‘I’ve potentially saved a stranger’s life by donating my blood stem cells and it was painless’ – inews

NewsReal LifeLydia Burgess-Gamble has helped a sick woman in her twenties after they were genetically matched

Tuesday, 22nd October 2019, 10:38 am

Lydia Burgess-Gamble felt a lump in her throat when she got the letter saying her stem cells were a match for someone sick.

The 42-year-old had signed up to the register to be a donor almost three years earlier and hadn't given it much thought since.

Ahead of her 40th birthday, she'd wanted to do something altrusistic. Now she had the chance to potentially save someone's life who was battling a blood cancer or blood disorder.

Donating stem cells today is almost as easy as giving blood. "It was a straightforward and painless process and being able to relax and read a book for a few hours was a luxury," she said.

Patients face difficult odds

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer, such as leukaemia, myeloma or lymphoma. That's more than 30,000 people a year. Worldwide, it's one every 30 seconds.

Patients suffering with these types of cancers can have their bone marrow damaged by the cancer itself, or from chemotherapy and radiation treatments. A stem cell transplant lets the new stem cells take over from the damaged marrow so the body can produce healthy, cancer-free blood cells.

Even though there are over 27 million people on the worldwide register, this isnt enough, according to charity DKMS. At any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a transplant.

Matching donors and patients isnt easy because it's determined by tissue type, not blood group. There are thousands of different human leukocyte antigen (HLA) characteristics, in millions of combinations. Doctors look to relatives for a match but two out of three of those in need are unable to find one, and so must rely on the generosity of strangers.

Most donations are day cases at hospital

Lydia, an environmental research scientist from Brighton, became aware of the process involved through a Facebook post. "A friend shared an appeal for a loved one who needed a donor," she said. "I remember watching a documentary about donating bone marrow in the 90s and I hadn't realised it mainly doesn't involve an invasive procedure until I read this post."

The donation usually involves a nonsurgical procedure called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation for around 90 per cent of all cases, which is the method Lydia used.

With this method, blood is taken from one of the donors arms and a machine extracts the blood stem cells from it. The donors blood is then returned to their body through their other arm. It is an outpatient procedure that usually takes four to six hours.

'I had no side effects, other than I felt a little more tired than usual the next day'

Lydia Burgess-Gamble

This procedure doesn't "deplete" a donor's supply of stem cells, as a donor's stem cells will completely replenish themselves within two to four weeks afterwards.

"I had no side effects, other than I felt a little more tired than usual the next day but within 24 hours I was completely back to normal," said Lydia.

"All I know about my recipient is that it's a woman in her twenties who lives in Turkey. I'd love to make contact one day. I'm not expecting anything but I'm hoping she gets well and we may be able to meet."

The other 10 per cent of donations are made through bone marrow, where donors give cells from the bone marrow in their pelvis. This is under general anaesthetic so that no pain is experienced. The collection itself takes one to two hours and most donors return to their regular activities within a week. Two weeks after donation, your bone marrow will have recovered fully, and the hip bone will have fully healed within six weeks.

Donating: the process

To become a potential blood stem cell donor first check your eligibility on the DKMS website and request a swab kit for your cheek.

Complete the swabs posted to you at home and send them back. Then yourtissue type will be analysed and your details will be added to the UK stem cell registry. Your details can be searched for a genetic match for people all over the world who need a second chance at life.

The odds are you may never be called upon, but if you are, you will have a blood test at your local GP or hospital and will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire and consent form. If you're deemed fit and healthy enough, you'll have a further medical assessment and consultation at a specialist collection centre (where you will later donate your blood stem cells).

It's important to read about the methods used to collect blood stem cells PBSC and bone marrow donation because if youre on the register, you should be willing to donate in either way. The method will be determined by what the doctors believe will be best for the patient. However, you will of course always have the final decision on whether you are happy to proceed.

When a donor is matched with a patient, DKMS will cover the costs (including any travel, meals, or accommodation expenses that may be necessary and lost wages if you are not covered by your employer).

Your blood stem cells will never be stored, they last for around 72 hours and are delivered straight to the person in need by a special courier.

You will be allowed to meet the patient, if they consent, eventually UK guidelines state this can happen two years after the donation (and tules vary by country).Contact through anonymous letters can be established before this time via DKMS.

You will stay on the register until your 61st birthday.

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'I've potentially saved a stranger's life by donating my blood stem cells and it was painless' - inews

CST and Cell Press launch Cell Mentor in China – BSA bureau

Online Resource to Help Scientist Achieve Experimental and Career Success Now Available

US headquartered Cell Signaling Technology(CST), a leading provider of antibodies, kits, and services, andCell Press, a leading publisher of over 40 primary research and review journals, have announced thatCell Mentor, an educational resource for biology students and researchers is available inChina.

