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Cancer researchers discover pre-leukemic stem cell at root of AML, relapse

By adminFebruary 13, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

Cancer researchers led by stem cell scientist Dr. John Dick have discovered a pre-leukemic stem cell that may be the first step in initiating disease and also the culprit that evades therapy and triggers relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The research, published online today in Nature is a significant leap in understanding the steps that a normal cell has to go through as it turns into AML, says Dr. Dick, and sets the stage to advance personalized cancer medicine by potentially identifying individuals who might benefit from targeting the pre-leukemic stem cell. AML is an aggressive blood cancer that the new research shows starts in stem cells in the bone marrow. Dr. Dick, a Senior Scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network (UHN), and Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, pioneered the cancer stem cell field by first identifying leukemia stem cells (1994) and colon cancer stem cells (2007).

"Our discovery lays the groundwork to detect and target the pre-leukemic stem cell and thereby potentially stop the disease at a very early stage when it may be more amenable to treatment," says Dr. Dick, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology and is also Director of the Cancer Stem Cell Program at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR).

"Now we have a potential tool for earlier diagnosis that may allow early intervention before the development of full AML. We can also monitor remission and initiate therapy to target the pre-leukemic stem cell to prevent relapse," he says.

The findings show that in about 25% of AML patients, a mutation in the gene DNMT3a causes pre-leukemic stem cells to develop that function like normal blood stem cells but grow abnormally. These cells survive chemotherapy and can be found in the bone marrow at remission, forming a reservoir of cells that may eventually acquire additional mutations, leading to relapse.

The discovery of pre-leukemic stem cells came out of a large Leukemia Disease Team that Dr. Dick assembled and included oncologists who collected samples for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Biobank and genome scientists at the OICR who developed sophisticated targeted sequencing methodology. With this team, it was possible to carry out genomic analysis of more than 100 leukemia genes on many patient samples. The findings also capitalized on data from more than six years of experiments in Dr. Dick's lab involving growing human AML in special mice that do not reject human cells.

"By peering into the black box of how cancer develops during the months and years prior to when it is first diagnosed, we have demonstrated a unique finding. People tend to think relapse after remission means chemotherapy didn't kill all the cancer cells. Our study suggests that in some cases the chemotherapy does, in fact, eradicate AML; what it does not touch are the pre-leukemic stem cells that can trigger another round of AML development and ultimately disease relapse," says Dr. Dick, who anticipates the findings will spawn accelerated drug development to specifically target DNMT3a.

These findings should also provide impetus for researchers to look for pre-cancerous cells in AML patients with other mutations and even in non-blood cancers.

Dr. Dick is also renowned for isolating a human blood stem cell in its purest form (2011) -- as a single stem cell capable of regenerating the entire blood system. He is a Senior Scientist at UHN's McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and co-leader of a Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC)-funded research project HALT (Highly Active Anti-Leukemia Stem Cell Therapy), which is a partnership between CSCC and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Dick's research has focused on understanding the cellular processes that maintain tumour growth by investigating the complexities and interplay among genetic and non-genetic determinants of cancer. His research follows on the original 1961 discovery of the blood stem cell by Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (formerly Ontario Cancer Institute) scientists Dr. James Till and the late Dr. Ernest McCulloch, which formed the basis of all current stem cell research.

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Cancer researchers discover pre-leukemic stem cell at root of AML, relapse

Stem cells from baby's umbilical cord save life of granddad given months to live

By adminFebruary 12, 2014Stem Cell Doctors

Patients with leukaemia need stem cells to replace damaged ones - the blood in the umbilical cord is so immature the recipient can accept the cells more easily

A grandad given just months to live has beaten leukaemia after getting stem cells from two babies umbilical cords.

The move was the only option to save David Pyne, 60, after all other treatments failed. He was one of the first to have the procedure.

He said of the stem cell transplant: To think two newborns saved an old mans life is just marvellous and its given me more time with my own grandchildren.

The dad-of-four was diagnosed with cancer in August 2012 and had chemotherapy and blood transfusions.

He desperately needed a stem cell donor but a match could not be found and he was given just 12 to 18 months to live.

But then he was offered cells from the umbilical cords of one baby in America and another in France.

He said: Things were looking pretty grim until I got the news about the possibility of an umbilical cord stem cell transplant.

The team found two separate umbilical cord donors that were a good match.

"I felt elated.

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Stem cells from baby's umbilical cord save life of granddad given months to live

Top Henderson Pain Management Clinic, Nevada Pain, Now Offering Over 25 Effective Pain Treatments

By adminFebruary 12, 2014Stem Cell Clinic

Henderson, NV (PRWEB) February 12, 2014

The top pain management clinic in Henderson, Nevada Pain, is now offering over 25 effective pain treatments. The options include both medical and interventional pain management, chiropractic, physical therapy, spinal decompression therapy, stem cell treatments and acupuncture. Call (702) 323-0553 for more information and scheduling.

