Stem cell therapy - Age reversal1 - Cristal Jan 2014
http://a1stemcells.com/ Cristal, 70 years old. 1 Year after our 1st Age reversal study with stem cells (12 ESC injections in 12 months) For more info: http:/...
By: A1 Stem Cells
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Stem cell therapy - Age reversal1 - Cristal Jan 2014 - Video
The demonstration that the technique, which was pioneered on mouse cells, also works on human skin cells raises the prospect of new treatments for incurable illnesses, from Parkinson's to heart disease, based on regenerating diseased organs in situ from a patient's own stem cells.
Although there is no intention to create human embryos from skin cells, scientists believe that it could, theoretically, be possible to do so given that entire mouse embryos have already been effectively created from the re-engineered blood cells of laboratory mice.
Creating the mouse embryos was the final proof the scientists needed to demonstrate that the stem cells were "pluripotent", and so capable of developing into any specialised tissue of an adult animal, including the "germ cells" that make sperm and eggs.
Pluripotent stem cells could usher in a new age of medicine based on regenerating diseased organs or tissues with injections of tissue material engineered from a patient's own skin or blood, which would pose few problems in terms of tissue rejection.
However, the technique also has the potential to be misused for cloning babies, although stem cell scientists believe there are formidable technical, legal and ethical obstacles that would make this effectively impossible.
A team of Japanese and American scientists converted human skin cells into stem cells using the same simple approach that had astonished scientists around the world last month when they announced that they had converted blood cells of mice into stem cells by bathing them in a weak solution of citric acid for 30 minutes.
The scientist who instigated the research programme more than a decade ago said that he now has overwhelming evidence that the same technique can be used to create embryonic-like stem cells from human skin cells.
Charles Vacanti, a tissue engineer at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, said that the same team of researchers has generated stem cells from human dermal fibroblasts skin cells which came from a commercial source of human tissues sold for research purposes.
"The process was very similar to the one we used on mouse cells, but we used human dermal fibroblasts that we purchased commercially," Dr Vacanti said. "I can confirm that stem cells were made when we treated these human cells. They do the same thing [as the mouse cells].
"They revert back to stem cells, and we believe the stem cells are not a contamination in the sample that we were inadvertently sent by the company, but that they are being made, although we still have to do the final tests to prove this," he added.
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Exclusive: The miracle cure - scientists turn human skin ...
Already, scientists in laboratories across the world have begun dipping mature cells in acid, hoping to see whether this simple intervention really can trigger a transformation into stem cells, as reported by a team of Boston and Japanese researchers last week.
At the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, a number of scientists have already embarked on the experiment, which theyre informally calling stem cell ceviche, comparing it to the Latin American method of cooking seafood in lime and lemon juice. At meetings with other experts and even in casual conversation, stem cell scientists say they are exchanging surprise, doubt, and wonder about the discovery, reported in two papers in the journal Nature.
The range of responses varies widely. But most scientists seem to be surprised and skeptical about the technique, though also impressed by the rigorous testing that experts in the field did on the cells. It appears that no one knows quite what to think.
Paul Knoepfler, an associate professor in the department of cell biology and human anatomy at the University of California, Davis, has been blogging extensively about the discovery and polled his readers about what they think. In an unscientific poll that has drawn about 400 responses, hes found that scientists are pretty evenly split on whether they are leaning toward believing in the technique or not. Interestingly, he found people responding to the poll from Japan are far more likely to be convinced it is true.
On Thursday, Knoepfler made his own opinion known. Its a harsh critique, starting with his view that the method is illogical and defies common sense. It ends with questions about why the researchers would only now be trying the technique on human cells, since they seemed to have proved it to themselves for several years now. The biggest mystery may be why, if simple stress can trigger cells to return to a stem cell-like state, it doesnt happen more often in the body. Why dont people just have lots of cancers and tumors in the acidic environment of their stomach, for example?
