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Dr. Ramaswamy on Targeting Dormant Cancer Cells – Video

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01-02-2012 14:59 Sridhar Ramaswamy, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, discusses targeting dormant cancer cells and the possible role that they play in the development of drug resistance. Dormant cells appear in most patients with tumors. These cells are not rapidly proliferating and remain largely inactive. While these cells sleep, they are highly resistant to most types of therapy. Dormant cancer cells are intrinsically intriguing because the number of inherent mutations would denote that the cells should be rapidly proliferating. The mechanism that allows them to switch between dormant and active is yet unknown. The goal of the research is to discover the underlying cause of the dormancy, tumor progression, and the mechanism of resistance to various types of therapy.

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Dr. Ramaswamy on Targeting Dormant Cancer Cells - Video

Regenexx Stem Cell Procedures on The Doctors – Video

By Stem Cell Doctors

26-01-2012 09:31 On January 25, 2012 Regenexx Procedures and the Centeno-Schultz Clinic were featured on the hit TV show "The Doctors". The episode featured Dr. Chris Centeno and Dr. Ron Hanson in the clinic and lab, as well as Dr. Hanson in their LA studio with our patient who underwent stem cell treatment of her knee meniscus after continued problems following her traditional surgery. The video highlights the procedure and a discussion of the patient and MRI results.

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Regenexx Stem Cell Procedures on The Doctors - Video

Encouraging Results with Stem Cell Transplant for Brain Injury

By Stem Cell Medicine

Imaging Technology Tracks Stem Cells to Brain after Carotid Artery Injection in Animals

Newswise — Philadelphia, Pa. (February 1, 2012) – Experiments in brain-injured rats show that stem cells injected via the carotid artery travel directly to the brain, where they greatly enhance functional recovery, reports a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

The carotid artery injection technique—along with some form of in vivo optical imaging to track the stem cells after transplantation—may be part of emerging approaches to stem cell transplantation for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans, according to the new research, led by Dr Toshiya Osanai of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.

Advanced Imaging Technology Lets Researchers Track Stem Cells
The researchers evaluated a new "intra-arterial" technique of stem cell transplantation in rats. Within seven days after induced TBI, stem cells created from the rats' bone marrow were injected into the carotid artery. The goal was to deliver the stem cells directly to the brain, without having them travel through the general circulation.

Before injection, the stem cells were labeled with "quantum dots"—a biocompatible, fluorescent semiconductor created using nanotechnology. The quantum dots emit near-infrared light, with much longer wavelengths that penetrate bone and skin. This allowed the researchers to noninvasively monitor the stem cells for four weeks after transplantation.

Using this in vivo optical imaging technique, Dr Osanai and colleagues were able to see that the injected stem cells entered the brain on the "first pass," without entering the general circulation. Within three hours, the stem cells began to migrate from the smallest brain blood vessels (capillaries) into the area of brain injury.

After four weeks, rats treated with stem cells had significant recovery of motor function (movement), while untreated rats had no recovery. Examination of the treated brains confirmed that the stem cells had transformed into different types of brain cells and participated in healing of the injured brain area.

Further Progress toward Stem Cell Therapy for Brain Injury in Humans
Stem cells are likely to become an important new treatment for patients with brain injuries, including TBI and stroke. Bone marrow stem cells, like the ones used in the new study, are a promising source of donor cells. However, many questions remain about the optimal timing, dose, and route of stem cell delivery.

In the new animal experiments, stem cell transplantation was performed one week after TBI—a "clinically relevant" time, as it takes at least that long to develop stem cells from bone marrow. Injecting stem cells into the carotid artery is a relatively simple procedure that delivers the cells directly to the brain.

The experiments also add to the evidence that stem cell treatment can promote healing after TBI, with significant recovery of function. With the use of in vivo optical imaging, "The present study was the first to successfully track donor cells that were intra-arterially transplanted into the brain of living animals over four weeks," Dr Osanai and colleagues write.

Some similar form of imaging technology might be useful in monitoring the effects of stem cell transplantation in humans. However, tracking stem cells in human patients will pose challenges, as the skull and scalp are much thicker in humans than in rats. "Further studies are warranted to apply in vivo optical imaging clinically," the researchers add.

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About Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery, the Official Journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, is your most complete window to the contemporary field of neurosurgery. Members of the Congress and non-member subscribers receive 3,000 pages per year packed with the very latest science, technology, and medicine, not to mention full-text online access to the world's most complete, up-to-the-minute neurosurgery resource. For professionals aware of the rapid pace of developments in the field, Neurosurgery is nothing short of indispensable.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher for healthcare professionals and students with nearly 300 periodicals and 1,500 books in more than 100 disciplines publishing under the LWW brand, as well as content-based sites and online corporate and customer services.

LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2010 annual revenues of €3.6 billion ($4.7 billion).

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Encouraging Results with Stem Cell Transplant for Brain Injury

Stem Cell Stage Bypassed in Skin Cell to Brain Cell Transformation

By Stem Cell Medicine

The stem cell stage was always thought to be a necessary step in the transformation of one type of cell into another, but new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that may not be the case. According to Medical News Today, scientists at the California school were able to successfully convert mouse skin cells directly into neural precursor cells, which then form the three main types of brain and nervous system cells.

“We’ve shown the cells can integrate into a mouse brain and produce a missing protein important for the conduction of electrical signal by the neurons,” said senior author Marius Wernig. “This is important because the mouse model we used mimics that of a human genetic brain disease.”

The same team had previously transformed mouse and human skin cells directly into functional neurons, but the new study is particularly exciting because of the possibilities neural precursor cells offer. While the cells can go on to become neurons, they can also differentiate into atrocytes and andoligodendrocytes, which maintain neurons and connect them to one another in order to transmit signals. Neural precursor cells are also easily stored in large numbers and better for lab work, the researchers noted.

If the implications of the research are correct and the stem cell stage is no longer necessary, controversial embryonic stem cell research may be needless. And not only would eliminating embryonic stem cell research avoid ethical questions, it would negate the need for stem cell patients to take drugs that stop their immune system from rejecting the foreign tissue. Wernig cautioned that further work is needed before these conclusions can be drawn, however. Researchers must still show that a similar cell conversion in humans is possible.

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Stem Cell Stage Bypassed in Skin Cell to Brain Cell Transformation

Stem cell therapy shows promise for stroke

By Stem Cell Medical Center

By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Treating stroke patients with stem cells taken from their own bone marrow appears to safely help them regain some of their lost abilities, two small new studies suggest.

Indian researchers observed mixed results in the extent of stroke patients' improvements, with one study showing marked gains in daily activities, such as feeding, dressing and movement, and the other study noting these improvements to be statistically insignificant. But patients seemed to safely tolerate the treatments in both experiments with no ill effects, study authors said.

"The results are encouraging to know but we need a larger, randomized study for more definitive conclusions," said Dr. Rohit Bhatia, a professor of neurology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and author of one of the studies. "Many questions -- like timing of transplantation, type of cells, mode of transplantation, dosage [and] long-term safety -- need answers before it can be taken from bench to bedside."

The studies are scheduled to be presented Wednesday and Thursday at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting in New Orleans.

Stem cells -- unspecialized cells from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood or human embryos that can change into cells with specific functions -- have been explored as potential therapies for a host of diseases and conditions, including cancer and strokes.

In one of the current studies, 120 moderately affected stroke patients ranging from 18 to 75 years old were split into two groups, with half infused intravenously with stem cells harvested from their hip bones and half serving as controls. About 73 percent of the stem cell group achieved "assisted independence" after six months, compared with 61 percent of the control group, but the difference wasn't considered statistically significant.

In the other study, presented by Bhatia, 40 patients whose stroke occurred between three and 12 months prior were also split into two groups, with half receiving stem cells, which were dissolved in saline and infused over several hours. When compared to controls, stroke patients receiving stem cell therapy showed statistically significant improvements in feeding, dressing and mobility, according to the study. On functional MRI scans, the stem cell recipients also demonstrated an increase in brain activity in regions that control movement planning and motor function.

Neither study yielded adverse effects on patients, which could include tumor development.

But Dr. Matthew Fink, chief of the division of stroke and critical care neurology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said that the therapy's safety is the only thing the two studies seemed to demonstrate.

"The thing to keep in mind is that these are really phase one trials," said Fink, also a professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "I'm concerned that people get the idea that now stem cell treatment is available for stroke, and that's not the case."

Fink noted that the cells taken from study participants' hip bones can only be characterized as "bone marrow aspirates" since the authors didn't prove that actual stem cells were extracted.

"They haven't really analyzed if they're stem cells and what they turn into when they go into circulation," he added. "The best way to look at this is, it's very preliminary . . . when patients come to me to talk about it, I'm going to tell them it's years away before we know if this is going to work."

