Should Californians give more money for stem cell research? – The … – The San Diego Union-Tribune

Are Californians getting their moneys worth for the $3 billion they invested in stem cell science in 2004? Is there cause for optimism that major breakthrough discoveries are about to happen? What is holding back stem cell treatments from reaching patients?

These are some of the issues to be addressed Thursday in San Diego at a special stem cell meeting thats free and open to the public.

The session is sponsored by Californias stem cell agency and UC San Diego, a major hub of stem cell research and experimental treatment.

The event is the first in a statewide outreach tour by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM.

The agency is projected to run out of money in 2020 unless more money is raised from public or private sources, and the series of forums is partly meant as a way to persuade voters to further support the institute with more funding.

The free event Stem Cell Therapies and You is slated for noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, 2880 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, across from the Salk Institute in La Jolla.

Four speakers at Thursdays event are to discuss the state of stem cell research:

-- Catriona Jamieson, director of the UC San Diego Alpha Stem Cell Clinic and an expert on blood cancers

-- Jennifer Briggs Braswell, executive director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center, another stem cell clinic at UCSD

-- David Higgins, a patient advocate for Parkinsons on the CIRM board, and a San Diegan

-- Jonathan Thomas, chairman of CIRMs governing board

Boosted with the $3 billion in bond money raised through Proposition 71 (not including the additional $3 billion in interest that taxpayers are also repaying), California has become an international leader in stem cell exploration.

The money has helped attract top-notch scientists from across the country to work in this state, and it has underpinned much of the training for new researchers in this field.

While encouraging reports of individual patients being cured with experimental stem cell therapies have emerged in recent years, no stem cell-based treatment developed in this state has been approved for commercial use.

This lack of therapies on the market has resulted in some criticism that stewards of Californias groundbreaking effort have spent lavishly on researchers and the infrastructure that supports them instead of focusing on how to more quickly turn lab discoveries into usable products and technologies for the public.

In January, the biomedical news site Stat published a lengthy and critical analysis of CIRMs record in clinical trials, quoting critics who said Prop. 71s supporters shamelessly oversold the initiative as providing quick cures.

The airwaves were swamped with guys in white coats who were identified with their academic affiliation even though they were principals of private companies (some of which later got CIRM grants), and basically saying, Were going to have cures by Christmas. Marcy Darnovsky, who directs the Berkeley-based Center for Genetics and Society, was quoted as saying in the Stat article.

Providing answers

Supporters of CIRM and the programs it has backed financially said it can take many years to effectively translate research into treatments, especially when ensuring safety is paramount. The agency is supporting about 30 clinical trials, including some at its own alpha stem cell clinics, combining treatment with research support.

Jonathan Thomas, CIRMs chairman, said the San Diego event and others like it in other parts of the state are meant to update patients and all Californians about how their money has been spent, and to hear from the public. While San Diego will be in the spotlight at this meeting, work throughout CIRM will be discussed.

San Diego has received a lot of money from CIRM, including about $60 million that has gone to ViaCyte, developer of a stem cell-based implant that could produce a functional cure for Type 1 diabetes.

Many San Diego County stem cell researchers have received grants for various projects. These include David Schubert of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, for stem cell-based development of an Alzheimers drug; Robert Wechsler-Reya of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, to determine the role of neural stem cells in growth, regeneration and cancer; and Bianca Moth of Cal State San Marcos, to train students for a career in stem cell research.

The Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine building, where the Thursday meeting will be held, was constructed with $43 million from CIRM toward its total price tag of $127 million.

Four clinical trials are taking place at UC San Diegos alpha stem cell clinic, said Larry Goldstein, director of the universitys stem cell program.

These are the diabetes treatment being developed with ViaCyte; a treatment for spinal cord injury derived from human fetal cells; a chronic heart failure therapy using mesenchymal stem cells; and a drug called cirmtuzumab that targets cancer stem cells for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. (Yes, the drug was named after CIRM, which supported its research and development.)

