These Scientists Have a Plan To Cheat Death. Will It Work? – NBCNews.com

Resurrecting the dead may be out of the question, but new research points to better ways to care for patients with critical brain injuries.Jun.29.2017 / 4:32 PM ET Conceptual close up image of a synapse. Science Picture Co / Getty Images Conceptual close up image of a synapse. Science Picture Co / Getty Images

Nothing is as certain as death. Yet humans have come up with ways to push it further and further. The heart stops beating? Do CPR. The lungs fail? Use a mechanical ventilator. These techniques have saved the lives of millions. There is a point of no return, however: when the brain dies.

One company, Philadelphia-based Bioquark Inc., thinks it may be possible to push back on even that last step. Bioquark plans to launch a study to use stem cells and a slew of other therapies to bring a glimmer of life back to the dead brains of newly deceased patients.

The idea led to hundreds of chilling headlines and has met serious backlash from scientists and ethicists alike. While Bioquarks proposed study may trigger ethical and practical concerns, experts do say advances in stem cell research and medical technologies mean someday brain injury could be reversible. Maybe (and thats a big maybe) brain death wont be the end of life.

I agree stem cell technology in the neurosciences has tremendous potential, but we have to study it in a way that makes sense, said Dr. Diana Greene-Chandos, assistant professor of neurosurgery and neurology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. What doesnt make sense, she says, is to apply stem cell research in complex human brainsvery damaged onesbefore animal studies have gotten far enough.

Thats why Bioquarks proposed study, slated to take place in South America sometime this year, has caused such uproar in the science community. The team plans to administer therapies to 20 brain-dead subjects with the hope of stirring up electrical activity in the brain. The idea is to deliver stem cells to the brain and coax them to grow into new brain cells, or neurons, with the help of a nurturing peptide cocktail, electrical nerve stimulation, and laser therapy.

Related: Godlike 'Homo Deus' Could Replace Humans as Tech Evolves

We are employing this [combined] approach, using tools that by themselves have been employed extensively, but never in such an integrated process, said Bioquark CEO Ira Pastor.

One critique is that such a study could give false hope to families who may have a poor understanding of the severity and irreversibility of brain death, and confuse it with coma or vegetative state. There are a lot of gray areas in medicine. And we should all keep an open mind. But we need to make sure we are not misguiding our patients, said Dr. Neha Dangayach, attending physician in the neurosurgical intensive care Unit at New Yorks Mount Sinai Hospital.

Pastors response to the criticism? The public is catching up to the idea of brain death. Hes also clarified that full resurrection is not the companys intended goalat least not yet. We are not claiming the ability to erase death. We are working on a very small window, a gray zone between reversible coma and death, he said.

Ethics aside, critics say there are practical problems with the plan. There is insufficient evidence behind Bioquarks approach, they argue, and the way the study is planned does not sound realistic.

When the brain dies, inflammation and swelling run amok, the connections between neurons disintegrate, arteries collapse, and blood flow shuts down. Once someone is brain-dead, you can keep them on the ventilator but its very hard to keep the organs from shutting down and the heart beating for more than a few days, said neurologist Richard Senelick. Nature is going to run its course.

So, many scientists say Bioquarks study may be a quixotic queston par with cryogenic brain preservation and head transplants. They may sound good in theory but are so impractical that they have little chance of success. Nevertheless, experts agree the quest does raise serious questions that deserve answers. Just what would it take to save a brain? Perhaps resurrecting dead brains is not in the realm of possibilitybut what is?

There is an immense reward in pursuing brain regeneration. If it pans out, it could potentially save the lives of those who are injured in an accident or, more commonly, suffer extreme brain damage following a cardiac arrest or stroke. Every year in the United States, about 350,000 people experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association. Only about 10 percent survive with good neurologic function. Another 130,000 people die of stroke annually.

To appreciate the challenge of saving the brain, first look at what it takes to kill it. It was long thought that death occurs when the heart stops. Now we know that death actually happens in the brainand not in one single moment, but several steps. A patient lying in a coma in an intensive care unit may appear peaceful, but findings from biochemical studies paint a much different scene in his brain: fireworks at the cellular level.

