Girl gets stem cell windpipe in historic operation

A two-year-old girl born without a windpipe now has a new one grown from her own stem cells, making her the youngest patient in the world to benefit from the experimental treatment.

Hannah Warren has been unable to breathe, eat, drink or swallow on her own since she was born in South Korea in 2010. Until the operation at a U.S. hospital, she had spent her entire life in a hospital in Seoul. Doctors there told her parents there was no hope and they expected her to die.

The stem cells came from Hannah's bone marrow, extracted with a special needle inserted into her hip bone. They were seeded in a lab onto a plastic scaffold, where it took less than a week for them to multiply and create a new windpipe.

The windpipe was implanted April 9 in a nine-hour procedure.

Early signs indicate the windpipe is working, Hannah's doctors announced Tuesday, although she is still on a ventilator. They believe she will eventually be able to live at home and lead a normal life.

"We feel like she's reborn," said Hannah's father, Darryl Warren.

"They hope that she can do everything that a normal child can do but it's going to take time. This is a brand new road that all of us are on," he said in a telephone interview. "This is her only chance but she's got a fantastic one and an unbelievable one."

Warren choked up and his wife, Lee Young-mi, was teary-eyed at a hospital news conference Tuesday. Hannah did not attend because she is still recovering from the surgery. She developed an infection after the operation but now is acting like a healthy 2-year-old, her doctors said.

Warren said he hopes the family can bring Hannah home for the first time in a month or so. Hannah turns 3 in August.

"It's going to be amazing for us to finally be together as a family of four," he said. The couple has an older daughter.

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Girl gets stem cell windpipe in historic operation

International Stem Cell Corporation to Present at American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy 16th Annual Meeting

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwired - May 1, 2013) - International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com) a California-based biotechnology company developing novel stem cell based therapies announced that Dr. Ruslan Semechkin, VP of Research and Development, will present additional data from the primate study of the use of neuronal cells for the treatment of Parkinson's disease at the 16th Annual Meeting of American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, May 15-18, 2013 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, UT.

The results, including more detailed analysis of the safety and functional activity of the cells, will be presented orally at the following session:

Session: Stem Cell Engineering and Therapy Date: Thursday, May 16, 2013 Time: 2:00 PM Room: Ballroom D Title: Cell Replacement Therapy for Parkinson's Disease with Neuronal Cells Derived from Human Parthenogenetic Stem Cells

In addition ISCO will present two posters detailing progress in our pre-clinical metabolic liver disease program and recent achievements with our "safe" iPS cells, induced pluripotent stem cells that do not rely on viral vectors for the genetic reprogramming. The posters will be presented on Thursday, May 16, 2013 between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm in Exhibit Hall C/D.

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available at http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To receive ongoing corporate communications via email, visit: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0

To like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for company updates and industry related news, visit: http://www.facebook.com/InternationalStemCellCorporation and http://www.twitter.com/intlstemcell

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International Stem Cell Corporation to Present at American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy 16th Annual Meeting

Girl, 2, gets stem cell windpipe

Hannah Warren, 2, with her parents Lee Young-mi and Darryl Warren. Hannah Warren received a windpipe made from her own stem cells in a landmark operation on April 9, 2013. Picture: The Korea Herald, Kim Myung-sub Source: AP

A 2-YEAR-OLD girl born without a windpipe now has a new one grown from her own stem cells, the youngest patient in the world to benefit from the experimental treatment.

Hannah Warren has been unable to breathe, eat, drink or swallow on her own since she was born in South Korea in 2010. Until the operation at a United States hospital, she had spent her entire life in a hospital in Seoul. Doctors there told her parents there was no hope and they expected her to die.

The stem cells came from Hannah's bone marrow, extracted with a special needle inserted into her hip bone. They were seeded in a lab onto a plastic scaffold, where it took less than a week for them to multiply and create a new windpipe.

About the size of an 8cm tube of penne pasta, it was implanted on April 9 in a nine-hour procedure.

Early signs indicate the windpipe is working, Hannah's doctors announced Tuesday, although she is still on a ventilator. They believe she will eventually be able to live at home and lead a normal life.

"We feel like she's reborn," said Hannah's father, Darryl Warren.

"They hope that she can do everything that a normal child can do but it's going to take time. This is a brand new road that all of us are on," he said in a telephone interview. "This is her only chance but she's got a fantastic one and an unbelievable one."

Only about one in 50,000 children worldwide are born with the same defect. The stem-cell technique has been used to make other body parts besides windpipes and holds promise for treating other birth defects and childhood diseases, her doctors said.

The operation brought together an Italian surgeon based in Sweden who pioneered the technique, a pediatric surgeon at Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria who met Hannah's family while on a business trip to South Korea, and Hannah - born to a Newfoundland man and Korean woman who married after he moved to that country to teach English.