Other stem cell treatments are taking place at UC San Diego outside the alpha clinic, Goldstein said. They include one from Kite Pharma of Santa Monica, using genetically modified immune cells called CAR T cells. The trial is being handled through the universitys bone marrow transplant program at Moores Cancer Center because CAR T cell therapy amounts to a bone marrow transplant.

Safety requires time

All these trials need time because patient safety is being evaluated, Goldstein said. That process can consume years.

So far, they all look safe, which is terrific news, Goldstein said.

Other stem cell trials at the alpha clinic are incipient, he said, including for osteoarthritis using mesenchymal and stromal cells, taken from bone marrow and fat tissue. Numerous stem cell clinics offer treatment with these cells, including some operating in a legal gray zone, outside the clinical trial system.

Goldstein said UCSD plans to better study these poorly defined cells, and what they can do, before beginning treatment. Part of that includes building a genetic profile of these cells, using a method called single cell RNA seq.

Once weve got a better handle on what those cells look like, wed like to put them into clinical trials, he said.

Its especially important that we get a handle on patient-to-patient variability, Goldstein said. We expect there will be variability. Most things in humans are. But to my knowledge, the clinics that are using this methodology dont have a logical and rigorous ability to take advantage of that variability to treat human patients.

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020

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Should Californians give more money for stem cell research? - The ... - The San Diego Union-Tribune

The New York Stem Cell Foundation Opens New Research Institute and Headquarters in Manhattan – Business Wire (press release)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) today officially opened its new 40,000 square foot Research Institute in Manhattan, one of the largest laboratories in the world devoted exclusively to stem cell research. The new facility, which also contains the headquarters of NYSCF, an independent, non-profit organization founded in 2005 to support cutting-edge stem cell research, will allow scientists to conduct the most advanced research to develop new and better treatments and cures. This new facility will expand NYSCFs capabilities and capacity to build novel technological resources for the stem cell field.

The new NYSCF complex includes a glass-enclosed laboratory housing the NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array, a unique, NYSCF-developed automated robotic technology for manufacturing stem cell lines with unmatched quality in large scale, among other cell culture facilities. NYSCF will also have a highly specialized GMP laboratory facility for manufacturing cells for therapies. Additional laboratories include molecular biology, imaging, cell sorting, and electrophysiology suites, and extensive bench space.

Opening this new world class research laboratory is the culmination of our vision to build the infrastructure for stem cell research and therapeutics, said Susan L. Solomon, NYSCF CEO and Co-founder. As NYSCF is increasingly becoming a global hub of stem cell research and regenerative medicine, our new home will enable new partnerships with global bioscience and research institutions, accelerate the development of new treatments and cures, and further strengthen New York City as a center for biomedical research.

Key NYSCF collaborators, supporters, and friends speaking at the opening ceremony and ribbon cutting, include:

The new NYSCF facility, which was designed by Ennead Architects, also contains numerous conference and meeting suites, in addition to an expansive common area for collaborative and interactive work. A large lecture hall equipped with the latest multimedia technologies solidifies and expands NYSCFs role and capabilities as a key convening resource and host for scientists in the greater New York metropolitan region.

Since 2005, NYSCF has supported and pioneered innovation in science, producing some of the most significant discoveries in human stem cell research to advance the entire field. All the while, patients have remained the sole focus of NYSCFs mission to find cures.

NYSCFs unique model of research - an independent, largely privately funded foundation and safe haven laboratories - continues to push the boundaries of medical research and redefine what the field believes to be possible. By pursuing high-risk, high reward research that traditional funding models do not support, and developing innovative solutions to overcome rate-limiting challenges to the entire field, NYSCF is accelerating new and better treatments and cures for patients around the world.

The New York Stem Cell Foundation is a critical partner to New Yorks research institutions and is doing great things in terms of finding treatments and cures for the most vexing diseases, said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. We in New York are at the center of biomedical research and the new NYSCF facility will enhance that centrality.

