Poway man in groundbreaking stem cell Parkinsion’s study

By Emily Sorensen

A Poway man is part of a groundbreaking study that could lead to new advances in the treatment of Parkinsons disease.

Michael Radunsky, a Poway resident, is one of eight Parkinsons patients participating in a special study at Scripps Clinic Movement Disorders Center, where cutting-edge stem cell research may lead to a viable long-term treatment for those afflicted with Parkinsons disease.

Michael Radunsky

I am proud to be a participant in this seminal research project, said Radunsky, who has been involved with the study for about a year and a half. The study involves harvesting the skin cells, or fibroblasts, from a Parkinsons patient, reprogramming these cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), further reprogramming the iPSC into dopamine-producing neurons, and finally, implanting these neurons into the patients substantia nigra, a small element deep in the brain which contains neurons that normally produce dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is used to regulate motor activity. In Parkinsons patients, these neurons begin to die and do not produce enough dopamine, according to Radunsky.

The goal of the study is to have the newly implanted neurons replace the dying ones to regulate the motor functions of Parkinsons patients. Radunsky said that so far, his cells are on step two of the progress, waiting to be further reprogrammed into neurons.

A key factor in this study is that the stem cells are derived from a patients own skin cells and not from embryos or other willing or unwilling donors. The ethical issue of embryonic stem cell research and treatments is entirely eliminated by obtaining the stem cells directly from the patient without harm or the termination of a pregnancy, said Radunsky.

Radunsky, who lives in Poway with his wife, Stephanie, and their two young children, was diagnosed with Parkinsons about two years ago, in August of 2011. He works in the photonics industry for a company that builds lasers used for ultra-cold atom physics.

It was his neurologist, Dr. Melissa Houser, who got him involved in the study. Houser is the leading clinical physician in the study, and recommended that he be involved.

Radunsky said that in six to eight months, implantation surgeries will begin, and will be followed by careful observation to see the effects of implanting the new neurons. I will make myself available to the project for as long as is necessary, said Radunsky. This will undoubtedly mean years of follow up.

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Poway man in groundbreaking stem cell Parkinsion’s study

Bioheart Boosts Team With Regulatory, Finance and Administrative Expertise

SUNRISE, FL--(Marketwired - Sep 20, 2013) - Bioheart (OTCQB: BHRT), a leader in developing stem cell therapies to treat cardiovascular diseases, has expanded its team by adding three key strategic positions with regulatory, finance and administrative expertise.

"This experienced and talented team will assist Bioheart in its transformation to a late stage clinical biotechnology company," said Mike Tomas, CEO of Bioheart.

Joining as Senior Compliance Officer of Bioheart, Dr. Colleen Robb ensures third-party objectivity in all internal processes, and works with management on external negotiations and the development of Bioheart's FCPA protocols as the company expands international efforts. With more than 14 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Dr. Robb is recognized internationally as a prominent researcher in the area of social entrepreneurship and strategy, specifically examining how social ventures can maintain advantage in the marketplace. Prior to joining Bioheart, she was an Assistant Professor of undergraduate and graduate programs at Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University. Dr. Robb received her doctoral degree from bo Akademi University in Turku, Finland and her master's degree in business administration from Florida International University.

Finance and Operations Manager Gisela Freeman is a tenured legal and finance operations executive with more than 20 years experience who, prior to joining Bioheart, served as a Service Representative for the Social Security Administration offices of the federal government in Miami, providing assistance to beneficiaries and representative payees.

Susana Mestre, Administrative Manager, has more than 10 years experience successfully leading internal operations for technology businesses. Prior to joining Bioheart, she served as President for Euro Broadcast Corporation in Miami, where she was responsible for handling the company's accounting and finances, as well as customer service. She received her Associate of Arts degree from Miami Dade College and a graduate degree in Foreign Language from the Universita Per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy.

About Bioheart

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues.Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com, or visit us on Facebook: Bioheart and Twitter @BioheartInc.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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Bioheart Boosts Team With Regulatory, Finance and Administrative Expertise

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Initiates Phase 1b/2 Clinical Trial of Demcizumab (Anti-DLL4) in Combination with Paclitaxel …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OMED), a clinical-stage company developing novel therapeutics that target cancer stem cells (CSCs), or tumor-initiating cells, today announced that it has started a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of its anti-cancer stem cell product candidate, demcizumab (OMP-21M18) in ovarian cancer. The trial will enroll patients at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, and is being funded in part under an ovarian cancer National Cancer Institute SPORE Grant Program.

