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SALK, STANFORD TEAM ON STEM CELL PROJECT

By Uncategorized

By Bradley J. Fikes U-T 12:01 a.m.Feb. 17, 2014

Instead of being shut out of a $40 million stem cell grant awarded to Stanford University, San Diego researchers will be major partners, say the scientists who lead the project.

Joseph Ecker of the Salk Institute and Michael Snyder of Stanford say that under an informal arrangement, they will jointly allocate money granted from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for a new center on stem cell genomics. CIRM is responsible for distributing $3 billion in state bond money to turn stem cell research into disease treatments.

Genomics, the study of the complete set of genes and DNA in an organism, is necessary to help understand how stem cells function. Stem cells contain virtually the same genes as adult cells but differ in which genes are turned on and off. The signals that cause stem cells to differentiate are not well understood.

By analyzing the genomes of stem cells, researchers expect to better understand how stem cells can produce more stem cells, and which genes are involved in directing stem cells down the path to becoming adult cells of interest, such as islet cells that make insulin, bone or retinal cells.

Last months decision had been characterized as a big win for Stanford, because the university had been awarded the grant over competing applications, including one from The Scripps Research Institute and San Diego DNA sequencing giant Illumina.

Ecker and Snyder said that belief is a misunderstanding, because their proposal is a cooperative venture involving extensive participation from San Diego biomedical scientists.

The leadership issue is confusing, because CIRM requires a single institute to be listed as the lead on funding proposals, even if the institutions are sharing leadership, Ecker said by email. In fact, Mike Snyder and I, by proxy Stanford and Salk, are equal partners. Responsibility for administration of the center will fall equally to Stanford and Salk researchers, as well as strategic steering and decision-making on what projects to pursue.

Besides Salk and Stanford, partners are UC San Diego, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, the J. Craig Venter Institute, The Scripps Research Institute and UC Santa Cruz. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute also plays a role.

Ecker said the grant application was designed to allow equal participation by Salk and Stanford.

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SALK, STANFORD TEAM ON STEM CELL PROJECT

Researchers rejuvenate stem cell population from elderly mice, enabling muscle recovery

By Stem Cell Treatment

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Feb-2014

Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center

STANFORD, Calif. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have pinpointed why normal aging is accompanied by a diminished ability to regain strength and mobility after muscle injury: Over time, stem cells within muscle tissues dedicated to repairing damage become less able to generate new muscle fibers and struggle to self-renew.

"In the past, it's been thought that muscle stem cells themselves don't change with age, and that any loss of function is primarily due to external factors in the cells' environment," said Helen Blau, PhD, the Donald and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Professor. "However, when we isolated stem cells from older mice, we found that they exhibit profound changes with age. In fact, two-thirds of the cells are dysfunctional when compared to those from younger mice, and the defect persists even when transplanted into young muscles."

Blau and her colleagues also identified for the first time a process by which the older muscle stem cell populations can be rejuvenated to function like younger cells. "Our findings identify a defect inherent to old muscle stem cells," she said. "Most exciting is that we also discovered a way to overcome the defect. As a result, we have a new therapeutic target that could one day be used to help elderly human patients repair muscle damage."

Blau, a professor of microbiology and immunology and director of Stanford's Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, is the senior author of a paper describing the research, which will be published online Feb. 16 in Nature Medicine. Postdoctoral scholar Benjamin Cosgrove, PhD, and former postdoctoral scholar Penney Gilbert, PhD, now an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, are the lead authors.

The researchers found that many muscle stem cells isolated from mice that were 2 years old, equivalent to about 80 years of human life, exhibited elevated levels of activity in a biological cascade called the p38 MAP kinase pathway. This pathway impedes the proliferation of the stem cells and encourages them to instead become non-stem, muscle progenitor cells. As a result, although many of the old stem cells divide in a dish, the resulting colonies are very small and do not contain many stem cells.

Using a drug to block this p38 MAP kinase pathway in old stem cells (while also growing them on a specialized matrix called hydrogel) allowed them to divide rapidly in the laboratory and make a large number of potent new stem cells that can robustly repair muscle damage, Blau said.

"Aging is a stochastic but cumulative process," Cosgrove said. "We've now shown that muscle stem cells progressively lose their stem cell function during aging. This treatment does not turn the clock back on dysfunctional stem cells in the aged population. Rather, it stimulates stem cells from old muscle tissues that are still functional to begin dividing and self-renew."

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Researchers rejuvenate stem cell population from elderly mice, enabling muscle recovery

CU-Boulder stem cell research may point to new ways of mitigating muscle loss

By Stem Cell Medicine

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Feb-2014

Contact: Bradley Olwin bradley.olwin@colorado.edu 303-492-6816 University of Colorado at Boulder

New findings on why skeletal muscle stem cells stop dividing and renewing muscle mass during aging points up a unique therapeutic opportunity for managing muscle-wasting conditions in humans, says a new University of Colorado Boulder study.

