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How Breast Cancer Usurps the Powers of Mammary Stem Cells

By Stem Cell Medicine

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Newswise During pregnancy, certain hormones trigger specialized mammary stem cells to create milk-producing cells essential to lactation. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have found that mammary stem cells associated with the pregnant mammary gland are related to stem cells found in breast cancer.

Writing in the August 11, 2014 issue of Developmental Cell, David A. Cheresh, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pathology and vice-chair for research and development, Jay Desgrosellier, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and colleagues specifically identified a key molecular pathway associated with aggressive breast cancers that is also required for mammary stem cells to promote lactation development during pregnancy.

By understanding a fundamental mechanism of mammary gland development during pregnancy, we have gained a rare insight into how aggressive breast cancer might be treated, said Cheresh. This pathway can be exploited. Certain drugs are known to disrupt this pathway and may interfere with the process of breast cancer progression.

During pregnancy, a new mammary stem cell population arises, distinct from those involved in development and maintenance of the non-pregnant gland. These stem cells remodel the breasts and lactating glands in preparation for feeding the newborn child. Normally, these stem cells contribute only to early remodeling events and are switched off by the time milk production begins.

The researchers found, however, that signals regulating stem cell activation during pregnancy appear to be hijacked by cancer cells to produce faster-growing, more aggressive tumors. This normal pathway ends up contributing to the progression of cancer, said Desgrosellier, first author of the study.

A connection between pregnancy and breast cancer has long been known. But the association between pregnancy and breast cancer risk is complex. While having a child reduces a womans risk of developing breast cancer later in life, there is also an increased short-term risk for the development of a highly aggressive form of breast cancer following each pregnancy. The current study suggests that molecules important for stem cell behavior during pregnancy may contribute to these more aggressive pregnancy-associated breast cancers, a possibility the researchers plan to investigate further.

The authors are quick to point out that their findings should not be interpreted as a reason to avoid pregnancy. The signaling pathway usurped by cancer cells is not the cause of breast cancer. Rather, they said, it may worsen or accelerate a cancer caused by other factors, such as an underlying mutation or genetic predisposition.

Our work doesnt speak to the actual cause of cancer. Rather, it explains what can happen once cancer has been initiated, said Cheresh. Heres an analogy: To get cancer, you first have to start with an oncogene, a gene that carries a mutation and has the potential to initiate cancer. Think of the oncogene as turning on a cars ignition. The signaling pathway exploited by cancer cells is like applying gas. It gets the car moving, but it means nothing if the oncogene hasnt first started the process.

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How Breast Cancer Usurps the Powers of Mammary Stem Cells

BioEden calls for transparancy and education on stem cell availability

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(PRWEB UK) 11 August 2014

BioEden the specialist tooth stem cell bank calls for a more intelligent approach, transparency and public education regarding stem cell banking.

"The public needs to be made aware that the success of stem cell medicine is largely dependant on the right material being available at the right time," says Tony Veverka Group CEO of the rapidly expanding specialist bank.

"With 1 in 3 people predicted to use stem cell therapy within their lifetime people need to know what their choices are at a time when they are able to do something about it, for example obtaining stem cells from their childrens naturally shed baby teeth."

BioEden pioneered the banking of stem cells from childrens baby teeth in 2006 in Austin Texas, and now operates in 21 countries.

BioEden says its unique process has many advantages over other forms and sources of stem cells, and eliminates the costly and painful process of getting stem cells from bone marrow for example.

The BioEden process is patent protected and offers the most natural form of stem cell banking that exists today.

"It is nonsense to say that a dental surgeon needs to extract a childs baby tooth in order to get the best result. The tooth falls out naturally and providing the stem cell bank offers quality transportation and processing, not even dental intervention is required," says Mr Veverka.

There are significant advantages in banking stem cells from teeth over cord blood for example, including the potential for a much wider therapeutic application, its non-invasive, not limited to the number of cells such as with cord blood during the birthing process, and is the least expensive form of private banking there is.

Banking your child's cells is the only way of ensuring a perfect stem cell match, eliminating the emotional distress caused when no match can be found.

