Revolutionary Stem Cell Treatment Repairs Spinal Cord Injuries In Paralyzed Dogs – Video

Revolutionary Stem Cell Treatment Repairs Spinal Cord Injuries In Paralyzed Dogs
Cambridge University announced the breakthrough in a press release on Nov. 19, coincident with the publication of their findings in the November issue of the neurology journal Brain, currently in press. http://www.youtube.com http://www.lifenews.comFrom:OuranianProductionsViews:9 0ratingsTime:01:01More inScience Technology

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Revolutionary Stem Cell Treatment Repairs Spinal Cord Injuries In Paralyzed Dogs - Video

Man Cites Raid In Wife's Death

Posted: Nov. 22, 2012 | 2:00 a.m.

An 86-year-old medical researcher charged with defrauding chronically ill patients in a stem cell implant scheme blamed the government Wednesday for the death of his wife.

After three hours of testimony, the Romanian-born Alfred Sapse told the jury in his federal trial that he believes the conduct of federal agents during a raid at his Las Vegas residence early in the investigation traumatized his 88-year-old wife, Renee, who was bedridden at the time.

Under questioning from his defense lawyer, Daniel Albregts, Sapse testified that federal agents threatened to have her removed from the residence if he failed to cooperate with investigators.

Sapse, speaking in a thick Romanian accent, said three days after the raid he found his wife outside on their balcony during a cold winter night, and she caught pneumonia and later died.

Sapse said he wrote a letter complaining about the couple's treatment to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which led the raid, but the agency never did anything about it.

His testimony followed a lengthy stint on the witness stand Monday and Tuesday by his co-defendant, Henderson pediatrician Ralph Conti, who has been practicing medicine here since 1990.

Sapse and Conti, 51, are facing conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud charges in the courtroom of Senior U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson. The trial is in its third week and will continue Monday with the cross-examination of Sapse.

In his testimony Wednesday, Sapse said he earned his medical degree in Romania and acknowledged he was not a licensed doctor in the United States.

He said he has spent most of his medical career as a researcher, and he took credit for developing the anti-aging drug Gerovital and getting it legalized in Nevada in the 1970s when the FDA wouldn't approve it.

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Man Cites Raid In Wife's Death

Revolutionary Stem Cell Treatment Repairs Spinal Cord Injuries In Paralyzed Dogs

Editor's Choice Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Veterinary Article Date: 20 Nov 2012 - 3:00 PST

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For many years, scientists have been aware that olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) could be helpful in treating the damaged spinal cord because of their distinctive properties. The unique cells have the capacity to support nerve fiber growth that preserves a pathway between the nose and the brain.

Earlier studies consisting of laboratory animals have shown that OECs can be helpful in regeneration of the parts of nerve cells that pass on signals (axons). OECs were used as a bridge linking damaged and undamaged tissues in the spinal cord. A Phase 1 trial in humans with spinal cord injuries has determined that the procedure is safe.

The current study, published in the journal Brain, is the first double-blinded, randomized, controlled study to examine the effectiveness of these transplants to increase function in spinal cord injuries. The trial used animals with spontaneous and accidental spinal cord injuries. This method resembled closely the way the procedure could potentially work for human patients.

The study included 34 dogs that all suffered critical spinal cord injuries (SCIs). A year or more after the injury, the dogs were without the ability to use their legs and were unable to feel pain in their hind legs and adjoining areas.

One group involved in the study received OECs from the lining of their own nose injected into the injured area. The other group of dogs were injected with only the liquid in which the cells were transplanted. The researchers and the owners were both in the dark about which dogs received which type of injections.

The dogs were analyzed for adverse reactions during a 24 hour period before being returned to their owners. After that, they were tested every month for neurological function and to have their walking manner assessed on a treadmill while being supported in a harness. Specifically, the researchers watched to see if the dogs could coordinate the movement of their front and back legs.

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Revolutionary Stem Cell Treatment Repairs Spinal Cord Injuries In Paralyzed Dogs

Stem cells develop best in 3-D

Public release date: 21-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Anne Grapin-Botton anne.grapin-botton@sund.ku.dk (45) 29-63-43-98 University of Copenhagen

Scientists from The Danish Stem Cell Center (DanStem) at the University of Copenhagen are contributing important knowledge about how stem cells develop best into insulin-producing cells. In the long term this new knowledge can improve diabetes treatment with cell therapy. The results have just been published in the scientific journal Cell Reports.

Stem cells are responsible for tissue growth and tissue repair after injury. Therefore, the discovery that these vital cells grow better in a three-dimensional environment is important for the future treatment of disease with stem cell therapy.

"We can see that the quality of the cells produced two-dimensionally is not good enough. By putting the cells in a three-dimensional environment and giving them the proper growth conditions, we get much better results. Therefore we are developing a three-dimensional culture medium in gelatine in the laboratory to mimic the one inside an embryo," says Professor Anne Grapin-Botton from DanStem at the University of Copenhagen, who produced the results together with colleagues from Switzerland and Belgium.

The international research team hopes that the new knowledge about three-dimensional cell growth environments can make a significant contribution to the development of cell therapies for treating diabetes. In the long term this knowledge can also be used to develop stem cell treatments for chronic diseases in internal organs such as the liver or lungs. Like the pancreas, these organs are developed from stem cells in 3D.

From stem cells to specialised cells

The research team has investigated how the three-dimensional organisation of tissue in the early embryonic stage influences development from stem cells to more specialised cells.

"We can see that the pancreas looks like a beautiful little tree with branches. Stem cells along the branches need this structure to be able to create insulin-producing cells in the embryo. Our research suggests that in the laboratory beta cells can develop better from stem cells in 3D than if we try to get them to develop flat in a Petri dish," explains Professor Grapin-Botton.

"Attempts to develop functional beta cells in 2D have unfortunately most often resulted in poorly functioning cells. Our results from developing cells in 3D have yielded promising results and are therefore an important step on the way to developing cell therapies for treating diabetes."

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Stem cells develop best in 3-D