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Stem cell treatment causes nasal growth in woman's back

By Stem Cell Treatment

A woman in the US has developed a tumour-like growth eight years after a stem cell treatment to cure her paralysis failed. There have been a handful of cases of stem cell treatments causing growths but this appears to be the first in which the treatment was given at a Western hospital as part of an approved clinical trial.

At a hospital in Portugal, the unnamed woman, a US citizen, had tissue containing stem-cell-like cells taken from her nose and implanted in her spine. The hope was that these cells would develop into neural cells and help repair the nerve damage to the woman's spine. The treatment did not work far from it. Last year the woman, then 28, underwent surgery because of worsening pain at the implant site.

The surgeons removed a 3-centimetre-long growth, which was found to be mainly nasal tissue, as well as bits of bone and tiny nerve branches that had not connected with the spinal nerves.

The growth wasn't cancerous, but it was secreting a "thick copious mucus-like material", which is probably why it was pressing painfully on her spine, says Brian Dlouhy at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Michigan, the neurosurgeon who removed the growth. The results of the surgery have now been published.

"It is sobering," says George Daley, a stem cell researcher at Harvard Medical School who has helped write guidelines for people considering stem cell treatments. "It speaks directly to how primitive our state of knowledge is about how cells integrate and divide and expand. "

The case shows that even when carried out at mainstream hospitals, experimental stem cell therapies can have unpredictable consequences, says Alexey Bersenev, a stem cell research analyst who blogs at Cell Trials. "We have to realise complications can also happen in a clinical trial," he says.

Stem cells have the prized ability to divide and replenish themselves, as well as turn into different types of tissues. There are several different stem cells, including ones obtained from an early embryo, aborted fetuses, and umbilical cord blood. There are many sources within adult tissues, too, including bone marrow.

While often hailed as the future of medicine, stem cells' ability to proliferate carries an inherent danger and the fear has always been that when implanted into a person they could turn cancerous.

Still, a few stem cell therapies have now been approved, such as a treatment available in India that takes stem cells from the patient's eye in order to regrow the surface of their cornea, and a US product based on other people's bone stem cells.

Many groups around the world are investigating a wide range of other applications, including treating heart attacks, blindness, Parkinson's disease and cancer. Research groups at universities and hospitals need to meet strict safety guidelines for clinical trials but some small private clinics are offering therapies to people without research or marketing approval. There is a growing number of lawsuits against such clinics and a few cases have been reported of tumours or excessive tissue growth (see "Ongoing stem cell trials" below).

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Stem cell treatment causes nasal growth in woman's back

Enrile fit, vigorous enough for jailprosecutor

By Stem Cell Treatment

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile at Camp Crame on the way to the PNP Hospital. The Sandiganbayan has ordered Enriles arrest in connection with the plunder and graft cases filed by the Ombudsman. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ LEO SABANGAN

MANILA, PhilippinesFor the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile need not be under hospital arrest for his plunder case because the 90-year-old lawmaker seemed healthier after his stem cell treatment.

During a hearing at the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday, prosecutor Annielyn Cabelis said Enriles motion for him to be detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital is unfounded and self-serving.

Cabelis told the court that even with his age and various illnesses, Enrile is still performing quite well as senator.

The prosecutor cited Enriles stem cell treatment as adding strength to the veteran lawmaker.

Hes undergone stem cell surgery, adding vigor to the accused. Its not really precarious as what they told the court, Cabelis said.

Associate Justice Samuel Martires noted the prosecutors claim that Enrile seemed stronger after the stem cell treatment.

The justice then went on to ask the prosecutor if she feels her blood pressure going up when she is arguing with her husband.

When the prosecutor said I dont fight with my husband, Martires pointed out that anxiety for persons facing a crime also affects their blood pressure.

Do you know an anxiety of a person who has a case, especially a criminal case? Do you know that the period of anxiety also affect blood pressure? Martires told the prosecutor.

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Enrile fit, vigorous enough for jailprosecutor

Hue Hospital Succeeds in Treating Cancer with Stem Cell

By Stem Cell Treatment

Doctors of Hue Central Hospital have used stem cell transplantation to successfully treat a cancer patient of the last stage. The Hue Central Hospital announced on June 26 that its doctors have cured Le Thi Sau, 52, who was suffering ovarian cancer in the last stage, with stem cell transplant. The operation is the success of the scientific project Using stem cell in breast cancer and cervical cancer managed by Professor Nguyen Duy Thang, deputy head of the hospital. Adult stem cells have been used to treat certain cancers through bone marrow transplants. In this therapy, the stem cells that give rise to the different blood cells in the body are transplanted into the bone marrow of the patient, where they regenerate the blood. The project was given green light to carry out in the Hue Central Hospital by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Professor Nguyen Duy Thang said the success of this method will pave the way for next operations on breast and ovarian cancer patients. In the time ahead, the hospital continues to treat two other cancer female patients with the stem cell treatment. It is hoped that the treatment will save many cancer patients. (www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn June 27)

