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DINUKTOR | 5 stem cell society doctors face raps for submitting falsified document to SEC

By Uncategorized

By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com March 17, 2014 7:45 AM

FILE PHOTO

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA - Five doctor-incorporators of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) face charges and may have their medical licenses revoked for submitting a fabricated endorsement from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Among them are chairman of the Philippine Medical Association Leo Olarte, PSSCM treasurer and legal counsel; Bu Castro, secretary; Rey Melchor Santos, president; Oscar Tinio, vice president; and Jose Asa Sabili, chairman.

In a statement, PRC Chairperson Teresita Manzala on Sunday said she directed the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine (PRBOM) to initiate, investigate, and file charges against the five doctors before the PRCs legal division for unprofessional, dishonorable, and unethical conduct.

Earlier on 10 January 2014, the SEC cancelled the registration of the PSSCM for submitting a fabricated document. In an order signed by SEC Acting Director Ferdinand Sales, the commission said the PSSCM had committed fraud in procuring its Certificate of Incorporation for its application for corporate registration.

Wherefore, premises considered, the Certificate of Registration of Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine with SEC Registration No. CN201303986, approved on March 6, 2013 is hereby revoked, the order reads.

Falsified endorsement

SEC said PSSCM submitted a 2ndPRC Indorsement, dated 20 February 2013, supposedly from Manzala. But on14 August 2014, SEC received a letter-complaint from Manzala informing the commission that the signature appearing in the alleged favorable indorsement from PRC was not hers and, thus, falsified.

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DINUKTOR | 5 stem cell society doctors face raps for submitting falsified document to SEC

Stem cells from muscle can repair nerve damage after injury, Pitt researchers show

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

18-Mar-2014

Contact: Anita Srikameswaran 412-578-9193 University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences

PITTSBURGH, March 18, 2014 Stem cells derived from human muscle tissue were able to repair nerve damage and restore function in an animal model of sciatic nerve injury, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that cell therapy of certain nerve diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, might one day be feasible.

To date, treatments for damage to peripheral nerves, which are the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, have not been very successful, often leaving patients with impaired muscle control and sensation, pain and decreased function, said senior author Johnny Huard, Ph.D., professor of orthopaedic surgery, and Henry J. Mankin Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery Research, Pitt School of Medicine, and deputy director for cellular therapy, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

"This study indicates that placing adult, human muscle-derived stem cells at the site of peripheral nerve injury can help heal the lesion," Dr. Huard said. "The stem cells were able to make non-neuronal support cells to promote regeneration of the damaged nerve fiber."

The researchers, led by Dr. Huard and Mitra Lavasani, Ph.D., first author and assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, Pitt School of Medicine, cultured human muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells in a growth medium suitable for nerve cells. They found that, with prompting from specific nerve-growth factors, the stem cells could differentiate into neurons and glial support cells, including Schwann cells that form the myelin sheath around the axons of neurons to improve conduction of nerve impulses.

In mouse studies, the researchers injected human muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells into a quarter-inch defect they surgically created in the right sciatic nerve, which controls right leg movement. Six weeks later, the nerve had fully regenerated in stem-cell treated mice, while the untreated group had limited nerve regrowth and functionality. Twelve weeks later, treated mice were able to keep their treated and untreated legs balanced at the same level while being held vertically by their tails. When the treated mice ran through a special maze, analyses of their paw prints showed eventual restoration of gait. Treated and untreated mice experienced muscle atrophy, or loss, after nerve injury, but only the stem cell-treated animals had regained normal muscle mass by 72 weeks post-surgery.

"Even 12 weeks after the injury, the regenerated sciatic nerve looked and behaved like a normal nerve," Dr. Lavasani said. "This approach has great potential for not only acute nerve injury, but also conditions of chronic damage, such as diabetic neuropathy and multiple sclerosis."

Drs. Huard and Lavasani and the team are now trying to understand how the human muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells triggered injury repair, as well as developing delivery systems, such as gels, that could hold the cells in place at larger injury sites.

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Stem cells from muscle can repair nerve damage after injury, Pitt researchers show

Stem cell politics behind forgery chargesPMA president

By Stem Cell Treatment

Leo Olarte, M.D., PMA president. PHOTO from http://www.philippinemedicalassociation.org

MANILA, Philippines Politics over stem cell treatment may be behind the move to slap an ethics case against him for allegedly falsifying signatures, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president said.