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BioEden calls for transparancy and education on stem cell availability

Beyond DNA: Epigenetics Plays Large Role in Blood Formation

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Newswise Blood stem cells have the potential to turn into any type of blood cell, whether it be the oxygen-carrying red blood cells, or the immune systems many types of white blood cells that help fight infection. How exactly is the fate of these stem cells regulated? Preliminary findings from research conducted by scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Hebrew University are starting to reshape the conventional understanding of the way blood stem cell fate decisions are controlled, thanks to a new technique for epigenetic analysis they have developed. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms (environmental influences other than genetics) of cell fate could lead to the deciphering of the molecular mechanisms of many diseases, including immunological disorders, anemia, leukemia, and many more. It also lends strong support to findings that environmental factors and lifestyle play a more prominent role in shaping our destiny than previously realized.

The process of differentiation in which a stem cell becomes a specialized mature cell is controlled by a cascade of events in which specific genes are turned on and off in a highly regulated and accurate order. The instructions for this process are contained within the DNA itself in short regulatory sequences. These regulatory regions are normally in a closed state, masked by special proteins called histones to ensure against unwarranted activation. Therefore, to access and activate the instructions, this DNA mask needs to be opened by epigenetic modifications of the histones so it can be read by the necessary machinery.

In a paper published in Science, Dr. Ido Amit and David Lara-Astiaso of the Weizmann Institutes Department of Immunology, along with Prof. Nir Friedman and Assaf Weiner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, charted for the first time histone dynamics during blood development. Thanks to the new technique for epigenetic profiling they developed, in which just a handful of cells as few as 500 can be sampled and analyzed accurately, they have identified the exact DNA sequences, as well as the various regulatory proteins, that are involved in regulating the process of blood stem cell fate.

Their research has also yielded unexpected results: As many as 50% of these regulatory sequences are established and opened during intermediate stages of cell development. This means that epigenetics is active at stages in which it had been thought that cell destiny was already set. This changes our whole understanding of the process of blood stem cell fate decisions, says Lara-Astiaso, suggesting that the process is more dynamic and flexible than previously thought.

Although this research was conducted on mouse blood stem cells, the scientists believe that the mechanism may hold true for other types of cells. This research creates a lot of excitement in the field, as it sets the groundwork to study these regulatory elements in humans, says Weiner.

Discovering the exact regulatory DNA sequence controlling stem cell fate, as well as understanding its mechanism, holds promise for the future development of diagnostic tools, personalized medicine, potential therapeutic and nutritional interventions, and perhaps even regenerative medicine, in which committed cells could be reprogrammed to their full stem cell potential.

Dr. Ido Amits research is supported by the M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research; the J&R Center for Scientific Research; the Jeanne and Joseph Nissim Foundation for Life Sciences Research; the Abramson Family Center for Young Scientists; the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust; the Abisch Frenkel Foundation for the Promotion of Life Sciences; the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; Sam Revusky, Canada; the Florence Blau, Morris Blau and Rose Peterson Fund; the estate of Ernst and Anni Deutsch; the estate of Irwin Mandel; and the estate of David Levinson. Dr. Amit is the incumbent of the Alan and Laraine Fischer Career Development Chair.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to scientists, students, technicians, and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials, and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.

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Beyond DNA: Epigenetics Plays Large Role in Blood Formation

Clinical Trial Evaluates Safety of Stem Cell Transplantation in Spine

By Stem Cell Treatment

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Newswise Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a clinical trial to investigate the safety of neural stem cell transplantation in patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. This Phase I clinical trial is recruiting eight patients for the 5-year study.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of transplanting neural stem cells into the spine for what one day could be a treatment for spinal cord injuries, said Joseph Ciacci, MD, principal investigator and neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System. The studys immediate goal, however, is to determine whether injecting these neural stem cells into the spine of patients with spinal cord injury is safe.

Related goals of the clinical trial include evaluating the stem cell grafts survival and the effectiveness of immunosuppression drugs to prevent rejection. The researchers will also look for possible therapeutic benefits such as changes in motor and sensory function, bowel and bladder function, and pain levels.

Patients who are accepted for the study will have spinal cord injury to the T7-T12 level of the spines vertebrae and will have incurred their injury between one and two years ago.

All participants will receive the stem cell injection. The scientists will use a line of human stem cells approved by the U.S. FDA for human trials in patients with chronic traumatic spinal injuries. These cells were previously tested for safety in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Since stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury is just beginning clinical tests, unforeseen risks, complications or unpredictable outcomes are possible. Careful clinical testing is essential to ensure that this type of therapy is developed responsibly with appropriate management of the risks that all medical therapies may present.