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Hue Hospital Succeeds in Treating Cancer with Stem Cell

Stem cell program – KU Medical Center

By Stem Cell Medical Center

A primary and high-priority area of interest in the CVRI involves investigation of adult stem cell biology and therapy. A growing body of evidence supports the notion that transplantation of adult stem/progenitor cells can induce cardiac repair and improve left ventricular function and structure after myocardial infarction. The stem cell program in the CVRI conducts research to identify the optimal cell for this purpose and to enhance the outcomes via modification of cells before transplantation.

The major goals of the stem cell program are:

Relevant projects:

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for infarct repair: Mesenchymal stem cells represent a rare population of primitive cells that reside in the bone marrow and participate in organ repair following injury. Injection of these cells after myocardial infarction can repair the heart and improve left ventricular function. These studies are broadly directed at improving the outcomes of MSC therapy for cardiac repair.

Wnt11 signaling in stem cell-induced cardiac repair: Wnt11 is a member of the 'wingless' family of glycoproteins that participate in various biological processes, including cellular proliferation, differentiation, and migration during development. The goal of this project is to delineate the role of Wnt11 signaling in differentiation of adult bone marrow cells and in cardiac repair.

Pretreatment of stem cells for greater cardiac differentiation: Our laboratory has extensive experience with the induction of cellular differentiation using various defined media. The primary goal of this project is to identify biological agents that will direct differentiation of adult stem/progenitors in cardiac lineages.

Investigators, trainees, and associates:

Last modified: Apr 01, 2014

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Stem cell program - KU Medical Center

Stem Cell Research Center – University of Pittsburgh

By Stem Cell Medical Center

At the University of Pittsburgh / Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Stem Cell Research Center (SCRC), scientists and physicians are working around the clock to expand the possibilities of tissue engineering by unlocking the potential of gene therapy and adult stem cell research and transferring research findings into the development of effective treatments for damaged or diseased tissues. Medicine has moved from treating the pain of injuries to treating their cause and the SCRC has taken the initiative to lead this movement in the area of cellular therapeutics.

Led by Dr. Johnny Huard, the faculty and staff of the SCRC are using cutting edge technology in cellular techniques, observation, and analyzation to seek out the answers to the cellular therapies of tomorrow. Muscular injuries, including muscular dystrophy, bone fractures, nervous system conduction pathways, cardiac repair, and vascular blockages are all being targeted by the Center as areas of keen interest in medicine. Each member of the center along with their projects and individual skills are focused on the translation of their research from the Center's laboratories into your clinic.

The SCRC is a fully collaborative center spanning many disciplines throughout the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Many of the Center's collaborative colleagues reside in the focus groups within its laboratories.

The Departments of Orthopaedics, Cardiothroacic Surgery, and Rehabilitation along with the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the McGowan Center for Regenerative Medicine, among others, each share in the SCRC's goals for the future of cellular regenerative medicine.

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Stem Cell Research Center - University of Pittsburgh

The promise and hazards of stem cell research

By Stem Cell Treatment

Federal funding blocked mainly over opposition to use of blastocysts

PORTSMOUTH Dr. Amy Sievers, an oncologist at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, does stem cell transplants with great success for her patients and is a firm advocate for stem cell research.

Sievers is allowed to do stem cell blood transplants because she does not use the source of controversy, embryonic stem cells. Instead, she can use stem cells from bone marrow, where blood is made. The cells can become new blood for transfusion into patients with blood-related cancers like leukemia.

"When we get past the chemo and radiation, the hope is we can replace blood and give the patient healthy blood and a chance to build a good immune system," Sievers said.

Parents saving cord blood when they give birth is an option, but Dr. Alexandra Bonesho of Core Physicians in Epping said it is very costly for the patient, is not covered by insurance and is not something pediatricians recommend widely unless there is a reason.

"It's not something we use as a practical course of events," Bonesho said. "Cord blood banking is very expensive, less so if the blood stem cells are donated to the National Cord Blood Bank. In most cases, the chance that you will need it for your own child is unlikely, unless there is already a known condition in the family."

For example, if there is a history of leukemia in another child, it may be worthwhile. Bonesho said in a case like that, having the baby's own blood stem cells can be the perfect answer.

"However, chances are good that if there is a sibling, they may also be a good match if a bone marrow transplant is needed," Bonesho said. "However, transplants are not the normal course of treatment in children with leukemia."

That being said, the cord blood could eventually be used for research in the future to find a cure for diseases like sickle cell anemia, Bonesho said.

