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The Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is expected to grow from USD 5,721.23 Million in 2018 to USD 15,089.25 Million by the end of 2025 at…

New York, March 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market - Premium Insight, Competitive News Feed Analysis, Company Usability Profiles, Market Sizing & Forecasts to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05872137/?utm_source=GNW

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market including are Beckman Coulter Inc. (Subsidiary of Danaher Corporation), Becton, Dickinson and Company, Merck KGaA, Terumo Bct, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., GE Healthcare, Miltenyi Biotec, Pluriselect Life Science Ug (Haftungsbeschrnkt) & Co. Kg, and Stemcell Technologies, Inc..

On the basis of Product, the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is studied across Consumables and Instruments.

On the basis of Cell Type, the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is studied across Animal Cells and Human Cells.

On the basis of Cell Source, the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is studied across Adipose Tissue, Bone Marrow, and Cord Blood/Embryonic Stem Cells.

On the basis of Technique, the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is studied across Centrifugation-Based Cell Isolation, Filtration-Based Cell Isolation, and Surface Marker-Based Cell Isolation.

On the basis of Application, the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is studied across Biomolecule Isolation, Cancer Research, In Vitro Diagnostics, Stem Cell Research, and Tissue Regeneration & Regenerative Medicine.

On the basis of End User, the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is studied across Biotechnology & Biopharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals & Diagnostic Laboratories, and Research Laboratories & Institutes.

For the detailed coverage of the study, the market has been geographically divided into the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The report provides details of qualitative and quantitative insights about the major countries in the region and taps the major regional developments in detail.

In the report, we have covered two proprietary models, the FPNV Positioning Matrix and Competitive Strategic Window. The FPNV Positioning Matrix analyses the competitive market place for the players in terms of product satisfaction and business strategy they adopt to sustain in the market. The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisitions strategies, geography expansion, research & development, new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.

Research Methodology:Our market forecasting is based on a market model derived from market connectivity, dynamics, and identified influential factors around which assumptions about the market are made. These assumptions are enlightened by fact-bases, put by primary and secondary research instruments, regressive analysis and an extensive connect with industry people. Market forecasting derived from in-depth understanding attained from future market spending patterns provides quantified insight to support your decision-making process. The interview is recorded, and the information gathered in put on the drawing board with the information collected through secondary research.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market 2. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market 3. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets for the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market 4. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new products launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market 5. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market

The report answers questions such as:1. What is the market size of Cell Isolation/Cell Separation market in the Global?2. What are the factors that affect the growth in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market over the forecast period?3. What is the competitive position in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market?4. Which are the best product areas to be invested in over the forecast period in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market?5. What are the opportunities in the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market?6. What are the modes of entering the Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market?Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05872137/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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The Global Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Market is expected to grow from USD 5,721.23 Million in 2018 to USD 15,089.25 Million by the end of 2025 at...

How Crucial is the Cellular Communications Between the Detached Cancerous Cells and Fibroblast for Growing Metastasis – Spark Health MD

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine have found that some tumor cells get separated from the parent tumors and then stimulate the connective tissue cells to release certain transmitters for promoting metastasis. This process is done to colonize the other organs and the detached tumors manipulate the environment according to their needs for creating the metastatic niche.

This discovery is helpful for scientists to better understand the mechanism that how these harmful metastases arise. This research paper is published in the journal Nature Communications.

When cancer spreads to other parts of the body from the initial site then the process is called metastasis. It usually develops when the cancerous cells break their connection from the main or parent tumor and move to the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Through these systems, the detached tumor travels far away from the main site and form new tumors when they settle down in specific tissue.

If the cancerous cells detached from the parent tumors, then many of them were died before colonizing other tissues and forming metastases. Because When a tumor detached from the parent tumor then the body immunes system gets activated and protects the healthy cells and tissues of the body from the intruding effects of cancerous cells.

These migrant cells will only survive in the body if they have the power to manipulate their new environment for creating the metastatic niche. This metastatic niche makes them survive in the body by protecting against the bodys immune system.

Thordur Oskarssan and his team of researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM gGmbH) are concerned in exploring the mechanism that how this metastatic niche evolves. Scientists found that in breast cancer some specific aggressive cells stimulate a certain condition which is similar to the inflammation in the lung tissue. So, it confirms that these cells colonize the other healthy tissues and promote metastases.

Also Read: Human Immune System is Effective Against a Number of Viruses

Two inflammatory signaling molecules known as interleukins are released from the detached cancerous cells. In microenvironment, these interleukins stimulate fibroblasts in the lungs to release two more inflammatory signaling molecules i.e. CXCL10 and CXCL9.