Originally launched at AACR onMarch 30th, Cell Mentor enables biology students and researchers to easily navigate their careers, get published, and strengthen their laboratory skills to reach experimental success. Scientists inChinawill now have the ability to utilize Cell Mentor in their native Mandarin language atwww.cellmentor.cn.

Cell Mentor is full of educational content from both Cell Press and CST and information is presented according to the types of challenges students and researchers face during their careers. It is designed to address real-life quandaries faced by students and researchers in and out of the lab.

To celebrate the new Cell Mentor section, CST hosted IUIS 2019 Featured Forum: New Frontiers in Immunology, New Beginnings with Cell Mentor onOctober 21st. In the forum, renowned opinion leaders in immunology introduced the new frontiers in infection andimmunity, NK cell-based immunotherapy of cancer,stem cell research and applications.

In addition,Jay Dong, Vice President and General ManagerChinaandAsia Pacificat CST introduced the origin of Cell Mentor and how it can facilitate scientific experiments, andPeter Lee, Editor-In-Chief of Immunity and Publishing Director at Cell Press, discussed how to publish papers inCell,Immunityand beyond.

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CST and Cell Press launch Cell Mentor in China - BSA bureau

How stem cells are helping to mend broken hearts – Belfast Telegraph

How stem cells are helping to mend broken hearts

BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

In recent years, it's become apparent that stem cells will be a key ingredient of future medical treatments. And nowhere is the use of these 'building block cells' more important than through their amazing ability to repair the heart.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/how-stem-cells-are-helping-to-mend-broken-hearts-38616582.html

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/article38616581.ece/72ec8/AUTOCROP/h342/2019-10-22_lif_54303088_I1.JPG

In recent years, it's become apparent that stem cells will be a key ingredient of future medical treatments. And nowhere is the use of these 'building block cells' more important than through their amazing ability to repair the heart.

The Heart Cells Foundation charity (heartcellsfoundation.com) is funding pioneering research into potentially lifesaving treatment using a patient's own stem cells as a natural repair system to treat heart problems, including heart disease, heart failure and cardiomyopathy. Trials show the stem cells may be able to restore damaged heart tissue, and the treatment is being offered to selected heart failure patients at the Heart Cells Foundation-funded Compassionate Unit at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. It's the first treatment of its kind in Europe.

Professor Metin Avkiran, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation (bhf.org.uk), says: "Our hearts have very limited ability to repair themselves following damage from heart attacks and other conditions. This can lead to heart failure, an incurable condition with a worse survival rate than many cancers.

"Stem cells hold immense promise in helping repair damaged hearts, and there have been some encouraging results from a number of studies in patients treated with such cells."

And consultant cardiologist Professor Anthony Mathur, principal investigator on the Heart Cells Foundation's stem cell trials at St Bart's Hospital, adds: "This is a truly exciting field from the perspective of patients healing themselves with their own cells. Clinical trials have helped our understanding of how stem cells may be isolated and then injected into the heart, to promote healing, and we've been fortunate in our own trials to see so many patients with heart disease report improvement in their symptoms, having previously been told no more could be done.

"With more than one million people suffering with heart disease and failure in the UK, the need for treatment in this field has never been greater. As the clinical trial was so successful, we have now been able to launch The Compassionate Treatment Programme at St Bartholomew's Hospital, which is the first of its kind in the UK, and will enable us to treat patients suffering from heart disease on compassionate grounds."

Professor Mathur explains more about stem cells and how they could help mend broken hearts ...

What are stem cells?

"Stem cells have a unique ability to transform into any type of cell within the human body, making them an exciting and revolutionary treatment option for a variety of different conditions."

Are stem cells donated or do patients use their own?

"The therapy used in the trials and the Compassionate Unit utilises the patient's own stem cells to repair the heart. Stem cells are extracted from a patient's bone marrow and injected into the damaged area of their heart."

What heart conditions can stem cells treat?

"The programme based at the Barts Heart Centre has focused on the use of autologous stem cell therapy (patient's own cells) and we have conducted four clinical trials over the last 15 years, to understand what role stem cell therapy has in treating heart disease. Our results have identified individuals with dilated cardiomyopathy and ischaemic heart disease achieve the most benefit from stem cell therapy."

How do stem cells help?

"In the specific case of heart failure, stem cells initiate a repair process within the heart which improves heart function and also patient symptoms, resulting in an improved quality of life. It's the same process of cardiac repair for heart disease and cardiomyopathy. They are still likely to be part of a reparative process. This treatment is no longer just in the laboratory, it's improving the lives of patients all over the UK."

What research has been completed?