There are also basic questions about whether these truly are the same as spore-like cells that Dr. Charles Vacanti, an anesthesiologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital who led the new work, described in a highly controversial 2001 paper. Many scientists doubted the existence of those cells, and Vacanti has said he thinks the new stem cells, which are called STAP cells, are the same.
Obviously, it has to be reproduced. Thats the caveat, said Dr. Kenneth Chien, a professor in the department of cell and molecular biology and medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. I still think its shocking. And it makes me wonder if its true or not, its so shocking.
Right now, we seem to have arrived at an unusual spot in scienceno one knows quite what to believe. People have quite informed gut reactions, but still seem to lack solid evidence to show the technique does or doesnt hold up. Its exciting and nerve wracking, but even those with doubts dont seem ready to dismiss it outright. This is how science works: people turn to the experiments to smash or solidify their doubts. Many are scurrying to recreate those in their laboratories, which should bring some clarity to the situation.
One reason the finding is so unusual is that it pretty much blind-sided the scientific community. Often, researchers are aware of discoveries that will be published in their fields through informal channels. They attend the same meetings, they present early versions of their results, or they know who is generally working on what area of research. In this case, people were surprised. Thats in part because one of the scientists pushing the work was far from an insider. Vacanti is an anesthesiologist, not a stem cell scientist.
Notably, even though the team of researchers was partially based in Boston, where there are many leaders in the stem cell field, they turned to world experts in Japan to vet the cells.
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The debate over new stem cell technique begins - Boston.com
Irvine, California (PRWEB) February 08, 2014
The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, PC, located in Irvine, California, announces a series of free public seminars on the use of stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief.
The seminars will be held on February 9th and 11th. On February 9th, the seminar will be held at 3500 Barranca Pkwy, Suite 315, Irvine, California at 2pm. On February 11th, the seminar will be held at the University of Claremont in the Padua Room of the Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road, Claremont, California at 11:30am.
At the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, utilizing investigational protocols, adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be deployed to improve patients quality of life with a number of degenerative conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (also called stromal vascular fraction (SVF)). Adipose tissue is exceptionally abundant in ADSCs. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.
ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys damaged cells. The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center only uses autologous stem cells from a person's own fat no embryonic stem cells are used. Our current areas of study include: Heart Failure, Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, and orthopedic joint injections. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the stem cell protocols offered by Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Gionis directly at (949) 679-3889, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.StemCellsUSA.net.
About Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN). We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Research Protections; and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information contact: Info(at)StemCellsUSA(dot)net or visit our website: http://www.stemcellsusa.net.
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Public Educational Seminar on Adipose Derived Stem Cell Treatments
CLEVELAND, OH Whod have ever thought something as unappealing as body fat could be useful much less lifesaving, right?
I think this will revolutionize medicine if it works, says Dr. Mark Foglietti of the Stem Cell Center of Ohio.
It turns out, fat is highly regenerative and rich in stem cells, Warren Buffett rich, having 2,500 times more stem cells than bone marrow.
And these are Mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal meaning theyre able to change into whatever type of tissue theyre attracted to.
So doctors in Cleveland are trying an experimental procedure on Multiple Sclerosis patient Kym Sellers, She was saying Dad, if I could only just get the use of my hands. If I can just use my hands, I can comb my hair. I can feed myself.
Doctors liposuction fat from Sellers, take the stem cells and mix in a biological potpourri called Stromal Vascular Fraction or SVF. The cells are supposed to act like a rescue squad responding to an emergency (they find damage to the body and repair it).
Dr. Foglietti happily tells his patient, We have 7ccs. We have 39 million stem cells! The SVF is then reintroduced into Kyms body intravenously.
You just want to pray that this is something that will improve your quality of life, says Kym Sellers.
Although the procedure only takes a few hours, itll be months until Kym or the doctors can determine if it was successful. If it is, itll be used to treat everything from asthma to A.L.S. For now though, Kym waits and prays.
Just praying for the best, she says.