In an interview over Inquirer Radio 990 AM on Monday, Dr. Leo Olarte said he found it suspicious that Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Chair Teresita Manzala announced the ethics case against him on the day of the elections for the next PMA president.

He claimed Manzala slapped the ethics case before the PRC to ruin his chances of being re-elected in the countrys largest doctors association.

Olarte said Manzala has connections to doctors who are against stem cell medicine. Olarte is a supporter of stem cell treatment.

Manzala released the statement on the day of our elections specifically to destroy my name Manzala (also) has connections to doctors who are against stem cell. I am pro-stem cell treatment while my rival (for president) is not, Olarte said in Filipino.

In a Philippine Daily Inquirer report on Sunday, Olarte and his four predecessors were charged with fraud in the registration of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) in the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Olarte and the four others Bu Castro, Rey Melchor Santos, Oscar Tinio and Jose Sabili were accused of forging Manzalas signature in an endorsement for the incorporation of the PSSCM.

But Olarte blamed a syndicate behind the alleged forgery.

He said the PMA paid a private trading company to process the PSSCMs incorporation with the SEC. The doctor did not name the company.

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Stem cell politics behind forgery chargesPMA president

Top Southern California Stem Cell Clinic, Telehealth Medical Group, Now offering Treatment for Knee Cartilage Injury

By Stem Cell Treatment

Orange, California (PRWEB) March 17, 2014

The top stem cell clinic in Southern California, Telehealth Medical Group, is now offering treatment for knee cartilage defects. The various outpatient therapies are often able to provide pain relief and help patients avoid the need for surgery. Treatment is often covered by insurance in full or partially, call (888) 828-4575.

Knee cartilage defects typically occur in young to middle aged individuals. These defects may cause inability to participate in amateur or professional sports, or even recreational activities.

Traditional surgery for cartilage defects involves either microfracture or implant procedures. They may work exceptionally well, however, surgeries entail risks and considerable rehabilitation time. Stem cell therapy for arthritis and cartilage defects offers great potential.

The stem cell therapies offered at Telehealth Medical Group are administered by Board Certified doctors. They include bone marrow, fat or amniotic derived stem cell injections, and there are also options for platelet rich plasma therapy and blood derived stem cells therapy. These procedures have been shown in small studies to offer a high rate of pain relief and the ability for patients to return to activity considerably faster than with operative treatments.

Often times, the stem cell procedures are covered by insurance completely or partially. There are two locations for Telehealth Medical Group, one in Orange and the other in Upland. For more information and scheduling, call (888) 828-4575.

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Top Southern California Stem Cell Clinic, Telehealth Medical Group, Now offering Treatment for Knee Cartilage Injury

4th World Congress on Cell Science & Stem Cell Research to Exploit the Latest Advancements

By Stem Cell Treatment

Henderson, Nevada (PRWEB) March 18, 2014

According to Dr. Srinubabu Gedela, the Managing Director of OMICS Publishing Group , the main aim of the Cell Science-2014 is to broadening the scope of the research in this field.

The OMICS Group Conferences 4th world congress on Cell Science & Stem Cell Research deliberates on the broader areas of Evolution of cancer, Tumorogenesis, Recombinant DNA technology, Cancer cell development and signaling pathway, Genetic engineering and Gene therapy, Tumor suppressor genes, Tissue Engineering, Stem cell treatment, Bioinformatics and Computational biology, Bio Ethics and Patent Rights.

Reputed speakers at the Cell Science-2014, an international medical conference 2014, including Stewart Sell of University of Albany, USA, Sudhakar Akul Yakkanti, SRI International, USA, Jimmy Thomas Efrid, Brody School of Medicine, USA and Diana Anderson, University of Bradford, UK are going to share their experiences in this field.

OMICS Group International, an open access publisher that publishes 300 online, peer reviewed science journals in the fields of Clinical, Medical, Engineering and technological, Pharmaceutical and Management fields also organizes more than 100 international science conferences and events across the globe. With the help of more than 150 scientific associations with the like-minded organization, OMICS Group is contributing for the dissemination of scientific knowledge and information.

Soraya L. Valles Professor of Phisiology ar tht University of Valencia, Spain organized pre-conference workshop for the Cell Sceince-2014 on Neuro Sceince on 25th February at Salon de Grados, Faculty of Medicine Valencia, Spain.