"In the programme's last clinical trial, patients with heart disease were treated using stem cell therapy and analysed against a placebo group. Results proved the patients' hearts had started to pump more efficiently, and patients also reported an overall improved physiological and psychological state, enabling them to return to a lifestyle nearer to normal."

What's the next step for heart stem cell research?

"We are now raising funds (approximately 8m) to conduct a larger Phase III trial to consolidate these findings. If successful, the final trial will provide further evidence to the NHS to consider adopting this therapy as standard care. Currently, until the Phase III trials are complete, we have the compassionate programme only. The future timing depends on funding the Phase III trials, which have been planned and are ready to go."

Can someone with a heart problem get stem cell treatment at the moment?

"Stem cell therapy isn't currently available within the NHS. However, the Compassionate Unit at St Bartholomew's allows us to treat patients from across the UK suffering with heart failure due to ischaemic heart disease of dilated cardiomyopathy, who have no further treatment options available to them. The Compassionate Unit is happy to receive enquiries from patients, GPs, cardiologists and healthcare professionals."

Belfast Telegraph

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How stem cells are helping to mend broken hearts - Belfast Telegraph

Multiple Myeloma Experts, Patients, Advocates and Caregivers Team Up to Hike Through Patagonia – BioSpace

Since MM4MM began with its first climb in 2016, the program has raised over $2.7 million. All the funds raised go directly to the MMRF to accelerate new treatment options for patients with multiple myeloma.

As a patient founded organization, the MMRF stands together with those who are battling multiple myeloma patients, families, physicians, researchers, and our pharmaceutical partners. This team represents a microcosm of that myeloma community and demonstrates that together, we can collaborate with ever increasing momentum towards a cure, said Paul Giusti, CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. We are thrilled to enter the fifth year of this inspiring program and to have Celgene join us in this effort to raise awareness and critical funds to continue our mission.

The MM4MM team will include four patients living with multiple myeloma:

We are so honored to be a part of yet another hike with the MMRF and Celgene, said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences, parent company of CURE magazine. This initiative organized by Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma not only raises awareness and research funding for multiple myeloma but has brought together the myeloma community to take action and fight for a cure for myeloma patients.

The team will embark on a five-day trek of a lifetime through Patagonia and take on the rewarding and beautiful landscape that includes glaciers, deep valleys and challenging peaks. During this trek, the team will travel through El Chaltn and acclimatize while they experience the mighty range of peaks dominated by Monte Fitz Roy, an 11,020-foot tower with a sheer face of more than 6,000 feet. Next, the team will reach Lago San Martin, where they will traverse the terrain in daily treks, exploring a 10-mile peninsula, climbing to a condor rookery and reaching remote Andean lakes.

Celgene, Cure and the MMRF share an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of patients with multiple myeloma and we are very proud to continue our role in the Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma initiative, said Chad Saward, senior director, patient advocacy at Celgene Corp. We are amazed and inspired by all who are participating in this unique awareness program.

To learn more about MM4MM and to donate to multiple myeloma research, click here.

About Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma

Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma (MM4MM) is a collaboration between CURE Media Group and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) to raise awareness and funds for myeloma research. This year, Celgene Corporation and GSK join the effort as sponsors. In addition to Patagonia, the program also led hikes up Mt. Washington and through Iceland in 2019. To date, MM4MM has raised over $2.7 million for myeloma research and included 51 patients with multiple myeloma on 7 climbs. Funds raised go directly to research, supporting the MMRF mission. For more information, visit https://www.themmrf.org/events/.

About Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the second most common blood cancer. An estimated 32,110 adults (18,130 men and 13,980 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with MM in 2019 and an estimated 12,960 people are predicted to die from the disease. The five-year survival rate for MM is approximately 50.7%, versus 31% in 1999.

About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

A pioneer in precision medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for all multiple myeloma patients by relentlessly pursuing innovations that accelerate the development of precision treatments for cancer. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF has created the business model around cancerfrom data to analytics to the clinic. The MMRF identifies barriers and then finds the solutions to overcome them, bringing in the best partners and aligning incentives in the industry to drive better outcomes for patients. Since its inception, the organization has collected thousands of samples and tissues, opened nearly 100 trials, helped bring 10 FDA-approved therapies to market, and built CoMMpass, the single largest genomic dataset for any cancer. Today, the MMRF is building on its legacy in genomics and is expanding into immune-oncology, as the combination of these two fields will be critical to making precision medicine possible for all patients. The MMRF has raised nearly $500 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit http://www.themmrf.org.