Migrant cancer cells carry receptors on their surface that attach to these signaling molecules which is a pivotal step during the process of metastases. The signaling molecules (CXL10 and CXCL9) and inflammation aid the particular aggressive breast cancerous cells to colonize other tissues and form metastases.

Maren Pein who is a lead author of the study said that the same tumors cells that provoke the fibroblast to release CXCL10 and CXCL9 also contain some other receptors for theses cytokines which help the growing process of metastases. This indicates that cellular communication between fibroblasts and detached cancerous cells in the new microenvironment is very crucial for metastasis.

During the experimental studies, scientists treated the lungs of mice with an inhibitor which blocked the receptors on the cancer cells. These inhibitors used to prevent the growing process of metastasis.

Scientists took tissue samples from the patients of breast cancer and found that the same cellular communication was also present in breast cancer cells. The process in which tumors cells having the relevant receptors utilize these interactions along with fibroblast to create the metastatic niche is also found in the breast cancer patients.

Oskarsson further explained that before developing any treatment approaches, it is necessary to understand the exact mechanism of metastasis. Initially, the study was carried out to explore the actual process that helps to arise metastases. A better understanding will enable scientists to develop different ways to prevent metastases in the future.

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How Crucial is the Cellular Communications Between the Detached Cancerous Cells and Fibroblast for Growing Metastasis - Spark Health MD

Sangamo Therapeutics: Market Cap Is At A Bargain Relative To Its Cash Position – Seeking Alpha

Introduction

Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) is a clinical-stage biotech company focusing on the research and development of genomic medicine across 4 distinct technology platforms: gene therapy, cell therapy, in vivo genome editing, and in vivo genome regulation.

Sangamo is best-known for developing its proprietary gene-editing technology, zinc finger proteins ("ZFPs"), which is a naturally occurring class of transcription factor proteins found in humans and other species. The company has used its internal know-how and technical expertise to develop a proprietary synthetic ZFP platform with potential clinical utility in ex vivo gene-edited cell therapy, in vivo genome editing, and in vivo genome regulation.

ZFPs also can be engineered to make zinc finger nucleases ("ZFNs") which proteins that can be used to specifically modify DNA sequences by knocking in or knocking out select genes, or genome editing, and ZFP transcription-factors ("ZFP-TFs") which are proteins that can be used to selectively increase or decrease gene expression.

Sangamo is developing a series of clinical programs, which are either wholly-owned or partnered with well-established pharma and biotech companies, to focus on 3 therapeutics areas in inherited metabolic disease ("IMDs"), central nervous system ("CNS), and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Its full list of clinical pipeline programs is listed in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Sangamo Therapeutics' Clinical Pipeline (Source)

The company's most advanced program is an investigational gene therapy for severe hemophilia A, SB-525. SB-525 is developed under a global collaboration with Pfizer (PFE), of which the rights of SB-525 have been transferred to Pfizer to run a phase 3 trial. In December 2019, both companies announced updated initial data from the phase1/2 trial of SB-525. SB-525 was generally well-tolerated and demonstrated a sustained increase in Factor VIII activity. SB-525 has been granted RMAT, Orphan Drug, and Fast Track designation by the FDA as well as Orphan Medicinal Product Designation by the European Medicines Agency ("EMA").

Beyond SB-525, the company is also investigating 2 wholly-owned gene therapy. ST-920 is being evaluated to treat Fabry disease, a rare inherited metabolic disease, in a phase 1 study in the US and UK. SB-920 has received Orphan Drug designation by the FDA. The company also plans to advance ST-101 into clinical trials in 2021 to treat phenylketonuria ("PKU") which is a rare inherited disorder that originates from a defect in the PAH gene and results in a harmful accumulation of phenylalanine in cells throughout the body.

Sangamo is working with Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) to develop ex vivo gene-edited cell therapies, ST-400 and BIVV-003, for transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia ("TDT") and sickle cell disease ("SCD") respectively. Both ST-400 and BIVV-003 are related product candidates using the same technology involving gene editing of a patient's own hematopoietic stem progenitor cells using non-viral delivery of ZFN technology.

Sangamo is the phase 1/2 study of ST-400 in 6 patients with TDT while Sanofi is recruiting the phase1/2 study evaluating BIVV-003 in patients with SCD, and Sanofi is responsible for the subsequent development, manufacturing, and commercialization of both programs.

In Dec 2009, Sangamo presented interim results for the first 3 patients ST-400. As of the data cut date, 2 more patients have been enrolled although they were not included in the interim updates. The 3 patients treated with ST-400 experienced prompt hematopoietic reconstitution, demonstrating neutrophil engraftment in 14-22 days and platelet engraftment in 22-35 days. No emerging clonal hematopoiesis had been observed as measured by on-target indel pattern monitoring in the three treated patients. The downside of the data readout is that its treatment of TDT appears to be not as efficacious as other competitors such as bluebird bio (BLUE).