Nevada Pain's Board Certified team provides patients with customized options for treatment with comprehensive options. With over a third of Americans suffering from chronic pain, it is vital to have extensive options for achieving relief. With over 25 options to choose from, the success rate at Nevada Pain for avoiding surgery and providing patients relief is over 95%!

Treatments include both medical and interventional with oral or topical NSAIDS, neuropathic medicines, pain medication, muscle relaxers and more. Several types of epidural injections are provided: radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulator implants, stem cell injections and all types of joint injections.

Chiropractic and physical therapy is offered in addition to spinal decompression therapy and acupuncture. The combination of traditional and alternative Las Vegas pain management therapies provides an excellent chance for the best patient success.

Both simple and complex conditions are treated such as arthritis, sciatica, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, fibromyalgia, headaches, migraines, neuropathy, degenerative disc disease and failed back or neck surgery. Nevada Pain does not believe in a "one size fits all" approach.

For more information and scheduling with pain management Henderson NV trusts, call (702) 323-0553.

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Top Henderson Pain Management Clinic, Nevada Pain, Now Offering Over 25 Effective Pain Treatments

New stem-cell method offers another alternative to embryonic research

By adminFebruary 12, 2014Uncategorized

Baltimore

A new method of creating versatile stem cells from a relatively simple manipulation of existing cells could further reduce the need for any stem-cell research involving human embryos, according to leading ethicists.

Although the process has only been tested in mice, two studies published Jan. 29 in the journal Nature detailed research showing success with a process called stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency, or STAP.

Scientists from Japan's RIKEN research institute and Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston were able to reprogram blood cells from newborn mice by placing them in a low-level acidic bath for 30 minutes. Seven to 9 percent of the cells subjected to such stress returned to a state of pluripotency and were able to grow into other types of cells in the body.

"If this technology proves feasible with human cells, which seems likely, it will offer yet another alternative for obtaining highly flexible stem cells without relying on the destructive use of human embryos," said Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. "This is clearly a positive direction for scientific research."

Pacholczyk, a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Mass., who holds a doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University, said the only "potential future ethical issue" raised by the new STAP cells would be if scientists were to coax them into "a new degree of flexibility beyond classical pluripotency," creating cells "with essential characteristics of embryos and the propensity to develop into the adult organism."

"Generating human embryos in the laboratory, regardless of the specific methodology, will always raise significant ethical red flags," he said.

The Catholic church opposes any research involving the destruction of human embryos to create stem cells.

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said if the new method were used to create stem cells so versatile that they could form placenta tissue and make human cloning easier, "then we would have serious moral problems with that." But there is no indication so far that the scientists could or would do so, he added.

"You could misuse any powerful technology, but the technique itself is not problematic" in terms of Catholic teaching, Doerflinger said.

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New stem-cell method offers another alternative to embryonic research

City of Hope Researcher Receives Five Grants Totaling $450,000 to Fight Pediatric Brain Tumors

By adminFebruary 12, 2014Stem Cell Treatment

Released: 2/11/2014 6:00 PM EST Source Newsroom: City of Hope Contact Information

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Newswise DUARTE, Calif. Despite continual advances in the treatment of brain tumors, infants and children diagnosed with medulloblastoma a fast-growing tumor in the cerebellum portion of the brain still face significant challenges overcoming this disease. One particularly tricky obstacle is the blood-brain barrier, which prevents cancer drugs from passing into the brain and attacking the tumor. Margarita Gutova, M.D., an assistant research professor in City of Hopes Department of Neurosciences, may have found a way to bypass that hurdle using neural stem cells.

Neural stem cells offer a novel way to overcome this obstacle because they can cross the blood-brain-barrier, migrate to and selectively target tumor cells throughout the brain, Gutova said. The cells also can be engineered to help deliver anti-cancer agents directly to the tumor site, effectively targeting cancer cells while minimizing harm to surrounding normal tissue.

Five foundations Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF), The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors and two anonymous foundations have announced grants totaling $450,000 in support of Gutovas work, allowing her to continue her preclinical studies of this novel treatment method. If additional research proves promising, human clinical trials could begin in three to five years, Gutova said.

Ultimately, Gutova hopes to develop neural stem cells into a potent and highly targeted therapy that is superior to current medulloblastoma treatments: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Surgery can leave behind residual cancerous cells that will continue to grow after the procedure, and radiation and chemotherapy can affect normal brain tissue.

This is especially damaging to brain and skeletal development, especially for pediatric patients still-growing bodies, Gutova said of current treatments.

In addition to testing the efficacy of neural stem cell-mediated therapy, Gutova will study the intranasal administration of neural stem cells. This novel delivery method is non-invasive and, if proven effective, will reduce the number of complicated procedures and their associated risks that a patient has to endure.