Pre-clinical studies of these cells by Ciacci and Martin Marsala, MD, at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, showed that these grafted neural stem cells improved motor function in spinal cord injured rats with minimal side effects indicating that human clinical trials are now warranted.

This clinical trial at UC San Diego Health System is funded by Neuralstem, Inc. and was launched and supported by the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. The Center was recently created to advance leading-edge stem cell medicine and science, protect and counsel patients, and accelerate innovative stem cell research into patient diagnostics and therapy.

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Clinical Trial Evaluates Safety of Stem Cell Transplantation in Spine

A stem cell study shows promising results for severe stroke patients

By Stem Cell Treatment

An injection of stem cells into the brains of recent stroke victims might help their long-term recovery, according to a promising but preliminary study out of the United Kingdoms Imperial College London.

A strokes occurs when there is an interruption or reduction of blood flow to the brain. The particular stem cells used in this treatment could, in theory, encourage the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, as the BBC explained. Blood vessel growth could help patients suffering from a severe stroke regain the ability to walk, talk and take care of themselves to a greater degree, and with greater speed, than previously possible during recovery. But again, this is just a preliminary study a guide for researchers to a potential new path for stem-cell based stroke treatments.

Working on the hypothesis that this approach mighthave an effect on more recent stroke cases, researcherstreatedpatients within a week of their strokes. The stroke patients in the pilot study demonstrated signs of recovery over a six-month period after treatment. But the small study of just five patients did not demonstrate whether that improvement came from the therapy or from the hospital care the stroke patients also received during the six-month time frame.

However, the sample demonstrated a somewhat remarkable survival and tentative recovery rate, no matter the cause.Four patients of the five were recovering from the most severe form of stroke, which overall has an extremely low rate of patients who survive and can eventually live independently. At the end of the study, all four of those patients were alive. Three were able to live independently.

The next step, the ICLs consultant neurologist Paul Bentley told the Guardian, would be a larger, controlled and randomized study with 50 patients. That study, for which the group is currently seeking funding, would look to discernwhether the pilot studys promising results really had anything to do with the treatment.

Abby Ohlheiser is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post. Before that, she wrote about news, politics, and religion for the Atlantic's Wire, and covered breaking news for Slate. She also has bylines at Religion and Politics, the Revealer, and the Columbia Journalism Review.

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A stem cell study shows promising results for severe stroke patients

Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Announce Launch of Stem Cell Treatment Center in Cozumel, Mexico

By Stem Cell Treatment

Miami (PRWEB) August 10, 2014

Regenestem, a division of the Global Stem Cells Group, Inc., has announced the launch of a new stem cell treatment center in Cozumel, Mexico, offering the most advanced protocols and techniques in cellular medicine to patients from around the world.

A team of stem cell medical professionals led by Rafael Moguel, M.D., an advocate and pioneer in the use of stem cell therapies to treat a range of medical conditions, will provide cutting edge therapies and follow-up treatment under the Regenestem brand.

In June, Global Stem Cells Group opened the Regenestem Asia Clinic in Manila, Philippines, adding a new state-of-the-art regenerative medicine facility to the company's growing global presence that includes clinics in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and Dubai. Regenestem Asia facility marks the first Regenestem brand clinic in the Philippines.

Regenestem provides stem cell treatments for a variety of diseases and conditions, including arthritis, autism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and multiple sclerosis at various facilities worldwide. Regenestem Mexico will have an international staff experienced in administering the leading cellular therapies available.

Regenestem Mexico is certified for the medical tourism market, and staff physicians are board-certified or board-eligible. Regenestem clinics provide services in more than 10 specialties, attracting patients from the United States and around the world.

The Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem are committed to the highest of standards in service and technology, expert and compassionate care, and a philosophy of exceeding the expectations of their international patients.

For more information, visit the Regenestem website, email info(at)regenstem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About Regenestem:

Regenestem, a division of the Global Stem Cells Group, Inc., is an international medical practice association committed to researching and producing comprehensive stem cell treatments for patients worldwide. Having assembled a highly qualified staff of medical specialistsprofessionals trained in the latest cutting-edge techniques in cellular medicineRegenestem continues to be a leader in delivering the latest protocols in the adult stem cell arena.

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Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Announce Launch of Stem Cell Treatment Center in Cozumel, Mexico

Lorna Tolentino reveals the secret to her youthful looks

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Kasi kaka-quit ko lang ng smoking, Lorna Tolentino proudly announces.

The 52-year-old actress also adds, Mag-wa-one month na sa August 14.