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Experimental procedure uses stem cells made from body fat
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Newswise LOS ANGELES (Feb. 6, 2014) A Cedars-Sinai research team led by Paul W. Noble, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and director of the Women's Guild Lung Institute, has been awarded $628,816 by Californias stem cell agency to develop a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly disease that destroys the lungs and damages other vital organs.
The illness, which has no cure and few effective treatments, thickens and hardens lung tissue, leaving the organs badly scarred. Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have great difficulty breathing and the chronic reduction in oxygen damages vital organs. The cause of the disease is not clearly understood and many people live only three to five years after diagnosis.
Lung fibrosis occurs when the lung is unable to repair itself properly after injury or infection, said Noble. Some people are more susceptible to developing fibrosis, and we currently dont understand why the normal repair and renewal of lung cells stops occurring in these patients.
The two-year study will build upon preliminary research completed at Cedars-Sinai by Noble and physician researcher Dianhua Jiang, MD, PhD. They uncovered important clues to the precise way normal lung stem cell repair occurs and how a cure might be developed.
Currently, there is no therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The only effective therapy is lung transplantation, which we do here at Cedars-Sinai, said Noble. But if successful, our research will result in a completely novel approach to the treatment of lung diseases, allowing for the renewal and repair of the patients cells.
This phase of Nobles research will involve the study of laboratory mice and human tissue to further identify the exact mechanisms necessary for stem cells to repair damage to the lungs.
Funding these awards highlights our commitment to advancing the field with the most cutting-edge approaches and to help deepen our understanding of every aspect of stem cells, to help us find new treatments, and even cures for the deadliest diseases, said Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD, chair of the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
This award is a reflection of the highest peer recognition of Dr. Nobles scholarly efforts to discover novel approaches for understanding pathogenesis and new therapies for lung disorders, said Shlomo Melmed, MD, senior vice president for academic affairs, dean of the medical faculty and the Helene A. and Philip E. Hixon Chair in Investigative Medicine.
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Director of Womens Guild Lung Institute Awarded Stem ...
21 hours ago 2014, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
The ability to reprogram adult cells so they return to an undifferentiated, pluripotent statemuch like an embryonic stem cellis enabling the development of promising new cell therapies. Accelerating progress in this field will depend on identifying factors that promote pluripotency, such as the Brg1 protein described in a new study published in BioResearch Open Access.
In "BRG1 Is Required to Maintain Pluripotency of Murine Embryonic Stem Cells," Nishant Singhal and coauthors, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Mnster, and University of Mnster, Germany, demonstrate the critical role the Brg1 protein plays in regulating genes that are part of a network involved in maintaining the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells. This same network is the target for methods developed to reprogram adult somatic cells.
"This work further clarifies the role of the Brg1 containing BAF complex in regulating pluripotency and has important implications for all cellular reprogramming technologies," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Explore further: SON ensures proper splicing of proteins to keep embryonic stem cells in a state of self-renewal
More information: The article is available free on the BioResearch Open Access website.
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) retain their ability to self-renew indefinitely thanks to a number of proteins known as pluripotency factors. These factors must be modified at the RNA level before they are turned ...
The Genes and Cancer Group at the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program of the IDIBELL has found that the MAX gene, which encodes a partner of the MYC oncogene, is genetically inactivated in small cell lung cancer. Reconstitution ...
Scientists at University of Copenhagen and University of Edinburgh have identified a core set of functionally relevant factors which regulates embryonic stem cells' ability for self-renewal. A key aspect is the protein Oct4 ...
Researchers of the Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have discovered what enables embryonic stem cells to differentiate into diverse cell types and thus to be pluripotent. This pluripotency ...
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Critical factor (BRG1) identified for maintaining stem cell pluripotency
By William T. Koustas
The litigation between Regenerative Sciences, LLC (Regenerative) and FDA may have come to an end on Tuesday, February 4th, when the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against Regenerative, concluding that FDA has the authority to regulate certain autologous stem cells procedures. The D.C. Circuit affirmed the lower courts decision granting summary judgment to the government, dismissing Regeneratives counterclaims, and permanently enjoining Regeneratives operations.