When the traditional treatment protocol failed for my daughter Alex, clinical trials became our best and only option for combating her cancer, said Jay Scott, co-executive director of Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation. We know firsthand how important these trials are to bettering the lives of childhood cancer patients, and we are dedicated to bringing promising research from the lab to the clinic. We see promise in Dr. Gutovas brain tumor research and are glad to be able to support her efforts.

We are proud to support City of Hope and Dr. Gutovas research. City of Hope is a leader in making a difference every day in the laboratory, clinics and the lives or our young patients, said, Jeri Wilson, executive director of PCRF. I know Dr. Gutova and her colleagues will strive every day to ensure their research delivers the best possible outcomes to families who so richly deserve a cure.

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City of Hope Researcher Receives Five Grants Totaling $450,000 to Fight Pediatric Brain Tumors

CNS STORY: New stem-cell method offers another alternative …

By adminFebruary 12, 2014Stell Cell Research

New stem-cell method offers another alternative to embryonic research

By Nancy Frazier O'Brien Catholic News Service

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- A new method of creating versatile stem cells from a relatively simple manipulation of existing cells could further reduce the need for any stem-cell research involving human embryos, according to leading ethicists.

"If this technology proves feasible with human cells, which seems likely, it will offer yet another alternative for obtaining highly flexible stem cells without relying on the destructive use of human embryos," said Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. "This is clearly a positive direction for scientific research."

Father Pacholczyk, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., who holds a doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University, said the only "potential future ethical issue" raised by the new STAP cells would be if scientists were to coax them into "a new degree of flexibility beyond classical pluripotency," creating cells "with essential characteristics of embryos and the propensity to develop into the adult organism."

"Generating human embryos in the laboratory, regardless of the specific methodology, will always raise significant ethical red flags," he said.

The Catholic Church opposes any research involving the destruction of human embryos to create stem cells.

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CNS STORY: New stem-cell method offers another alternative ...

The Daley Gator | Doctor: Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough …

By adminFebruary 11, 2014Stem Cell Doctors

Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough Will Transform Medicine, Doctor Predicts CNS

A scientific breakthrough that enables researchers to create adult stem cells much faster and easier will radically transform the way medicine is practiced, predicts Dr. Marc Darrow, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California/Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine.

. It will be the standard of care, said Darrow, who teaches regenerative techniques utilizing platelets and adult stem cells to medical residents at UCLA, and who has been using the same techniques to treat patients with joint, tendon, ligament and muscle injuries in his own LA clinic.

Darrow explained that in the past, creating stem cell lines was a very tedious procedure which required using a pipette to take nuclear material from one cell to put into another.

But an article published January 29th in the peer-reviewed journal Nature describes a new technique for creating undifferentiated adult stem cells by immersing blood cells in an acid bath for half an hour.

Biologist Haruko Obokata, a stem cell researcher from Japans RIKEN Center of Developmental Biology, then injected the acid-stressed, florescently-tagged blood cells into a mouse embryo, where they created entire organs including a beating heart.

Its amazing. I would have never thought external stress could have this effect, said study co-author Yoshiki Sasai. (See STAP cells.pdf)

The generation of these cells is essentially Mother Natures way of responding to injury, added co-author Charles Vacanti, director of the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham Womens Hospital.

Our bodies make stem cells all day long and thats probably whats keeping us alive, by regenerating tissue. The whole field of medicine is moving into regenerative medicine, Darrow told CNSNews.com.

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The Daley Gator | Doctor: Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough ...

Breakthrough development in stem cell research

By adminFebruary 11, 2014Stem Cell Doctors

Scientists have recently discovered an innovative method that changes how stem cells will be produced.

Stem cell technology has been around for quite a while, but many patients are wary to participate, and doctors are hesitant to perform procedures involving stem cells because of the controversy over how they are obtained.

Generally, the embryonic stem cell is the easiest type to obtain. This is where the controversy lies because human embryos are destroyed in the harvesting process. Now, scientists and researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Japan have found a way to transform cells into stem cells a method that does not cause harm to embryos.

It was recently discovered that stem cells could be produced by using the patients own blood. The procedure is relatively fast, causing a vast number of cells to be produced in a short period of time.

The following procedure has been tested only on mice thus far but has proven to be successful. The procedure involves soaking blood cells in acid for a half an hour, causing a severe shock to the cells. They are then taken out of the acid, set out and stimulated for several days in order to erase the memory of the cells, thus allowing the cells to completely reprogram themselves.

(The discovery) was shocking because it was so easy that scientists didnt know why they hadnt done this before, says Shihuan Kuang, associate professor of animal sciences.

Through extensive research, a scientist by the name of Shinya Yamanaka discovered that when put into extreme conditions, the cells could express different genes, causing them to be able to turn into whatever cell is needed.