This facility is home to some of the most brilliant scientists and researchers in the field of stem cell research, and we are so fortunate to have it right here in New York, said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The men and women who work here are bringing us closer every day to finding new cures and treatments that would help millions of families around the world.

Michael R. Bloomberg stated, Its great to be celebrating such a wonderful milestone for the New York Stem Cell Foundation. In just 12 years, this organization has grown from one office with a handful of employees to an enormous group of researchers around the world. The New York Stem Cell Foundation strengthens New York City as a global center of research and innovation, and it goes without saying that the next twelve years will be as even more exciting to watch as this institute grow and matures.

Stephen Ross, Chairman and Founder of Related Companies and NYSCF Board member said, We can all take great pride that the New York Stem Cell Foundation, led by Susan Solomon, are doing the most advanced stem cell research in the world, right here in New York City, and now in a state-of-the-art facility. NYSCF is without a doubt, one of New Yorks great entrepreneurial successes of the last decade and as the nations leader in the production of stem cells, they are now poised for dramatic growth. I am pleased to have played a role in the creation of a world-class home for NYSCF and encourage everyone to support their important work as stem cell research is key to improving and saving peoples lives.

The NYSCF is a jewel in the New York City life sciences ecosystem, said Dr. Tony Coles, Chairman and CEO of Yumanity Therapeutics. The biotechnology community looks forward to pushing back the frontiers of science in collaboration with this dynamic organization.

Empire State DevelopmentPresident, CEO & CommissionerHoward Zemsky stated, The States investment in the New York Stem Center Foundations state-of-the-art laboratory is a smart investment in innovation, in progress, and in our future. We are proud to support this groundbreaking work which is spurring the creation of more than 30 new jobs over the next five years. With this project, New York State further establishes itself as the premier hub for advancements and breakthroughs in the burgeoning life sciences industry.

The growth of New York Citys life sciences sector is critical in our efforts to create 100,000 high-quality jobs over the next decade, said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett. Since its inception, the New York Stem Cell Foundations innovative research and tireless advocacy has helped build a foundation for this important industry. We are thrilled to welcome their new, state-of-the-art headquarters, which will create more good jobs and further solidify New York City as a premier destination for the life sciences.

About The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is an independent organization accelerating cures and better treatments for patients through stem cell research. The NYSCF global community includes over 140 researchers at leading institutions worldwide, including the NYSCF Druckenmiller Fellows, the NYSCF Robertson Investigators, the NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipients, and NYSCF Research Institute scientists and engineers. The NYSCF Research Institute is an acknowledged world leader in stem cell research and in developing pioneering stem cell technologies, including the NYSCF Global Stem Cell ArrayTM and in manufacturing stem cells for scientists around the globe. NYSCF focuses on translational research in a model designed to overcome the barriers that slow discovery and replace silos with collaboration. For more information, visit http://www.nyscf.org.

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The New York Stem Cell Foundation Opens New Research Institute and Headquarters in Manhattan - Business Wire (press release)

Cincinnati native hurt in pool party accident accepted into stem cell … – WLWT Cincinnati

CINCINNATI

An Elder High School grad who was critically injured has been accepted into a stem cell research study at Rush University in Chicago, his family reported.

Ryan Custer, a Wright State University freshman, was injured during a pool party near Miami University earlier this month.

He suffered a traumatic head injury, fracturing his vertebrae and sending him to the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Family and friends said he's undergone multiple surgeries on his spine, was put on a breathing tube and has had a tracheotomy performed. As of Tuesday, he was talking and breathing on his own for a few hours at a time, and feeling had returned to his feet.

Custer will leave for Chicago to participate in the study as soon as he is able, his family said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Ryan Custer and his family during this difficult time.

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Cincinnati native hurt in pool party accident accepted into stem cell ... - WLWT Cincinnati

Stem cell invented that can grow into any tissue in the body – The … – The San Diego Union-Tribune

Salk Institute and Chinese researchers report creating a new kind of stem cell, one that is more versatile than any other normally grown in the lab.