According to CU-Boulder Professor Bradley Olwin, the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function as we age can lead to sarcopenia, a debilitating muscle-wasting condition that generally hits the elderly hardest. The new study indicates that altering two particular cell-signaling pathways independently in aged mice enhances muscle stem cell renewal and improves muscle regeneration.

One cell-signaling pathway the team identified, known as p38 MAPK, appears to be a major player in making or breaking the skeletal muscle stem cell, or satellite cell, renewal process in adult mice, said Olwin of the molecular, cellular and developmental biology department. Hyperactivation of the p38 MAPK cell-signaling pathway inhibits the renewal of muscle stem cells in aged mice, perhaps because of cellular stress and inflammatory responses acquired during the aging process.

The researchers knew that obliterating the p38 MAPK pathway in the stem cells of adult mice would block the renewal of satellite cells, said Olwin. But when the team only partially shut down the activity in the cell-signaling pathway by using a specific chemical inhibitor, the adult satellite cells showed significant renewal, he said. "We showed that the level of signaling from this cellular pathway is very important to the renewal of the satellite cells in adult mice, which was a very big surprise," said Olwin.

A paper on the subject appeared online Feb. 16 in the journal Nature Medicine.

One reason the CU-Boulder study is important is that the results could lead to the use of low-dose inhibitors, perhaps anti-inflammatory compounds, to calm the activity in the p38 MAPK cell-signaling pathway in human muscle stem cells, said Olwin.

The CU-Boulder research team also identified a second cell-signaling pathway affecting skeletal muscle renewal a receptor known as the fibroblast growth factor receptor-1, or FGFR-1. The researchers showed when the FGFR-1 receptor protein was turned on in specially bred lab mice, the renewal of satellite cells increased significantly. "We still don't understand how that particular mechanism works," he said.

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CU-Boulder stem cell research may point to new ways of mitigating muscle loss

Stem cell research forges ahead

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Written by: Cynthia Hernandez on October 7, 2010.

Despite opposition, use of embryos for testing continues

Why is the United States such a powerful country? Is it because we have a democracy?

Is it because our military capabilities exceed those of others? Is it because we have succeeded at prioritizing those policies that are most beneficial to the citizenry?

From civil rights movements to fighting a war on terror, the United States is at the forefront of advancement or is it?

It is safe to assume that most Americans support research and education. It is usually the case that anyone who is influential in some form or another has a significant educational background.

From lobbyists to police officers to the president of the United States, education plays a critical role in numerous professions.

One critical aspect of education is research. For example, political scientists research the political implications of differing democratic systems, biologists research DNA and English scholars research literary and poetic forms.

These topics will usually only interest and be of importance to people in similar fields.

But when research on a particular topic ignites controversy, it becomes a battle of academia versus personal beliefs.

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Stem cell research forges ahead

Salk, Stanford partner in genomics program

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Instead of being shut out of a $40 million stem cell grant awarded to Stanford University, San Diego researchers will be major partners, say the scientists who lead the project.

Joseph Ecker of the Salk Institute and Michael Snyder of Stanford say that under an informal arrangement, they will jointly allocate money granted from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for a new center on stem cell genomics. CIRM is responsible for distributing $3 billion in state bond money to turn stem cell research into disease treatments.

Joseph Ecker, a Salk Institute researcher and co-principal investigator of the new center for stem cell genomics created with a $40 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. / Salk Institute

Genomics, the study of the complete set of genes and DNA in an organism, is necessary to help understand how stem cells function. Stem cells contain virtually the same genes as adult cells but differ in which genes are turned on and off. The signals that cause stem cells to differentiate are not well understood.

By analyzing the genomes of stem cells, researchers expect to better understand how stem cells can produce more stem cells, and which genes are involved in directing stem cells down the path to becoming adult cells of interest, such as islet cells that make insulin, bone or retinal cells.

Last months decision had been characterized as a big win for Stanford, because the university had been awarded the grant over competing applications, including one from The Scripps Research Institute and San Diego DNA sequencing giant Illumina.

Ecker and Snyder said that belief is a misunderstanding, because their proposal is a cooperative venture involving extensive participation from San Diego biomedical scientists.

Michael Snyder, a Stanford University researcher and co-principal investigator of the new center for stem cell genomics created with a $40 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. / Stanford University

The leadership issue is confusing, because CIRM requires a single institute to be listed as the lead on funding proposals, even if the institutions are sharing leadership, Ecker said by email. In fact, Mike Snyder and I, by proxy Stanford and Salk, are equal partners. Responsibility for administration of the center will fall equally to Stanford and Salk researchers, as well as strategic steering and decision-making on what projects to pursue.