Sangamo also has a global collaboration and license agreement with Kite Pharma, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gilead Sciences (GILD), for the development of engineered cell therapies for cancer. The company is working together with Kite to design ZFNs and viral vectors to disrupt and insert select genes in T cells and natural killer cells. The first program of this agreement expected to start a clinical trial in 2020 is KITE-307, which is an allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy. Given the well-documented struggles of Kite's approved autologous CAR-T, Yescarta, the success of allogeneic CAR-Ts will be very beneficial.

Lastly, Sangamo is also evaluating the potential of regulatory T-cells ("Tregs") genetically modified with a CAR ("CAR-Tregs") in solid organ transplantation. CAR-Treg cell therapies are being conducted in several preclinical studies in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis ("MS") and inflammatory bowel disease ("IBD"). The most advanced CAR-Treg cell therapy is TX200, which is an autologous treatment for the prevention of solid organ transplant rejection and the clinical trial is expected to be initiated in 2020.

Sangamo is only planning to start a new clinical trial for its in vivo genome editing programs. SB-913 is a second-generation ZFNs program that will be used to treat Mucopolysaccharidosis type II ("MPS II") and a new clinical trial is planned to start this year.

The company had previous programs from first-generation ZFNs that have been halted as they did not demonstrate enough clinical benefits. The company plans to use data from the SB-913 study to definite the next steps for its in vivo genome editing programs.

The company also has several preclinical programs evaluating their ZFP-TF technology as a novel therapeutic approach for CNS diseases. In December, Sangamo announced a collaboration with Biogen (BIIB) to develop and commercialize ST-501 for tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, ST-502 for synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease, a third undisclosed neuromuscular disease target, and up to 9 additional neurological disease targets. Under the terms of the agreement, Biogen will pay Sangamo $350M upfront, inclusive of a license fee and equity investment, and Sangamo is eligible to receive up to $2.37B in future milestones.

Sangamo also has a partnership with Pfizer and Takeda (NYSE:TAK) to develop and evaluate ZFP-TFs. The company is working with Pfizer to evaluate ALS and frontotemporal lobar degeneration ("FTLD") that are linked to the mutations in the C9ORF72 gene. In the partnership with Takeda, the company is evaluating a preclinical program for Huntington's disease in which ZFP-TF is designed to differentially down-regulate the mutated disease-causing huntingtin gene ("HTT gene") while preserving the expression of the normal version of the gene.

As of 31 December, 2019, cash and equivalents on hand was $385M. The amount is excluding the $350M injection from the collaboration with Biogen, and when factored in, cash on hand should comfortably be in the range of high $600-700M. This should give them a comfortable runway to fund all operations well into 2021, an important point given that the recent stock market crash which limits any secondary offering options.

Impressively, the company has managed to strike several high-profile partnerships with 5 global biotech/big pharma companies. Such partnerships not only validate Sangamo's technology and capabilities, but they also provide future avenues of funding with as much as $6.34B royalties on net product sales and potential milestone payments due to the company.

Figure 1 Sangamo Therapeutics' Partnerships (Source)

In terms of competition, the company competes with several players, particularly in the cell and gene therapy space. bluebird bio has more advanced programs in both TDT and SCD and, to date, has shown much better efficacy. There are also other companies such as CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) that are using an alternative gene-editing method, CRISPR/Cas9 in gene therapy. Other companies such as Editas Medicine (EDIT) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) are also developing CRISPR/Cas9 for treatments in TDT and SCD, although it must be noted that these are not their lead programs.

In terms of allogeneic CAR-T, there are more established players such as Allogene Therapeutics (ALLO), Cellectis (CLLS), and Precision Biosciences (DTIL). The main difference among these companies is primarily the choice of gene-editing tools with Allogene and Cellectis using TALEN while Precision is using ARCUS. All these companies are, currently, in a similar stage of clinical development.

In addition to healthy donors derived allogeneic therapies, Fate Therapeutics (FATE) is developing allogeneic therapies from induced pluripotent stem cells ("iPSCs") as a renewable cell source. The advantage of this is that product consistency and potency will be improved, and the manufacturing process will be akin to the well-established biologics where they are produced from a single cell line. It is notable to note that Allogene is also investigating using iPSCs as a renewable cell source. Also, Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA) is developing an Epstein-Barr Virus ("EBV")-based allogeneic T cell therapy platform. Their lead program is in Phase 3 and a BLA filing is expected by the second half of the year. That should put them in the lead position of commercializing an allogeneic T cell therapy and the company is gradually moving into allogeneic CAR-T space as well.