Called an extended pluripotent stem cell, it can give rise to every cell type in the body, the researchers say in a recent study. This includes the extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta that support the developing baby. Just one cell can generate a complete organism.

Embryonic stem cells and artificial embryonic stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells cant make these extra-embryonic tissues. So neither embryonic nor IPS cells can give rise to a complete embryo, because the supportive tissues necessary for an embryo to survive arent there.

But the extended pluripotent stem cells can reliably give rise to both types of cells, and thus whole embryos and offspring, the scientists report.

The EPS cells were made from human and mouse embryonic stem cells. In addition, they were produced from skin cells, or fibroblasts by treating them with a chemical cocktail. IPS cells, invented in 2006, are generated from fibroblasts by a similar reprogramming process.

Use of IPS cells is regarded as morally acceptable by those who oppose use of human embryonic stem cells, because they cant form an entire embryo. This is the reasoning of the Catholic Church. But since the EPS cells can make whole embryos, at least in mice, how the church will react is unclear.

To demonstrate this ability to make all cell types, the researchers grew an entire mouse from just one EPS cell. They also grew chimeric mice, with human EPS cells integrating into the mice better than embryonic stem cells did.

The study on these new stem cells was published April 6 in the journal Cell. It can be found at j.mp/extendedstem.

Better tool

That characteristic of creating every cell in the body, called totipotency, is normally found only at the very beginning of embryonic development. Embryonic stem cells are usually extracted too late, when the cells have already divided into the embryonic and extra-embryonic lineages.

Totipotent stem cells have been observed in the lab, but they lasted briefly, and didnt yield stable totipotent cell lines.

Salk Institute stem cell researcher Juan Carlos Izpisa Bemonte was a cosenior author of the paper along with Hongkui Deng of Peking University in Beijing. The first authors were Yang Yang, Bei Liu, Jun Xu, and Jinlin Wang; all of Peking University, and Jun Wu, of the Salk Institute.

EPS cell lines provide a useful cellular tool for gaining a better molecular understanding of initial cell fate commitments and generating new animal models to investigate basic questions concerning development of the placenta, yolk sac, and embryo proper, the study stated.

Furthermore, they also provide an unlimited cell resource and hold great potential for in vivo disease modeling, in vivo drug discovery, and in vivo tissue generation in the future. Finally, our study opens a path toward capturing stem cells with intra- and/or inter-species bi-potent chimeric competency from a variety of other mammalian species.

Organs for transplant

The creation of chimeric mice is part of Izpisa Bemontes longstanding goal of growing human organs in animals for transplant.

While mice are too small to grow organs for transplant, they serve as a model to understand how cells from a different species, can be grown in a host body. In this new study, the mice served as a model of how well the EPS cells can integrate.

Izpisa Bemonte is now working to translate his research on chimeric mice to pigs, which are large enough to provide human organs. In January, a team he led reported on work with human-pig chimeras, which were not allowed to grow past the embryonic stage. They also created rat-mice chimeras.

The superior chimeric competency of both human and mouse EPS cells is advantageous in applications such as the generation of transgenic animal models and the production of replacement organs, Wu said in a Salk statement. We are now testing to see whether human EPS cells are more efficient in chimeric contribution to pigs, whose organ size and physiology are closer to humans.

We believe that the derivation of a stable stem cell line with totipotent-like features will have a broad and resounding impact on the stem cell field, Izpisua Belmonte said in the statement.

The work was funded by a number of sources. They include: the National Key Research and Development Program of China; the National Natural Science Foundation of China; the Guangdong Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program; the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China; the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, China; the Ministry of Education of China (111 Project); the BeiHao Stem Cell and Q9 Regenerative Medicine Translational Research Institute; the Joint Institute of Peking University Health Science Center; University of Michigan Health System; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences; the National Science and Technology Support Project; the CAS Key Technology Talent Program; the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation; and The Moxie Foundation.