Studies presented at scientific conferences should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more information on stem cells.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Stem cell therapy shows promise for stroke

An Overview of Data Trends in Autologous Stem Cell Research and Clinical Use – James P. Watson, MD – Video

By Uncategorized

31-01-2012 13:32 James P. Watson, MD lecture sample from the 11th Clinical Applications for Age Management Medicine Conference, Fall 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada Pre-Conference Track 2: Regenerative and Cell Based Medicine This lecture focused on regenerative and cell-based medicine, Autologous Stem Cell Research. This field continues to grow in use by physicians across the world. From platelet rich plasma to culture expanded stem cells, the need for information about the applications of these therapies to treat patients has never been greater. This track will focus on the latest developments in cell-based medicine with speakers who are driving the research and using these technologies as part of their everyday practice of medicine. For more information about our upcoming conference visit our website http://www.agemed.org Or contact us at conference@agemed.org

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An Overview of Data Trends in Autologous Stem Cell Research and Clinical Use - James P. Watson, MD - Video

Daniel Kraft on Singularity 1 on 1 (part 2) – Video

By Uncategorized

31-01-2012 19:41 http://www.singularityweblog.com This morning I interviewed Daniel Kraft for Singularity 1 on 1. I met Dr. Kraft at Singularity University where he is the Medicine and Neuroscience Chair and executive director of the FutureMed Program. Daniel is one of those people with an incredibly diverse spectrum of talents and interests for he is not only a medical doctor and oncologist but also an inventor, a technology and space enthusiast, an entrepreneur and an F-16 flight surgeon. During our conversation we discuss a variety of topics such as: Daniel's early interest and talent in technology and science; his original fascination with the Apollo Space program and eventual participation in International Space University; his passion for flying and being a pilot; his medical education and personal journey to becoming a faculty member at Singularity University; his desire to be an instigator, connector and motivator of innovation; the story behind as well as the purpose and structure of the FutureMed program; bone marrow harvesting, regenerative medicine and stem cell research; longevity and the future of medicine and health care; his greatest inspiration and concerns about the field of medicine and his belief that one doesn't have to be a doctor to improve health care.

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Daniel Kraft on Singularity 1 on 1 (part 2) - Video

ThermoGenesis Provides Update on Res-Q® Clinical Evaluations at Leading Stem Cell Therapy Conference

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RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ThermoGenesis Corp. (NASDAQ: KOOL - News), a leading supplier of innovative products and services that process and store adult stem cells, today provided updates on two clinical evaluations involving its Res-Q® 60 BMC (Res-Q) system, a point-of-care platform designed for the preparation of cell concentrates from bone marrow.

Speaking at the Seventh International Conference on Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease, Vijay Kumar, Ph.D., the Company's principal scientist and Manager of Research, said the initial data are encouraging for patients being treated in clinical evaluations for Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) and long bone fractures with concentrates prepared by the Res-Q.

The studies covered in Kumar's presentation included:

A clinical evaluation in India co-sponsored by ThermoGenesis and Totipotent SC, the Company's distributor for the Res-Q in India. Ten of 15 planned patients with advanced CLI have been enrolled to date with the primary endpoints of safety and rate of limb salvage at one year. Kumar reported a statistically significant improvement in ankle brachial index, six-minute walk test, and rest pain though further data remain to be collected. The lead investigator for this study is Dr. Suhail Bukhari of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and Research Center in New Delhi. A clinical evaluation that has enrolled sixteen of 20 planned patients with a non-union or delayed union fracture of a long bone who have undergone composite grafting with autologous bone marrow cell concentrate to evaluate the procedure's safety and effect on fracture healing. To date, there have been no intra-operative complications, and one non-device related adverse event. Of the nine patients who are at three-to-six months post-treatment, four have fractures that have united and four have experienced partial unions of the bone fracture. The lead investigator of this study which was sponsored by SpineSmith, LLC is Dr. Mark Lee of University of California, Davis, Medical Center.

"These outcomes demonstrate encouraging preliminary results with stem cell concentrates collected with our Res-Q System. CLI is a severe form of peripheral artery disease, with as many as 200,000 patients in the U.S. undergoing a limb amputation annually. Currently, there are more than 30 studies underway exploring stem cell therapy as an alternative treatment regimen for CLI patients. In addition, we are hopeful that stem cells will provide a new avenue for promoting the healing of serious bone fractures," said Matthew Plavan, Chief Executive Officer.

 

About ThermoGenesis Corp.

ThermoGenesis Corp. (www.thermogenesis.com) is a leader in developing and manufacturing automated blood processing systems and disposable products that enable the manufacture, preservation and delivery of cell and tissue therapy products. These include:

The BioArchive® System, an automated cryogenic device, used by cord blood stem cell banks in more than 30 countries for cryopreserving and archiving cord blood stem cell units for transplant. AXP® AutoXpress® Platform (AXP), a proprietary family of automated devices that includes the AXP and the MXP® MarrowXpress® and companion sterile blood processing disposables for harvesting stem cells in closed systems. The AXP device is used for the processing of cord blood. The MXP is used for the preparation of cell concentrates, including stem cells, from bone marrow aspirates in the laboratory setting. The Res-Q® 60 BMC/PRP (Res-Q), a point-of-care system designed for the preparation of cell concentrates, including stem cells, from bone marrow aspirates and whole blood for platelet rich plasma (PRP). The CryoSeal® FS System, an automated device and companion sterile blood processing disposable, used to prepare fibrin sealants from plasma in about an hour. The CryoSeal FS System is approved in the U.S. for liver resection surgeries. The CryoSeal FS System has received the CE-Mark which allows sales of the product throughout the European community.