Regenerative is a Colorado company that owns a medical technique known as the Regenexx Procedure, a non-surgical procedure by which physicians take bone marrow and blood samples from a patient, culture the stem cells, mix the cultured cells with doxycycline, and inject the stem cell mixture back into the same patient in order to treat joint, muscle, tendon, or bone pain. The Regenexx Procedure is exclusively licensed for use by a Colorado clinic where its inventors practice.
Our prior blog posts on this case provide more background (see here andhere for example), but in essence, FDAs litigation stance was that the stem cell mixture used in the Regenexx Procedure was a drug under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), thus imposing current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and labeling requirements applicable to all drugs. On the other side, Regenerative argued that FDA had no authority over the Regenexx Procedure because it involved the practice of medicine, which is outside of FDAs purview, and because the stem cell mixture was not introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce.
The D.C. Circuit upheld the district courts decision, frequently relying on long-standing principles of food and drug law. The court first found that the stem cell mixture met the definition of drug contained in the FDCA as it was an article derived mainly from human tissue intended to treat orthopedic diseases and to affect musculoskeletal function. Slip Op. at 6. In addition, and perhaps of more consequence, the court disagreed with Regeneratives argument that FDA was interfering with the practice of medicine by preventing physicians from performing autologous stem cell procedures. The D.C. Circuit described this argument as wide of the mark, clarifying that FDA was seeking to regulate the stem cell mixture and not the procedure itself. Id. at 7.
The court also rejected Regeneratives argument that FDA lacked jurisdiction over the stem cell mixture given that the Regenexx Procedure is performed entirely within the State of Colorado. Unsurprisingly, the court restated the well-known principle that the interstate commerce requirement of the FDCA is satisfied if a component of a product is shipped in interstate commerce prior to its administration to a patient. Id. at 9. The court also seemed to agree with FDAs position that the interstate commerce requirement could be satisfied simply because the stem cell mixture would undoubtedly have effects on interstate markets for orthopedic care . . . . Id. at 8.
The D.C. Circuit also dismissed Regeneratives argument that the stem cell mixture was a human cell, tissue, or cellular and tissue-based product (HCT/P), and thus exempt from manufacturing and labeling requirements. The court found that the stem cell mixture was likely more than minimally manipulated [b]ecause [Regenerative] concede[d] that culturing [stem cells] affects their characteristics and offer[ed] no evidence that those effects constitute only minimal manipulation, they fail to carry that burden as a matter of law. Id. at 12.
After summarily rejecting Regeneratives arguments, the D.C. Circuit ruled that the stem cell mixture was adulterated and misbranded. The court found that the stem cell mixture was adulterated because it was not manufactured in conformance with cGMP requirements, and that they were misbranded because the information on the label on the syringe that contains the stem cell mixture did not include adequate directions for use or bear the Rx only symbol. Id. at 14-15.
Although the court upheld the permanent injunction, it did so only after analyzing whether there was a reasonable likelihood of further violations in the future. Id. at 18. While the court determined that such likelihood existed in this case, this suggests that a violation of the FDCA, in and of itself, does not automatically necessitate injunctive relief but must be considered based on the facts of each case.
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D.C. circuit rules FDA can regulate autologous stem cells
Stamford, CT (PRWEB) February 06, 2014
Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) the nations only non-profit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapies for cancer is redoubling its efforts to treat and combat cancers in the New Year, and announces $1 million in recent grants.
The funding spread across three grants will support basic and clinical science at premier institutions in and outside the United States, with ACGTs mission top-of-mind: uncovering effective, innovative cancer treatments that supersede radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.
This January, ACGTs President and Co-Founder Barbara Netter has announced two Young Investigator Grants that provide promising researchers with $250,000 each for two- to three-year studies.