About CURE Media Group

CURE Media Group is the leading resource for cancer updates, research and education. It combines a full suite of media products, including its industry-leading website, CUREtoday.com; innovative video programs, such as CURE Connections; a series of widely attended live events; and CURE magazine, which reaches over 1 million readers, as well as the dynamic website for oncology nurses, OncNursingNews.com, and its companion publication, Oncology Nursing News. CURE Media Group is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in the U.S. dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191022006008/en/

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Multiple Myeloma Experts, Patients, Advocates and Caregivers Team Up to Hike Through Patagonia - BioSpace

Iran sends US list of names for its proposed prisoner swap – Stars and Stripes

TEHRAN, Iran Iran's foreign ministry said Monday it has sent the United States a list of names it is demanding in a proposed prisoner swap, opening a potential new channel with Washington amid recent growing tensions.

Iran did not detail the names it relayed, but Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped to hear soon "good news" about the release of Iranian scientist Masoud Soleimani. U.S. federal authorities arrested Soleimani last year on charges that he had violated trade sanctions by trying to have biological material brought to Iran. Zarif said he raised the issue last month in his visit to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the Islamic Republic has relayed which Iranians should be included in the suggested swap with the United States and other Western nations. Iran holds several American nationals and did not detail whom it would consider freeing.

"We have handed over a list of names (to the United States) who must be freed," Mousavi said, in a briefing with reporters. "We hope that these efforts, if paired with good will, would pay off soon and we would see freedom of Dr. Soleimani and other Iranians from the Americans' captivity."

Iran contends Soleimani and others were detained over what they called "baseless" accusations of bypassing unilateral American sanctions on Iran. It's not clear how many other Iranians the U.S has detained, and there was no immediate American reaction.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have steadily escalated since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal last May and re-imposed sanctions on Iran. Prosecutors in Atlanta got an indictment the following month against Soleimani, who works in stem cell research, hematology and regenerative medicine. U.S. officials revoked his visa and arrested him in October when he landed in Chicago.

The U.S. blames Iran for a series of mysterious oil tanker attacks this year and alleges it carried out last month's attack on the world's largest oil processor in Saudi Arabia, which caused oil prices to spike by the biggest percentage since the 1991 Gulf War.

Iran denies the accusations and has warned any retaliatory attack targeting it will result in an "all-out war," as it has begun enriching uranium beyond the terms of its 2015 nuclear deal. Iran also shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone and seized oil tankers.

A prisoner swap could offer a breakthrough following a pair of conciliatory moves.

A month ago, the U.S. deported Iranian Negar Ghodskani who was brought to the U.S. to face criminal conspiracy charges. She was sentenced to time served for conspiracy to illegally export restricted technology from the U.S. to Iran.

In June, Iran released Nizar Zakka, a U.S. permanent resident from Lebanon who advocated for internet freedom and has done work for the U.S. government. He was sentenced to 10 years on espionage-related charges and was freed after serving less than four years.

However, in May, Iran sentenced former U.S. Navy cook Michael R. White from Imperial Beach, California, to 10 years in prison in Iran, becoming the first American known to be imprisoned there since Trump took office.

Three other American citizens are known to be held in Iran, though Iran does not recognize their dual nationality

Iranian-American Siamak Namazi and his octogenarian father Baquer, a former representative for the U.N. children's agency UNICEF who served as governor of Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed shah, are both serving 10-year sentences on espionage charges.

Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari and his Iranian wife, Afarin Neyssari, received 27-year and 16-year prison sentences, respectively.

Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly "infiltrating" the country while doing doctoral research on Iran's Qajar dynasty.

Iranian-American Robin Shahini was released on bail in 2017 after staging a hunger strike while serving an 18-year prison sentence for "collaboration with a hostile government." Shahini has since returned to America and is now suing Iran in U.S. federal court.

Former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran in 2007 while on an unauthorized CIA mission, remains missing. Iran says that Levinson is not in the country and that it has no further information about him, though his family holds Tehran responsible for his disappearance.

Others held with Western ties include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the "soft toppling" of Iran's government while traveling with her young daughter. Her daughter left Iran for Britain last week.

____

Heller reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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Iran sends US list of names for its proposed prisoner swap - Stars and Stripes

Analysis Determines Cost Effectiveness of Various Treatment Strategies for Multiple Myeloma – Cancer Therapy Advisor

First-line autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is cost-effective in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) but more research is needed to assess cost-effectiveness of other, newer antimyeloma regimens in different treatment-line settings, according to a systematic review of studies from 11 countries published over the past quarter of a century. The analysis was published in the journal PharmacoEconomics.

For transplant-eligible MM patients, transplant isa cost-effective first-line treatment, reported senior study author ProfessorDavid R. Lairson, PhD, co-director of the Center for Health Services Researchat the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and coauthors.