James L. Sharely, Director at The Adult Stem Cell Technology Centre, LLC, USA presents a symposium at this OMICS Group World Congress on the topic Stem Cell DNA Segregation and Genetic Fidelity. Ornella Parolini, President, International Placenta Stem Cell Research (IPLASS) also presents another symposium on Fetal-derived Stem cells: Characteristics and Applications

The Young Researchers Forum at Cell Sceince-2014 provides the Young Researchers/Investigators an opportunity to present their latest research projects with an in-depth analysis. Student fellowships and the best poster awards for an outstanding poster presentation benefit the student community.

The OMICS Group World Congress on Cell Science & Stem Cell Research is all set to provide a comprehensive view of this discipline in a nutshell.

For more information on the subject of this release: http://www.conferenceseries.net/cell-science-stem-cell-research-congress-2014/

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4th World Congress on Cell Science & Stem Cell Research to Exploit the Latest Advancements

A Study of Protein Synthesis In Stem Cells Conducted For The First Time

By Stem Cell Medical Center

By Liisa Vexler

Scientists at the Children's Medical Center Research Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Texas, have conducted a breakthrough piece of research into protein synthesis in adult stem cells. The research, previously not possible to conduct, has linked certain cancers with mutations affecting protein synthesis.

The process used an antibiotic called puromycin, in modified form, to aid in measuring the quantity of protein synthesized in the body. Research revealed that protein is produced at a different rate per hour for different types of blood cells. It was also noted that much lower amounts of protein are synthesized by stem cells than other cells (blood-forming). The research, conducted on mice, concluded that when ribosome, a genetic mutation involved in making protein, was present the production of protein in stem cells diminished by 30%. Conversely, in another experiment the tumor-suppressor gene P-ten was removed in an attempt to increase protein synthesis, resulting in an impairment of stem cell function. These findings conclude that protein synthesis for blood forming stem cells needs to be well regulated or else they will not function efficiently. A member of the team, Dr. Morrison, observed to his amazement that breeding Pten mutant mice with ribosomal mutant mice returned stem cell function to normal, leading to either a complete block or delay on the development of Leukaemia. Dr. Morrison is of the view that, all of this happened because protein production in stem cells was returned to normal. It was as if two wrongs made a right. The findings are thought to open the door to a number of similar tests for the many kinds of cells in the human body, making it possible to study protein synthesis for each. The research is thought to be important for understanding the differences in the rates and ways that protein in synthesized in cells and what this means for cellular survival.

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A Study of Protein Synthesis In Stem Cells Conducted For The First Time

Researchers find stem cells remember prior substrates

By Stem Cell Medical Center

6 hours ago by Bob Yirka Mesenchymal stem cell displaying typical ultrastructural characteristics. Credit: Robert M. Hunt/Wikipedia

(Phys.org) A team of researchers working at the University of Colorado has found that human stem cells appear to remember the physical nature of the structure they were grown on, after being moved to a different substrate. In their paper published in the journal Nature Materials, the researchers describe how they grew human stem cells on different substrates. In so doing, they discovered that the stem cells continued to express certain proteins related to a substrate even after its hardness was changed.

Scientists have known for some time that stem cells respond to their environment as they growthose grown on hard material, such as glass or metal for example, are more amenable to growing into bone cells. In this new effort, the researchers sought to discover if changes to a stem cell brought about by environment are retained if the stem cell is moved to a different environment.

To find out, the researchers used mesenchymal cells which are known to be able to grow into almost any human body part. They placed the stem cells on a stiff substrate then moved them to one less stiff over differing numbers of days. In so doing, they found that the longer the cells were left on the stiff substrate the more a protein connected to bone growth (RUNX2) was expressed. Conversely, cells that were first placed on a soft surface and subsequently moved to a hard surface demonstrated a tendency to develop either bone or adipogenic tendencies.

In another experiment, the researchers applied the stem cells to a substrate coated with a phototunable hydrogelit grows softer when exposed to lightusing it allowed for changing the stiffness of the substrate without having to move the cells. Using this approach the team found that if the cells were allowed to grow on the gel in its stiff state, for just one day, switching to a soft state caused the expression of RUNX2 to cease immediately. When they allowed the cells to grow for ten days on the stiff base, however, before switching to a soft one, expression of RUNX2 continued for another ten days before finally ceasing. This shows, the researchers contend, that stem cells have a memory component that is not yet understood.