This near-fatal shock to the system is proving to be worth the risk since the chemical shocks result in a change in cellular fate, said Kuang.

Although not yet tested on adults, the great potential of this new method to produce stem cells outweighs the risks because it is able to heal ailments that were previously thought incurable.

Since the cells are able to become any cell necessary, this new method has endless applications of healing in areas including diabetes, paralysis, blindness, Parkinsons disease and stroke.

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Breakthrough development in stem cell research

Study: Resilience in Parents of Children Undergoing Stem Cell Transplant

By adminFebruary 11, 2014Stem Cell Medical Center

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Newswise A childs illness can challenge a parents wellbeing. However, a study recently published in the journal Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation shows that in the case of a childs stem cell transplant, parents feel increased distress at the time of the procedure, but eventually recover to normal levels of adjustment.

Across all study groups, what we basically showed is that parents are resilient. Overall, parents get better over time, says Jennifer Lindwall, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the CU School of Medicine, teaching partner of the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

The study measured psychological distress and positive affect in 171 parent/child pairs from time of admission for a childs stem cell transplant until 6 weeks after the procedure, and also measured depression, posttraumatic stress and benefit-finding at the time of admission for the procedure and at 24 weeks after. Results in pediatric patients were previously reported in the journal Pediatrics. The current study reports the results in parents.

The aim of the study was to examine an intervention to promote positive adjustment of patients and their parents. In one group, children were given humor and massage therapy, in a second group parents were given relaxation/imagery training and massage therapy in addition to the child intervention, and a third group did not receive any additional intervention beyond standard care provided at the hospital, Lindwall says.

Though no significant differences were found across treatment groups, Lindwall and colleagues from St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital showed a consistent finding: In many respects, a parents distress parallels the childs distress. As things get better for the child, they get better for the parent as well. We saw this with distress in the acute period after transplant and also in global measures of depression, PTSD and benefit-finding, Lindwall says. Parents demonstrated remarkable recovery despite facing a significant life challenge.

Lindwall points out that the medical model in some hospital settings views patients and parents from a deficit perspective it seeks to right what is wrong. However, Lindwall and colleagues also see value in exploring the factors that create resilience in parents to understand what has gone right in these cases despite facing significant challenges.

While the study showed the norm is resilience and recovery, there are certainly some parents of children with significant medical illness who dont do well parents who remain distressed. Our challenge now is to predict which parents are at the highest risk for difficulties and to design interventions that can help these parents cope during their childs medical challenges, Lindwall says.

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Study: Resilience in Parents of Children Undergoing Stem Cell Transplant

Two Oncogenes Join to Drive Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma

By adminFebruary 11, 2014Stem Cell Clinic

Released: 2/10/2014 12:00 PM EST Source Newsroom: Mayo Clinic Contact Information

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Newswise JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Patients with a common form of lung cancer lung squamous cell carcinoma have very few treatment options. That situation may soon change.

A team of cancer biologists at Mayo Clinic in Florida is reporting in the Feb. 10 issue of Cancer Cell the discovery of two oncogenes that work together to sustain a population of cells in lung squamous cell carcinoma, which may be responsible for the lethality of the disease. When these cells, termed cancer stem cells, are inhibited, tumors cannot develop.

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video and audio are available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Cancer stem cells are a small population of cells in a tumor that can self-renew and grow indefinitely. They resist most treatments and are thought to be responsible for relapse, says the studys senior author, Alan P. Fields, Ph.D., the Monica Flynn Jacoby Professor of Cancer Studies at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

If you can shut down cancer stem cells, you may be able to stop relapse after therapy, he says.

The study, which is featured on the cover of Cancer Cell, builds upon years of research by Dr. Fields and his colleagues on a cancer-causing gene protein kinase C iota (PKCiota). They were the first to discover the connection between PKCiota and initiation, promotion and spread of lung cancers, including lung squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for 3040 percent of all lung cancer. The researchers found that the PKCiota gene is errantly repeated numerous times in lung squamous cell carcinoma cells through a genetic alteration termed gene amplification. PKCiota gene amplificationis associated with poor patient survival. Subsequently, they discovered that PKCiota is necessary to maintain cancer stem cells in these tumors, but how it did that was not clear.

The newly released study defines the process. The researchers discovered that PKCiota and a second oncogene, SOX2, found in the same region of chromosome 3 known as 3q26, are coordinately amplified and overexpressed in a majority of lung squamous cell carcinomas. The study further shows that these two oncogenes are also functionally linked in these tumors.

We now know that PKCiota activates SOX2, meaning that these two genes are not just genetically linked by amplification, but also biochemically and functionally linked in promoting lung squamous cell carcinoma, says the studys lead author, Verline Justilien, Ph.D., an instructor of cancer biology at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

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Two Oncogenes Join to Drive Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma