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Chicago woman cured of sickle cell disease

By Stem Cell Treatment

ScienceDaily (June 18, 2012) Chicagoan Ieshea Thomas is the first Midwest patient to receive a successful stem cell transplant to cure her sickle cell disease without chemotherapy in preparation for the transplant.

University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System physicians performed the procedure using medication to suppress her immune system and one small dose of total body radiation right before the transplant.

The transplant technique is relatively uncommon and is a much more tolerable treatment for patients with aggressive sickle cell disease who often have underlying organ disease and other complications, says Dr. Damiano Rondelli, professor of medicine at UIC, who performed Thomas's transplant.

The procedure initially allows a patient's own bone marrow to coexist with that of the donor. Since the patient's bone marrow is not completely destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation prior to transplant, part of the immune defense survives, lessening the risk of infection. The goal is for the transplanted stem cells to gradually take over the bone marrow's role to produce red blood cells -- normal, healthy ones.

Thomas, 33, had her first sickle cell crisis when she was just 8 months old. Her disease became progressively worse as an adult, particularly after the birth of her daughter. She has spent most of her adult life in and out of hospitals with severe pain and has relied on repeated red blood cell transfusions. Her sickle cell disease also caused bone damage requiring two hip replacements.

"I just want to be at home with my daughter every day and every night," said Thomas, who depends on family to help care for her daughter during her frequent hospitalizations.

This type of stem cell transplant is only possible for patients who have a healthy sibling who is a compatible donor.

Thomas' sister was a match and agreed to donate blood stem cells through a process called leukapheresis. Several days prior to leukapheresis, Thomas' sister was given drugs to increase the number of stem cells released into the bloodstream. Her blood was then processed through a machine that collects white cells, including stem cells. The stem cells were frozen until the transplant.

Last Nov. 23, four bags of frozen stem cells were delivered to the hospital's blood and marrow transplant unit. One by one, the bags were thawed and hung on an IV pole for infusion into Thomas. The procedure took approximately one hour. Her 13-year-old daughter, Miayatha, was at her bedside.

Six months after the transplant, Thomas is cured of sickle cell disease and no longer requires blood transfusions.

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Chicago woman cured of sickle cell disease

Stemtech: Stem cell nutrition could eclipse antioxidant supplement market

By Stem Cell Medicine

The emerging field of stem cell nutrition has the potential to eclipse the massive antioxidant supplement business according to the boss of the Californian firm responsible for creating a completely new category in nutritional supplements.

Ray Carter Jr, CEO of Stemtech International, was speaking to NutraIngredients-USA after signing a multi-million dollar deal with Australian biotech firm Marinova to include its proprietary Fucoidan ingredients in Stemtechs new SE2 supplement.

The next generation of Stemtechs best-selling StemEnhance supplement, SE2 also includes a concentrate of blue-green algae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), the herb Polygonum multiflorum and the fungus Cordyceps sinensis.

Adult stem cells, tissue maintenance and repair

SE2 helps increase the number of adult stem cells or master cells that are released into the bloodstream before migrating into tissues where they reproduce and become new healthy cells, effectively helping the body renew and repair itself, claimed Carter.

Stemtech products have already generated more than $200m in sales since 2005, he added: Stem cell nutrition addresses a brand new way to support health [and]has the potential to eclipse the massive antioxidant supplement business.

When consumers first heard the words stem cell, they were inundated with media reports about the controversy and promise of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research.

Fast forward to today, and they are beginning to learn that adult stem cells actually show much more clinical promise without the ethical and moral controversy surrounding ESCs.

The bodys natural renewal system

Adult stem cellshave been shown to be the bodys natural renewal system, he claimed.

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Stemtech: Stem cell nutrition could eclipse antioxidant supplement market

Stem Cell Scientist Shinya Yamanaka Receives Millennium Technology Award

By Uncategorized

By Anne Holden on June 18, 2012

Gladstone Institutes Senior Investigator Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, a professor of anatomy at UCSF, has won the Millennium Technology Award Grand Prize, the worlds largest and most prominent technology award.

Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD

This award recognizes Yamanakas discovery of a way to turn adult skin cells into cells that act like embryonic stem cells. This discovery has since altered the fields of cell biology and stem cell research, offering new hope for the future of both personalized and regenerative medicine.

Yamanaka and Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, were named laureates or finalists for the 2012 prize in April. For the first time in the awards history, both laureates were named joint Grand Prize winners today by the President of the Republic of Finland. Yamanaka and Torvalds will share 1.2 million Euros.

Six years ago, Yamanaka discovered that altering the genes of adult skin cells in mice allowed him to induce the cells into becoming like embryonic stem cells. He called them induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. In 2007, he announced that he had done the same with human adult skin cells.

Scientists all over the world are using Yamanakas method to create stem cells and making great strides in research, said Ainomaija Haarla, president of Technology Academy Finland. His achievement has had a great impact on research in medicine and biotechnology as pluripotent stem cells are already being used for medical drug testing and the growth of implant tissues. Yamanaka is unquestionably the father of this innovation.

Many see iPS cell technology as an entirely new platform for fundamental studies of human disease. Rather than using disease models made in yeast, flies or mice for research, iPS technology lets scientists create human stem cells from the skin cells of patients with a specific disease. As a result, the iPS cells contain a complete set of the genes that resulted in that disease representing the potential of a far-superior human model for studying disease development, new drugs and treatments. In the future, iPS cells could be used to test both drug safety and efficacy for an individual patient.

The Millennium Technology Prize is Finlands tribute to technological innovation that significantly improves the quality of human life today and for future generations. Notable past recipients include Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Professor Shuji Nakamura, inventor of revolutionary light sources, Professor Robert Langer, inventor of biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration and Professor Michael Grtzel, inventor of dye-sensitized solar cells.

as researchers and physicians we must continue to innovate new solutions that will help improve the lives of millions worldwide affected by these and many other diseases.

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Stem Cell Scientist Shinya Yamanaka Receives Millennium Technology Award

Sistemic to Moderate Regenerative Medicine Panel at 2012 Bio International Convention

By Uncategorized

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Sistemic Ltd., a leading provider of microRNA-based problem-solving services and kit-based products to the Cell Therapy community, announced today that chairman and CEO Jim Reid is moderating a panel discussion at the 2012 Bio International Convention on Wednesday, June 20, in Boston. Featuring leaders from the regenerative medicine space, the panel is titled Stem Cell Therapies Fact or Fiction, and will share the lessons learned to-date from Scottish, European and American perspectives on the path to successfulcommercialization of stem cell therapies.

Jim Reid, Sistemic CEO, commented, "Sistemic is very active in the CellTherapyarena and aremembersof Alliance for Advanced Therapies (AAT) and the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM). We see the ability to raise this topic at the leading world event, BIO 2012, as animportantstep on the path to commercialization of these products which will be transformational in healthcare, and bring hope and cures to many people around the globe."

More information on the panel at BIO 2012:

What: Panel Discussion Featuring Leaders in the Regenerative Medicine Space

When: Wednesday, June 20, 3:00PM EDT

Where: Boston Convention Center, Room 254A

Who: Leaders of the Regenerative Medicine space:

Panel objectives include evaluating lessons learned and best practice including from the Scotland Roadmap for the commercialization of stem cell therapies; identifying global (US and EU) examples of progress in stem cell therapy commercialization; and facilitating a debate on the need for a global, multi-disciplinary approach to successful commercialization of stem cell therapies.

About Sistemic Ltd

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Sistemic to Moderate Regenerative Medicine Panel at 2012 Bio International Convention

Royal Oak Veterinarian Dr. Simon First in Michigan to Offer In-House Adult Pet Stem Cell Therapy

By Stem Cell Treatment

ROYAL OAK, Mich., June 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Woodside Animal Hospital announced they have added both stem cell therapy and cold laser therapy to their suite of services. These two cutting edge treatments are done entirely in-house, no third-party lab work is required. Royal Oak veterinarian Dr. John Simon is the first Michigan veterinarian to provide pets with in-house adult stem cell therapy. The stem cells are derived from the pet's fat deposits and absolutely no embryonic tissue is used.

"As a holistic veterinarian, I am committed to providing high quality, cutting-edge care that combines traditional veterinary care with advanced holistic treatments," said Dr. Simon. "Our in-house stem cell therapy and cold laser therapy procedures alleviate pain in limping dogs and promote internal healing following an injury. I also recommend these procedures for pets with osteoarthritis."

Cold laser therapy is a non-surgical approach to pain management. Holistic equine veterinarians have used the procedure for over 20 years to treat injuries and joint pain. Today, veterinarians are using cold laser therapy to provide natural pain relief for injured pets.

According to Dr. Simon, cold laser therapy works by using a low-level energy beam to penetrate just below the skin's surface. Injured cells use the laser's energy to repair cellular damage. This provides relief for pain and swelling following a soft tissue injury, such as a ligament, tendon or muscle strain.

"Cold laser therapy is a revolutionary treatment for natural pain management in animals," said the Royal Oak veterinarian. "Laser therapy allows for advanced pain management, especially for pets suffering from chronic conditions or soft tissue injuries."

Woodside Animal Hospital also provides in-house pet stem cell therapy. This treatment uses adult stem cells collected from a dog's fat deposits to promote the growth of new soft tissue and cartilage. By performing the whole procedure in the clinic, the stem cells can be harvested and re-injected on the same day.

"Our in-house pet stem cell therapy is an affordable, same-day treatment that helps dogs suffering from joint pain, osteoarthritis, soft tissue injuries and hip dysplasia," said Dr. Simon. "As pets age, it's natural that their range of movement becomes restricted. While oral joint care supplements and prescription painkillers can help, medication alone cannot restore a full range of movement. Our treatments help restore activity and movement."

In addition to cold laser therapy and stem cell therapy, Dr. Simon also provides holistic treatments for cancer in dogs, cat and dog rashes, and dietary needs. The Royal Oak practice is a full-service animal hospital with wellness care, vaccinations and surgical procedures.

Dr. Simon is active in the greater Detroit veterinary community, serving as the past president of the Oakland County Veterinary Medical Association and as a board member for the Southeastern Michigan Veterinary Medical Association (SEMVMA).

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Royal Oak Veterinarian Dr. Simon First in Michigan to Offer In-House Adult Pet Stem Cell Therapy

Stroke Treatment Using Stem Cells Shows Early Promise In Controversial Trial

By Stem Cell Treatment

Featured Article Main Category: Stroke Also Included In: Stem Cell Research;Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 17 Jun 2012 - 6:00 PDT

Current ratings for: 'Stroke Treatment Using Stem Cells Shows Early Promise In Controversial Trial'

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The hope is that the treatment, by repairing damaged brain tissue, will one day help stroke patients regain some movement and ability to speak. Even small improvements can make a big difference to a person who has been robbed of the ability to wash, dress and feed themselves.

The PISCES trial (Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke) study, which is based in Scotland at the Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board, is the first in the world to evaluate genetically engineered neural stem cells in people with disabling ischemic stroke.

The researchers presented the interim results at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSR), which took place from 13 to 16 June 2012, in Yokohama, Japan.

The lead investigator of the trial is Professor Keith Muir, SINAPSE Professor of Clinical Imaging, Division of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Glasgow. He told the press:

"We remain pleased and encouraged by the data emerging from the PISCES study to date."

The Phase I trial, which started towards the end of 2010, and follows five years of repeated regulatory rebuffs, is testing the safety of ReN001, a genetically engineered neural stem cell line made by UK biotech ReNeuron.

The trial is controversial because the stem cell line originated nearly ten years ago, from the tissue of a 12-week fetus.