When neurons encounter a traumatic event, like lack of blood flow after cardiac arrest, they go into a frenzy. Some cells die during the initial blackout. Others struggle to survive in the complex cascade of secondary injury mechanisms, triggered by the stress of being deprived of oxygen. Neurotransmitters spill out of neurons in high concentrations. Free radicals pile up, burning holes in brain cell membranes. The pierced cells respond to the attack by producing more inflammation, damaging other cells.

Eventually, the stress response triggers apoptosis, or the process of programmed cell death. In other words, the cells suicide switch gets turned on. The cells die one by one until the brain ceases to function.

Thats brain death: the complete and irreversible loss of function of the brain. Doctors determine brain death by checking whether the patient's pupils react to light, whether he responds to pain, and if his body tries to breathe or has retained any other vital function of the brainstem, the part most resilient to injury.

We have strict tests, because its a very serious questionthe question of distinguishing life from death, Dangayach said.

For brain damage at a much smaller scale, however, the situation could be manageable. Cutting-edge therapies are focused on this possibility.

Related: Three Myths About the Brain (That Deserve To Die)

Stem cells have brought an exciting potential opportunity to the grim area of treating brain injury. Currently, theres no FDA-approved stem cell-based therapy for brain problems, and experts suggest staying away from any clinic that offers such therapies. But that doesnt stop researchers from being excited about the possibilities. Unlike in other parts of the body, cells lost in the brain are gone forever. Could stem cells replace them?

That's a reasonable thing to ask, neurologist Dr. Ariane Lewis of New York University said. Lewis is a strong critic of Bioquarks approach, saying that the study borders on quackery, but she thinks stem cell research is promising for stroke recovery. We have little evidence right now, and this is not a commonly employed therapy, but its a research question.

Two regions in the adult brain contain stem cells that can give rise to new neurons, suggesting the brain has a built-in capacity to repair itself. Some of these cells can migrate long distances and reach the injury site.

In some injuries, the brain produces biological factors that stimulate stem cells. Researchers are working to identify those factorswith the aim of someday translating the findings into new drugs to boost a patient's own stem cells.

If we can identify factors that stimulate these cells we could directly repair [the brain], said Dr. Steven Kernie, chief of pediatric critical care medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital, who is working on this research.

Other teams have been working on turning different types of brain cells into neurons. A team at Penn State University developed a cocktail of molecules that can convert glial cells, a type of brain cell, into functioning neurons in mice. The cocktail of molecules could be packaged into drug pills, the researchers said, perhaps one day taken by patients to regenerate neurons.

Another option: transplant new neurons into the brain. In a 2016 study, scientists successfully transplanted young neurons into damaged brains of mice. A real-life injury in the human brain is a much messier situation than a clear-cut lesion made in the lab. But eventually, such advances may translate into techniques to repair stroke damage.

Related: These Brain Boosting Devices Could Give Us Intelligence Superpowers

For diseases like Parkinsons, in which a particular population of neurons is lostas opposed to widespread indiscriminate damagethere have been several clinical trials with many more slated. Scientists in Australia are using brain cells of pigs as a substitute for lost neurons. Later this year, a Chinese clinical trial will implant young neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells into brains of Parkinsons patients. And five more groups are planning similar trials over the next two years, Nature reported.

Approaches taken in Parkinsons trials may be the most biologically plausible, Kernie said. If these trials are successful, they may pave the way for more widespread application of stem cells for treating brain diseases. Its not proven yet that it will work, but its something that's on the horizon.

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Smelling your food makes you fat – UC Berkeley

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Our sense of smell is key to the enjoyment of food, so it may be no surprise that in experiments at the University of California, Berkeley, obese mice who lost their sense of smell also lost weight.

Whats weird, however, is that these slimmed-down but smell-deficient mice ate the same amount of fatty food as mice that retained their sense of smell and ballooned to twice their normal weight.

In addition, mice with a boosted sense of smell super-smellers got even fatter on a high-fat diet than did mice with normal smell.

The findings suggest that the odor of what we eat may play an important role in how the body deals with calories. If you cant smell your food, you may burn it rather than store it.

These results point to a key connection between the olfactory or smell system and regions of the brain that regulate metabolism, in particular the hypothalamus, though the neural circuits are still unknown.