Sangamo is, currently, trading at a market cap of around $700M, which is almost as much as its cash position. While its cash position will eventually deplete to fund operations and clinical trials, the current valuation means that there is also no value for its technology and intellectual position. I consider it a good time to take up a small position in Sangamo, especially if investors have a time horizon of at least a year to weather the COVID-19 black swan event and wait for further clinical updates from the company.

It must be cautioned though that investing in clinical-stage biotech can be extremely risky, given the binary nature of the field. This is especially so, given the market turmoil from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has also led to several countries announcing lockdowns, which have disrupted supply chain and operations. Several clinical trials have already been delayed globally and this may impact Sangamo negatively, as their cash burn will continue even if clinical trials are delayed.

Disclosure: I am/we are long ATRA, BLUE. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Sangamo Therapeutics: Market Cap Is At A Bargain Relative To Its Cash Position - Seeking Alpha

Partner Therapeutics Announces Initiation of Clinical Trial to Evaluate Leukine in Patients with COVID-19 Associated Respiratory Illness – P&T…

LEXINGTON, Mass., March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Partner Therapeutics, Inc. (PTx) announced that Leukine (sargramostim, rhu-GM-CSF)is being assessed in the SARPAC trial (sargramostim inpatients withacute hypoxic respiratory failure due toCOVID-19 EudraCT #2020-001254-22) at University Hospital Ghent to treat patients with respiratory illness associated with COVID-19. Major medical centers in Germany, Italy and Spain are considering joining the study. The study will evaluate the effect of Leukine on lung function and patient outcomes.

"Patients with COVID-19 who progress to acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 have very limited treatment options and a high mortality rate," said Prof. Bart Lambrecht, Principal Investigator for the trial at University Hospital Ghent and the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB). "We rapidly initiated this study with Leukine, because GM-CSF has profound effects on antiviral immunity, can provide the stimulus to restore immune homeostasis in the lung, and can promote lung repair mechanisms."

Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is essential for the health of the lungs. Alveolar macrophages, a cell type found in the lungs, are dependent on GM-CSF for differentiation and normal functioning. GM-CSF is an immunomodulator that plays a critical role in host defense against pathogens and maintaining proper functioning of the immune system.1 GM-CSF confers resistance to influenza by enhancing innate immune mechanisms.2 In animal studies, GM-CSF reduced morbidity and mortality due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) from viral pneumonia.3 In clinical studies, use of Leukine showed beneficial effects in patients with viral pneumonia.4,5 Recent data highlight the importance of understanding the immune status of patients and role of immunomodulating agents like GM-CSF to activate the immune system to help clear virus and reduce the risk of secondary infections.6

"Partner Therapeutics is committed to investigating Leukine in patients with COVID-19 and we are working with academic and government agencies here in the US and in Europe in this effort," said Dr. Debasish Roychowdhury, Chief Medical Officer at Partner Therapeutics. "We believe, like many investigators and scientists, that GM-CSF has multiple ways by which it may help these patients, including playing a role in clearing the infection, boosting the immune system and repairing damaged tissues."

"In pre-clinical studies, GM-CSF protects the lungs from viral pneumonia and the influenza A virus", stated E. Scott Halstead, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Penn State University College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. "Preliminary data indicate an apparent benefit of inhaled Leukine therapy for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis ("aPAP") and suggest it has reduced the need for whole lung lavage therapy for patients receiving treatment. Collectively, the data suggest that aerosolized Leukine may prove to be a meaningful therapy to decrease mortality and increase ventilator-free days in patients with respiratory disorders associated with viruses such as COVID-19 and Influenza A."

For the treatment of COVID-19 associated acute hypoxic respiratory failure and ARDS, Leukine will be used in nebulized form for direct inhalation or through intravenous administration for patients already on a respirator. Nebulized Leukine has been studied in phase 2 and phase 3 randomizedtrials in pulmonary conditions that affect alveolar macrophages, such as aPAP. IV administration of Leukine has been studied extensively in other conditions and in phase 2 randomized trials in ARDS.

Leukine was initially approved in the United States in 1991 and has been approved for use in five clinical indications. Its safety and tolerability profile are well understood. In 2018, Leukine was approved for use as a medical countermeasure to treat Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) and has been procured for use by the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. Leukine is distributed outside the U.S. on a named-patient basis through PTx's designated program manager, Tanner Pharma Group. The use of Leukine to treat respiratory disorders associated with COVID-19 is investigational and has not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.

Please see full Prescribing Information for LEUKINE at http://www.leukine.com

About Leukine(sargramostim)Leukine is a yeast-derived recombinant humanized granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (rhuGM-CSF) and the only FDA approved GM-CSF. GM-CSF is an important leukocyte growth factor known to play a key role in hematopoiesis, epithelial repair, and augmentation of innate host defense by effecting the growth and maturation of multiple cell lineages as well as the functional activities of these cells in antigen presentation and cell mediated immunity.

