the February edition of Society Life Magazine.

Riordan-McKenna Institute

Home

801 E. Southlake Blvd. Southlake, Texas 76092

Tel: (817) 776-8155 Toll Free: (877) 899-7836 Fax: (817) 776-8154

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Riordan-McKenna Institute of Regenerative Orthopedics and Stem Cell Therapy Announces Open House in Southlake, Texas ...

Scientists move closer to creating cartilage from stem cells

Scientists have succeeded in producing cartilage formed from embryonic stem cells that could in future be used to treat the painful joint condition osteoarthritis.

In research funded by Arthritis Research UK, Professor Sue Kimber and her team in the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester has developed a protocol under strict laboratory conditions to grow and transform embryonic stem cells into cartilage cells (also known as chondrocytes).

Professor Kimber said: This work represents an important step forward in treating cartilage damage by using embryonic stem cells to form new tissue, although its still in its early experimental stages.

Their research was published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

During the study, the team analysed the ability of embryonic stems cells to become precursor cartilage cells. They were then implanted into cartilage defects in the knee joints of rats.

After four weeks cartilage was partially repaired and following 12 weeks a smooth surface, which appeared similar to normal cartilage, was observed. Further study of this newly regenerated cartilage showed that cartilage cells from embryonic stem cells were still present and active within the tissue.

Developing and testing this protocol in rats is the first step in generating the information needed to run a study in people with arthritis. Before this will be possible more data will need to be collected to check that this protocol is effective and that there are no toxic side-effects.

But researchers say that this study is very promising as not only did this protocol generate new, healthy-looking cartilage but also importantly there were no signs of any side-effects such as growing abnormal or disorganised, joint tissue or tumours. Further work will build on this finding and demonstrate that this could be a safe and effective treatment for people with joint damage.

Chondrocytes created from adult stem cells are currently being experimentally used but as they cannot be currently be produced in large amounts the procedure is expensive.

With their huge capacity to proliferate, embryonic stem cells, which can be manipulated to form almost any type of mature cell, offer the possibility of high-volume production of cartilage cells. Their use would also be cheaper and applicable to greater number of arthritis patients, the researchers claim.

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Scientists move closer to creating cartilage from stem cells