However, the evidence for the relative costeffectiveness of other treatment regimens remains unclear and more research isneeded, the researchers noted. Second-line bortezomib-based regimens,lenalidomide plus dexamethasone, and pomalidomide plus dexamethasone were each cost-effectivecompared with dexamethasone alone but which of these combinatorial regimens isthe most cost-effective remains unclear.

MM incidence rates have climbed in recent years, asbaby boomers aged into late adulthood. MM treatment strategies have beenchanging rapidly over recent years, as well, thanks to newly approved agentsand treatment regimens. Newer regimens are promising and benefit some patients;however, none are considered curative.

Previous systematic reviews have compared specifictherapies. However, few comprehensive cost-effectiveness analyses have beenundertaken that compare available therapies across treatment lines.

To compare the cost effectiveness of treatmentregimes, the authors searched research literature databases and identified 24such assessments, published between 1990 and 2018, summarizing incrementalcost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), andlife-year gained (LYG) for different treatment regimens and treatment lines(first-line, second-line, and multiple-line treatments).

Unpublished literature, including someindustry-sponsored studies and reports, or non-English reports, were notincluded, cautioned the researchers. In addition, 2 studies were not availablein the databases searched and their exclusion from the analysis might havebiased their results, the team acknowledged.

Four studies included in the review had comparedtransplant and no-transplant treatments cost-effectiveness. Amongtransplant-eligible patients, first-line transplant was the mostcost-effective option, with an ICER of at least $4053 per QALY gained andbetween $3848 and $72,852 per LYG. Compared with conventional chemotherapy,first-line novel agents (bortezomib, thalidomide, and lenalidomide) had an ICERof $59,076 per QALY gained and $220,681 per LYG. ASCT in patients with new diagnoseswas cost effective compared with melphalan, the researchers reported (ICER of $25,710per LYG).

Second-line novel agent regimens had inconsistentICERs, the researchers reported.

More cost-effectiveness analyses comparing novelagents in the first-line treatment regimen are warranted to determine whichagent or regimen is the most cost-effective, the researchers concluded.

[T]he papers included in this review were conductedfrom different perspectives, countries, and years, and using differentcost-effectiveness criteria, the researchers noted. [R]eaders need to usecaution when interpreting the conclusions in the context of their localjurisdiction and cost-effectiveness criteria.

Multiple myeloma caused 12,590 deaths in 2017,representing 2% of all US cancer deaths.

Reference

This article originally appeared on Oncology Nurse Advisor

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Analysis Determines Cost Effectiveness of Various Treatment Strategies for Multiple Myeloma - Cancer Therapy Advisor

Stem cell therapy helped Owen Franks but there’s still plenty to prove – Stuff.co.nz

Stem cell therapy, which All Blacks prop Owen Franks used to help fix a damaged shoulder, is raising hopes of a whole range of medical breakthroughs.

But there's a way to go before the medical establishment is convinced.

In late 2017, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner ScottGottliebhad this to say:"We're at the beginning of a paradigm change in medicine with the promise of being able to facilitate regeneration of parts of the human body, where cells and tissues can be engineered to grow healthy, functional organs to replace diseased ones; new genes can be introduced into the body to combat disease; and adult stem cells can generate replacements for cells that are lost to injury or disease."

REGEN CELLULAR

Dr Hassan Mubark takes blood from All Blacks prop Owen Franks.

Yet, as an indication of how far there is still to go, the FDA has also warnedpeople in the USagainst "unscrupulous providers" offering stem cell products that were unapproved and unproven.

READ MORE:*Rugby World Cup 2019: All Black Owen Franks thrown a stem cell lifeline*Owen Franks hits back at critics following omission from Rugby World Cup squad*Stem cell therapy for All Black Israel Dagg as he hits comeback trail with Crusaders*Experimental stem cell treatment shows results for Waikato woman with MSA Cerebella*Stem cell clinics accused of taking advantage of patients*Reported stem cell treatment could give hope to Michael Schumacher

"Researchers hope stem cells will one day be effective in the treatment of many medical conditions and diseases," it said, thenadded: "Stem cells have been called everything from cure-alls to miracle treatments. But don't believe the hype."

Looking at just the area of deteriorating joints, it's easy to see how stem cell therapies, if they deliver on the promise,could make life much better for many people with osteoarthritis who are in pain and have restricted movement.

Last week, Otago University researchers predictedthe number of knee replacement surgeries needed for osteoarthritis would increase from around 5000 a year in 2013 to abut9000 in 2038.

AP

Former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher received devastating head injuries in a ski accident six years ago. Last month it was reported he has undergone stem cell treatment in Paris.

Osteoarthritis is the area where ReGen Cellular,the clinic where Franks had the therapy, has done most of its work in the past two to three years, although ithas recently expanded its services to include a range of diagnosed auto-immune conditions, among them rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes.