Asked whether shes having a hard time adjusting her lifestyle, she says, Ay no, hindi naman talaga ako ganun Im not really talaga sobrang sobrang smoker.

Right now, Lorna is taking supplements such as vitamin B1, B complex, glutathione, and mangosteen and malunggay capsules.

Siyempre nung nag-50 ako, mas iniisip ko na mas tumagal pa.

Kasi siyempre, 'di ba, gone too soon si Rudy [Fernandez], kaya siyempre kailangan mas mahaba pa, lalo na because of my apo, yun ang nag-i-inspire sa akin, she confesses.

When asked whether shes ok with Lyla Victoria, Raphael's (Lorna's eldest son) daughter, entering showbiz, Lorna answers, Commercial kung meron, oo tatangapin ko.

Lorna enthusiastically talks about her two-year-old apo, whom she refers to as still being in her makulit stage, Shes ok, actually yung kanya intellectual [maturity] ano, something na pinapaano sa mga doctor, for four years old na.

She also complements Leana, Lylas mother, for teaching her grandchild, Talagang kinu-congratulate ko si Leana, because shes a teacher, talagang mas kaya niya i-guide.

STEM CELL THERAPY.Lorna Tolentino, who has undergone stem cell therapy, narrates how the procedure helped her health concerns.

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Lorna Tolentino reveals the secret to her youthful looks

Stem cell treatment holds hope for better stroke recovery

By Stem Cell Treatment

A new first-of-its kind pilot study has revealed that stem cell treatment can significantly improve recovery from stroke in humans.

The therapy uses a type of cell called CD34+ cells, a set of stem cells in the bone marrow that give rise to blood cells and blood vessel lining cells. Rather than developing into brain cells themselves, the cells are thought to release chemicals that trigger the growth of new brain tissue and new blood vessels in the area damaged by stroke.

The patients were treated within seven days of a severe stroke, in contrast to several other stem cell trials, most of which have treated patients after six months or later. The Imperial researchers believe early treatment might improve the chances of a better recovery.

Dr Soma Banerjee, Consultant in Stroke Medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said that the treatment appeared to be safe and that it's feasible to treat patients early when they might be more likely to benefit.

However, it's too early to draw definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of the therapy and more tests to work out the best dose and timescale for treatment before starting larger trials, she further added.

The study is published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

(Posted on 09-08-2014)

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Stem cell treatment holds hope for better stroke recovery

Stem cell hope for stroke victims

By Stem Cell Treatment

Brain damage caused by strokes could be repaired through the use of stem cells in a discovery that may revolutionise treatment, a study has suggested.

Researchers at Imperial College London found that injecting a patient's stem cells into their brain may be able to change the lives of the tens of thousands of people who suffer strokes each year.

Their results have been called "one of the most exciting recent developments in stroke research".

Doctors said the procedure could become routine in 10 years after larger trials are conducted to examine its effectiveness.

Researcher Dr Paul Bentley, from the college's Department of Medicine, said: "Currently, the main form of treatment is an unblocking of the blood vessel, and that only helps one-third of the patients who are treated and only 10 per cent are eligible anyway. So we said, 'What about the other 90 per cent?' "

The team targeted patients who had suffered severe strokes involving a clot in a blood vessel in the middle of the brain. Typically, there is a high mortality rate in these patients and those who survive are often severely disabled, unable to walk, talk, feed or dress themselves. The experimental procedure was carried out on five such patients, aged 40 to 70, all of whom showed improvement over the following six months, and three were living independently.

Dr Madina Kara, a neuroscientist at the Stroke Association, said: "This is one of the most exciting recent developments in stroke research. However, it's still early days in stem cell research, but the findings could lead to new treatments for stroke patients in the future.

"In the UK, someone has a stroke every three and a half minutes, and around 58 per cent of stroke survivors are left with a disability."

The experimental procedure involved harvesting the patient's own bone marrow, which was then sent to a specialist laboratory so specific stem cells, called CD34+, could be selected. The patient then has a wire inserted into the area of the brain damage. Once there, the stem cells are released and the wire retracted. During the trials the whole process took half a day, but it is hoped that with refinement it could be reduced.

It is thought the cells work in two ways: by growing into small blood vessels that allow the brain to grow new nerves and brain tissue surrounding them, and by releasing anti-inflammatory chemicals that encourage tissue repair.

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Stem cell hope for stroke victims

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