Author Archives: admin


Stem Cell Clinic > Articles by: admin

Ireland university lab in stem cells move

By Stem Cell Medicine

Stem cells for human use are to be made in a university lab in the first medical program of its kind in Ireland.

Scientists behind the new facility at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway will aim to produce adult cells to combat conditions like arthritis, heart disease and diabetes.

Stem cells created at the lab will be used in clinical trials following regulatory approval - the first of which is to test their effects on critical limb ischemia, a common complication associated with diabetes which often results in amputation.

The cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), will undergo safety tests after being isolated from bone marrow from donors and grown in the laboratory to generate sufficient quantities.

The university said it will position it as a global player in regenerative medicine.

NUI Galway's Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland is the first facility in Ireland to receive a licence from the Irish Medicines Board to manufacture culture-expanded stem cells for human use.

And it is one of less than half a dozen in Europe authorised for the process.

"Developing Galway's role as med-tech hub of global standing, the Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland captures NUI Galway's commitment to bring bold ideas to life," said NUI Galway president Dr Jim Browne.

"Innovation can bridge the gap between patient and provider and meet the needs of industry and the wider society in a balanced way."

Stem cells are best described as serving as the body's repair mechanism and in recent years science has isolated them from tissues such as bone marrow and fat to recreate them in laboratory settings.

See the rest here:
Ireland university lab in stem cells move

New method increases supply of embryonic stem cells

By Stem Cell Medical Center

15 hours ago

A new method allows for large-scale generation of human embryonic stem cells of high clinical quality. It also allows for production of such cells without destroying any human embryos. The discovery is a big step forward for stem cell research and for the high hopes for replacing damaged cells and thereby curing serious illnesses such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

Currently human embryonic stem cells are made from surplus in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos that are not used for the generation of pregnancies. The embryos do not survive the procedure. Therefore it has been illegal in the USA to to use this method for deriving embryonic stem cell lines. Sweden's legislation has been more permissive. It has been possible to generate embryonic stem cells from excess, early IVF embryos with the permission of the persons donating their eggs and sperm.

An international research team led by Karl Tryggvason, Professor of Medical Chemistry at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Professor at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore has, together with Professor Outi Hovatta at Karolinska Institutet, developed a method that makes it possible to use a single cell from an embryo of eight cells. This embryo can then be re-frozen and, theoretically, be placed in a woman's uterus. The method is already used in Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) analyses, where a genetic test is carried out on a single cell of an IVF embryo in order to detect potential hereditary diseases. If mutations are are not detected, the embryo is inserted in the woman's uterus, where it can grow into a healthy child.

"We know that an embryo can survive the removal of a single cell. This makes a great ethical difference," says Karl Tryggvason.

The single stem cell is then cultivated on a bed of a human laminin protein known as LN-521 that is normally associated with pluripotent stem cells in the embryo. This allows the stem cell to duplicate and multiply without being contaminated. Previously the cultivation of stem cells has been done on proteins from animals or on human cells, which have contaminated the stem cells through uninhibited production of thousands of proteins.

"We can cultivate the stem cells in a chemically defined, clinical quality environment. This means that one can produce stem cells on a large scale, with the precision required for pharmaceutical production," says Karl Tryggvason.

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent and can develop into any kind of cell. This means that they can become dopamine producing cells, insulin producing cells, heart muscle cells or eye cells, to name but a few of the hopes placed on cell therapy using stem cells.

"Using this technology the supply of human embryonic stem cells is no longer a problem. It will be possible to establish a bank where stem cells can be matched by tissue type, which is important for avoiding transplants being rejected," says Karl Tryggvason.

Explore further: Stem cells on the road to specialization

See the rest here:
New method increases supply of embryonic stem cells

California to fund research in stem-cell genomics

By Stem Cell Medical Center

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) The state of California is preparing to invest up to $40 million in a new scientific field that backers say could revolutionize medicine and lead to personalized medical treatments.

The directors of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine are meeting in Berkeley this Wednesday to create one or two research centers for stem-cell genomics, the Sacramento Bee (http://bit.ly/1mKZTRp) reported Sunday.

Scientists and biotech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego and elsewhere are competing for the research money.

Researchers believe that genomics, the study of genes and their relationships, can lead to more effective therapies that are tailored to a patient's genetic makeup.

The new research centers for stem-cell genomics could help make California a leader in the fast-moving field.

"Right now, in a lot of ways, doctors are making educated guesses as to how to treat us patients more generally," said UC Davis stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler. "By knowing our genomic information ... they could be making far more educated choices about treatments."