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Stroke Treatment Using Stem Cells Shows Early Promise In Controversial Trial

Stem cell treatment offers hope to those sickened after getting bone marrow

By Stem Cell Treatment

wwltv.com

Posted on June 15, 2012 at 5:53 PM

Updated yesterday at 7:35 PM

Meg Farris / Eyewitness News Email: mfarris@wwltv.com | Twitter: @megfarriswwl

NEWORLEANS- She was only in kindergarten when doctors gave her family the bad news.

Now she's one of the first in Louisiana to try a new treatment for people who get gravely ill after a bone marrow transplant.

The last three years of Sami Smith's life have been physically and emotionally painful.

"I literally, they try to scare me and they can't, because I've been through the scariest thing that you can," said Smith, 9, of Ponchatoula.

Her mother noticed she was napping more and bruising. Doctors diagnosed AML, a type of leukemia or blood cancer. Had she not gotten to the doctor then, she would not have made it much longer. A Child's Wish sent her to Disney World. The good news, one of her teen sisters Mary Hannah, 13, was a good bone marrow match. The transplant worked and Sami was cancer free.

Then devastating news. Sami got a condition called GvHD (Graft-versus-host disease) where the new marrow launches a painful attack on the recipient's body. It's the leading cause of transplant-related death.

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Stem cell treatment offers hope to those sickened after getting bone marrow

Life Technologies Signs Licensing Agreement with iPS Academia Japan for Global Patent Portfolio Rights to Induced …

By Stem Cell Medicine

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Life Technologies Corporation (LIFE) today announced that it has deepened its commitment to stem cell research and its customers by signing a non-exclusive agreement with iPS Academia Japan for its induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell patent portfolio. The worldwide license will enable Life Technologies, a leading provider of innovative life science solutions, to expand its range of products and services for the iPS cell research community.

By leveraging its expertise in stem cell tool manufacturing and its global distribution network, Life Technologies is now positioned to develop and commercialize products designed to create iPS cells and differentiate them into any cell type for use in drug discovery and pre-clinical research. In additional to directly selling iPS cells, the license enables the company to provide iPS cell creation, differentiation and screening services for scientists around the world.

"iPS Academia Japan is pleased to grant a non-exclusive license and build a relationship with Life Technologies Corporation. Because iPS cells are gaining greater attention for uses in drug discovery and disease research as well as other areas of biotechnology, distribution of iPS cell products or provision of services is important for gaining momentum in iPS cell research," said Shosaku Murayama, president and Chief Executive Officer of AJ. "We believe that Life Technologies' business will contribute to boost research and development for practical application of iPS cell technology. We hope for further advancement of the iPS cell technology and its practical use in the coming years and we continue to support expanding the iPS cell technology by licensing our patent portfolio."

Scientists use iPS cell technology to create iPS cells from patient-derived adult cells. The iPS cells can then be differentiated into many primary cell types, such as neurons and hepatocytes, to be studied in the lab. The ability to develop cells from people with particular conditions of interest gives researchers the ability to study the genetics behind patient-specific diseases in an effort to test or develop new potential treatments.

"I am very pleased that Life Technologies, a worldwide biotechnology company, has signed an agreement for Kyoto University Patent," said Professor Shinya Yamanaka, who led the team that was first to generate iPS cells in 2006. "I hope it will speed up the movement towards practical applications of iPS cell technology."

Mark Stevenson, President and COO of Life Technologies, added: "Life Technologies has a heritage of providing the science community with the most innovative solutions designed to accelerate research. With this license now in place, we are furthering our commitment to the stem cell field and to developing a full breadth of products and services for our customers whether they are in basic research, drug discovery and development, or moving toward clinical applications."

About Life TechnologiesLife Technologies Corporation (LIFE) is a global biotechnology company with customers in more than 160 countries using its innovative solutions to solve some of today's most difficult scientific challenges. Quality and innovation are accessible to every lab with its reliable and easy-to-use solutions spanning the biological spectrum with more than 50,000 products for translational research, molecular medicine and diagnostics, stem cell-based therapies, forensics, food safety and animal health. Its systems, reagents and consumables represent some of the most cited brands in scientific research including: Ion Torrent, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, GIBCO, Ambion, Molecular Probes, Novex, and TaqMan. Life Technologies employs approximately 10,400 people and upholds its ongoing commitment to innovation with more than 4,000 patents and exclusive licenses. LIFE had sales of $3.7 billion in 2011. Visit us at our website: http://www.lifetechnologies.com.