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Girl, 2, gets stem cell windpipe

2-year-old girl gets windpipe made from stem cells

CHICAGO (AP) -- A 2-year-old girl born without a windpipe now has a new one grown from her own stem cells, the youngest patient in the world to benefit from the experimental treatment.

Hannah Warren has been unable to breathe, eat, drink or swallow on her own since she was born in South Korea in 2010. Until the operation at a central Illinois hospital, she had spent her entire life in a hospital in Seoul. Doctors there told her parents there was no hope and they expected her to die.

The stem cells came from Hannah's bone marrow, extracted with a special needle inserted into her hip bone. They were seeded in a lab onto a plastic scaffold, where it took less than a week for them to multiply and create a new windpipe.

About the size of a 3-inch tube of penne pasta, it was implanted April 9 in a nine-hour procedure.

Early signs indicate the windpipe is working, Hannah's doctors announced Tuesday, although she is still on a ventilator. They believe she will eventually be able to live at home and lead a normal life.

"We feel like she's reborn," said Hannah's father, Darryl Warren.

"They hope that she can do everything that a normal child can do but it's going to take time. This is a brand new road that all of us are on," he said in a telephone interview. "This is her only chance but she's got a fantastic one and an unbelievable one."

Only about one in 50,000 children worldwide are born with the same defect. The stem-cell technique has been used to make other body parts besides windpipes and holds promise for treating other birth defects and childhood diseases, her doctors said.

The operation brought together an Italian surgeon based in Sweden who pioneered the technique, a pediatric surgeon at Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria who met Hannah's family while on a business trip to South Korea, and Hannah born to a Newfoundland man and Korean woman who married after he moved to that country to teach English.

Hannah's parents had read about Dr. Paolo Macchiarini's success using stem-cell based tracheas but couldn't afford to pay for the operation at his center, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. So Dr. Mark Holterman helped the family arrange to have the procedure at his Peoria hospital, bringing in Macchiarini to lead the operation. Children's Hospital waived the cost, likely hundreds of thousands of dollars, Holterman said.

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2-year-old girl gets windpipe made from stem cells

Researchers Encouraged by Results from First American Clinical Trial for Stem Cell-Based Treatment of ALS

Newswise NEW ORLEANS (April 29, 2013) Researchers who completed the first American clinical trial involving stem cell-based treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) were encouraged by the trial studys results, noting that this delivery approach could be a helpful therapeutic approach for other traumatic spine-related problems.

The group focused on the safety of a direct microinjection-based technique and neural stem cell transplantation to the cervical and thoracolumbar spinal cord. Eighteen microinjection procedures delivered NSI-566RSC, a human neural stem cell, to a total of 15 patients in five cohorts. Each of the injection procedures consisted of five injections of 10l at 4mm intervals. Group A (n=6) was non-ambulatory and received unilateral (n=3) or bilateral (n=3) thoracolumbar microinjection. Groups B through E were ambulatory and received unilateral (group B, n=3) or bilateral (group C,n=3) bilateral thoracolumbar microinjection. Groups D and E received unilateral cervical (group D,n=3) or cervical plus bilateral thoracolumbar microinjection (group E,n=3). Detailed pre- and post-operative neurological outcomes were recorded, such as post-operative pain, as well as urologic, sensory and motor functions. The results of this study, Intraspinal Stem Cell Transplantation in ALS, A Phase I Trial: Cervical Microinjection Safety Outcomes, will be presented by Jonathan Patrick Riley, MD, from 10:24-10:35 a.m. on Monday, April 29. Co-authors are Jonathan Glass, MD, PhD; Karl Johe, PhD; Meraida Polak, RN; Thais Federici, PhD; Eva Feldman, MD, PhD; and Nicholas Boulis, MD, FAANS.

In the results, researchers noted that the unilateral cervical (group D,n=3) and cervical plus thoracolumbar microinjections (group E,n=3) have been completed in ambulatory patients, and that no neurological worsening was witnessed to follow either cervical or thoracolumbar microinjection. The researchers did note that one cervical microinjection patient developed a post-operative kyphotic deformity, which prompted the addition of a laminoplasty in subsequent patients. Neurologic morbidity was not observed with the delivery of a cellular payload to the cervical or thoracolumbar spine spinal cord within the test groups of this at-risk patient group. This led the researchers to opinion that more consideration should be given to this delivery approach as a possible option for neurodegenerative, oncologic and traumatic spinal cord disorders.

We are excited that the safety results of this trial have borne out what has been shown by our preclinical studies that both the cervical and thoracolumbar spinal cord are able to safely tolerate multiple targeted injections of a cellular graft, said Jonathan Patrick Riley, MD. These results support the exploration of the cellular graft dose range that may be delivered and safely tolerated. Identification of a safe dose range that the spinal cord tolerates is an important first step prior to completion of Phase II efficacy studies.

