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Whitehead Members to Help Establish International Stem Cell Research Center

By adminOctober 2, 2012Stem Cell Medical Center

Newswise CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (October 1, 2012) Three Members of the Whitehead Institute faculty are poised to play significant roles in the establishment of a new stem cell research center based at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skolkovo Tech) in suburban Moscow.

Whitehead Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch, and Members Richard Young and Peter Reddien, will contribute their research, educational, and entrepreneurial expertise to the Skolkovo Center for Stem Cell Research (SCSCR). The center is among the first of three core research facilities to be created at Skolkovo Tech, a private graduate research university in Skolkovo, Russia, established in 2011 in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Skolkovo Techs research centersknown as Centers for Research, Education, and Innovation (CREIs) are intended to advance scientific understanding in a particular field, develop cutting-edge technologies for potential commercialization, attract world-class scientists to Skolkovo, and train the next generations of promising students. CREIs are international partnerships consisting of researchers from at least three universities or research institutes: Skolkovo Tech, a Russian university or institute, and a non-Russian university. As part of SCSCR, the Whitehead scientists will join a team under the direction of Peter Lansdorp, Director of the European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging at University of Groningen Medical Center UMCG in the Netherlands.

This is a very promising experiment, Lansdorp says. By stimulating international collaboration, it is certain to advance stem cell science while at the same time helping Russian studentstrained by leading stem cell scientists from Whitehead Institute and the Netherlandsto become productive scientists in Moscow."

Within SCSCR, Lansdorp, Jaenisch, Young, Reddien and others will tackle some of the most fundamental challenges to the development of stem-cell-based therapeutics, including optimizing methods for cellular reprogramming, pluripotent stem cell differentiation, and the identification of gene networks involved in stem cell regulation and regeneration.

Although funding details for the stem cell center are not yet final, Skolkovo officials say that a typical CREI receives about $10 million worth of funding, depending on the scope of each research program.

Skolkovos research centers are unique in their synergy between scientific knowledge and practical application, which originates through various institutes working together in a new way, says Skolkovo Tech President Edward Crawley. Russian researchers gain access to cutting edge technologies and the opportunity to integrate into the world's scientific community, our international partners will benefit from the academic knowledge and new ideas produced within Russian institutes, and Skolkovo Tech will attract the world's best scientists to create its educational and research programs.

Written by Matt Fearer

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Whitehead Members to Help Establish International Stem Cell Research Center

Health Link Medical Center Introduces the Regenexx™ Orthopedic Stem Cell Treatments to the San Francisco Area

By adminOctober 2, 2012Stem Cell Clinic

OCEANSIDE, Calif., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Health Link Medical Center, a national leader in regenerative interventional orthopedics and advanced biological cell therapies, today announced the planned opening of their new location in Mill Valley, California in October 2012. Health Link Medical Center's Oceanside, California clinic is currently California's only provider of Regenexx orthopedic platelet and autologous stem cell procedures.

Regenexx Procedures offer non-surgical treatment options for common joint injuries and degenerative conditions, such as osteoarthritis. The procedures utilize a patient's own stem cells to help heal damaged tissues, tendons, ligaments, bone, or cartilage. Regenexx patients experience less downtime and avoid the lengthy and painful rehabilitation periods that follow surgery.

"We're excited for the opportunity to bring Regenexx Procedures to the San Francisco area," said Dr. Norman Deitch, CEO of Health Link Medical Center. "Patients regularly travel across the country for the opportunity to receive these leading non-surgical treatments. This expansion makes them conveniently accessible to the millions of individuals in northern California."

The Mill Valley Center will include a biological cell laboratory, capable of the advanced laboratory processing of platelets and stem cells required for the same-day procedures. Paul Handleman, D.O., has joined Health Link with an extensive interventional orthopedic background and has been in practice in Marin County, California for more than 15 years. Dr. Handleman has undergone advanced training at the Regenexx / Centeno-Schultz home clinic in Broomfield, Colorado.