Important Safety Information for LEUKINE (sargramostim)

Contraindications

Warnings and Precautions

Adverse Reactions

Adverse events occurring in >10% of patients receiving LEUKINE in controlled clinical trials and reported in a higher frequency than placebo are:

Please see full Prescribing Information for LEUKINE at http://www.leukine.com

Indications and Usage

LEUKINE (sargramostim) is a leukocyte growth factor indicated for the following uses:

About Partner Therapeutics, Inc.: PTx is an U.S.-based commercial-stage biotech company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics that improve health outcomes in the treatment of cancer. PTx's development focus spans the entire range of cancer therapy from primary treatments to supportive care. The company believes in delivering great products with the purpose of creating the best possible outcomes for patients and their families.

References

Cited References

Other RelevantReferences

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SOURCE Partner Therapeutics, Inc.

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Unlocking the Potential of a Widely Used Drug – Technology Networks

The blood-thinning drug heparin is used all over the world. But, the underlying sugar structures of heparin and the wider family of heparan sulfate sugars in cells have not been fully mapped. Now, a research group headed by a recent recruit from the UK, Dr Rebecca Miller at the University of Copenhagen has invented a method to map this type of sugar structure in detail. This method has vast potential to reveal important biological functions and allow new drugs to be developed.

GAGs of the heparan sulfate type play key roles in regulating many biological functions, including inflammation, neurodegeneration and tumor metastasis. In fact, a special type of heparan sulfate called heparin is currently one the most used drugs in the clinic where it is used to prevent coagulation. Researchers are therefore intensively trying to map the detailed structures of heparan sulfates and link them to their biological functions.

So far, only a few structures have been successfully identified, but that may be about to change. In a new study inNature Communicationsfrom the Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Glycomics at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Rebecca and her team has invented a new method that will boost the mapping of these structures.

Determining the structures is a key question in the research about sugars. If we know the structure, we can determine what the cues are for specific biological functions and consider potential ways to exploit this in the development of therapeutics. This is hugely important and clinically relevant, as shown by the widely used anti-coagulant heparins, and the potential application of new heparin-based drugs for multiple diseases in the future, says Dr Rebecca Louise Miller, corresponding author of the new study and Assistant Professor at the Copenhagen Center for Glycomics.

The researchers new method is called Shotgun ion mobility mass spectrometry sequencing or SIMMS2. The technique relies on advanced mass spectrometry to break the sugar structures into smaller fragments, separate them, and fingerprint them compared to known standards. Virtual reassembly of the sugar pieces into a picture of the original sugar like a big jigsaw puzzle only infinitely more complicated can for the first time determine larger sequences of polysaccharides that are big enough to capture the cues that direct functions like anti-coagulation.

The instrumentation behind this new method was invented by the company Waters Ltd in 2006 and is available to many pharmaceutical companies and researchers. This means that the method could be easily implemented and widely used for drug discovery by many research groups in a short period of time, says Professor Jeremy Turnbull, University of Liverpool and Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, a co-author on the study.

The GAG team at Copenhagen Center of Glycomics recently reported the first cell-based method (GAGOme) to produce all variants of GAGs for discovery of functions and development of therapeutics (Chen et al,Nature Methods2018), and this will be combined with the new method for sequencing of GAG structures. The hope is to follow up on many promising therapeutic effects of heparins in cancer and neurogenerative diseases and pioneer new use of GAGs in medicine.

To continue the development of the SIMMS method and pioneer new use of GAGs in medicine, Miller and Turnbull were recently awarded an EU grant worth 3.8m to a consortium that also includes researchers from Freie Universitt Berlin, University of Utrecht, University of Liverpool and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. They will also apply the method to understand heparan sulfate structural cues that regulate stem cells to generate specialized neurons for treatment of Parkinsons disease.

Reference:Miller, R.L., Guimond, S.E., Schwrer, R. et al. (2020) Shotgun ion mobility mass spectrometry sequencing of heparan sulfate saccharides. Nat Commun. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15284-y

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Unlocking the Potential of a Widely Used Drug - Technology Networks

Veterans in Pain helps ease the pain for veterans – Tullahoma News and Guardian

Veterans in Pain (VIP) is a national program for veterans who have been hurt severely in combat. Their mission is facilitating regenerative medical solutions for veterans suffering from chronic pain by connecting civilian physicians with our countrys heroes, nationwide.

Dr. Joseph Kanan and his medical staff at Tullahoma Chiropractic Center recently joined the program and performed their first pro bono procedure for a veteran named Ryan in February.

Ryan had severe right hip pain when he came in. My medical team and I gave him a $6,500 procedure, injecting stem cells into his hip, Kanan said. There is no insurance company that covers this procedure so either he would have had to pay for it himself or the VIP organization would have had to do it. We decided to do it for free.