This paper is one of the first studies that really shows if we manipulate olfactory inputs we can actually alter how the brain perceives energy balance, and how the brain regulates energy balance, said Cline Riera, a former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow now at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Humans who lose their sense of smell because of age, injury or diseases such as Parkinsons often become anorexic, but the cause has been unclear because loss of pleasure in eating also leads to depression, which itself can cause loss of appetite.

The new study, published this week in the journal Cell Metabolism, implies that the loss of smell itself plays a role, and suggests possible interventions for those who have lost their smell as well as those having trouble losing weight.

Sensory systems play a role in metabolism. Weight gain isnt purely a measure of the calories taken in; its also related to how those calories are perceived, said senior author Andrew Dillin, the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Distinguished Chair in Stem Cell Research, professor of molecular and cell biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. If we can validate this in humans, perhaps we can actually make a drug that doesnt interfere with smell but still blocks that metabolic circuitry. That would be amazing.

Riera noted that mice as well as humans are more sensitive to smells when they are hungry than after theyve eaten, so perhaps the lack of smell tricks the body into thinking it has already eaten. While searching for food, the body stores calories in case its unsuccessful. Once food is secured, the body feels free to burn it.

After UC Berkeley researchers temporarily eliminated the sense of smell in the mouse on the bottom, it remained a normal weight while eating a high-fat diet. The mouse on the top, which retained its sense of smell, ballooned in weighton the same high-fat diet.

The smell-deficient mice rapidly burned calories by up-regulating their sympathetic nervous system, which is known to increase fat burning. The mice turned their beige fat cells the subcutaneous fat storage cells that accumulate around our thighs and midriffs into brown fat cells, which burn fatty acids to produce heat. Some turned almost all of their beige fat into brown fat, becoming lean, mean burning machines.

In these mice, white fat cells the storage cells that cluster around our internal organs and are associated with poor health outcomes also shrank in size.

The obese mice, which had also developed glucose intolerance a condition that leads to diabetes not only lost weight on a high-fat diet, but regained normal glucose tolerance.

On the negative side, the loss of smell was accompanied by a large increase in levels of the hormone noradrenaline, which is a stress response tied to the sympathetic nervous system. In humans, such a sustained rise in this hormone could lead to a heart attack.

Though it would be a drastic step to eliminate smell in humans wanting to lose weight, Dillin noted, it might be a viable alternative for the morbidly obese contemplating stomach stapling or bariatric surgery, even with the increased noradrenaline.

For that small group of people, you could wipe out their smell for maybe six months and then let the olfactory neurons grow back, after theyve got their metabolic program rewired, Dillin said.

Dillin and Riera developed two different techniques to temporarily block the sense of smell in adult mice. In one, they genetically engineered mice to express a diphtheria receptor in their olfactory neurons, which reach from the noses odor receptors to the olfactory center in the brain. When diphtheria toxin was sprayed into their nose, the neurons died, rendering the mice smell-deficient until the stem cells regenerated them.

Separately, they also engineered a benign virus to carry the receptor into olfactory cells only via inhalation. Diphtheria toxin again knocked out their sense of smell for about three weeks.

In both cases, the smell-deficient mice ate as much of the high-fat food as did the mice that could still smell. But while the smell-deficient mice gained at most 10 percent more weight, going from 25-30 grams to 33 grams, the normal mice gained about 100 percent of their normal weight, ballooning up to 60 grams. For the former, insulin sensitivity and response to glucose both of which are disrupted in metabolic disorders like obesity remained normal.

Mice that were already obese lost weight after their smell was knocked out, slimming down to the size of normal mice while still eating a high-fat diet. These mice lost only fat weight, with no effect on muscle, organ or bone mass.

The UC Berkeley researchers then teamed up with colleagues in Germany who have a strain of mice that are supersmellers, with more acute olfactory nerves, and discovered that they gained more weight on a standard diet than did normal mice.

People with eating disorders sometimes have a hard time controlling how much food they are eating and they have a lot of cravings, Riera said. We think olfactory neurons are very important for controlling pleasure of food and if we have a way to modulate this pathway, we might be able to block cravings in these people and help them with managing their food intake.

Co-authors of the paper are Jens Brning, director of the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Germany, and his colleagues Eva Tsaousidou, Linda Engstrm Ruud, Jens Alber, Hella Brnneke and Brigitte Hampel; Jonathan Halloran, Courtney Anderson and Andreas Stahl of UC Berkeley; Patricia Follett and Carlos Daniel de Magalhaes Filho of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California; and Oliver Hahn of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne.