Regenexx Procedures are currently performed at Health Link's Oceanside, CA. location. The Mill Valley Center opening is slated for October 2012 and Health Link is already scheduling patients for the new location. For more information, visit http://www.healthlinkcenter.com or call 800-281-3757.

About Health Link Medical Center

Based in Oceanside, California, Health Link Medical Center is a leader in regenerative interventional orthopedics and advanced biological cell therapies. Health Link is California's first provider of Regenexx Stem Cell and Blood Platelet Procedures. Learn more at http://www.healthlinkcenter.com.

About Regenexx and the Regenexx Physician Network

Regenexx Procedures offer non-surgical treatments for joint injuries and degenerative conditions. For more information on Regenexx Procedures and the Regenexx Physician Network, visit: http://www.regenexx.com

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Health Link Medical Center Introduces the Regenexx™ Orthopedic Stem Cell Treatments to the San Francisco Area

Translational Regenerative Medicine: Market Prospects 2012-2022

By adminOctober 2, 2012Uncategorized

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Translational Regenerative Medicine: Market Prospects 2012-2022

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Report Details

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See what the future holds for translational regenerative medicine. Visiongain's updated report lets you assess forecasted sales at overall world market, submarket, product and regional level to 2022.

There you investigate the most lucrative areas in that research field, industry and market. Discover prospects for tissue-engineered products, stem cell treatments and gene therapy.

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Translational Regenerative Medicine: Market Prospects 2012-2022

Houston Stem Cell Summit Announces Extraordinary Lineup of Keynote Speakers

By adminOctober 2, 2012Uncategorized

HOUSTON, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Houston Stem Cell Summit will host an extraordinary lineup of keynote speakers who represent the most accomplished stem cell scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs in the United States. Joining these distinguished speakers will be Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, consistent champion of adult stem cell therapies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120831/NY66463LOGO )

The Houston Stem Cell Summit will be held October 26 27 in its namesake city and will highlight the latest therapeutic research regarding the use of adult stem and progenitor cell therapies. The Summit will also provide a forum for entrepreneurs to discuss their latest efforts to commercialize stem cell therapies, and to debate and discuss FDA and other legal and regulatory issues impacting stem cell research and commercialization.

Opening Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Arnold I. Caplan, PhD, Professor of Biology and Professor of General Medical Sciences (Oncology) Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Caplan has helped shape the direction and focus of adult stem cell research and commercialization. Virtually every adult stem cell company and literally tens of thousands of research papers are based on Dr. Caplan's original and ground breaking research. Professor Caplan is considered to be the "father" of the mesenchymal stem cell and first described this progenitor cell in his landmark paper; "Mesenchymal stem cells", Journal of Orthopaedic Research 1991;9(5):641-650. Since that foundational study, Dr. Caplan has published over 360 manuscripts and articles in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Caplan has been Chief Scientific Officer at OrthoCyte Corporation since 2010. In addition, Dr. Caplan co-founded Cell Targeting Inc. and has served as President of Skeletech, Inc. as its founder. He is the recipient of several honors and awards from the orthopedic research community. Dr. Caplan holds a Ph. D. from Johns Hopkins University Medical School and a B.S. in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Summit Keynote Address October 26, 2012 Texas Governor Rick Perry

Governor Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. Governor Perry has long championed the role of medical technologies in building the future of not only Texas, but also the United States. In many ways, his strong advocacy on behalf of research and advanced medical technologies is one of his strongest and as yet underappreciated legacies. In addition to his service to the state of Texas, Governor Perry has also served as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2008 and again in 2011. Despite a rigorous schedule, particularly in the teeth of this election season, Governor Perry has graciously made time to speak and encourage the researchers, patients, companies and physicians who form the fabric and future of the stem cell therapy community.

Texas Medical Center Keynote Address, October 27, 2012 James T. Willerson, MD

Over the course of his career, Dr. James T. Willerson has served as a medical, scientific and administrative leader for each of the major institutions that are the foundation of the Texas Medical Center. Dr. Willerson is currently President and Medical Director, Director of Cardiology Research, and Co-Director of the Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratories at Texas Heart Institute (THI). Dr. Willerson was appointed President-Elect of THI in 2004 and became President and Medical Director in 2008. He is also an adjunct professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the former chief of Cardiology at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and the former chief of Medical Services at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Dr. Willerson has served as a visiting professor and invited lecturer at more than 170 institutions.