Veteran Ryan, 36, thanks Dr. Kanan after his procedure at Tullahoma Chiropractic Center.

Stem cells are part of the bodys natural repair process. Humans have them in their bone marrow and fat cells. When they are placed at the site of damaged tissue, these stem cells can activate to become the healthy new cells the body needs for pain relief.

No-surgery stem cell therapy helps the body heal damage and relieve pain from arthritis, aging and injuries to joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles.

I think veterans do a lot for our country and there are very few doctors that are performing medical procedures like this, Kanan said. We were very glad to be able to do this for him.

Ryan, 36, lives three hours away. He drove to Tullahoma himself for the procedure. Veterans in Pain provided the funds for his hotel stay while he was in town.

The procedure was done on Feb. 13. He did feel better right after, but this is a procedure where the results take time. You experience 10 percent of improvement every month for 10 months, Kanan said. I own the clinic and I am a chiropractor, so I did not actually perform this procedure. My medical team Jana Wood and Dr. Frank Perry performed the procedure, which was giving injections into Ryans hip.

Tullahoma Chiropractic Center performs these scheduled procedures twice a month. The medical team has seen positive results from the injections, according to Kanan.

I just talked to a patient this morning that had the procedure done one year ago. He had doctors recommending a knee replacement on his left knee. My medical team conducted the stem cell procedure on his knee, Kanan said.

The experience was great. I came in and got the injection and now my knee is fluid. About three months after the injection, I felt a lot better, the patient said. It was much better than having a knee replacement. I am very passionate about golf and my knee was preventing me from doing what I loved. After a year, it is magnitudes better than it was one year ago.

Tullahoma Chiropractic Center is located at 1490 N. Jackson St.

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Veterans in Pain helps ease the pain for veterans - Tullahoma News and Guardian

Old human cells rejuvenated with stem cell technology – Stanford Medical Center Report

During this process the cells not only shed any memories of their previous identities, but they revert to a younger state. They accomplish this transformation by wiping their DNA clean of the molecular tags that not only differentiate, say, a skin cell from a heart muscle cell, but of other tags that accumulate as a cell ages.

Recently researchers have begun to wonder whether exposing the adult cells to Yamanaka proteins for days rather than weeks could trigger this youthful reversion without inducing full-on pluripotency. In fact, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found in 2016 that briefly expressing the four Yamanaka factors in mice with a form of premature aging extended the animals life span by about 20%. But it wasnt clear whether this approach would work in humans.

Sarkar and Sebastiano wondered whether old human cells would respond in a similar fashion, and whether the response would be limited to just a few cell types or generalizable for many tissues. They devised a way to use genetic material called messenger RNA to temporarily express six reprogramming factors the four Yamanaka factors plus two additional proteins in human skin and blood vessel cells. Messenger RNA rapidly degrades in cells, allowing the researchers to tightly control the duration of the signal.

The researchers then compared the gene-expression patterns of treated cells and control cells, both obtained from elderly adults, with those of untreated cells from younger people. They found that cells from elderly people exhibited signs of aging reversal after just four days of exposure to the reprogramming factors. Whereas untreated elderly cells expressed higher levels of genes associated with known aging pathways, treated elderly cells more closely resembled younger cells in their patterns of gene expression.

When the researchers studied the patterns of aging-associated chemical tags called methyl groups, which serve as an indicator of a cells chronological age, they found that the treated cells appeared to be about 1 to 3 years younger on average than untreated cells from elderly people, with peaks of 3 years (in skin cells) and 7 years (in cells that line blood vessels).

Next they compared several hallmarks of aging including how cells sense nutrients, metabolize compounds to create energy and dispose of cellular trash among cells from young people, treated cells from old people and untreated cells from old people.

We saw a dramatic rejuvenation across all hallmarks but one in all the cell types tested, Sebastiano said. But our last and most important experiment was done on muscle stem cells. Although they are naturally endowed with the ability to self-renew, this capacity wanes with age. We wondered, Can we also rejuvenate stem cells and have a long-term effect?

When the researchers transplanted old mouse muscle stem cells that had been treated back into elderly mice, the animals regained the muscle strength of younger mice, they found.

Finally, the researchers isolated cells from the cartilage of people with and without osteoarthritis. They found that the temporary exposure of the osteoarthritic cells to the reprogramming factors reduced the secretion of inflammatory molecules and improved the cells ability to divide and function.

The researchers are now optimizing the panel of reprogramming proteins needed to rejuvenate human cells and are exploring the possibility of treating cells or tissues without removing them from the body.