This press release contains forward-looking statements.  These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Several factors including timing of FDA and foreign regulatory approvals, changes in customer forecasts, our failure to meet customers' purchase order and quality requirements, supply shortages, production delays, changes in the markets for customers' products, introduction timing and acceptance of our new products scheduled for fiscal year 2012, and introduction of competitive products and other factors beyond our control could result in a materially different revenue outcome and/or in our failure to achieve the revenue levels we expect for fiscal 2012.  A more complete description of these and other risks that could cause actual events to differ from the outcomes predicted by our forward-looking statements is set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K and other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, and you should consider each of those factors when evaluating the forward-looking statements.

 

 

ThermoGenesis Corp.
Web site: http://www.thermogenesis.com
Contact: Investor Relations
+1-916-858-5107, or
ir@thermogenesis.com

 

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ThermoGenesis Provides Update on Res-Q® Clinical Evaluations at Leading Stem Cell Therapy Conference

Experimental Neurology Journal: BrainStorm's NurOwn™ Stem Cell Technology Shows Promise for Treating Huntington's …

By Stem Cell Treatment

NEW YORK & PETACH TIKVAH, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB: BCLI.OB - News), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, announced today that the prestigious Experimental Neurology Journal, published an article indicating that preclinical studies using cells that underwent treatment with Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ technology show promise in an animal model of Huntington’s disease. The article was published by leading scientists including Professor Melamed and Professor Offen of the Tel Aviv University.

In these studies, bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells secreting neurotrophic factors (MSC-NTF), from patients with Huntington’s disease, were transplanted into the animal model of this disease and showed therapeutic improvement.

“The findings from this study demonstrate that stem cells derived from patients with a neurodegenerative disease, which are processed using BrainStorm’s NurOwn™ technology, may alleviate neurotoxic signs, in a similar way to cells derived from healthy donors. This is an important development for the company, as it confirms that autologous transplantation may be beneficial for such additional therapeutic indications,” said Dr. Adrian Harel, BrainStorm’s CEO.

"These findings provide support once again that BrainStorm’s MSC-NTF secreting cells have the potential to become a platform that in the future will provide treatment for various neuro-degenerative diseases," says Chaim Lebovits, President of BrainStorm. "This study follows previously published pre-clinical studies that demonstrated improvement in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and neural damage such as optic nerve transection and sciatic nerve injury. Therefore, BrainStorm will consider focusing on a new indication in the near future, in addition to the ongoing Clinical Trials in ALS.”

BrainStrom is currently conducting a Phase I/II Human Clinical Trial for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease at the Hadassah Medical center. Initial results from the clinical trial (which is designed mainly to test the safety of the treatment), that were announced last week, have shown that the Brainstorm’s NurOwn™ therapy is safe and does not show any significant treatment-related adverse events and have also shown certain signs of beneficial clinical effects.

To read the Article entitled ‘Mesenchymal stem cells induced to secrete neurotrophic factors attenuate quinolinic acid toxicity: A potential therapy for Huntington's disease’ by Sadan et al. please go to:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014488612000295

About BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. is a biotech company developing adult stem cell therapeutic products, derived from autologous (self) bone marrow cells, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd., holds rights to develop and commercialize the technology through an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University Ltd., the technology transfer company of Tel-Aviv University. The technology is currently in a Phase I/II clinical trials for ALS in Israel.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute "forward-looking statements" and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, inter alia, regarding safety and efficacy in its human clinical trials and thereafter; the Company's ability to progress any product candidates in pre-clinical or clinical trials; the scope, rate and progress of its pre-clinical trials and other research and development activities; the scope, rate and progress of clinical trials we commence; clinical trial results; safety and efficacy of the product even if the data from pre-clinical or clinical trials is positive; uncertainties relating to clinical trials; risks relating to the commercialization, if any, of our proposed product candidates; dependence on the efforts of third parties; failure by us to secure and maintain relationships with collaborators; dependence on intellectual property; competition for clinical resources and patient enrollment from drug candidates in development by other companies with greater resources and visibility, and risks that we may lack the financial resources and access to capital to fund our operations. The potential risks and uncertainties include risks associated with BrainStorm's limited operating history, history of losses; minimal working capital, dependence on its license to Ramot's technology; ability to adequately protect its technology; dependence on key executives and on its scientific consultants; ability to obtain required regulatory approvals; and other factors detailed in BrainStorm's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made by us.

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Experimental Neurology Journal: BrainStorm's NurOwn™ Stem Cell Technology Shows Promise for Treating Huntington's ...

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