ReGensaid 55 per cent of its patients were aged over 60, 35 per cent were 40-60 and 10 per cent were sports-based.

Theclinic usesPure Expanded Stem Cell (PESC) therapy, which involves taking 40 grams - about a teaspoon - of fat from around a patient's stomach. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)in that sample are then multiplied in the clinic's Queenstown laboratory for about eight weeks. At the end of that process 100 million to 200 million cells have been produced.

Otago University

Otago University, Christchurch regenerative medicine research team have invented a bio-ink - a gel-like substance mixed with human stem cells - to be used with a bio-printer to make human body parts. Video shows the printer using bio-ink to make a body part.

For the treatment of osteoarthritis, between 50m and 100m stem cells are injected into larger joints, with 25m to 50m into smaller joints. ReGen said the therapy provided immediate pain reduction and increased mobility. MRI scans showed cartilage could and did regenerate.

ReGendescribedMSCs as the cells that "wake up damaged or lazy cells". Slightly more technically, Nature.com said MSCs wereadult stem cells present in multiple tissues, including the umbilical cord, bone marrow and fat.MSCscan self-renew by dividing and can differentiate into multiple tissues including bone, cartilage, muscle and fat cells, and connective tissue.

ReGen director of patient care Marcelle Noble said the clinic believed its treatments, if offered early enough, would save the public health system hundreds of millions of dollars through lessened replacement surgeries, and would save ACC millions of dollars in lengthy rehabilitation programmes.

The treatment for two knees was half the price of one knee replacement surgery within the public health system, she said. ReGen advertises osteoarthritis treatment for a single joint at $12,500 and for two joints at $15,000.

GETTY IMAGES

Former All Black Israel Dagg had stem cell therapy for an injured knee, but in the end had to give the game away because of the injury.

So far mainstream funding hadnot been offered for the therapy, Noble said. But the clinic had a "big breakthrough" earlier this year when two insurers in New Zealand accepted patients'PESC therapy claims. In July, ACC accepted consultation by ReGen's chief medical officer Dr Hassan Mubark.

ReGen only had data for the past five years on the success of its therapy, but the fact patients were returning to have other areas of their body treated was an indication of how people feltthe therapy was improving their quality of life, Noble said.

Globally, "massive" R&D spending was going into stem cell research. More therapies would become available and stem cell treatment would become "commonplace".

At any one time ReGen had 50-75 patients' cells growing in its incubators, Noble said. Of the patients treated, 40 per cent hadailments in therknees, 30 per cent in their hips, 20 per cent in their shoulders. The final 10 per cent were for sports and other issues, including problems with tendons, muscles, cartilage tears, fingers, elbows, ankles and hands.

SUPPLIED

Dr Ron Lopert undergoing part of the PESC treatment.

The first patient to undertake ReGen's PESC therapy was retired GP Dr Ron Lopert, who lives in Tauranga.

For five to 10 years, he had beengetting aches and pains in his hips after playing sport, and the problem was becoming more noticeable, he said. In 2013 he had an x-ray that showed he had moderate to severe osteoarthritis in both hips,more severein his right hip.

He stopped playing all sports and started researching different forms of treatment. Ideally, he wanted to be able to get some of his own cartilage back and reverse the osteoarthritis. It seemedPESCshould do that.

In 2015, aged 61, he had the therapy, with stem cells being injected into each hip joint.Within weeks henoticed an improvement in the range of motion and a decrease in pain, Lopert said.Some of that was just the anti-inflammatory component of stem cell injection, but he thought he also received a longer term benefit from cartilage regeneration.

SUPPLIED

Dr Lopert on his recent travels. He says he has much less hip pain.

He put the success of the procedure at75 per centin terms of symptoms and function, and100 per cent when it came to avoiding invasive surgery."I opted for a much more natural treatment where my own tissue is regenerating, instead of a metal prosthesis," Lopert said.

He was not sure all the improvement came from the stem cell treatment. As well as avoiding overuse of the joints, which meant he hadn't returned to playing sport, he had also switched to an anti-inflammatory diet.

His left hip continued to have hardly any symptomsbut he had started noticing the "odd twinge now and then" in his right hip.

"The vast majority of days it's fine provided I'm just walking and doing ordinary things. On the odd occasion I might carry something heavy, then I would notice it the next day and it (right hip) would stay painfulintermittentlyfor the next couple of days," Lopert said.

Sean Gallup

In this picture from February, German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks through a microscope at brain organoids grown from stem cells.

Some of his stem cells had been retained after the treatment, and he was booked in for a follow-up injection for his right hip at the end of October.