Although much more work needs to be done, we are hopeful that we may one day have the opportunity to reboot entire tissues, Sebastiano said. But first we want to make sure that this is rigorously tested in the lab and found to be safe.

Other Stanford co-authors are former postdoctoral scholar Marco Quarta, PhD; postdoctoral scholar Shravani Mukherjee, PhD; graduate student Alex Colville; research assistants Patrick Paine, Linda Doan and Christopher Tran; Constance Chu, MD, professor of orthopaedic surgery; Stanley Qi, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering and of chemical and systems biology; and Nidhi Bhutani, PhD, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery.

Researchers from the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, the University of California-Los Angeles and the Molecular Medicine Research Institute in Sunnyvale, California, also contributed to the study.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01 AR070865, R01 AR070864, P01 AG036695, R01 AG23806, R01 AG057433 and R01 AG047820), the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the American Federation for Aging Research and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sarkar, Quarta and Sebastiano are co-founders of the startup Turn Biotechnologies, a company that is applying the technology described in the paper to treat aging-associated conditions. Rando is a member of the scientific advisory board.

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YOUR HEALTH: A rare disease that hardens the skin – WQAD.com

In severe cases, it can also cause deadly hardening of internal organs like the lungs

MADISON, Wis. A year ago, Chuck Beschta couldn't walk more than a few minutes without stopping to rest.

"Just going out and doing normal activities outside raking the lawn mowing the grass shoveling the driveway whatever;snow blowing, those became impossible."

After months of testing he was diagnosed with severe scleroderma, which was hardening his skin but even worse. it was hardening his lungs, making it hard to breathe.

Scleroderma is an autoimmune rheumatic disease where an overproduction of collagen produced in the body tissues.

But in severe cases, it can also cause deadly hardening of internal organs like the lungs, giving some patients little hope of surviving.

Chuck's case was getting more dire.

"He was getting worse despite the best therapy we had to offer," explained Dr. Kevin McKown, a rheumatologist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison

Dr. McKown recommended a stem cell transplant newly approved for scleroderma to reboot chucks immune system.

"There's a process by which they try to remove the autoreactive immune cells, the cells that are caught in the immune process and then they infuse that back in and hope that the body will basically take up and graft that immune system

Rheumatologists at University of Wisconsin Health tested the treatment since they have already been conducting bone marrow transplants for decades.

Surgeons take out a sample of the patient's bone marrow, isolate the stem cells, and use radiation and chemotherapy to clean out their immune system. The same stem cells are later injected back into the patient's immune system with the hope that new cells will grow and the system is rid of the bad ones.

The process is dangerous when the cells are taken out because the patient's immune system is more vulnerable, making infections more likely to occur.

Chuck saw almost immediate results. His skin was softer and his breathing improved.

He hopes his scleroderma has been cured.

"I think we can be optimistic and so far the people who have been followed out as far as 10 years out don't seem to be getting it back," said Dr. McKown.

After four and a half years, 79% of patients who underwent the treatment were alive without serious complications compared to 50% that were treated with the original drugs.

Without a transplant, less than half the patients, like Chuck, who have diffuse scleroderma and severe lung disease live 10 years past diagnosis. stem cell transplants are commonly used to treat leukemia and lymphoma, cancers that affect the blood and lymphatic system.

If this story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Jim Mertens atjim.mertens@wqad.comor Marjorie Bekaert Thomas atmthomas@ivanhoe.com.

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YOUR HEALTH: A rare disease that hardens the skin - WQAD.com

Can cell-based therapy be helpful in tackling coronavirus? – YourStory

Ever since the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, was first reported in China's Wuhan city, the virus has spread to more than 196 countries and territories around the world with393,284 confirmed cases and17,161 deaths so far. In India, the maximum number of cases has been reported in the state of Maharashtra.The number of coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 519, with 10 deaths.

It is the need of the hour to find a solution for coronavirus.

Clinical trials in China are already testing the efficacy of stem cell therapies for COVID-19. Arecent clinical trialwith seven COVID-19 patients showed that a stem cell product improved patient outcome. According to research published in the peer-reviewed journalAging and Disease,mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy could be effective in treating COVID-19.

Coronaviruses (CoV) belong to a large family of viruses leading to respiratory illnesses, such as common coldto more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute RespiratorySyndrome (SARS-CoV).

Earlier this year, a new strain of coronavirus was discovered, which was not previously identified in humanbeings, also known as the novel coronavirus (nCov). The symptoms of the infection are respiratory issues, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathingdifficulties. More severe cases of COVID-19 can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and kidneyfailure.

In recent years, scientific research hasshown that MSCs have properties that maymake them very useful to repair damaged tissues in the patients respiratory system and promotefaster healing and recovery.Umbilical cord tissueis particularly rich inthese cells, which is why many parents arechoosing to store them at birth.