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Houston Stem Cell Summit Announces Extraordinary Lineup of Keynote Speakers

Experimental Stem Cell Therapy May Help Burn Victims

By adminOctober 2, 2012Uncategorized

For more than 40 years, Lesley Kelly of Glasgow, Scotland, lived with third-degree burns that stretched over 60 percent of her body.

Kelly was 2 years old when she fell into a bathtub filled with hot water that scorched most of the right side of her body. She lost full range of motion around many of her joints.

"When you have bad scarring, the buildup is very thick and has no elasticity," said Kelly, 45, whose right elbow was most affected by the buildup of scar tissue. "The problem with thermal burn scarring [is that] it's hard to get the range of motion."

Kelly underwent numerous reparative surgeries through the years, but the scar tissue continued to grow back. The procedures did not lessen the look of her scars.

In 2011, Kelly underwent a new, experimental procedure that used stem cells from her own fat tissue to repair the buildup around her right elbow.

Surgeons cleaned the scar buildup around the elbow and used liposuction to pull fat from off Kelly's waist. They separated the fat cells from the stem and regenerative cells, which were then injected into the wound on Kelly's arm. The procedure took less than two hours.

Within months, Kelly was able to regain 40 degrees of motion that she had lost more than 40 years ago.

"If this technology was available earlier in my life, my scars would not have been as bad," said Kelly.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 burn cases each year in the U.S., according to the American Burn Association.

The stem cell therapy, approved in the U.K. to treat soft tissue wounds, is now gaining traction in the U.S.

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Experimental Stem Cell Therapy May Help Burn Victims

New Therapy May Help Burn Victims

By adminOctober 2, 2012Uncategorized

Lesley Kelly, 45, underwent stem cell therapy to repair scar tissue buildup in her right arm. (Cytori Therapeutics, Inc.)

By Lara Salahi, ABC News For more than 40 years, Lesley Kelly of Glasgow, Scotland, lived with third-degree burns that stretched over 60 percent of her body.

Kelly was 2 years old when she fell into a bathtub filled with hot water that scorched most of the right side of her body. She lost full range of motion around many of her joints.

Kelly underwent numerous reparative surgeries through the years, but the scar tissue continued to grow back. The procedures did not lessen the look of her scars.

In 2011, Kelly underwent a new, experimental procedure that used stem cells from her own fat tissue to repair the buildup around her right elbow.

Within months, Kelly was able to regain 40 degrees of motion that she had lost more than 40 years ago.

"If this technology was available earlier in my life, my scars would not have been as bad," said Kelly.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 burn cases each year in the U.S., according to the American Burn Association.

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New Therapy May Help Burn Victims

RBCC: Could Stem Cells Hold the Key to Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries?

By adminOctober 2, 2012Stem Cell Treatment

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As part of Rainbow Coral Corp.s mission to deliver effective new cures for traumatic brain injury, the company is investigating promising research on the potential of stem cell therapy to improve the lives of millions suffering from the affliction.

Scientists within the U.S. medical community have begun to see positive results from the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) through the use of stem cells. Significant improvements are seen between three to six months after treatment in brain injury patients.

RBCC is working hard to capitalize on the growing demand for effective treatments for TBI, Parkinsons and other neurological health issues. RBCC is continuing discussions with the license holders for a NASA-developed bioreactor that assists in the expansion of adult stem cells. Such treatments could give RBCC access to markets in excess of $100 billion.

Rainbow BioSciences is dedicated to developing new medical and research technology innovations to compete alongside companies such as Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN),Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTIC), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) andAffymax, Inc.(NASDAQ:AFFY).

For more information on Rainbow BioSciences, please visit http://www.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.

