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A new genetic switching element

By Stem Cell Medical Center

13 hours ago Stem cells. Credit: Nissim Benvenisty - Wikipedia

Slight modifications in their genome sequences play a crucial role in the conversion of pluripotent stem cells into various differentiated cell types. A team at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich has now identified the factor responsible for one class of modification.

Every cell contains stored hereditary information, encoded in the sequence of nucleobases that make up its DNA. However, in any given cell type, only a fraction of this information is actually used. Which genes are activated and which are turned off is in part determined by a second tier of information which is superimposed on the nucleotide sequences that provide the blueprints for protein synthesis. This so-called epigenetic level of control is based on the localized, and in principle reversible, attachment of simple chemical tags to specific nucleotides in the genome. This system plays a major role in the regulation of gene activity, and enables the selective expression of different functions in differentiated cell types.

This explains why such DNA modifications play a major role in the differentiation of stem cells. "Several unusual nucleobases have been found in the genomes of stem cells, which are produced by targeted chemical modification of the known building blocks of DNA. These 'atypical' bases are thought to be important in determining what types of differentiated cells can be derived from a given stem cell line," says Professor Thomas Carell from the Department of Chemistry at LMU. All of the unconventional bases so far discovered are derived from the same standard base cytosine. Furthermore, Carell and his team have shown in earlier work that so-called Tet enzymes are always involved in their synthesis.

Base oxidation regulates gene activity

In cooperation with colleagues at LMU, as well as researchers based in Berlin, Basel and Utrecht, Carell and his group have now shown, for the first time, that a standard base other than cytosine is also modified in embryonic stem cells of mice. Moreover, Tet is at work here too. "During the development of specialized tissues from stem cells, enzymes belonging to the Tet family also oxidize the thymidine base, as we have now shown with the aid of highly sensitive analytical methods based on mass spectrometry. The product of the reaction, hydroxymethyluracil, was previously and as it now turns out, erroneously thought to be synthesized by a different pathway," Carell explains.

The precise function of hydroxymethyluracil remains unclear. However, using an innovative method for the identification of factors capable of binding to and "reading" the chemical tags that characterize unconventional DNA bases, Carell and colleagues have shown that stem cells contain specific proteins that recognize hydroxymethyluracil, and could therefore contribute to the regulation of gene activity in these cells. "We hope that these new insights will make it possible to modulate the differentiation of stem cells causing them to generate cells of a particular type," says Carell. "It would be wonderful if we were one day able to generate whole organs starting from differentiated cells produced, on demand, by stem cell populations."

Explore further: Researchers identify transcription factors distinguishing glioblastoma stem cells

More information: http://www.nature.com/nchembio/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nchembio.1532.html

The activity of four transcription factors proteins that regulate the expression of other genes appears to distinguish the small proportion of glioblastoma cells responsible for the aggressiveness and treatment resistance ...

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A new genetic switching element

Stem Cell Therapy Provided by Pend Oreille Veterinary Service Helps Local Leonberger Get the Bounce Back in His Step …

By Uncategorized

Poway, California (PRWEB) May 22, 2014

Zeke was in pain from arthritis caused by an old injury and was facing possible surgery on both knees. Christine Ponsness-Wetzel, DVM, at Pend Oreille Veterinary Service determined that Zeke was a good candidate for stem cell therapy by Vet-Stem, Inc. as an alternative, and just a few months later, he now has a bounce back in his step.

Zeke is a 125-pound Leonberger who lives in Idaho and enjoys going on back country ski trips. Zekes hobbies came to a halt two years ago when he was diagnosed with a partial cruciate ligament tear. He had gone lame and two weeks of rest was recommended, but his owners did not see improvement. After a month of rest, x-rays revealed arthritis had developed in one of Zekes knees.

After a year of pain medications to control the discomfort and pain, Zeke started having more difficulties. He had a delayed ability to comfortably bend his leg, often needed help getting up from a laying position, and would whimper in pain. This time, x-rays would reveal arthritis in both knees. After a few months of increased pain medications and only mild improvement, Zekes owners opted for stem cell therapy with Dr. Ponsness-Wetzel.