The move into genomics comes as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine struggles to fulfill the promises of the 2004 ballot initiative campaign that created the $3 billion stem-cell agency.

So far, no new therapies have emerged from the state institute, which will run out of cash for new awards in less than three years and needs some high-profile success to raise more money.

Two years ago, the stem cell agency decided to move ahead with the plan to fund research into stem-cell genomics and began accepting applications for research money.

A group headed by Stanford University's Michael Snyder, director of its Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, is expected to receive a $33 million award, based on documents posted Friday on the agency's website.

Read the original post:
California to fund research in stem-cell genomics

Ireland’s first stem cell manufacturing centre approved at NUI Galway

By Stem Cell Treatment

Embryonic stem cells have been highly valued for their ability to turn into any type of cell in the body.

Stem cells can be manufactured for human use for the first time in Ireland, following Irish Medicines Board licensing of a new facility in Galway.

NUI Galways Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland aims to culture adult stem cells to tackle conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and associated conditions.

The centre, which is one of less than half a dozen in Europe authorised for stem cell manufacture, has been developed by researchers at NUIGs regenerative medicine institute.

Stem cells serve as the bodys repair mechanism. They can be isolated from tissues such as bone marrow and fat, and cultured in laboratory settings.

More controversially, embryonic stem cells have been highly valued for their ability to turn into any type of cell in the body, but scientists can now use reprogrammed adult skin cells to create a stem cell that is very similar to embryonic versions.

The centre will be opened today by Minister of State for Research and Innovation Sen Sherlock, at a time when the Health Research Board and Science Foundation Ireland have approved funding there for clinical trials on using mesenchymal stem cells cells that can differentiate into a variety of types for treatment of critical limb ischemia, a condition associated with diabetes that can result in amputation.

The new centres director Prof Tim OBrien explained that the stem cells must be grown in the laboratory to generate sufficient quantities, following their isolation from the bone marrow of adult donors, and the facility will help Ireland to develop therapies for a broad range of clinical problems which do not have effective treatments today.

It will also allow us to translate discoveries from the basic stem cell research programme led by Prof Frank Barry at the Science Foundation Ireland-funded REMEDI to the clinic, and to be competitive for grant funding under the Horizon 2020 programme of the EU, he said.

Stem cell research in Ireland is in what scientists have described as a legislative lacuna, but this relates to use of embryonic stem cells and does not in any way inhibit the use of adult stem cells, Prof OBrien explained.

Read more here:
Ireland’s first stem cell manufacturing centre approved at NUI Galway

Stem cell facility opens in Co Galway

By Stem Cell Treatment

Monday 27 January 2014 21.55

The first facility in Ireland licensed to manufacture human stem cells opened in NUI Galway this morning.

The development will mean some patients suffering from certain diseases will be able to access clinical trials of stem cell therapies.

Stem cells are human cells that can develop into many types of tissue.

As a result, scientists are increasingly studying their potential for regenerating diseased or damaged tissue in people suffering the effects of certain illnesses, such as heart attacks, stroke, arthritis or diabetes.

Before they can be used widely in humans such therapies must undergo extensive clinical trials.

The first Irish licence to manufacture stem cells for this purpose was granted to the Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland at NUIG.

The custom-built facility will take small samples of bone marrow from adult donors and culture them in a specially designed laboratory to make billions of stem cells.

The cells will then be injected back into the donor or other patients as part of clinical trials.

The first of those trials will investigate their use in the treatment of diabetes patients who are suffering reduced blood flow to lower limbs, a symptom that often results in amputations.

Read more:
Stem cell facility opens in Co Galway

Island’s first stem cell manufacturing centre approved at NUI Galway

By Stem Cell Treatment

Embryonic stem cells have been highly valued for their ability to turn into any type of cell in the body.

Stem cells can be manufactured for human use for the first time in Ireland, following Irish Medicines Board licensing of a new facility in Galway.

NUI Galways Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland aims to culture adult stem cells to tackle conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and associated conditions.

The centre, which is one of less than half a dozen in Europe authorised for stem cell manufacture, has been developed by researchers at NUIGs regenerative medicine institute.

Stem cells serve as the bodys repair mechanism. They can be isolated from tissues such as bone marrow and fat, and cultured in laboratory settings.

More controversially, embryonic stem cells have been highly valued for their ability to turn into any type of cell in the body, but scientists can now use reprogrammed adult skin cells to create a stem cell that is very similar to embryonic versions.

The centre will be opened today by Minister of State for Research and Innovation Sen Sherlock, at a time when the Health Research Board and Science Foundation Ireland have approved funding there for clinical trials on using mesenchymal stem cells cells that can differentiate into a variety of types for treatment of critical limb ischemia, a condition associated with diabetes that can result in amputation.

The new centres director Prof Tim OBrien explained that the stem cells must be grown in the laboratory to generate sufficient quantities, following their isolation from the bone marrow of adult donors, and the facility will help Ireland to develop therapies for a broad range of clinical problems which do not have effective treatments today.

It will also allow us to translate discoveries from the basic stem cell research programme led by Prof Frank Barry at the Science Foundation Ireland-funded REMEDI to the clinic, and to be competitive for grant funding under the Horizon 2020 programme of the EU, he said.

Stem cell research in Ireland is in what scientists have described as a legislative lacuna, but this relates to use of embryonic stem cells and does not in any way inhibit the use of adult stem cells, Prof OBrien explained.

See more here:
Island’s first stem cell manufacturing centre approved at NUI Galway

Audio-Digest Foundation Announces the Release of Oncology Volume 04, Issue 22: What’s New in Breast Cancer?

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Glendale, CA (PRWEB) January 26, 2014

Audio-Digest Foundation Announces the Release of Oncology Volume 04, Issue 22: Whats New in Breast Cancer?

The goal of this program is to improve the management of breast cancer. After hearing and assimilating this program, the clinician will be better able to:

1. Recognize the role of cancer stem cells and their microenvironment in the development and recurrence of breast cancer. 2. List components of the stem cell compartment and microenvironment that promote the development of breast cancer. 3. Explain a proposed mechanism by which cancer stem cells may maintain their stemness. 4. Select patients most likely to benefit from prolonged tamoxifen therapy. 5. Weigh the benefits and risks of newer breast cancer therapies.

The original programs were presented by Issam Makhoul, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Little Rock.

Audio-Digest Foundation, the largest independent publisher of Continuing Medical Education in the world, records over 10,000 hours of lectures every year in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family practice, gastroenterology, general surgery, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, psychology, and urology, by the leading medical researchers at the top laboratories, universities, and institutions.

Recent researchers have hailed from Harvard, Cedars-Sinai, Mayo Clinic, UCSF, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Kansas Medical Center, The University of California, San Diego, The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, The University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and many others.

Out of these cutting-edge programs, Audio-Digest then chooses the most clinically relevant, edits them for clarity, and publishes them either every week or every two weeks.

In addition, Audio-Digest publishes subscription series in conjunction with leading medical societies: DiabetesInsight with The American Diabetes Association, ACCEL with The American College of Cardiology, Continuum Audio with The American Academy of Neurology, and Journal Watch Audio General Medicine with Massachusetts Medical Society.

For 60 years, the global medical community of doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and other medical professionals around the world has subscribed to Audio-Digest specialty series in order to remain current in their specialties as well as to maintain their Continuing Education requirements with the most cutting-edge, independent, and unbiased continuing medical education (CME).

Original post:
Audio-Digest Foundation Announces the Release of Oncology Volume 04, Issue 22: What’s New in Breast Cancer?

Stem-cell therapy restores faith for arthritic pets

By Stem Cell Treatment

ELLSWORTH Visitors to the Bellaire pet crisis center With a Little help From My Friends get an official welcome from Moka.

The Labrador retriever was found behind a Bellaire restaurant in 2011 and now serves as the centers mascot.

Peforming her duties has been increasingly difficult for the dog, who suffers from severe arthritis in her hips. So recently the center turned to Ellsworth veterinarian Christian Randall of North Country Veterinary Services, the first in northern Michigan to offer in-clinic adipose stem cell therapy.

The procedure uses a pets own blood and tissue to produce plasma-rich platelets and stem cells that proliferate growth in damaged areas.

Dormant stem cells are separated from adipose -- fat tissue -- and activated with an LED technology that uses three different wave lengths of light. Then the cells are injected directly into the affected area or administered intravenously to help promote regeneration. The result is a decrease in pain and lameness and increased range of motion.

Its using the bodys own repair cells to repair damage, said Trey Smith, director of laboratory services for MediVet America, which developed the technology Randall uses.

The therapy is the first treatment to help heal and slow the progression of osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease rather than just cope with the symptoms, said Randall, who saw the results while studying at Virginia Equine Imaging and now plans to use it on equine as well as canine and feline patients.

It concentrates, speeds up and amplifies the bodys own healing power, he said.

Stem cell therapy has been around for a while, but in-clinic availability of the technology is new. Only a handful of veterinarians in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids offer the services, said Randall, who charges $1,800 to treat a dog or cat. Repeat injections are possible with banked plasma-rich platelets and stem cells.

Before the one-day procedure, veterinarians had to send blood and tissue to an outside lab for processing, a more costly three-day procedure that requires an animal's return visit to the vet for injection.

Read more from the original source:
Stem-cell therapy restores faith for arthritic pets

Stem Cell Treatment in Miami Florida – Call Now 1 888 545 …

By Stem Cell Doctors

erectile dysfunction treatment, type 2 diabetes treatment, arthritis cure, cure for arthritis, therapy for autism, Vision loss therapy, hair loss treatment, preventing hair loss, Pumonary disease therapy, Kidney diseases

CellTherapyFlorida U.S. Program and PRP Therapy are now being applied towards painful, injured and inflammatory conditions facilitating healing of muscle, tendons, ligaments, articular and meniscal injuries.

Loss of Hair Your own stem cells from a small area of adipose (fat) tissue can be isolated and activated. Together with a PRP and growth factors from a small sample of blood, it can be locally injected into the scalp for male and female pattern hair loss treatment.

A single treatment of Stem Cells can be of a long-term benefit. Other therapies and drugs are an hours-to-days alternative!

The utilization of insulin in the conventional treatment of diabetes mellitus is only a "symptomatic" approach, and curing diabetes involves a great deal more.

Due to the fact most of the diseases that lead to loss of vision do so as a result of abnormal vasculature and/or nerve degeneration, the use of stem cells to stabilize or prevent visual loss holds great promise.

Autism is characterized by abnormalities in social interaction, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive, obsessive behavior.

Regenerative cellular therapy aims for the return of damaged lung(s) to a more functional state through the use of autologous adult stem cells. Promising results have been reported in patients with lung diseases receiving this type of regenerative therapy.

Chronic kidney disease means progressive loss of the kidney function that leads to end stage kidney disease (ESKD). End stage kidney disease is the complete or almost complete kidney function failure. This condition takes place when kidneys lose their ability to maintain the day to day level of function.

Read the original:
Stem Cell Treatment in Miami Florida - Call Now 1 888 545 ...

Clinical trial studies vaccine targeting cancer stem cells in brain cancers

By Stem Cell Medical Center

An early-phase clinical trial of an experimental vaccine that targets cancer stem cells in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor, has been launched by researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Department of Neurosurgery, Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Brain Tumor Center and Department of Neurology.

Like normal stem cells, cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and generate new cells, but instead of producing healthy cells, they create cancer cells. In theory, if the cancer stem cells can be destroyed, a tumor may not be able to sustain itself, but if the cancer originators are not removed or destroyed, a tumor will continue to return despite the use of existing cancer-killing therapies.

The Phase I study, which will enroll about 45 patients and last two years, evaluates safety and dosing of a vaccine created individually for each participant and designed to boost the immune system's natural ability to protect the body against foreign invaders called antigens. The drug targets a protein, CD133, found on cancer stem cells of some brain tumors and other cancers.

Immune system cells called dendritic cells will be derived from each patient's blood, combined with commercially prepared glioblastoma proteins and grown in the laboratory before being injected under the skin as a vaccine weekly for four weeks and then once every two months, according to Jeremy Rudnick, MD, neuro-oncologist in the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Neurology, the study's principal investigator.

Dendritic cells are the immune system's most powerful antigen-presenting cells -- those responsible for helping the immune system recognize invaders. By being loaded with specific protein fragments of CD133, the dendritic cells become "trained" to recognize the antigen as a target and stimulate an immune response when they come in contact.

The cancer stem cell study is the latest evolution in Cedars-Sinai's history of dendritic cell vaccine research, which was introduced experimentally in patient trials in 1998.

Cedars-Sinai's brain cancer stem cell study is open to patients whose glioblastoma multiforme has returned following surgical removal. Potential participants will be screened for eligibility requirements and undergo evaluations and medical tests at regular intervals. The vaccine and study-related tests and follow-up care will be provided at no cost to patients. For more information, call 1-800-CEDARS-1 or contact Cherry Sanchez by phone at 310-423-8100 or email cherry.sanchez@cshs.org.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Visit link:
Clinical trial studies vaccine targeting cancer stem cells in brain cancers

→←