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020

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Stem cell invented that can grow into any tissue in the body - The ... - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Stem Cell Research Advancing Rapidly – Healthline

Stem cells have been touted as treatments for everything from hair loss to heart disease.

But are those claims scientifically sound?

Research on the technology continues to look promising, but many of its human applications are still preliminary and their effectiveness anecdotal.

Samumed, a $12 billion biotech start-up based in San Diego, profiled this month in Business Insider, exemplifies both sides of the coin.

The company has promised a bevy of age-reversing cures, including regrowing hair, treating wrinkles, and regenerating cartilage in people with osteoarthritis

However, their research isnt conclusive.

None of their treatments have received government approval yet.

Read more: Rheumatoid arthritis and stem cell treatments

Its easy to get excited about all this research.

Samumed Is Trying to Create the Fountain of Youth, says one headline.

Samumed Aims to Reverse Aging with Eternal Youth Treatments, says another.

Combined with $300 million in investment funding, the company has more than just buzz going for it in the biotech industry.

Their treatment for androgenetic alopecia (hair loss) is currently in phase II trials.

Its program to help people with osteoarthritis regrow cartilage in their knees is in phase III.

In total, the company has seven drugs in phase II trials, with plans to expand into more areas of disease research this year.

However, Samumed has raised some eyebrows in the industry with its secrecy. Some skeptics have likened the company to Theranos, a biotech start-up that was valued at $9 billion before an investigation by the Wall Street Journal led to a shutdown of the companys labs.

Samumed has been more open about presenting their data to the public but not about the actual treatments.

We're basically telling everyone, here's proof that it works, Samumed Chief Executive Officer, Osman Kibar, told Business Insider. How it works you just need to wait a little longer because we want to build as much of a head start as we can.

Read more: Stem cell treatments for multiple sclerosis

Beyond the applications of stem cells at Samumed, the technology is also being used to treat some of the United States most widespread health issues.

New research from the American Heart Association this month demonstrated the effectiveness of implanted stem cells into the hearts of people with cardiomyopathy.

Although the sample size was small (only 27 people), scientists noted function and symptomatic improvements of heart functioning as well as less frequency of hospitalization and lower medical costs. They conclude that the stem cell procedure is a feasible treatment for cardiomyopathy, but they note that a larger clinical follow-up is needed for more conclusive results.

In the past week, Newsweek reported on miracle stem cell treatments for burn victims that will promote healing without scars.

Stat News wrote about research on stem cells in mice that could potentially help cure Parkinsons disease.

Read more: Unproved stem cell treatments offer hope and risk

Some researchers in the industry are somewhat measured in their optimism of the technologys human applications.

I want to make sure that we provide a real cautionary note, especially to those individuals and those institutions that tout stem cells as the panacea for any ill, Dr. Cato Laurencin, director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut, told Healthline.

Laurencin, a medical practitioner at the forefront of stem cell technology, is a firm believer in the benefits of the treatment, but also remains skeptical of some of the claims associated with it.

Much of the evidence is still preliminary or anecdotal, and when people operate on information that is preliminary or anecdotal, there is the possibility for harm, he said.

His work in regenerative engineering a term he coined several years ago looks at the healing properties of implanted stem cells in the human body.

In research published this month, Laurencin and his team concluded that stem cells effectively improved healing to torn rotator cuff tendons in rats.

Rotator cuff tendon tears are a relatively common injury in humans and can be difficult to treat.

Unlike other tendons in the body, the rotator cuff tendon is unable to heal itself, said Laurencin.

Once it is torn, it is liable to be reinjured again and again.

However, the research released this month is about more than just applying stem cells to a certain kind of injury, its about how the stem cells are applied.

Read more: Scientists use 3-D environment to speed up growth of stem cells

Laurencin describes his field as an evolution of earlier work from 30 years ago in tissue engineering: a convergence of bringing together new technologies to create new science and new possibilities.

In this case, nanotechnology is at the heart of this stem cell operation.

Currently there are a variety of ways that stem cells can be implanted into a subject, including injections and bone marrow transplants.