Disclosure: Jonathan Patrick Riley, MD, disclosed that Neuralstem, Inc., provided other financial or material support.

Media Representatives: The 2013 AANS Annual Meeting Press Kit includes releases on highlighted scientific research, AANS officer and award winners, National Neurosurgery Awareness Week, and other relevant information about this years program. Those releases also will be posted under the Media area on the 2013 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website (http://www.aans.org/Annual Meeting/2013/Main/Media.aspx). If you have interest in a topic related to neurosurgery or would like to interview a neurosurgeon either on-site or via telephone during this years event, please contact John Iwanski, AANS Director of Member and Public Outreach, via the onsite press room at (504) 670-4910 or e-mail him at jai@aans.org.

About the 2013 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting: Attended by neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals, the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the fields latest research and technological advances. A record-breaking 1,003 scientific abstracts were presented for review at the 2013 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, and the scientific presentations given at this years event represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery. Additional information about the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting and the Meeting Program can be found at http://www.aans.org/Annual Meeting/2013/Main/Home.aspx.

Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with nearly 8,300 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. All active members of the AANS are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Neurosurgery) of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves. For more information, visit http://www.AANS.org.

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Researchers Encouraged by Results from First American Clinical Trial for Stem Cell-Based Treatment of ALS

ViaCord® to Advance Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy Research through Collaboration with the Center for International …

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

ViaCord, PerkinElmers family cord blood and tissue preservation business, is collaborating with the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) to collect, maintain and publish research from ViaCords cord blood stem cell transplants. This collaboration will expand knowledge of cord blood-derived stem cell applications throughout the medical and research community. To date, CIBMTRs large network of transplant centers has resulted in the development of a clinical database of more than 30,000 cord blood transplant recipients for clinical decision-making, use in studies, and other research purposes with the goal of making a profound impact on the survival of cord blood transplant patients around the world. CIBMTR will work directly with ViaCord to collect and analyze data to better understand the quality and any outcome metrics of ViaCords released cord blood stem cell units as well as how the units are being used.

Collaborating with CIBMTR, which has established the industry standard for collecting data around hematopoietic cellular therapy and regenerative medicine, allows us to simultaneously gain insights into the effectiveness of the cord blood stem cell units we have released for use as well as outcomes from their clinical application, said Morey Kraus, Chief Scientific Officer, ViaCord. We are then able to incorporate data from our transplanted units into the larger database, which may be accessed for other CIBMTR studies by the medical and scientific community to further their research and understanding of cord blood stem cells.

ViaCord is working with CIBMTR to collect and publish data as well as identify outcomes unique to related or autologous (stem cells from the same patient) transplants. The collaboration will also enable the analysis of umbilical cord units released for potential future use in autologous cell therapy and regenerative medicine clinical trials, including Cerebral Palsy, Type 1 Diabetes and others.

The science of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells is growing at a rapid pace, said J. Douglas Rizzo, M.D., M.S., Associate Scientific Director, CIBMTR. We are excited to collaborate with ViaCord to provide data and analytic expertise that will assist the development of the field through research.

ViaCord's family cord blood banking services currently offers expectant families the opportunity to preserve their baby's umbilical cord blood for potential medical use by the child or a related family member. Families are also preserving their babys umbilical cord tissue because research suggests that one day these special cells may have the potential to treat medical conditions that are untreatable today. ViaCord has preserved the umbilical cord blood of more than 300,000 newborns. Twenty years ago, cord blood stem cells were used to treat just one disease, Fanconi's anemia. Today, cord blood stem cells have been used in the treatment of nearly 80 diseases, including cancers, certain blood disorders and immunodeficiencies. Please visit http://www.viacord.com for more information.

Factors Affecting Future Performance This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements relating to estimates and projections of future earnings per share, cash flow and revenue growth and other financial results, developments relating to our customers and end-markets, and plans concerning business development opportunities and divestitures. Words such as "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "projects," "forecasts," "will" and similar expressions, and references to guidance, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current assumptions and expectations and no assurances can be given that our assumptions or expectations will prove to be correct. A number of important risk factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, without limitation: (1) markets into which we sell our products declining or not growing as anticipated; (2) fluctuations in the global economic and political environments; (3) our failure to introduce new products in a timely manner; (4) our ability to execute acquisitions and license technologies, or to successfully integrate acquired businesses and licensed technologies into our existing business or to make them profitable, or successfully divest businesses; (5) our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property; (6) the loss of any of our licenses or licensed rights; (7) our ability to compete effectively; (8) fluctuation in our quarterly operating results and our ability to adjust our operations to address unexpected changes; (9) significant disruption in third-party package delivery and import/export services or significant increases in prices for those services; (10) disruptions in the supply of raw materials and supplies; (11) the manufacture and sale of products exposing us to product liability claims; (12) our failure to maintain compliance with applicable government regulations; (13) regulatory changes; (14) our failure to comply with healthcare industry regulations; (15) economic, political and other risks associated with foreign operations; (16) our ability to retain key personnel; (17) significant disruption in our information technology systems; (18) our ability to obtain future financing; (19) restrictions in our credit agreements; (20) our ability to realize the full value of our intangible assets; (21) significant fluctuations in our stock price; (22) reduction or elimination of dividends on our common stock; and (23) other factors which we describe under the caption "Risk Factors" in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