The work was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Glenn Center for Research on Aging and the American Diabetes Association.

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Defining the Future of the Stem Cell Industry – Interviews with Stem Cell Industry Executives – Research and Markets – Business Wire (press release)

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Defining the Future of the Stem Cell Industry - Interviews with Stem Cell Industry Executives" report to their offering.

Stem cell research has been in process for over five decades. Stem cells have a unique ability to divide and replicate repeatedly, as well as an unspecialized nature that allows them to differentiate into a wide variety of specialized cell types. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells.

Stem cells are primitive cells found in all multi-cellular organisms that are characterized by self-renewal and the capacity to differentiate into mature cell types.

Several broad categories of stem cells exist, including:

- Embryonic stem cells, derived from blastocysts

- Perinatal stem cells, obtained during the period immediately before and after birth

- Adult stem cells, found in adult tissues

- Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), produced by genetically reprogramming adults cells

- Cancer stem cells, which give rise to clonal populations of cells that form tumors or disperse in the body

The possibilities arising from these characteristics have resulted in great commercial interest, with potential applications ranging from the use of stem cells as research tools, to utilization in cell therapies and integration into 3D printed tissues and organs. Additionally, the ability to use stem cells to improve drug target validation and toxicology screening is of intense interest to the pharmaceutical industry.

Rapid Technological Innovation

As a result of this technological innovation, the stem cell industry is undergoing rapid change. As of July 2017, a search for stem cells yields the following results:

- 5,932 Clinical Trials - Search conducted via ClinicalTrials.gov, a global registry of clinical trials that contains approximately 3/4th of trials worldwide, using the terms stem cell or stem cells

- 45,283 Patents - Search performed using the United State Patent and Trademark Office website, USPTO.gov, using the terms stem cell or stem cells

- 296,399 Scientific Papers - Search performed on PubMed.gov, a global database of scientific publications maintained by the NIH, using the terms stem cell or stem cells

- Google Trends identifies that stem cell terms are widely searched in countries worldwide, led by Singapore, China, UK, USA, and Australia - Google Trends is a service of Google Inc. that identifies how frequently a particular search term is entered relative to total search volume worldwide

Undoubtedly, there is enormous interest surrounding the stem cell industry. However, this rapid technological changes leaves all industry participants wondering, what will be the future directions for the stem cell industry over the next 5, 10, or 15 years?

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jcz5bf/defining_the

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Greater understanding of plant hormone results in stem cells that grow shoots – Phys.Org

July 3, 2017 Arabidopsis thaliana. Credit: Wikipedia.

Researchers at Dartmouth College have identified how a well-known plant hormone targets genes to regulate plant growth and development. The finding could allow scientists to establish organ-growing stem cells for grains like rice and corn, and may ultimately lead to solutions to stubborn agricultural problems.

The study, appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes how cytokinin activates the transcription factor ARR10 to control gene expression in the Arabidopsis plant - a member of the mustard family commonly used as a model in plant biology.

Cytokinin is a hormone that regulates numerous processes in plants, including cell division, growth of shoots and roots, grain yield and greening.

"The question has always been how cytokinin regulates so many different processes within a plant," said Eric Schaller, a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth College. "Now we know the genes that are the primary targets of cytokinin, and we can provide the toolbox for manipulating the plant hormone response."

According to the paper, results from the analysis "shed light on the physiological role of the type-B ARRs in regulating the cytokinin response, the mechanism of type-B ARR activation, and the basis by which cytokinin regulates diverse aspects of growth and development as well as responses to biotic and abiotic factors."

As part of the study, conducted in collaboration with the University of North Carolina Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, researchers were able to use the new understanding of how cytokinin works to grow shoots in tissue culture under conditions in which these plant organs normally do not form.

To make the plant tissues grow shoots in vitro, the research team increased the cytokinin sensitivity in the Arabidopsis plant. This resulted in activation of the WUSCHEL target gene, which is a key regulator of shoot development. The result confirms understanding of how to establish stem cells that lead to different types of organ growth.

"What we have done is activate the plant to make a stem cell center for a shoot to form," said Schaller. "By finding the direct targets of what is impacted by cytokinin, we can fine-tune our focus in the future."