Federal funding for much stem cell research is blocked mainly over the opposition to using embryonic stem cells. The cells come from blastocysts (fertilized eggs) from an in-vitro facility. The blastocysts are excess and are usually donated by people who have already been successfully treated for fertility problems.

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The promise and hazards of stem cell research

New stem cell research retracted

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Almost five months after publication, Nature retracted two papers regarding new stem cell research. This retraction came after various errors were spotted, both in the papers presented and the attempted recreations of the experiments described. The research, which claimed that embryonic stem cells could be created by exposing normal skin cells to stress, appeared to be a medical breakthrough at the time of publication.

The lead author was found guilty of misconduct, while her employer was threatened numerous times with dismantlement, reports Scientific American. It appeared that parts of the methods were plagiarized from previous studies in the stem cell field, and the supposed 'different' cells and embryos described in the study were actually the same.

It was only after recreation of the described methods failed that the errors were brought forth and scrutinized by various outside sources, including one of the co-authors. The Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Japan began in-depth investigations into the studies in February 2014, and categorized some of the major errors that skewed the written results as misconduct, reports Uncover California.

Nature released a statement regarding the publication, saying, "The episode has further highlighted flaws in Natures procedures and in the procedures of institutions that publish with us."

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New stem cell research retracted

Johns Hopkins Researchers Locate Genetic Variant Associated With Schizophrenia

By Uncategorized

July 5, 2014

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

According to a new study appearing in the July 3 edition of the journal Cell Stem Cell, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have uncovered a new genetic variant that could result in certain people having a predisposition to schizophrenia.

While there are many genetic variants that could increase the risk of developing a psychiatric disorder, they are insufficient to cause these diseases, the researchers explained. Now, however, the Johns Hopkins researchers have described a new strategy that could reveal how these so-called subthreshold genetic risks could impact the development of a persons nervous system by interacting with other risk factors.

This is an important step toward understanding what physically happens in the developing brain that puts people at risk of schizophrenia, senior author Dr. Guo-li Ming explained in a statement Thursday. Dr. Ming is a professor of neurology and neuroscience in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicines Institute for Cell Engineering who worked on the study along with her husband, Dr. Hongjun Song.

In their study, Dr. Ming, Dr. Song and their colleagues explained that they used a multifaceted approach to find out why copy number variants in an area of the genome labeled 15q11.2 are prominent risk factors not just for schizophrenia, but for autism as well. Deletion of this part of a genome is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, but possessing extra copies results in an elevated risk of autism.

Their research focused on using a method which allows a patients skin cell to be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can in turn be coaxed into creating any other type of cell. Using this technology, the study authors obtained stem cells from people with schizophrenia who were missing part of 15q11.2 on one of their chromosomes, ultimately coaxing them into neural progenitor cells, which are found in the developing brain.

By observing the process, the researchers found deficiencies during nerve development that could be linked to the gene CYFIP1, which maintains the structure of a nerve cell. By blocking the expression of this gene in developing mouse embryos, they found defects in the formation of the brains cerebral cortex, which plays a key role in consciousness.

The next step was to determine how this gene could interact with other factors, and they discovered that mutations in a pair of genes within a particular cellular pathway linked to CYFIP1 resulted in a significant increase in schizophrenia risk. According to the study authors, their research supports the belief that multiple factors in a single pathway could interact with one another to impact a patients potential risk for psychiatric disorders.

The reason, the team found, is that CYFIP1 plays a role in building the skeleton that gives shape to each cell, and its loss affects spots called adherens junctions where the skeletons of two neighboring cells connect, the university explained. A lack of CYFIP1 protein also caused some of the mice neurons to wind up in the brains wrong layer.

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Johns Hopkins Researchers Locate Genetic Variant Associated With Schizophrenia

Mayo researching ALS stem cell treatment

By Stem Cell Treatment

Renee Tessman, KARE 1:26 p.m. EDT July 5, 2014

ALS study at Mayo Clinic(Photo: Mayo Clinic)

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Seventy-five years ago, Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with the rare, neurological disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at the Mayo Clinic.

On July 4th, 1939, he gave his famous farewell speech to baseball fans.

Doctors now have a better understanding of the fatal disease but apart from medication that may give someone an extra couple of months, there is still no good way to extend someone's life.

Mayo Clinic researchers are working with stem cells to develop a new treatment. A New Brighton woman hopes to benefit.

Linda Leight spends every minute she can with her eight grandchildren. They visit her often at her home.

Time with grandchildren is always precious, but even more so for her because just like baseball legend Gehrig, Leight has ALS.

The disease that eventually paralyzes nearly all muscles in the body has started with her voice. Her speech was smooth and quick a few years ago. Now it is slow and slurred.

ALS causes neurons which control muscles to die, eventually making most ALS patients unable to breathe. Linda was diagnosed last September.

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Mayo researching ALS stem cell treatment

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