Besides Salk and Stanford, partners are UC San Diego, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, the J. Craig Venter Institute, The Scripps Research Institute and UC Santa Cruz. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute also plays a role.

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Salk, Stanford partner in genomics program

Stem Cell Therapy | Advanced Orthopedics | Regenerative …

By Stem Cell Medicine

It's been nothing but 100% improvement.It just continues to get better.Ive been avoiding doing stairways and I have to be real careful climbing in and out of equipment. I find myself being a lot more relaxed, not having the problems, not having the pain. I don't have the swelling in my knees that I used to have and it hasnt been waking me up at night. View my video testimonial here My name is Susan and Im 62 year old I just finished having my second PRP treatment and Im very, very happy with the results I can do all kinds of things I wasn't able to do beforeI believe my knee will continue to get better as the cartilage grows. Thank you! View my video testimonial here

Many thanks to the Stem MD team for giving me the use of my hands back, pain free! Professional, courteous and compassionate, describes this team of caring people. To anyone considering this procedure, I say you will be amazed and thankful at the results.

Lenita Brewer Ansonia, Ohio

Thank you for giving my life and health back. The PRP treatment worked wonders and helped alleviate the pain. I highly recommend the anti-inflammatory diet, Dr. Purita suggested. My body noticed the difference and I lost 35 pounds. I can finally be active again!

Jennica Califf Coconut Creek, Florida

I thought there was no hope for my chronic back pain. I am so thankful I found out about Dr. Purita and stem cells. I have had back pain for over 5 years, debilitating me to do everyday things. Today my pain has gone down 50%. I tell all my friends and family and wish everyone knew about this wonderful treatment. Thank you so much Dr. Purita

It has been 3 months since my mothers procedure to her knees. Now, my mom climbs into the van without any help, before we had to pull her up and assist her. She does not take painkillers anymore, even her recurring bladder infection and Diabetes is well controlled. All my friends and colleagues are super amazed every time I show them a video of my mom dancing. Thank you so much what you have done for my mom it is truly wonderful and I am forever indebted to you.

Malou Aragon-De Veyra Philippines

I came to Dr. Purita on the advice of a friend when I expressed trepidations about cortisone shots or the possibility no matter how remote of a joint replacement. I was a wrestler in high school and college, and this had done no good for my kneed as I aged. I had no expectations, only hope that somehow my knees could be made less fragile by the stem cell therapy my friend described. I had gotten to the point where any down stairs journey or stepping down off a van or public bus was excruciating, to the point that I usually made an exclamation that wasn't fit for public utterance every time I stepped off a bus or a van. My expectations were neutral at best. I had no idea as to how this stem cell therapy would impact my general health whatsoever. I can say without hesitation that the results have been beyond what I could have hoped. My knees are now cooperative to the point that sometimes I take the stairs down just because I can. I have resumed walking the stairs up and down at work, and I can say that I really don't think about anything I want to do where my kneed are involved. I am not quite where I was when I was 20, but 35 is a real thought, my flexibility and agility are restored to a level I could not have imagined. As an additional part of the procedure Dr. Purita also injected stem cell into my left hand, which has been diagnosed with some arthritis. The results are less instantaneously spectacular, but the had continues to improve. I no longer sit in my office while my hand burns with joint pain, my movement and most of my strength are improving daily, and I have a feeling that within a month or so I will have the same level of improvement I have experiences with my knees. Many thanks to the friend who recommended the trip to Dr. Purita's office, and to Dr. Purita and his staff who have put thoughts of joint replacement and the mad merry-go-round of cortisone shots far in the past for me.

Mark Burns Hypoluxo, Florida

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Stem Cell Therapy | Advanced Orthopedics | Regenerative ...

Researchers turn adult cells back into stem cells | wfaa …

By Stem Cell Medical Center

by KAREN WEINTRAUB

USA TODAY Special Contributor

Posted on January 29, 2014 at 10:32 AM

In a step that has implications for stem cell research, human biology and the treatment of disease, researchers in Japan and at Harvard University have managed to turn adult cells back into flexible stem cells without changing their DNA.

The researchers discovered that they could put cells in various challenging circumstances including in acidic solutions and under physical pressure and turn mature blood cells into cells that were capable of turning into virtually any cell in the body.

The research, published today in the journal Nature, was in mice. If it can be repeated in people, it has the potential to transform research using stem cells to treat disease, and it may lead to a new understanding of how the body heals from injury, said Charles Vacanti, the Harvard Medical School stem cell and tissue engineering biologist who led the research.

Biology textbooks say that once a cell matures to serve a specific role, like, say a red blood cell, it can never go back into a less mature state. Vacanti and his colleagues say their new research upends that dogma.