According to Schaller, this research sets the stage for further work that could help improve yield of important agricultural products like rice and corn.

Explore further: KISS ME DEADLY proteins may help improve crop yields

More information: Yan O. Zubo el al., "Cytokinin induces genome-wide binding of the type-B response regulator ARR10 to regulate growth and development in Arabidopsis," PNAS (2017). http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1620749114

Dartmouth College researchers have identified a new regulator for plant hormone signalingthe KISS ME DEADLY family of proteins (KMDs) that may help to improve production of fruits, vegetables and grains.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have discovered that cytokinin patterning, an important process in plant development, cannot happen via diffusion alone. While investigating a regulatory network in plant roots, they ...

Freiburg plant biologist Prof. Dr. Thomas Laux and his research group have published an article in the journal Developmental Cell presenting initial findings on how shoot stem cells in plants form during embryogenesis, the ...

Invisible to the naked eye, plant-parasitic nematodes are a huge threat to agriculture, causing billions in crop losses every year. Plant scientists at the University of Missouri and the University of Bonn in Germany have ...

The two most important growth hormones of plants, so far considered antagonists, also work synergistically. The activities of auxin and cytokinin, key molecules for plant growth and the formation of organs, such as leaves ...

Researchers from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at University of Copenhagen have for the first time demonstrated that the production of a plant hormone by a beneficial microbe is protecting a plant from ...

A wealth of previously undescribed plant enzymes have been discovered by scientists at the John Innes Centre. The team who uncovered the compounds hope that harnessing the power of these enzymes will unlock a rich new vein ...

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in establishing the relationships between 200-million-year-old plants based on chemical fingerprints. Using infrared spectroscopy and statistical analysis of organic molecules ...

As senses go, there's nothing so immediate and concrete as our sense of touch. So it may come as a surprise that, on the molecular level, our sense of touch is still poorly understood.

The mass extinction that obliterated three-fourths of life on Earth, including non-avian dinosaurs, set the stage for the swift rise of frogs, a new study shows.

The town of Escalante in southern Utah is no small potatoes when it comes to scientific discovery; a new archaeological finding within its borders may rewrite the story of tuber domestication.

The conventional way of placing protein samples under an electron microscope during cryo-EM experiments may fall flat when it comes to getting the best picture of a protein's structure. In some cases, tilting a sheet of frozen ...

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Greater understanding of plant hormone results in stem cells that grow shoots - Phys.Org

Stem Cell Assay Market Driven by Rising Diversity of Applications – TMR Research Blog (press release) (blog)

San Francisco, California, July 03, 2017: TMR Research announces a new report on the global stem cell assay market. The report examines the historical growth trajectory exhibited by the global stem cell assay market and its latest figures, and further provides reliable forecasts for the stem cell assay market based on complete analysis of the markets database. The report also takes a close look at the regional and competitive dynamics of the global stem cell assay market in order to shed light on the dynamics of the global market more clearly. The report is titled Stem Cell Assay Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 2025.

Testing antineoplastic drugs in order to check their potency in cancer treatment has emerged as a major application for the global stem cell assay market. The testing covers impurity, toxicity, and other aspects of the tumors and provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of various aspects of the tumor. The comprehensive figures provided by stem cell assays has driven the demand from the global stem cell assay market.

The growing diversity of applications of stem cell assays is likely to be a major driver for the global stem cell assay market. Pluripotent stem cells have been used in the treatment of several diseases so far and are likely to remain a key part of the healthcare sector in the coming years due to their intrinsic potential to transform into a wide variety of cells in the human body. This makes them a highly promising research avenue in the treatment of diverse conditions such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and retinal diseases, apart from cancer. The growing prevalence of neurological and neurodegenerative conditions, particularly among the growing geriatric demographic in developed countries, is thus likely to be a major driver for the global stem cell assay market.

Steady research and development in the medical sector is likely to remain a key driver for the global stem cell assay market, as the diversity of application of stem cells is purely potential until applied to specific avenues. Growing government support to the medical sector is likely to help the global stem cell assay market in this regard, as significant investment is required to carry out advanced medical research.

Regionally, North America and Europe are likely to remain the leading contributors to the global stem cell assay market due to the presence of a stable healthcare sector in developed countries in the region. The ready incorporation of technological advancements such as stem cell assays in the day to day functioning of the healthcare sector is the key driver for the stem cell assay market in developed countries such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, and France.