Zeke was still quite active and happy, so the thought of double knee surgery and the long recovery time was not in my books, so we opted for stem cell therapy, Zekes owner explains. It has been four months since the stem cell injections (both knees and an IV dose) and Zeke has definitely improved. He no longer needs help getting up. He does not whimper in pain. His delay in bending his knee is non-existent, and his pain medication has been reduced by about 80%. Hikes are no longer sheer drudgery and he has a bounce in his step that I forgot existed.

Pend Oreille Veterinary Services celebrates its 50th anniversary in the Bonner County, providing basic health care services to small animals and reptiles, as well as cutting edge therapies such as acupuncture, laser, and stem cells. Pend Oreille Veterinary Services also offers boarding and grooming to the cities around their two locations in Ponderay and Bonners Ferry. To find out more about Pend Oreille Veterinary Service and Vet-Stem Cell Therapy with Dr. Ponsness-Wetzel, visit http://www.sandpointvets.com.

About Vet-Stem, Inc. Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem, Inc. pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine. The company holds exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells. In the last decade over 10,000 animals have been treated using Vet-Stem, Inc.s services, and Vet-Stem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory disease, as well as organ disease and failure. For more on Vet-Stem, Inc. and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.

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Stem Cell Therapy Provided by Pend Oreille Veterinary Service Helps Local Leonberger Get the Bounce Back in His Step ...

New insight into stem cell development

By Stem Cell Treatment

13 hours ago

The world has great expectations that stem cell research one day will revolutionize medicine. But in order to exploit the potential of stem cells, we need to understand how their development is regulated. Now researchers from University of Southern Denmark offer new insight.

Stem cells are cells that are able to develop into different specialized cell types with specific functions in the body. In adult humans these cells play an important role in tissue regeneration. The potential to act as repair cells can be exploited for disease control of e.g. Parkinson's or diabetes, which are diseases caused by the death of specialized cells. By manipulating the stem cells, they can be directed to develop into various specialized cell types. This however, requires knowledge of the processes that regulate their development.

Now Danish researchers from University of Southern Denmark report a new discovery that provides valuable insight into basic mechanisms of stem cell differentiation. The discovery could lead to new ways of making stem cells develop into exactly the type of cells that a physician may need for treating a disease.

"We have discovered that proteins called transcription factors work together in a new and complex way to reprogram the DNA strand when a stem cell develops into a specific cell type. Until now we thought that only a few transcription factors were responsible for this reprogramming, but that is not the case", explain postdoc Rasmus Siersbaek, Professor Susanne Mandrup and ph.d. Atefeh Rabiee from Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark.

"An incredibly complex and previously unknown interplay between transcription factors takes place at specific locations in the cell's DNA, which we call 'hotspots'. This interplay at 'hotspots' appears to be of great importance for the development of stem cells. In the future it will therefore be very important to explore these 'hotspots' and the interplay between transcription factors in these regions in order to better understand the mechanisms that control the development of stem cells", explains Rasmus Siersbaek.

"When we understand these mechanisms, we have much better tools to make a stem cell develop in the direction we wish", he says.

Siersbaek, Mandrup and their colleagues made the discovery while studying how stem cells develop into fat cells. The Mandrup research group is interested in this differentiation process, because fundamental understanding of this will allow researchers to manipulate fat cell formation.

"We know that there are two types of fat cells; brown and white. The white fat cells store fat, while brown fat cells actually increase combustion of fat. Brown fat cells are found in especially infants, but adults also have varying amounts of these cells.

"If we manage to find ways to make stem cells develop into brown rather than white fat cells, it may be possible to reduce the development of obesity. Our findings open new possibilities to do this by focusing on the specific sites on the DNA where proteins work together", the researchers explain.

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New insight into stem cell development

Umbilical Cord Transplants helping to save older children's lives

By Stem Cell Doctors

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--- Every four minutes, one person in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer.

Blood Stem Cell Transplants have become a standard way to treat children with Leukemia and other blood disorders, but have been limited for only small children.

Doctors are now saving older children by transplanting not just one but two umbilical cords.

Just last year 15-year-old Sabrina Couillard was fighting for her life.

"I was getting really skinny, said Sabrina. I was getting bruises everywhere."

A doctor diagnosed her with leukemia.

"I just broke down and cried," said Marta Gonzalez, Sabrinas mother.

Her only hope for a cure was a Bone Marrow Transplant but doctors couldn't find a match from a family member.