In this Phase 1b/2 trial, demcizumab is being tested in combination with paclitaxel in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer or primary peritoneal cancer. Following a Phase 1b safety run-in, a Phase 2 clinical trial will proceed in these patients. The primary endpoints of the Phase 2 part of the trial will be to determine the progression-free survival and response rate of the novel demcizumab with paclitaxel combination. Key secondary and exploratory endpoints include overall survival, biomarker endpoints and safety.

Dr. Robert Coleman, Professor & Vice Chair, Clinical Research, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, and the Principal Investigator who treated the first patient on the study noted, "Women with platinum-resistant ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers are in need of new treatment options. We believe that an investigational therapy such as demcizumab, with its novel anti-cancer stem cell mechanism of action, could yield important results for these patients."

"The trial includes a number of translational science and biomarker evaluations that will help to elucidate the mechanisms by which demcizumab works for the treatment of ovarian cancer patients and aims to identify predictors of response to therapy," said Dr. Anil Sood, Professor & Vice Chair, Translational Research in the Department, who will be working on the trial.

The trial is OncoMed's fourth Phase 1b trial of demcizumab, and the second portion of this protocol would represent the first Phase 2 trial of demcizumab. Previous Phase 1b trials combining demcizumab with chemotherapy regimens have been initiated in patients with first-line pancreatic cancer (with gemcitabine and Abraxane(TM)), first- or second-line colorectal cancer (with FOLFIRI chemotherapy) and first-line non-small cell lung cancer (with carboplatin and pemetrexed chemotherapy). The Phase 1b trials in pancreatic cancer and non-small cell lung cancer are currently enrolling patients.

"We believe ovarian cancer is another important cancer indication for the demcizumab clinical program and an area of high unmet medical need," said Dr. Jakob Dupont, Chief Medical Officer of OncoMed. "We have observed strong preclinical efficacy of demcizumab and paclitaxel in patient-derived ovarian cancer xenograft models, as well as early evidence of activity of demcizumab in ovarian cancer in the Phase 1a single-agent study of demcizumab."

Paul Hastings, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OncoMed, emphasized, "The ovarian cancer trial provides the earliest opportunity to advance a demcizumab program to Phase 2. As such it will represent a significant advance for this unpartnered anti-cancer stem cell asset."

About Demcizumab

Demcizumab (OMP-21M18) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits Delta-Like Ligand 4 (DLL4) in the Notch signaling pathway. Two Phase 1b combination trials of demcizumab are ongoing. The first trial is in combination with standard-of care gemcitabine and Abraxane(TM) in first-line advanced pancreatic cancer patients, and the second trial is in combination with standard of care carboplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta(TM)) in first-line advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Data from the demcizumab NSCLC Phase 1b trial were presented at the EORTC-AACR-NCI Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics Meeting in Dublin, Ireland in November 2012. In addition, a Phase 1b/2 trial of demcizumab and paclitaxel in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer has been initiated. OncoMed has worldwide rights to this program.

About Cancer Stem Cells

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Boyd "Rainmaker" Melson, Professional Athlete and Advocate for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment, Signs on as Advisory …

Lexington, MA (PRWEB) September 18, 2013

Melson is a gifted professional boxer who donates all of the money that he earns in the ring to spinal cord injury research. His advocacy efforts have been profiled on Emmy Award winning HBO series Real Sports, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated and Yahoo. He is a founder of the organization Team Fight to Walk (http://www.teamfighttowalk.com), which through professional boxers and other athletes raises money for JustADollarPlease (http://www.justadollarplease.org), which supports efforts to bring clinical trials of adult stem cell treatments for spinal cord injury to the United States.

In the United States alone, where a spinal cord injury occurs every 43 minutes, there are 300,000 people living with the tragic after-effects, said Melson. Of those, 40,000 are US Armed Forces Veterans. The exploding field of regenerative medicine holds great promise for the treatment of these injuries. My dearest friend in this world, Christan, who is the inspiration behind my passion for all things relating to spinal cord injury treatment, lives every day with the challenges resulting from a spinal cord injury. I have experienced firsthand, in her case, how adult stem cells can improve the quality of life. I live to help Christan and others like her.

Boyd continues, I am really pumped about being an Advisor to Store-A-Tooth, whose mission is to help the world prepare for a future where adult stem cells have changed medicine as we know it. Everyone should be banking their cells.

"We are thrilled to have Boyd on our Advisory Board, said Provia Labs CEO Howard Greenman. He brings a boundless passion and devotion to advancing the publics awareness of the potential of adult stem cells and regenerative medical treatment. His heartfelt insights about the effects of accidents like spinal cord injury, and his advocacy for the needs of people living with the chronic condition, are a constant inspiration to us all here at Provia Labs."