"This study demonstrates that any mature cell when placed in the right environment can go back, become a stem cell, which then has the potential to become any cell needed by that tissue," said Vacanti, also of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

He believes that that process happens naturally in the body after injury, and the more significant the injury, the farther back these cells will revert. "With a very significant injury, you will cause it to revert clear back to what is basically an embryonic stem cell," he said.

In an early embryo, all cells are stem cells, capable of turning into any cell in the body. As the fetus develops, those cells differentiate into cells with specific functions in muscles, blood, organs, etc. Some of those mature cells develop diseases and injuries. The promise of stem cells as yet largely unrealized is to provide patients with healthy versions of their own cells that can then repair damage and reverse disease.

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Researchers turn adult cells back into stem cells | wfaa ...

Cell Therapy Cancer

By Uncategorized

Other common name(s): cellular therapy, fresh cell therapy, live cell therapy, glandular therapy, xenotransplant therapy

Scientific/medical name(s): none

In cell therapy, processed tissue from the organs, embryos, or fetuses of animals such as sheep or cows is injected into patients. Cell therapy is promoted as an alternative form of cancer treatment.

Available scientific evidence does not support claims that cell therapy is effective in treating cancer or any other disease. Serious side effects can result from cell therapy. It may in fact be lethalseveral deaths have been reported. It is important to distinguish between this alternative method involving animal cells and mainstream cancer treatments that use human cells, such as bone marrow transplantation.

In cell therapy, live or freeze-dried cells or pieces of cells from the healthy organs, fetuses, or embryos of animals such as sheep or cows are injected into patients. This is supposed to repair cellular damage and heal sick or failing organs. Cell therapy is promoted as an alternative therapy for cancer, arthritis, heart disease, Down syndrome, and Parkinson disease.

Cell therapy is also marketed to counter the effects of aging, reverse degenerative diseases, improve general health, increase vitality and stamina, and enhance sexual function. Some practitioners have proposed using cell therapy to treat AIDS patients.

The theory behind cell therapy is that the healthy animal cells injected into the body can find their way to weak or damaged organs of the same type and stimulate the body's own healing process. The choice of the type of cells to use depends on which organ is having the problem. For instance, a patient with a diseased liver may receive injections of animal liver cells. Most cell therapists today use cells taken from taken from the tissue of animal embryos.

Supporters assert that after the cells are injected into the body, they are transported directly to where they are most needed. They claim that embryonic and fetal animal tissue contains therapeutic agents that can repair damage and stimulate the immune system, thereby helping cells in the body heal.

The alternative treatment cell therapy is very different from some forms of proven therapy that use live human cells. Bone marrow transplants infuse blood stem cellsfrom the patient or a carefully matched donorafter the patients own bone marrow cells have been destroyed. Studies have shown that bone marrow transplants are effective in helping to treat several types of cancer. In another accepted procedure, damaged knee cartilage can be repaired by taking cartilage cells from the patient's knee, carefully growing them in the laboratory, and then injecting them back into the joint. Approaches involving transplants of other types of human stem cells are being studied as a possible way to replace damaged nerve or heart muscle cells, but these approaches are still experimental.

First, healthy live cells are harvested from the organs of juvenile or adult live animals, animal embryos, or animal fetuses. These cells may be taken from the brain, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, liver, kidney, pancreas, spleen, heart, ovaries, testicles, or even from whole embryos. Patients might receive one or several types of animal cells. Some cell therapists inject fresh cells into their patients. Others freeze them first, which kills the cells, and they may filter out some of the cell components. Frozen cell extracts have a longer "shelf life" and can be screened for disease. Fresh cells cannot be screened. A course of cell therapy to address a specific disease might require several injections over a short period of time, whereas cell therapy designed to treat the effects of aging and "increase vitality" may involve injections received over many months.

Excerpt from:
Cell Therapy Cancer

Over 5,000 Cubans receive stem cell treatment: Expert

By Stem Cell Treatment

Havana, Feb 16 (IANS): More than 5,000 patients have received stem cell treatment in Cuba since its procedure was introduced in 2004, a medical expert said.

Porfirio Hernandez, researcher and vice director at the Hematology and Immunology Institute in Cuba, said the stem cell treatment method has been implemented in 13 of the 15 provinces in Cuba.

As a widely acknowledged pioneer of this practice, Hernandez said that more than 60 percent of patients receiving the treatment had suffered from severe ischemia at lower limbs and other blood vessel related ailments, reported Xinhua.

The therapy has also been used to reduce the sufferings of patients with severe orthopedic and cardiac problems, Hernandez added.

Stem cells are capable of self-renewing, regenerating tissues damaged by diverse disease, traumas, and ageing, and stimulating the creation of new blood vessels.

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Over 5,000 Cubans receive stem cell treatment: Expert

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