He expected the therapy would become a "go to" treatment, and would become an early intervention for osteoarthritis. But more independent research was needed to confirm the success of the treatment. "The evidence is slowly building up but there needs to be more before the Government will accept it," Lopert said.

In his case, he thought there had been cartilage regeneration in his hips, but that was based on his symptoms. "It would have been nice had I had MRI scans before and after the injection for objective evidence," he said.

From the perspective of the medical establishment, the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association said it supported a position statement on stem cell therapy produced by the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.

That paper, approved in mid-2018,noted stem cell therapy was a "rapidly advancing" area, but many proposed stem cell therapies were experimental and not yet proven. It did not support surgeons administering stem cell therapy outside of an ethically approved registered clinical trial.

"Whilst there may be scope for innovative treatment in the future, currently, the clinical effectiveness and safety of stem cell therapies remain scientifically unproven," RACS said.

In this country, an ACC spokesperson said ACC did not have an official position on stem cell therapy for the treatment of injuries. An internationally standardised evidence-based healthcare approach was used to help ACC decide how it covered injuries and funded treatments.

Dr HassanMubark, ReGen's chief medical officer, was a healthcare provider contracted to ACC in the specialty of rheumatology, and ACC had funded consultation fees with Mubark, the spokesperson said. Those consultations were for diagnostic and treatment planning purposes and did not need prior approval from ACC.

ACC had to consider legislative criteria when deciding whether to fund any particular treatment. There would be many reasons why ACC might decide to fund a client to see a rheumatologist for an opinion on the diagnosis and possible management of their condition. That would not commit ACC to funding any proposed treatment but would provide the client and ACC with information to help decision-making.

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Stem cell therapy helped Owen Franks but there's still plenty to prove - Stuff.co.nz

AgeX Therapeutics to Present at Metabesity 2019 – Business Wire

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (AgeX; NYSE American: AGE), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics for human aging and regeneration, announced today that founder and CEO Michael D. West, PhD will deliver a presentation titled The Age-Related Metabolic Program as part of a session at Metabesity 2019, October 15-16 in Washington, DC.

Details of the session follow.

Wednesday, October 16Carnegie Institution for Science 1530 P Street NWWashington, DC 20005

9:40-10:45am Panel Session: Clinical Development Issues Challenges and Opportunities

Dr. West will be joined on the panel by:

The full event program is available here.

A copy of the presentation will be available on the Investors section of the companys website at http://www.agexinc.com.

About AgeX Therapeutics

AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: AGE) is focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics for human aging. Its PureStem and UniverCyte manufacturing and immunotolerance technologies are designed to work together to generate highly defined, universal, allogeneic, off-the-shelf pluripotent stem cell-derived young cells of any type for application in a whole host of diseases with a high unmet medical need. AgeX has two preclinical cell therapy programs: AGEX-VASC1 (vascular progenitor cells) for tissue ischemia and AGEX-BAT1 (brown fat cells) for Type II diabetes. AgeXs revolutionary longevity platform named induced Tissue Regeneration (iTR) aims to unlock cellular immortality and regenerative capacity to reverse age-related changes within tissues. AGEX-iTR1547 is an iTR-based formulation in preclinical development. HyStem is AgeXs delivery technology to stably engraft PureStem cell therapies and slowly release iTR molecules in the body. AgeX is developing its core product pipeline for use in the clinic to extend human healthspan, and is seeking opportunities to form licensing and partnership agreements around its broad IP estate and proprietary technology platforms for non-core clinical applications.

For more information, please visit http://www.agexinc.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not historical fact including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates should also be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in more detail in AgeXs reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commissions (copies of which may be obtained at http://www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. AgeX specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.

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AgeX Therapeutics to Present at Metabesity 2019 - Business Wire

Stem Cell Characterization Kits Market 08-Year Market Forecast and Trends Analysis Research Report – The Tribune City

Stem cells are biological cells that can be converted into specific type of cells as per the bodys requirement. Stem cells are of two types, i.e., adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Stem cells can be used to treat various diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorder, cardiovascular disorder and tissue regeneration. Stem cell characterization is the initial step for stem cell research. Stem cell characterization is a challenging and also an evolving process. Stem cell characterization kits are used for identification of stem cell biology markers. In stem cell characterization, stem cell biology marker profiles differ based on their species, maturity and site of origin. Stem cell characterization kit is required to understand the utility of the stem cells in downstream experiments and to confirm the pluripotency of the stem cell.

The growth of the stem cell characterization kits market is expected to be being fuelled by government funding for stem cell research. In 2017, the federal spending for stem cell research was US$ 1.8 Bn of the total spending, where 31% was spent on nonembryonic non-human stem cells, 20% was spent on human-induced pluripotent stem cells, 27% was spent on nonembryonic human stem cells, embryonic human stem cells research contributed 12% of total spending, whereas 8% and remaining 2% of total spending was spent on embryonic non-human and placenta stem cells research, respectively. Increasing focus on stem cell research is expected to make stem cell characterization kits market one of the lucrative areas of business.