About the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research(CIBMTR) A combined research program of the National Marrow Donor Program and the Medical College of Wisconsin, the CIBMTR facilitates critical, cutting-edge research that has led to increased survival and an enriched quality of life for thousands of patients. The CIBMTR collaborates with the global scientific community to advance hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy research worldwide. The prospective and observational research is accomplished through scientific and statistical expertise, a large network of transplant centers and clinical database of more than 350,000 transplant recipients.

About PerkinElmer, Inc. PerkinElmer, Inc. is a global leader focused on improving the health and safety of people and the environment. The company reported revenue of approximately $2.1 billion in 2012, has about 7,500 employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at http://www.perkinelmer.com.

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ViaCord® to Advance Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy Research through Collaboration with the Center for International ...

Stem cell windpipe gives girl 'her only chance'

A two-year-old girl born without a windpipe now has a new one grown from her own stem cells, making her the youngest patient in the world to benefit from the experimental treatment.

Hannah Warren has been unable to breathe, eat, drink or swallow on her own since she was born in South Korea in 2010. Until the operation at a U.S. hospital, she had spent her entire life in a hospital in Seoul. Doctors there told her parents there was no hope and they expected her to die.

The stem cells came from Hannah's bone marrow, extracted with a special needle inserted into her hip bone. They were seeded in a lab onto a plastic scaffold, where it took less than a week for them to multiply and create a new windpipe.

The windpipe was implanted April 9 in a nine-hour procedure.

Early signs indicate the windpipe is working, Hannah's doctors announced Tuesday, although she is still on a ventilator. They believe she will eventually be able to live at home and lead a normal life.

"We feel like she's reborn," said Hannah's father, Darryl Warren.

"They hope that she can do everything that a normal child can do but it's going to take time. This is a brand new road that all of us are on," he said in a telephone interview. "This is her only chance but she's got a fantastic one and an unbelievable one."

Warren choked up and his wife, Lee Young-mi, was teary-eyed at a hospital news conference Tuesday. Hannah did not attend because she is still recovering from the surgery. She developed an infection after the operation but now is acting like a healthy 2-year-old, her doctors said.

Warren said he hopes the family can bring Hannah home for the first time in a month or so. Hannah turns 3 in August.

"It's going to be amazing for us to finally be together as a family of four," he said. The couple has an older daughter.

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Stem cell windpipe gives girl 'her only chance'

Stem-cell windpipe gives 2-year-old chance for normal life

A 2-year-old girl born without a windpipe now has a new one grown from her own stem cells, the youngest patient in the world to benefit from the experimental treatment.

Hannah Warren has been unable to breathe, eat, drink or swallow on her own since she was born in South Korea in 2010. Until the operation at a central Illinois hospital, she had spent her entire life in a hospital in Seoul. Doctors there told her parents there was no hope and they expected her to die.

The stem cells came from Hannah's bone marrow, extracted with a special needle inserted into her hip bone. They were seeded in a lab onto a plastic scaffold, where it took less than a week for them to multiply and create a new windpipe.

About the size of a 3-inch tube of penne pasta, it was implanted April 9 in a nine-hour procedure.

Early signs indicate the windpipe is working, Hannah's doctors announced Tuesday, although she is still on a ventilator. They believe she will eventually be able to live at home and lead a normal life.

"We feel like she's reborn," said Hannah's father, Darryl Warren.

"They hope that she can do everything that a normal child can do but it's going to take time. This is a brand new road that all of us are on," he said in a telephone interview. "This is her only chance but she's got a fantastic one and an unbelievable one."

Warren choked up and his wife, Lee Young-mi, was teary-eyed at a hospital news conference Tuesday. Hannah did not attend because she is still recovering from the surgery. She developed an infection after the operation but now is acting like a healthy 2-year-old, her doctors said.

Warren said he hopes the family can bring Hannah home for the first time in a month or so. Hannah turns 3 in August.

"It's going to be amazing for us to finally be together as a family of four," he said. The couple has an older daughter.

Continued here:
Stem-cell windpipe gives 2-year-old chance for normal life