About Rainbow BioSciences

Rainbow BioSciences is a division ofRainbow Coral Corp.(OTCBB:RBCC). The company continually seeks out new partnerships with biotechnology developers to deliver profitable new medical technologies and innovations. For more information on our growth-oriented business initiatives, please visit our website at [www.rainbowbiosciences.com]. For investment information and performance data on the company, please visitwww.RainbowBioSciences.com/investors.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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RBCC: Could Stem Cells Hold the Key to Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Pediatric Cancer Researcher Recruited to Louisville, Bringing New Treatments for Deadly Childhood Cancers

By adminOctober 2, 2012Stem Cell Treatment

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Kenneth Lucas, M.D., has joined University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics as division chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, and Kosair Childrens Hospital as Chief, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Formerly a Pennsylvania State University researcher and pediatric cancer physician, Lucas brings with him the Phase 1 Trial of a vaccine to prevent recurrence of neuroblastoma and sarcoma, among the most common and deadly of all childhood cancers.

The trial, which began at Penn State a year and one-half ago, is generating referrals from around the world. With Lucass appointment, The Addison Jo Blair Cancer Center at Kosair Childrens Hospital will be the primary site for this trial. Thus far, he has recruited about half the patients allowed for this study.

Having Dr. Lucas join our faculty and take over leadership of our pediatric cancer program is a step forward for the children with cancer in our community and a tribute to the acclaim our cancer specialists have already earned, said Gerard P. Rabalais, M.D., chairman, University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics. His innovative childhood cancer treatment will significantly advance our mission to bring new clinical pediatric knowledge to the bedside and provide excellent healthcare to the regions children.

Kosair Childrens Hospitals cancer center is rated among the best in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Dr. Lucass new therapies could propel us to the very top of that list. Currently, there are only three or four centers nationwide doing pediatric cancer vaccine studies, so we are very excited to be able to add this treatment, said Thomas D. Kmetz, division president, Womens and Childrens Services, president, Kosair Childrens Hospital.

Lucas replaces Salvatore Bertolone, M.D., who has been named University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics Chief Clinical Operations Officer. Bertolone will continue to see pediatric cancer patients in addition to overseeing the operations of the departments 13 subspecialty practices.

With the addition of Dr. Lucass vaccine studies, we can offer children in Kentucky and beyond a new way to treat cancer, potentially boosting a childs immune response to attack cancer cells. Now children with cancer from Kentucky can receive the latest state-of-the-art care in their own community, where they can rely on family members and friends at a very turbulent time, Bertolone noted.

Phase 1 Clinical Trial: Decitabine and Vaccine Therapy for Relapsed Neuroblastoma and Sarcoma

This leading edge therapy combines two techniques. First, the patients blood is collected and separated so that a vaccine against specific cancer proteins can be grown. It takes about a month to grow the vaccine.

The child is then given a low dose of chemotherapywhich causes the body to produce more of the targeted cancer proteinsand vaccinated with the protein-specific serum. The vaccine prompts the childs own immune system to attack and kill the cancer proteins and tumor cells. The treatment typically takes four months to complete.

Quebec lowers maximum age for stem-cell donor registration

By adminOctober 2, 2012Stem Cell Treatment

Hma-Qubec has lowered the maximum age of those who can sign up to be stem-cell donors from 50 to 35, raising concerns among some people in minority ethnic communities that the policy will limit their chances of finding a match if they get certain forms of cancer.

The organization that runs Quebec's blood and tissue bank made the change quietly last fall, only mentioning it in a newsletter it published in February.

The director of Hma-Qubec's stem cell donor registry, Diane Roy, said transplant doctors generally prefer younger donors because their stem cells have an increased chance of survival for recipients. Plus, it costs nearly $500 to test each potential donor, which there's no point in spending on older donors if the doctors who are using the stem cells don't want them.

Hma-Qubec also maintains that while in the rest of Canada, people can still register to be stem cell donors up to age 50, many European countries cut off registration at age 35.

However, in France and Belgium, the maximum age is still 50, while in Britain it's 40.

Hma-Qubec's new policy is already turning away potential donors of stem cells.