The report also profiles leading players in the global stem cell assay market in order to shed light on the competitive dynamics of the market. Stem cell assay market leaders examined in the report include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., GE Healthcare, STEMCELL Technologies Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Hemogenix Inc., Cell Biolabs Inc., and Promega Corporation.

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Regenerative medicine helps achy pets – WFLA

TAMPA, FL. Don and Judy Schmeling consider their chocolate lab, Alexandra, a member of the family.

We have three boys, says Judy. We like to say Alex is our girl.

When, at age nine, Alex started having knee pain, the Schmelings consulted their veterinarian, who suggested regenerative medicine, in the form of stem cell treatment.

Judy says, We decided to do it because she was still so young and had quite a few years ahead of her. We wanted her to have quality of life.

Dr. Farid Saleh of Ehrlich Animal Hospital removed a small amount of fat from Alexs belly, harvested the cells, and injected them into her knee during a same-day procedure performed at on site.

Youregiving the body a chance to regrow tissue instead of trying to heal or manage the diseased tissue thats there, explains Dr. Saleh.

After a few months, Alex was back to her old self. Shes now 12 years old.

Sometimes she acts like a puppy! Its been amazing, Judy says.

Alexs stem cells were harvested when she needed them, however Dr. Saleh says its not a bad idea to harvest them when pets are younger and under anesthesia for a procedure like a teeth cleaning.

If we could harvest something that we can use in the future to help our pets get better, it would be an amazing thing, says Dr. Saleh.

Stem cells can be stored, although doing so often requires a third-party company, and theres an annual fee. As for the harvesting and stem cell treatments, they average $2,500. The most common uses are for arthritis, and injuries to bones and joints. Less often, stem cell therapy is used to treat tumors. And, research indicates that stem cell therapy may be an option for treating chronic diseases.

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TissueGene awarded $750000 Maryland Stem Cell Grant for Invossa clinical study – BSA bureau (press release)

The grant award will be used by TissueGene to fund a component of a clinical study at a Maryland location for its US Phase III clinical trial for Invossa.

Singapore -TissueGene, Inc., aUS-based regenerative medicine company, announced that the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) has awarded TissueGene a clinical grant for Invossa, the world's first cell and gene therapy for degenerative arthritis.

The clinical grant is to be used for conducting clinical trials inMarylandusing cell therapy. This money is part of Accelerating Cure, a new TEDCO initiative to support regenerative medicine and cell therapy technologies in Maryland.

The grant award will be used by TissueGene to fund a component of a clinical study at aMaryland location for its US Phase III clinical trial for Invossa. The ultimate outcome of this study is the verification that Invossa exerts its therapeutic effect not only by tissue regeneration but on other inflammatory aspects of the disease such as synovitis.

The title of the grant is "Assessment of the Efficacy of TG-C in Treating Synovitis Using Contrast Enhanced MRI in a Clinical Study of Knee Osteoarthritis." The Principal Investigator (PI) for the study will be Dr.Gurdyal Kalsi, Chief Medical Officer of TissueGene.

"We are excited to support this important clinical trial and the growth of TissueGene inMaryland," said Dr.Dan Gincel, TEDCO's VP University Partnerships, and MSCRF's Executive Director. "We look forward to see many more patients treated and cured from this and other devastating diseases."

Invossa is a first-in-class osteoarthritis drug designed to conveniently and effectively treat osteoarthritis of the knee through a single intra-articular injection. Clinical trials completed in Korea and on-going trials in the US have demonstrated pain relief, increased mobility, and improvements in joint structure offering substantial convenience for nearly 33 million Americans with osteoarthritis who would otherwise need surgery.

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TissueGene awarded $750000 Maryland Stem Cell Grant for Invossa clinical study - BSA bureau (press release)

3D Bone-Like Tissues Grown From Stem Cells – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (June 28, 2017) - Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a cell culture method that generates three-dimensional bone-like tissues from mouse pluripotent stem cells using only small molecules as inducers. The current result, published in Science Advances, is a step toward the generation of three-dimensional tissues in cell culture which mimic or are patterned after our organs.