MSCs can reduce the overproduction of immune cells caused by a reaction to the virus and reduce excessive levels of inflammatory substances, thus regulating the immune system.

Currently, many vaccines or drugs are being tested to deal with coronavirus. There is widespread fear and phobia among the population. Why not use your own defence system rather than searching for drugs to tackle the virus?

MSCs are multi-potent cells that have been widely used for tissue regeneration and immunomodulation, and can be a potential solution. The infusion of autologous and allogenic MSCs has been proven safe and effective in tissue repair and disease modulation. MSCs have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial properties; therefore, they have the potential to control inflammatory conditions, possibly viral diseases, and may reduce mortality.

Another interesting therapeutic avenue is immunotherapy. Natural killer (NK) cells, a component of our innate immune system, play an important role in tackling malignancies as well as virally infected cells. These cells serve to contain viral infections while the adaptive immune response is generating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that can clear the infection. Thus, NK cell therapy can be safe and effective in the management of COVID-19.

We need to ensure control of person-to-person transmission of the infection. Therefore, stringent isolation/quarantine measures are important until complete recovery of an infected individual.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

How has the coronavirus outbreak disrupted your life? Write to us or send us a video with subject line 'Coronavirus disruption' to editorial@yourstory.com

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Can cell-based therapy be helpful in tackling coronavirus? - YourStory

Rationales for Selecting CD19-Targeted Therapy in R/R B-Cell ALL – Cancer Therapy Advisor

Five real-life cases of adult patients with relapsed/refractory CD19-positiveB-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were recently detailed in an articlein Blood along with the rationalesfor selecting CD19-directed CAR-T therapy or the CD3/CD19 bispecific antibody,blinatumomab, as the first CD19-targeted treatment approach for each patientcase.

While both blinatumomab and CD19-directed CAR-T therapy (ie,tisagenlecleucel in patients 25 years or younger) are approved by the US Foodand Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cellALL, the mechanisms of action of these therapies are very different: the formerdrug activates T cells by linking them through their CD3 receptor to the CD19surface antigen on B cells, whereas CD19-directed CAR-T therapy uses autologousT cells that have been genetically modified to express the CD19 receptor.

Nevertheless, both treatment approaches are considered tolerable and potentiallycurative in the setting of relapsed/refractory B-cell ALL. Furthermore, it maybe possible to subsequently offer the alternative CD19-targeted treatment ifdisease progression occurs following treatment with either CD19-directed CAR-Ttherapy or blinatumomab. However, some patients will become ineligible for subsequenttreatment with the alternative approach due to loss of B-cell expression ofCD19.

Oncethe decision to use CD19-targeted immunotherapy to treat a patient withadvanced ALL has been made, the physician faces the challenge of selectingbetween blinatumomab and CAR T cells, the study authors noted, adding that itis crucial to weigh all considerations for each individual patient beforeselecting one immunotherapy over another.

Inthe patient cases highlighted in this article, multiple factors were consideredin making individualized treatment decisions.

Forexample, initial treatment with blinatumomab was selected for an older patientwith low-burden disease, given its FDA approval across all age groups, itslower associated risks of severe cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicitycompared with CAR-T therapy, and its demonstrated efficacy in patients withlow-burden disease. Furthermore, because allogeneic hematopoietic stem celltherapy (allo-HCT) was planned for this patient who had a matched siblingdonor, another factor weighing in favor of blinatumomab was the avoidance of delaysassociated with CAR-T manufacturing.

Factorsassociated with selection of CD19-directed CAR-T therapy as the initialCD19-directed approach included the presence of extramedullary disease in the centralnervous system (CNS), as there is evidence supporting CNS penetration by CAR-Tcells, as well as promising antileukemic activity in patients with extramedullarydisease.

Inaddition, CAR-T therapy was preferred for a patient who experienced diseaseprogression following allo-HCT and was unlikely to receive a second allo-HCT,given evidence for long-lasting remissions even without consolidation allo-HCTfollowing treatment with CAR-T therapy.

Inthis context, the study authors stated that blinatumomab in this setting isbetter used as a bridging therapy rather than a definitivecurative treatment.

The study authors concluded that treatment with blinatumomab and CD19 CAR T cells holds promise in advanced ALL, allowing more patients to attain remission and possible cure with and without additional therapies. Both treatments have unique limitations and advantages, and the treating physician should be discerning when selecting treatment of each case.

Reference

Aldoss I, Forman SJ. How I treat adults with advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia eligible for CD19-targeted immunotherapy.[published online March 12, 2020]. Blood. 2020;135:804-813. doi:10.1182/blood.2019002132

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Rationales for Selecting CD19-Targeted Therapy in R/R B-Cell ALL - Cancer Therapy Advisor