For his research, Laurencin and his team used biomaterial based fiber matrices a nanomaterial conducive to growing and attaching stem cells to implant into the wounded area.

The results are promising, but Laurencin and his team will have to continue working with animals for some time before the process can be applied to humans.

The key is in understanding that stem cells have the potential for more than just regrowing damaged parts of the body.

The way we commonly think about a stem cell is it becoming a new tissue. But were also understanding that the stem cell itself can secrete biological factors that help regeneration occur. Thats what we think is happening here, said Laurencin.

His research into stem cells as a medicinal element in the body could have far reaching implications for all kinds of wound therapy.

Despite his measured approach, Laurencin is still willing to hypothesize about the excitement that the future of the field undoubtedly holds with proper time, funding, and research.

There are newts and salamanders that can regenerate a limb, he told Healthline.

How do we harness the cues that are taking place in these types of animals, and can we utilize what weve learned from these types of animals in humans?

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Stem Cell Research Advancing Rapidly - Healthline

‘No proof that stem cell therapy can cure autism’ – Times of India

NAVI MUMBAI: A forum group in Navi Mumbai conducted a question and answer session at Vashi to clear that there is no proof of stem cell therapy cure for autism. Around 100 parents of autistic children were part of the session held at Sunshine Autistic School in Vashi organised by the Forum for Autism group on Saturday. Guest speaker Dr Tatyana Dias, a PhD in neurobiology from the University of Edenburgh, UK, said, "All traditional therapies like occupational therapy, speech Therapy and special education are evidence-based which means they have been proved to be effective through immense research and practice. Whereas stem cell therapy is in research stage, its effectiveness is strongly doubted, even its practice is banned in many countries and if practised, it is done in labs and under strict regulations. In India at present there is no particular body or law to regulate stem cell research." Babita Raja, secretary, Forum for Autism, said, "Parents run from pillar to post for their children's treatment. We are hoping that this awareness programme would help them in deciding what they want to try."

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'No proof that stem cell therapy can cure autism' - Times of India

Brain tissue from a petri dish: Stem cell research — ScienceDaily – Science Daily

Science Daily

Brain tissue from a petri dish: Stem cell research -- ScienceDaily Science Daily The most complex organ in humans is the brain. Due to its complexity, it is extremely difficult to do scientific experiments on it -- ones that could help us to ... and more »

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Parkinson’s breakthrough: Scientists one step closer to making a BRAIN out of stem cells – Express.co.uk

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'Cradle of life' stem cells taken from skin samples were developed into three-dimensional brain-like organisms capable of exchanging signals between each other in a network.

The petri dish cells behave in a similar way to the brain cells which produce messenger dopamine from neurons - and scientists hope they will be able to use them to come up with a cure for Parkinson's.

Dopamine maintains smooth body movements, but when the neurons die off, tremors, rigid muscles and other Parkinson's disease symptoms begin to take over.

The new developments mean scientists can now use the cells to test what environmental factors like pollutants have on the onset of the disease and potentially find a cure.

Lead author Professor Jens Schwamborn said: "Our cell cultures open new doors to brain research.

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"We can now use them to study the causes of Parkinson's disease and how it could possibly be effectively treated."

Our cell cultures open new doors to brain research

Professor Jens Schwamborn

The stem cells can be transformed into any cell type of the human body but cannot produce a complete organism.

PHD student Anna Monzel developed a procedure to convert the stem cells into brain cells as part of her doctoral thesis.

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Tremor - One of the most noticeable signs of Parkinson's is a tremor that often starts in the hands or fingers when they are relaxed

She said: "I had to develop a special, precisely defined cocktail of growth factors and a certain treatment method for the stem cells, so that they would differentiate in the desired direction."

Prof Schwamborn from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine at Luxembourg University said: "Our subsequent examination of these artificial tissue samples revealed that various cell types characteristic of the midbrain had developed."

"The cells can transmit and process signals.

"We were even able to detect dopaminergic cells - just like in the midbrain."