Three-dimensional tissue-like structures, called organoids, are generated in cell culture using various cell types derived from pluripotent stem cells. These include embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cellscells reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells, which can differentiate into most cell types. Our understanding of tissue formation processes, regenerative medicine and drug development stand to benefit from the study and development of such organoids.

However, most studies to date involve cell-to-cell transfer of genetic material, recombinant proteins, the sera of calf fetuses and other substances of unknown composition, which raise safety and cost concerns.

In 2014, a group led by Associate Professor Shinsuke Ohba at the University of Tokyos Graduate School of Medicine developed a protocol that used only four small molecules to induce the formation of bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) from pluripotent stem cells. Building on this protocol in the present study, Ohba and his colleague, Professor Ung-il Chung (Yuichi Tei), succeeded in generating three-dimensional bone-like tissues from mouse pluripotent stem cells embedded within sponges composed of atelocollagencollagen molecules that do not trigger an immune response. These mouse pluripotent stem cells generated osteoblasts and osteocytes (mature bone cells).

In addition, when these stem cell-derived osteoblasts and osteocytes were cultured with progenitors of osteoclasts (bone-resorbing cells) in the sponge, mature osteoclasts were formed. These results suggested that the osteoblasts and osteocytes derived from mouse embryonic stem cells are functional, as they are in living bodies, with the ability to support osteoclast formation.

This research potentially leads to the generation of bone-like tissues in cell culture, in which three cell populations responsible for the formation and maintenance of our bones, namely osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts, function in a three-dimensional manner, said Ohba.

We hope the strategy will contribute to our understanding of the origin and development of bone diseases, and help elucidate the mechanisms underlying the formation and maintenance of bones, as well as promote bone regenerative medicine and the development of drugs for treating bone diseases.

The article can be found at: Zujur et al. (2017) Three-dimensional System Enabling the Maintenance and Directed Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells under Defined Condition.

Source: University of Tokyo. Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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3D Bone-Like Tissues Grown From Stem Cells - Asian Scientist Magazine

Stem Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes – Medical News Bulletin

For over 20 years autologous hematopoietic stem cell treatment (AHSCT) has been a therapy for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus; however, the exact mechanism of action remains unclear. Recent clinical research has also been exploring the use of stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes, another autoimmune disease which affects over 422 million individuals globally.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition where little or no insulin is produced by the pancreas. Immune cells attack pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin, leading to inflammation. Insulin is an essential hormone for energy production as it enables the breakdown of sugars to enter the cells and produce energy. The onset of type 1 diabetes occurs when significant inflammation damages beta cells and results in insufficient maintenance of glucose haemostasis (balance of insulin and glucagon to maintain blood glucose levels).

Therapies currently used in type 1 diabetes treatment include insulin administration, blood glucose monitoring and screening for common comorbidities and diabetes-related complications. However, these treatments fail to reduce the damage on a patients immune system. The use of autologous hematopoietic stem cells as a potential type 1 diabetes therapy is based upon the ability of the stem cells to reset the immune system. Autologous hematopoietic stems cells are retrieved from a patients own bone marrow or peripheral blood (blood which circulates the body and contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) and after conditioning are injected intravenously.

A recent study by Ye and colleagues published in Stem Cell Research & Therapy (2017) investigated the effects AHSCT had on the immune response in recently diagnosed diabetes type 1 patients. The study included 18 patients (12-35 years old) with type 1 diabetes who had been diagnosed within less than 6 months. Of these 18 participants, 10 received a traditional insulin injection as treatment and eight received AHSCT. An additional 15 patients who matched in age, gender and BMI of these two groups were enrolled as a control group.

To test the effects of the treatment on immune response, patients peripheral blood cells were assessed. Samples were taken before they started treatment and then again 12 months after either the AHSCT or insulin-only therapies were administered.

Before treatment, peripheral blood cell distribution was almost equivalent in the two groups; however, after 12 months a significant difference was observed. The results of this clinical trial showed that patients receiving AHSCT exhibited significantly reduced development and function of Th1 and Th17 cells (types of T cells which cause inflammation in autoimmune diseases), compared to those only receiving the insulin treatment.

The inhibition of T-cell proliferation and function, along with decreased production of cytokines (pivotal chemical messengers which aid an immune response) observed in patients receiving AHSCT treatment suggests there is a strong link between the therapy and effects on the patients immune response. This may explain why AHSCT results in better therapeutic effects when compared with insulin-only traditional therapy.