Young Investigator Fan Yang, PhD Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Bioengineering at Stanford University will use the funds to research new treatment options for pediatric brain cancer, the leading cause of death from childhood cancer. Dr. Yangs study will deploy adult-derived stem cells to target solid brain tumor cells, which are often highly invasive and difficult to treat.
Arnob Banerjee, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Maryland will use ACGTs funding to further develop the long-term effectiveness of immune-mediated treatments, the most advanced form of gene therapy.
It is imperative that the best and brightest young scientists like Fan Yang and Arnob Banerjee have the funds necessary to study and treat cancer, Netter said. This was my husband Edwards vision in 2001, when gene cell therapy was a fledgling science. We are proud to continue his pioneering foresight today. Partnerships with Dr. Yang, a former fellow at MIT, and Dr. Banerjee, a former fellow and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, dovetail with ACGTs record of funding outstanding researchers and physicians with the capability to make unprecedented breakthroughs.
The Young Investigator grants come on the heels of a $500,000 Investigators Award to John Bell, PhD, Senior Research Scientist and Professor of Medicine at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada. Dr. Bell has worked extensively with oncolytic viruses man-made viruses that target only cancer cells, and spare patients the harrowing side-effects of chemotherapy, radiation or surgery and has discovered the enormous promise they offer in the war on cancer.
The research and trials funded by ACGTs grant have the potential to treat metastatic and recurrent brain cancer, extend patients survival timeline, and vastly improve patients quality of life during treatment, Dr. Bell said.
ACGT has served as a major funding engine in the fight against cancer since its formation in 2001, and has provided nearly $25 million in grants to date. ACGT was created by Barbara and Edward Netter after the loss of their daughter-in-law to breast cancer. Since Edwards passing in 2011, Barbara Netter has led the foundation as President and Co-Founder, continuing her husbands vision.
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Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) Targets Brain, Pediatric Cancers with $1 Million in New Grants
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Newswise LOS ANGELES (Feb. 6, 2014) A Cedars-Sinai research team led by Paul W. Noble, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and director of the Women's Guild Lung Institute, has been awarded $628,816 by Californias stem cell agency to develop a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly disease that destroys the lungs and damages other vital organs.
The illness, which has no cure and few effective treatments, thickens and hardens lung tissue, leaving the organs badly scarred. Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have great difficulty breathing and the chronic reduction in oxygen damages vital organs. The cause of the disease is not clearly understood and many people live only three to five years after diagnosis.
Lung fibrosis occurs when the lung is unable to repair itself properly after injury or infection, said Noble. Some people are more susceptible to developing fibrosis, and we currently dont understand why the normal repair and renewal of lung cells stops occurring in these patients.
The two-year study will build upon preliminary research completed at Cedars-Sinai by Noble and physician researcher Dianhua Jiang, MD, PhD. They uncovered important clues to the precise way normal lung stem cell repair occurs and how a cure might be developed.
Currently, there is no therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The only effective therapy is lung transplantation, which we do here at Cedars-Sinai, said Noble. But if successful, our research will result in a completely novel approach to the treatment of lung diseases, allowing for the renewal and repair of the patients cells.
This phase of Nobles research will involve the study of laboratory mice and human tissue to further identify the exact mechanisms necessary for stem cells to repair damage to the lungs.
Funding these awards highlights our commitment to advancing the field with the most cutting-edge approaches and to help deepen our understanding of every aspect of stem cells, to help us find new treatments, and even cures for the deadliest diseases, said Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD, chair of the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
This award is a reflection of the highest peer recognition of Dr. Nobles scholarly efforts to discover novel approaches for understanding pathogenesis and new therapies for lung disorders, said Shlomo Melmed, MD, senior vice president for academic affairs, dean of the medical faculty and the Helene A. and Philip E. Hixon Chair in Investigative Medicine.
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Director of Women's Guild Lung Institute Awarded Stem Cell Grant to Study Treatment for Lung Disease