The scientists say their petri dish study can also reduce the amount of animal testing in brain research.

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Because cell cultures in the petri dishes are of human origin in some aspects they resemble human brains more than the brains of lab animals such as rats or mice.

Professor Schwamborn added: "There are also attractive economic opportunities in our approach.

"The production of tissue cultures is highly elaborate.

"In the scope of our spin-off Braingineering Technologies Sarl, we will be developing technologies by which we can provide the cultures for a fee to other labs or the pharmaceutical industry for their research."

The study was published in the Stem Cell Reports journal.

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How Medical Research Is Boosting Connecticut’s Economy – Yale News

by Kathleen Raven April 13, 2017

Jason Thomson, a core lab manager at the Yale Stem Cell Center, rebounded after large pharmaceutical companies retrenched in Connecticut. Photo credit: Robert Lisak

Six years ago, Jason Thomson learned that his 13-year position in research at Pfizer would come to an end. He was among 1,100 employees laid off at the companys drug development laboratory in Groton. He feared that his career was in jeopardy. He didnt want to move his family and worried he wouldnt be able to land a comparable job in Connecticut.

But things worked out much better than he expected. I was fortunate, says Thomson, a resident of Colchester. I was out of work for just over six months. Today, hes a lab manager at the Yale Stem Cell Center in New Haven. He plays a key role at the center, overseeing the preparation of stem cells that other researchers use to pursue their studies.

Thomsons personal journey illustrates an economic shift in Connecticut. Over the past decade, several large pharmaceutical companies have either closed their doors here or cut hundreds of jobs from their local payrolls. These moves pose a threat to the state economy. For Connecticut to thrive in the future, say state political, academic and business leaders, more jobs are needed in groundbreaking biomedical research and a home-grown biotech industry.

The 10-year-old Yale Stem Cell Center, which is within Yale School of Medicine, is an example of how this can be done. It has already created more than 200 jobs; involves more than 450 Yale faculty, post-docs and students; has produced more than 350 patent applications; and has three therapies currently being tested in clinical trials. And, because this type of research typically takes many years to have maximum impact, its likely that the best is yet to come.

So far, three clinical trials are testing drugs based on scientific advances produced by Stem Cell Center researchers. They include using cell-based tissue engineering to cure congenital heart defects, and using skeletal stem cells to treat stroke and spinal cord injuries.

Here's an infographic explaining how the Yale Stem Cell Center contributes to society.

This is about faculty members and researchers making breakthrough discoveries and passing them along to business experts to take to the market.

Yale School of Medicine plays a critical role in fostering a fast-growing bioscience industry in the New Haven area. Already, upwards of 40 biotech and medical device companies employ more than 5,000 people in greater New Haven. This is about faculty members and researchers making breakthrough discoveries and passing them along to business experts to take to the market, says Susan Froshauer, president of Connecticut United for Research Excellence (CURE), the bioscience industrys advocacy group.

At Pfizer, Thomsons job was to determine the safety profile of drugs using embryonic stem cells from mice. The New York native, who studied animal science at Cornell University, loved the company and his job, but he wasnt surprised when the bad news came. He had seen evidence that a retrenchment in the pharmaceutical industry was underway. For instance, just a few years earlier, Bayer Healthcare began shutting down its West Haven facility, which displaced about 1,000 workers. (The sprawling facility is now Yale Universitys West Campus.)

When Thomson received the layoff notice, leaving Connecticut and moving to another state wasnt an attractive option. He didnt want to disrupt his wifes career as a tenured high school teacher, nor the lives of his two young daughters.

He recalled hearing about efforts in the state to foster its strengths in biosciencein part by funding university research. Thomson began monitoring university websites. After a few nervous months, he got his big break. The Yale Stem Cell Center posted what he considered a dream job. Thomson appliedand got it.

Hes now a respected leader and colleague at the center. Caihong Qiu, Ph.D., who is the technical director of the Centers two core science labs, says researchers there admire Thomson for his deep scientific knowledge and helpful manner. Jason is the face of the core. He is very thorough and dedicated, Qiu says.