The researchers note that their findings could be applied to other stem cell research areas such as cases where unintentional consequences may be arising in experiments due to the stiffness of the substrate in which they are being grown. It also raises the question of whether other environmental factors might be impacting cell growth and if so, if they have a memory component as well.

Explore further: Heart cells respond to stiff environments

More information: Mechanical memory and dosing influence stem cell fate, Nature Materials (2014) DOI: 10.1038/nmat3889

Abstract We investigated whether stem cells remember past physical signals and whether these can be exploited to dose cells mechanically. We found that the activation of the Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding domain (TAZ) as well as the pre-osteogenic transcription factor RUNX2 in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cultured on soft poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels (Young's modulus E ~ 2 kPa) depended on previous culture time on stiff tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS; E ~ 3 GPa). In addition, mechanical dosing of hMSCs cultured on initially stiff (E ~ 10 kPa) and then soft (E ~ 2 kPa) phototunable PEG hydrogels resulted in either reversible orabove a threshold mechanical doseirreversible activation of YAP/TAZ and RUNX2. We also found that increased mechanical dosing on supraphysiologically stiff TCPS biases hMSCs towards osteogenic differentiation. We conclude that stem cells possess mechanical memorywith YAP/TAZ acting as an intracellular mechanical rheostatthat stores information from past physical environments and influences the cells' fate.

Journal reference: Nature Materials

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Researchers find stem cells remember prior substrates

Registration of PH stem cell group revoked

By Uncategorized

MANILA - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked the corporate registration of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) for submitting fabricated endorsement from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

In a five-page order, SEC acting director Ferdinand Sales said the PSSCM committed fraud in procuring its Certificate of Incorporation.

He said that as required under Section 17 of the Corporation Code, the PSSCM submitted a favorable endorsement from the PRC to support its application for corporate registration.

But he said the SEC found that the 2nd PRC Indorsement dated Feb. 20, 2013 submitted by PSSCM was falsified.

Considering the submission of a falsified PRC endorsement, there is fraud in procurement of respondents certificate of registration. The falsified document was relied upon by this Commission in approving the registration application of the respondent, Sales noted.

He added that had the SEC known about such defect early on, it would have not accepted and approved the registration application of the respondent.

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Registration of PH stem cell group revoked

PMA head, 4 other doctors probed by PRC over alleged fraud, forgery

By Uncategorized

MANILA, Philippines The president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and his four predecessors have been slapped with ethics cases before the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for alleged fraud in the registration of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) in the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a statement on Sunday, PRC Chair Teresita Manzala said she has directed the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine (PRBOM) to file cases against doctors Leo Olarte, Bu Castro, Rey Melchor Santos, Oscar Tinio and Jose Sabili for forging her signature in the incorporation of the PSSCM.

The Commission directed the PRBOM to initiate the filing of a case of unprofessional, dishonorable and unethical conduct against the five incorporators, said Manzala, adding that a case was already pending before the PRC legal division.

Olarte, Castro, Santos, Tinio and Sabili were identified as the incorporators of the PSSCM, whose registration has been revoked by the SEC.

Investigation showed the doctors submitted an application to the SEC for the corporations registration in February 2013. As part of the procedure, PRBOM sent a communication to the five incorporators requiring them to submit pertinent documents but did not receive any response from the doctors. Without the documents, the PRBOM instead placed the application papers on hold. It never submitted the application papers and the required PRC endorsement to the SEC for final approval, said Manzala.

But several months later, the board received information that the PSSCM was able to register with the SEC, based on an endorsement signed by the PRC chair.

On examination of the supposed PRC endorsement, it was noted that the reference regulatory law used was the Philippine Veterinary Law of 2004, instead ofthe Medical Act of 1959, and there appeared a signature of the PRC chair, she said.

Manzala said three of the incorporators, whom she did not identify, denied participation in obtaining the SEC registration and pointed to Dr. Mike Aragon, the PMA spokesperson, as the one responsible for registering the organization at SEC.

In a notarized affidavit submitted to the PRBOM, Aragon admitted he was appointed to register the corporation at SEC but added that he paid P15,000 to a trading company to file the necessary documents needed for the incorporation of PSSCM. He denied involvement in the actual processing of the SEC papers after making the payment.

Manzala submitted a complaint to the SEC, charging her signature was forged in August 2013.

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PMA head, 4 other doctors probed by PRC over alleged fraud, forgery

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