The authors note that the small number of participants and length of the study are the two main limitations. Future clinical studies should include a larger number of patients and long-term follow up, especially since AHSCT can cause damage to the bone marrow and lead to potentially serious infections.

Progression of type 1 diabetes, as mentioned above, results in unavoidable immune damage from inflammation. This study suggests the combination of therapies including AHSCT treatment and high-dose immunosuppressive drugs may be a potential new therapeutic approach to type 1 diabetes. It is hypothesized that this combination has the ability reset the immune system and increase the recovery capacity of beta cells. Further clinical studies are essential though, to shed more light on the mechanism and use of stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes.

Written By:Lacey Hizartzidis, PhD

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Stem Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes - Medical News Bulletin

TissueGene Awarded $750000 Maryland Stem Cell Grant for Invossa Clinical Study – PR Newswire (press release)

TissueGene has been awarded a $750,000 clinical grant from the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) via the MSCRF. The clinical grant is to be used for conducting clinical trials in Maryland using cell therapy. This money is part of Accelerating Cure, a new TEDCO initiative to support regenerative medicine and cell therapy technologies in Maryland.

The grant award will be used by TissueGene to fund a component of a clinical study at a Maryland location for its US Phase III clinical trial for Invossa. The ultimate outcome of this study is the verification that Invossa exerts its therapeutic effect not only by tissue regeneration but on other inflammatory aspects of the disease such as synovitis.

The title of the grant is "Assessment of the Efficacy of TG-C in Treating Synovitis Using Contrast Enhanced MRI in a Clinical Study of Knee Osteoarthritis." The Principal Investigator (PI) for the study will be Dr. Gurdyal Kalsi, Chief Medical Officer of TissueGene.

"We are excited to support this important clinical trial and the growth of TissueGene in Maryland," said Dr. Dan Gincel, TEDCO's VP University Partnerships, and MSCRF's Executive Director. "We look forward to see many more patients treated and cured from this and other devastating diseases."

Woosok Lee, CEO of TissueGene stated, "As a Maryland-based company, TissueGene is honored by the grant award from the State of Maryland which has consistently demonstrated its commitment to supporting innovative therapies such as Invossa, which could potentially be the world's first disease-modifying drug for treating osteoarthritis."

Invossa is a first-in-class osteoarthritis drug designed to conveniently and effectively treat osteoarthritis of the knee through a single intra-articular injection. Clinical trials completed in Korea and on-going trials in the US have demonstrated pain relief, increased mobility, and improvements in joint structure offering substantial convenience for the nearly 33 million Americans with osteoarthritis who would otherwise be in need of surgery.

TissueGene, Inc. TissueGene, Inc., is a Maryland-based regenerative medicine company specializing in cell and gene therapy. TissueGene's lead product is Invossa, an allogeneic, cell and gene therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee that has completed Phase II clinical trials in the US. TissueGene has recently reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for a Phase 3 clinical trial for Invossa. Information can be found at the NIH registry, ww.clinicaltrials.gov. For additional information about TissueGene, Inc., please visit http://www.tissuegene.com.

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) was established by the State of Maryland under the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006 to promote State-funded stem cell research and cures through grants and loans to public and private entities in the State. Administered by The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), the MSCRF is overseen by an independent Commission that sets policy and develops criteria, standards and requirements for applications to the Fund. For more information about the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, please visit http://www.mscrf.org.

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) is the go-to source for entrepreneurial support and guidance for technology start-ups and early-stage companies engaged in bringing innovative ideas to market. For over nineteen years, the organization has provided funding, mentoring and networking opportunities to support Maryland's innovation ecosystem. It is frequently ranked as one of the most active seed/early-stage investors in the nation. The organization plays a key role in bringing research created in Maryland's educational institutions and federal laboratories into the commercial marketplace. For more information on TEDCO and its programs and resources, visit http://www.TEDCO.md.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tissuegene-awarded-750000-maryland-stem-cell-grant-for-invossa-clinical-study-300482506.html

SOURCE TissueGene, Inc.

http://www.tissuegene.com

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TissueGene Awarded $750000 Maryland Stem Cell Grant for Invossa Clinical Study - PR Newswire (press release)