Steve Bonspiel, a 36-year-old Mohawk man, attended a special stem cell donor drive a few weeks ago to help find a match for a cancer patient from the Kahnawake First Nation. Bonspiel said he was surprised when Hma-Qubec told him he couldn't be a donor, but he pushed and eventually was allowed to provide a sample though other, older Mohawks were turned away.

The new policy will make it especially harder for people from smaller ethnic communities to find a donor match, he said.

"For Mohawks and for native people, our pool all of a sudden is a lot smaller," Bonspiel said. "For anybody who is suffering from leukemia who needs a bone marrow transplant, all of a sudden their primary pool has been reduced.

"There's only so many Mohawk people, there's only so many native people. So we have a special DNA makeup, so now they have to go to other places, elsewhere across the country, across the province. There's not a lot of people who want to be donors."

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Quebec lowers maximum age for stem-cell donor registration

Immune system harnessed to improve stem cell transplant outcomes

By adminOctober 2, 2012Stem Cell Treatment

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) A novel therapy in the early stages of development at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center shows promise in providing lasting protection against the progression of multiple myeloma following a stem cell transplant by making the cancer cells easier targets for the immune system.

Outlined in the British Journal of Hematology, the Phase II clinical trial was led by Amir Toor, M.D., hematologist-oncologist in the Bone Marrow Transplant Program and research member of the Developmental Therapeutics program at VCU Massey Cancer Center. The multi-phased therapy first treats patients with a combination of the drugs azacitidine and lenalidomide. Azacitidine forces the cancer cells to express proteins called cancer testis antigens (CTA) that immune system cells called T-cell lymphocytes recognize as foreign. The lenalidomide then boosts the production of T-cell lymphocytes. Using a process called autologous lymphocyte infusion (ALI), the T-cell lymphocytes are then extracted from the patient and given back to them after they undergo a stem cell transplant to restore the stem cells' normal function. Now able to recognize the cancer cells as foreign, the T-cell lymphocytes can potentially protect against a recurrence of multiple myeloma following the stem cell transplant.

"Every cell in the body expresses proteins on their surface that immune system cells scan like a barcode in order to determine whether the cells are normal or if they are foreign. Because multiple myeloma cells are spawned from bone marrow, immune system cells cannot distinguish them from normal healthy cells," says Toor. "Azacitidine essentially changes the barcode on the multiple myeloma cells, causing the immune system cells to attack them," says Toor.

The goal of the trial was to determine whether it was safe, and even possible, to administer the two drugs in combination with an ALI. In total, 14 patients successfully completed the investigational drug therapy. Thirteen of the participants successfully completed the investigational therapy and underwent a stem cell transplant. Four patients had a complete response, meaning no trace of multiple myeloma was detected, and five patients had a very good partial response in which the level of abnormal proteins in their blood decreased by 90 percent.

In order to determine whether the azacitidine caused an increased expression of CTA in the multiple myeloma cells, Toor collaborated with Masoud Manjili, D.V.M., Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at VCU Massey, to conduct laboratory analyses on bone marrow biopsies taken from trial participants before and after treatments. Each patient tested showed an over-expression of multiple CTA, indicating the treatment was successful at forcing the cancer cells to produce these "targets" for the immune system.

"We designed this therapy in a way that could be replicated, fairly inexpensively, at any facility equipped to perform a stem cell transplant," says Toor. "We plan to continue to explore the possibilities of immunotherapies in multiple myeloma patients in search for more effective therapies for this very hard-to-treat disease."

In addition to Manjili, Toor collaborated with John McCarty, M.D., director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at VCU Massey, and Harold Chung, M.D., William Clark, M.D., Catherine Roberts, Ph.D., and Allison Hazlett, also all from Massey's Bone Marrow Transplant Program; Kyle Payne, Maciej Kmieciak, Ph.D., from Massey and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at VCU School of Medicine; Roy Sabo, Ph.D., from VCU Department of Biostatistics and the Developmental Therapeutics program at Massey; and David Williams, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Pathology at VCU School of Medicine, co-director of the Tissue and Data Acquisition and Analysis Core and research member of the Developmental Therapeutics program at Massey.

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Immune system harnessed to improve stem cell transplant outcomes