As an amateur boxer, Melson won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship gold medal in the 69 kg. weight-class, and is a four-time All US Army champion, three-time US Armed Forces champion and three-time NCBA All-American boxer. He won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships twice and at the Armed Forces Boxing Championships twice. He won a bronze medal at the 2005 US Amateur Boxing Championships, and a silver medal at the 2006 U.S. National Championships. Melson turned professional in 2010, in order to raise money for spinal cord injury research. He serves as an Army Reserves Captain in the 1st Mobilization Support Group out of Fort Totten in Queens, NY. He is a Manhattan, NY resident.

Check http://www.store-a-tooth.com to see where Boyd will be speaking next on behalf of spinal cord injury treatment at Provia-sponsored events.

About Provia Laboratories, LLC Provia Laboratories, LLC (http://www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality stem cell biobanking (the collection, transport, processing, and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Its dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth, gives parents the option to store stem cells today to protect their childrens health tomorrow. Store-A-Tooth preserves stem cells from baby and wisdom teeth that would otherwise be discarded, so parents can be prepared for advances in stem cell therapies that someday may help treat conditions such as type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart attack, stroke, and neurological disorders like Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

For more information about Store-A-Tooth dental stem cell banking, please call 1-877-867-5753 or visit us at http://www.store-a-tooth.com or Like Store-A-Tooth at http://www.facebook.com/storeatooth.

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Animal Rehabilitation and Wellness Center Gives Castle Rock Golden Retriever a Second Chance to Enjoy Life with Stem …

Poway, CA (PRWEB) September 17, 2013

Over the course of last year, Deuce, a five year old Golden Retriever, was being treated by Dr. Cheryl Adams at Animal Rehabilitation and Wellness Center of Castle Pines for pain that had became so severe that he would require pain medication to get around on most days. Dr. Adams turned to stem cell therapy in April to battle Deuces pain, and just five months since Deuces stem cell therapy his owner, Laura Preston, is happy to report that He has very few sore days, and I have not seen him be stiff or lame in a few months.

Deuce was only four when he started to show signs of discomfort in his back legs. As a Golden Retriever, Deuce can be expected to live an average of 11 active and energetic years, but as a youngster he collided with another dog playing on the beach when he lived in warm San Diego. There were no immediate effects from the accident, but his first winter in cold Colorado brought some issues to owner, Lauras attention.

Deuce was having difficulty getting up from a lying position, walking around the house, or just standing for any length of time. Never mind the fun activities he used to enjoy like long walks in his beautiful home of Castle Rock, Colorado, or enjoying a swim. Dr. Adams and Deuces owners refused to allow him to live with such a decreased quality of life at the young age of five.

Dr. Adams collected a small portion of Deuces fat, which naturally has stem cells in it, and sent it to Vet-Stems lab in San Diego, California. In 48 hours Dr. Adams received a concentrated number of Deuces own stem cells for injection into his hocks. Dr. Adams and Deuces owners hoped stem cells would improve Deuces quality of life by decreasing his pain enough to allow him to stop daily medication and enjoy the activities he used to love so much.

The first few weeks after stem cells he was like a one year old puppy, Laura described, Running and jumping around with no issues. Slowly increasing Deuces movement over time, he was able to return to his full activity level and by three months he had only one noticeably sore day a week. He can run and swim fine, Laura states, All in all he has great improvement!

Deuces veterinarian, Dr. Adams, has been a long-time supporter of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine in animals. In 2005, Dr. Adams began working with Vet-Stem as a clinical study investigator, and became one of the first credentialed Veterinarians for stem cell treatment. She was involved in the initial small animal clinical studies utilizing autologous, fat derived, stem and regenerative cells to treat orthopedic conditions. She is a published author who in 2007 received an award for Regenerative Stem Cell use in companion animals.

The Animal Rehabilitation and Wellness Center of Castle Pines is proud to be a designated Center of Excellence for Vet-Stem Regenerative Veterinary Medicine, and for their breakthrough work in stem cell therapy. ARWC continues to help with the investigation of the use of stem cell therapy for other diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), select neurologic diseases, kidney disease, some liver disease, and atopy (skin allergies), with the goal to achieve optimal wellness and health in companion animals of all ages. ARWC is a referral center committed to helping companion pets recover from illness, injury and surgery.

About Vet-Stem, Inc. Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem, Inc. pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine. The company holds exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells. In the last decade over 10,000 animals have been treated using Vet-Stem, Inc.s services, and Vet-Stem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory disease, as well as organ disease and failure. For more on Vet-Stem, Inc. and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine, visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.

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Animal Rehabilitation and Wellness Center Gives Castle Rock Golden Retriever a Second Chance to Enjoy Life with Stem ...