At the center, Thomson grows stem cells so scientists can conduct experiments to better understand the underlying cause of diseases, or to learn how to build new human organs. He provides feedback on study designs, orders lab supplies, and oversees the nitrogen tanks and other machinery that keep 10 years worth of cells frozen. He calls the core labs the special forces unit within the center. No matter how difficult the task is, they get it done.

Thomson loves working with stem cells because they contain clues to many unanswered questions surrounding how humans grow and develop. The long lab hours and a two-hour round-trip daily commute from his home in Colchester dont dampen his enthusiasm. Says Thompson: You have to love what you do for a living, and I do.

This article was submitted by Stephen Hamm on April 12, 2017.

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How Medical Research Is Boosting Connecticut's Economy - Yale News

Stem Cell Firm Sued by One of Its Own Board Members – Courthouse News Service

StemedicaLAS VEGAS (CN) Founders of a Nevada stem cell research firm skimmed money from the $110 million they raised to develop treatments for Alzheimers disease, a member of the companys own board claims in court.

Tiara Holdings II LLC sued Stemedica Cell Technologies Inc. and its top three officers on April 6 in Clark County Court. The officers are CEO and Chairman of the Board Roger Howe, Vice Chairman and CEO Maynard Howe and President and Chief Medical Officer Nikolai Tankovich.

Dr. Anthony M. Marlon, a medical doctor and businessman, holds 430,000 shares of Stemedica through Tiara Holdings, where he is a member. He also is a member of the board of Stemedica, he says in the complaint.

He says Stemedicas founders have kept Tiara and independent auditors in the dark about its financial records and transactions.

Stemedicas founders have operated a nearly 10-year investment scheme, wherein they have raised over $110 million dollars from various individual investors for the purported purpose of funding and establishing a stem cell company, Tiara says in the lawsuit.

Tiara claims the Howes and Tankovich have used these investor funds, in whole or in part, to benefit themselves and their associates through excessive compensation and lavish personal expenses and related party transactions.

Stemedicas founds have concealed and perpetuated this fraud through purported operating subsidiaries, which permitted them to divert millions to benefit them without raising questions or concerns from Stemedicas investors and shareholders, Tiara says.

These subsidiaries apparently are the defendant Doe Individuals I-X and Roe Business Entities I-X.

Maynard Howe said in a telephone interview Monday that the allegations are completely false, and the matter is in an attorneys hands.

The most recent news statement on Stemedicas website, dated July 27, 2016, says the firm began its first U.S. clinical trials using adult allogeneic stem cells to treat Alzheimers disease, at nonparties Emory University and the University of California at Irvine.

Allogeneic cells are genetically different, though from individuals of the same species. Stemedicas statement says the clinical trials involve 40 subjects who were diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia caused by Alzheimers disease.

The National Institutes of Health says on its website: Stem cellshave the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive.

When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

In the lawsuit, Tiara says Stemedica sold securities that are not registered with any state or the federal government and raised about $15 million from July 2005 to June 2008. It says that money ultimately ended up in the bank account of entities and individuals controlled by Stemedicas founders.

Stemedica then raised more capital via securities sales, Tiara says. Marlon joined its board of directors in 2009. Tiara says Stemedica has not conducted a third-party audit of its finances and thwarted an audit attempt by refusing to pay invoices by the auditing firm, which stopped the process.

It claims that Stemedica officials stopped the audit to ensure it would not uncover any wrongdoing.

Disclosure would jeopardize their continued ability to defraud past and future investors out of millions, Tiara says.

Tiara asks the court to order an accounting of Stemedicas financial records, rescind securities subscription agreements and return Tiaras investment.

It also seeks damages and punitive damages for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment and bad faith.

Tiara is represented by James Pisanelli with Pisanelli Bice, who did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday.

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Stem Cell Firm Sued by One of Its Own Board Members - Courthouse News Service