That's when her doctor, Kamar Godder, a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at Miami Childrens Hospital, turned to an alternative stem cell source, the umbilical cord.

Sabrina's doctor gave Sabrina a double umbilical cord transplant.

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Umbilical Cord Transplants helping to save older children's lives

Kim Kardashian Wedding Prep: Bride Gets $550 Stem Cell Facial

By Stem Cell Treatment

Like most brides, Kim Kardashian is making her way through her wedding day checklist. Squeezing in a few workouts? Check. Enjoying quality time with her love Kanye West? Check, check. Indulging in a $500 stem cell facial? Check!

PHOTOS: Celeb wedding dress predictions for Kim, Mila and more

Before jetting off to Paris for her wedding weekend, Kardashian, 33, visited Lancer Dermatology for a treatment on Friday, May 16. "Kim's longtime aesthetician Louise Deschamps has been giving Kim stem cell facials for years," a source tells Us Weekly.

PHOTOS: Kim and Kanye, the perfect match

The facial, which starts at $550, begins with the typical cleansing, exfoliating, and extractions. Then a rose oil-coated custom sheet mask is applied.

PHOTOS: Celebs' fave beauty products

After, the aesthetician uses Lancer's famed vegan stem cell serum. The anti-aging Lift Serum Intense ($275, Lancerskincare.com) uses stem cells from a marine plant, which are thought to firm and lift the skin. After a layer is applied, an LED light helps the skin absorb the serum for long-lasting results.

PHOTOS: Kim and more stars with and without bangs

The results of the facial should last a week, so just in time for Kardashian to walk down the aisle.

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Kim Kardashian Wedding Prep: Bride Gets $550 Stem Cell Facial

A brave new world: Stem cell therapy in Lebanon

By Stem Cell Treatment

BEIRUT: Fat removal and a non-surgical facelift at the same time might sound like a two-for-one offer too good to be true. But that is a pretty common combination at the Innovi Stem Cell Therapy Clinic, where doctors extract stem cells from the bodys fat to do any number of cosmetic cleanups, from scar removal to diminishing fine lines and wrinkles.

The clinic opened five months ago in the Beirut neighborhood of Sodeco, bringing Lebanon its first specialized center in stem cell research.

Around the world at any given medical conference, from fields as diverse as orthopedics to dentistry, stem cells have become one of the main events, as researchers believe these undifferentiated cells hold the cure to some of the gravest human diseases: cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, to name a few.

In a country like Lebanon, stem cell specialists figured the best way to support their research was to offer one of the most in-demand medical procedures: cosmetic surgery.

Walking through the halls of the elegant, albeit quaint, clinic, one will see top-of-the-line fat freezing technology, equipment for laser hair removal and facilities where doctors carry out medical face peels and stretch mark treatment.

They also offer Ozone therapy, which uses pure oxygen that can supposedly alleviate a range of maladies from skin disorders and premature aging to chronic pain.

But we are not a beauty clinic, said one of the doctors, who asked not to be identified due to Lebanons strict medical advertising laws.

These cosmetic procedures complement their work in stem cells, a far less understood and rapidly evolving area of medicine. Innovi, for example, has built the Middle Easts only stem cell bank, where up to 19,000 vials can be frozen and preserved with liquid nitrogen. The closet housing the bank, which looks like an enormous washing machine, now holds the stem cells of a modest 10 clients.

The clinic has become a hub for various stem cells research. Doctors have visited from Europe and a Syrian doctor is now working with a couple to try and grow sperm from the stem cells of a man with aspermia.

But cosmetic treatments and stem cells go well together as doctors have been using fat-derived cells, also called adipose stem cells, as a Botox-like filler for almost a decade.