Life Technologies' Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements about our anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies' plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words "believe," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "target," "estimate," "expect" and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions ("will," "may," "could," "should," etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made byLife Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

ABOUT iPS ACADEMIA JAPAN, INC.iPS Academia Japan, Inc. (AJ) is an affiliate of Kyoto University, and its main role is, among other activities, to manage and utilize the patents and other intellectual properties held/controlled by Kyoto University and other universities in the field of iPSC technologies so that the research results contribute to health and welfare worldwide.

AJ was established in Kyoto in June 2008. AJ's patent portfolio consists of more than 60 patent families (the total number of patent applications is about 220 cases) in the iPSC technology as of April 2012, and about 50 license arrangements have been executed with domestic or international enterprises. For more information, visit http://www.ips-cell.net.

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Life Technologies Signs Licensing Agreement with iPS Academia Japan for Global Patent Portfolio Rights to Induced ...

Biologists grow human-eye precursor from stem cells

By Stem Cell Clinic

A stem-cell biologist has had an eye-opening success in his latest effort to mimic mammalian organ development in vitro. Yoshiki Sasai of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CBD) in Kobe, Japan, has grown the precursor of a human eye in the lab.

The structure, called an optic cup, is 550 micrometres in diameter and contains multiple layers of retinal cells including photoreceptors. The achievement has raised hopes that doctors may one day be able to repair damaged eyes in the clinic. But for researchers at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Yokohama, Japan, where Sasai presented the findings this week, the most exciting thing is that the optic cup developed its structure without guidance from Sasai and his team.

The human eye is a complex structure but the cues to build it come from inside the growing cells.

Dougal Waters/Getty

The morphology is the truly extraordinary thing, says Austin Smith, director of the Centre for Stem Cell Research at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Until recently, stem-cell biologists had been able to grow embryonic stem-cells only into two-dimensional sheets. But over the past four years, Sasai has used mouse embryonic stem cells to grow well-organized, three-dimensional cerebral-cortex1, pituitary-gland2 and optic-cup3 tissue. His latest result marks the first time that anyone has managed a similar feat using human cells.

The various parts of the human optic cup grew in mostly the same order as those in the mouse optic cup. This reconfirms a biological lesson: the cues for this complex formation come from inside the cell, rather than relying on external triggers.

In Sasais experiment, retinal precursor cells spontaneously formed a ball of epithelial tissue cells and then bulged outwards to form a bubble called an eye vesicle. That pliable structure then folded back on itself to form a pouch, creating the optic cup with an outer wall (the retinal epithelium) and an inner wall comprising layers of retinal cells including photoreceptors, bipolar cells and ganglion cells. This resolves a long debate, says Sasai, over whether the development of the optic cup is driven by internal or external cues.

There were some subtle differences in the timing of the developmental processes of the human and mouse optic cups. But the biggest difference was the size: the human optic cup had more than twice the diameter and ten times the volume of that of the mouse. Its large and thick, says Sasai. The ratios, similar to those seen in development of the structure in vivo, are significant. The fact that size is cell-intrinsic is tremendously interesting, says Martin Pera, a stem-cell biologist at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

The achievement could make a big difference in the clinic. Scientists have had increasing success in transplanting cells: last month, a group at University College London showed that a transplant of stem-cell derived photoreceptors could rescue vision in mice4. But the transplant involved only rod-shaped receptors, not cone-shaped ones, and would leave the recipient seeing fuzzy images. Sasais organically layered structure offers hope that integrated photoreceptor tissue could one day be transplanted. The developmental process could also be adapted to treat a particular disease, and stocks of tissue could be created for transplant and frozen.

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Biologists grow human-eye precursor from stem cells

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