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The rising prevalence of cancer, cardiovascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases and the role of stem cell therapy in treating these diseases is projected to drive the growth of stem cell characterization kit market. As per the American Cancer Society, in 2017 cancer accounted around 1 out of 4 deaths in the U.S. and was the second most common cause of deaths in the U.S. Stem cell therapy and stem cell transplant has huge potential to treat such chronic diseases, which is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the stem cell characterization kits market.

Stem cell transplant is useful for the treatment of spinal cord injury, stroke, and Alzheimers disease, which is expected to fuel the adoption of stem cell characterization kits over the forecast period. The Stem Cell Agency, California, is working on the development of new stem cell-based therapies for chronic diseases such as cancer and rare diseases, where stem cell characterization kits are primarily required. Stem cell characterization kit is also required to identify the appropriate stem cells for the treatment of -Thalassemia. Due to the increasing research and study on stem cells, the stem cell characterization kit market is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period.

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The role of stem cell characterization kit is very important because if the stem cells are not characterized properly into required adult cell type, transplanted stem cells may revert back to teratomas and there is a possibility of transplant rejection. This is expected to influence the growth of the stem cell characterization kit market.

To gain a comprehensive and better understanding of the future market equity, the stem cell characterization kits market is segmented based on stem cell type, application, end user, and region.

Based on type of stem cell, the stem cell characterization kits market is segmented into:

Based on application, the stem cell characterization kits market is segmented into:

Based on end user, the stem cell characterization kits market is segmented into:

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North America and Europe are expected to witness significant growth in the global stem cell characterization kit market over the forecast period. This is owing to presence of key manufacturers and researchers of stem cell based therapies in these regions. Moreover, manufacturers such as ThermoFisher Scientific, and Becton Dickinson providing stem cell assays are present in North America region. Asia Pacific is expected to show significant growth in the stem cell characterization kit market over the forecast period, as researchers from China and Japan are working on stem cell based therapies. For instance, in 2017, clinical trials of embryonic stem cells were launched in China for Parkinsons disease.

Examples of some of the key participants in the stem cell characterization kits market identified across the value chain include Merck KGaA, Celprogen, Inc., Creative Bioarray, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., BD Biosciences, R&D Systems, Inc., System Biosciences, Cosmo Bio USA, BioCat GmbH, and DS Pharma Biomedical Co., Ltd.

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Stem Cell Characterization Kits Market 08-Year Market Forecast and Trends Analysis Research Report - The Tribune City

New Cambridge research could lead to novel cancer therapies – Business Weekly

Anti-cancer therapies aimed at blocking mitochondrial energy generation may have wider effects on cancer cell behaviour than just preventing proliferation, new Cambridge research into brain development and tumours in the fruit fly suggests.

Cancer cells were once thought to rely on sugar as the primary fuel for their growth, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect.

More recently, it has become clear that other energy sources may be equally important, and much of the growth in cancer cells is fuelled by mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells.

The role of mitochondrial energy generation by oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) in tumour growth has since attracted much attention as a potential therapeutic target for cancer.

In a new study published in eLife, comparing the roles of mitochondrial metabolism in normal brain development and in brain tumours, Jelle van den Ameele and Andrea Brand at the Wellcome Trust/ Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute now show that mitochondria contribute to much more than cell proliferation and growth.

They studied the brains of fruit flies that, remarkably, can develop brain tumours that exhibit many of the hallmarks of human cancer. The researchers discovered that blocking the OxPhos pathway in mitochondria in neural stem cells and brain tumour cells not only reduces cell proliferation, but also limits the diversity of cell types they can generate.

Experimental therapies for cancer based on inhibiting OxPhos are currently being trialled. This new study now demonstrates that these therapies may have far wider effects on stem cell behaviour than simply preventing uncontrolled cell proliferation.

Cell diversity is essential in normal development and for tumour growth, explained first author and Research Associate, Dr Jelle van den Ameele.

At the base of these are the proliferating stem cells. Blocking mitochondrial function slows their growth and at the same time keeps more cells in a stem-cell state. These stem cells could later emerge to grow, metastasise and cause resistance to therapy.

A better understanding of the interactions between metabolism, normal brain cell growth, and the diversity of cell types in tumours, could uncover new therapeutic approaches.

The work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, Royal Society and European Molecular Biology Organization; and by core funding to the Gurdon Institute from the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK.

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New Cambridge research could lead to novel cancer therapies - Business Weekly