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A brave new world: Stem cell therapy in Lebanon

Doctors' Choice To Distribute Stemology To Select National Retailers, Resort Destination Spas And Medical Community …

By Stem Cell Doctors

DOCTORS CHOICE TO DISTRIBUTE STEMOLOGY TO SELECT NATIONAL RETAILERS, RESORT DESTINATION SPAS AND MEDICAL COMMUNITY NATIONWIDE http://www.stemologyskincare.com (PRNewsFoto/DermaTech Research/Stemology)

LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Stemology, the world's first and only skincare brand to incorporate the superior features of both humanadult and plant stem cells, along with a stem cell communicator that greatly enhances the benefit of stem cell "signaling" growth factors in an all natural formulation will now be available in physician's offices and select retailers nationwide through Doctors Beauty Group, formerly Doctors' Choice, Inc., the premier distributor of high-end aesthetic products to medical and retail communities. The seven-figure deal marks the largest single business deal for DermaTech Research, LLC, parent company of Stemology.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140515/88201

Doctors Beauty Group will introduce aesthetic professionals, select National retailers and Resort Destinations Spas and their Clients to the superior benefits of Stemology's "best of" approach whose goal is preventing and improving the number one cause of skin aging - the declining production of epidermal, collagen and elastin cells, which results in dull, thin and wrinkled skin.

"As the premiere distributor of esthetic products into Physician offices across the Nation, and a history of strong retail partnerships, we consider ourselves to be leaders in distribution, and leaders belong together," said President and Founder of Doctors Beauty Group, Diva Lauren. "We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Stemology skincare. As the first and only brand to bring together both human adult and plant stem cell technologies incorporating the unique features of each - we are confident Stemology will be a top brand for us. The world knows the healing power of stem cells, and stem cells are absolutely the future of skin care - Stemology is a leader in that category."

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Diva Lauren and her group of outstanding professionals," said Lori Jacobus, Partner and CMO for Stemology. "Doctors Beauty Group delivers vast experience in our category, representing the biggest brands in skincare. We realized very quickly on in our discussions that they were the right partner to help us achieve our business goals very quickly."

Stemology is committed to the ethical collection and use of stem cells in an FDA approved laboratory, and only uses adult human stem cell technology gathered from FDA certified, volunteer human bone marrow donors. Stemology never uses human or animal embryonic stem cells, is never bioengineered, and no human or animal is harmed during stem cell harvesting. Stemology products are all natural, and intelligently organic wherever possible. They are also free of phthalates, parabens, Gluten, GMO's and petrochemicals and the formulas do not contain any actual stem cells or DNA matter.

The Stemology line consist of:

Doctors Beauty Group, a Denver Colorado Company, formerly Doctors' Choice, Inc., is the premier distributor of high-end aesthetic products to the retail, medical and destination resort communities, representing nearly 5000 doors. Focused on a multi-line, multi-channel approach, Doctors Beauty Group connects retailers and aesthetic professionals to both medical and prestige skincare products through an extensive network of account executives and customer service agents. Doctors Beauty Group is committed to protecting brand integrity and is proud to represent some of the most prestigious brands in the industry. Doctors Beauty Group's goal is to make retailing product easy, accessible, and profitable to every account, regardless of size. The true beauty of the Doctors Beauty Group program is found in the healthy, radiant skin of its members and their customers and patients.

Stemology is available at salon and spa locations, medical offices and online at stemologyskincare.com. For more information visit stemologyskincare.com.

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Doctors' Choice To Distribute Stemology To Select National Retailers, Resort Destination Spas And Medical Community ...

Sabathia could actually miss 8-12 weeks: Doc

By Stem Cell Medicine

The Yankees would be lucky to get CC Sabathia on the mound in two months, let alone six weeks, according to one doctor familiar with the stem-cell procedure Sabathia underwent last week.

He may be able to practice by then, but I dont think hell be back in the majors before eight-to-12 weeks, said Dr. Selene Parekh, associate professor of surgery in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke Orthopaedics.

Perhaps more importantly, there is so little history regarding the stem-cell injection done by Dr. James Andrews, its difficult to know what to expect.

Since stem cells are naturally occurring, the idea is that by injecting them into Sabathias knee, his body will be able to create new cells to get the knee healthier.

Its a big leap of faith, Parekh said.

Dr. Alexis Colvin, orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said there have been promising studies done regarding stem cells ability to reduce cartilage damage, as opposed to cortisone, which only provides pain relief.

Sabathia underwent a stem-cell procedure for his knee that could keep him off the mound longer than the Yankees want.Photo: Getty Images

Parekh said it was similar to the procedures Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant had done in Germany, and Dr. Andrews was bringing the technology to the United States.

Unfortunately, the only way to know if its working is by symptoms, Parekh said.

And if not?

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Sabathia could actually miss 8-12 weeks: Doc

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