Stem Cells Harvested From Human Gut For First Time – Stem Cell Cafe

By adminApril 6, 2013Stell Cell Research

Apr 05

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Biology / GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Article Date: 05 Apr 2013 & 3:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Stem Cells Harvested From Human Gut For First Time

Researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, and other colleagues, report their findings in the 4 April online issue of Stem Cells.

In their background information they explain that while important facts about stem cells have been uncovered using stem cells from mice, to find information that is clinically useful, you eventually have to work with actual human stem cells.

A UNC press release describes the finding as a &leap forward& in stem cell research.

Senior author Scott T. Magness, assistant professor in the departments of medicine, biomedical engineering, and cell and molecular physiology at UNC, says:

&Not having these cells to study has been a significant roadblock to research. Until now, we have not had the technology to isolate and study these stem cells & now we have to tools to start solving many of these problems.&

Magness and his team were the first US lab to isolate and grow single gut stem cells from mice, so they already had a head start in trying to pursue a similar approach in human gut tissue.

Also, thanks to the nearby gastric bypass surgery unit at UNC, they had ready access to sections of otherwise-discarded human intestinal tissue.

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Researchers first to use common virus to ‘fortify’ adult stem cells …

By adminApril 2, 2013Stell Cell Research

Apr. 1, 2013 Using the same strategy that a common virus employs to evade the human immune system, researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center&s Institute for Regenerative Medicine have modified adult stem cells to increase their survival & with the goal of giving the cells time to exert their natural healing abilities.

&Basically, we&ve helped the cells be &invisible& to the body&s natural killer cells, T cells and other aspects of the immune system, so they can survive to promote healing,& said Graca Almeida-Porada, M.D., Ph.D., senior author and professor of regenerative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist.

The research, reported in the current issue of PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed, open access journal, involves mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), found in bone marrow, peripheral and cord blood and fetal liver and lung tissue. These cells are known for their ability to migrate to damaged tissues and contribute to healing. However, like all cells, they are susceptible to being killed by the body&s complement system, a part of the immune system involved in inflammation and organ rejection.

&These cells have a natural ability to help modulate the immune response, so if we can increase their survival, they theoretically could be a therapy to decrease inflammation and help transplant patients avoid organ rejection,& said Almeida-Porada.

In the study, the researchers evaluated the potential of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the herpes virus family, to help increase the survival of MSCs. While the HCMN virus infects between 50 percent and 80 percent of people in the U.S., it normally produces no symptoms and remains latent in the body over long periods.

&We wanted to take advantage of the virus& ability to evade the immune system,& said Almeida-Porada. &Our strategy was to modify the cells to produce the same proteins as the HCMV virus so they could escape death and help modulate inflammation and promote healing.&

MSCs were purified from human fetal liver tissue. They were then engineered to produce specific proteins expressed by the HMCV virus. Through this process, the scientists identified the protein that was most effective at increasing cell survival. Specifically, the team is the first to show that overexpression of the US2 protein made the cells less recognizable to the immune system and increased cell survival by 59 percent (+/- 13 percent).

&The research showed that modifying the cells indeed improves their survival,& said Almeida-Porada. &Next, we hope to evaluate the healing potential of these cells in conditions such as bowel disease, traumatic brain injury and human organ transplant.& The research was supported by National Institutes of Health grants HL73737 and HL97623.

Almeida-Porada&s co-researchers were Melisa A. Soland, Ph.D., and Christopher Porada, Ph.D., Wake Forest Mariana Bego, Ph.D., Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal, and Evan Colletti, Ph.D, Esmail Zanjani, Ph.D., and Stephen S. Jeor, Ph.D., University of Nevada.

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Stem Cell Therapy Market in Asia-Pacific to 2018 Market Research …

By adminMarch 31, 2013Stell Cell Research

Mar 28

MarketResearchReports.biz Publishes Stem Cell Therapy Market in Asia-Pacific to 2018 Commercialization Supported by Favorable Government Policies, Strong Pipeline and Increased Licensing Activity. Buy the copy of this Report @ http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis-details/stem-cell-therapy-market-in-asia-pacific-to-2018-commercialization-supported-by-favorable-government-policies-strong-pipeline-and-increased-licensing-activity

Albany, NY (PRWEB) March 29, 2013

To Read the Complete Report with TOC Visit: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/155690

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GBI Researchs team of industry experts.

GBI Research analysis finds the stem cell therapy market was valued at $545m in 2012, and is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10% from 2012 to 2018, to attain a value of $972m in 2018. The market is poised for significant growth in the forecast period due to the anticipated launch of JCR Pharmaceuticals JR-031 (2014) in Japan and FCB Pharmicells Cerecellgram (CCG) (2015) in South Korea.

Related Report: Mobile Health (mHealth) & Enhancing Healthcare and Improving Clinical Outcomes

The research is mainly in early stages, with the majority of the molecules being in early stages of development (Phase I/II and Phase II). Phase I/II and Phase II contribute 67% of the pipeline. Stem cell research is dominated by hospitals/universities/institutions, which contribute 63% of the molecules in the pipeline. The dominance of institutional research is attributable to uncertain therapeutic outcomes in stem cell research.The major companies conducting research in India include Reliance Life Sciences and Stempeutics Research Pvt Ltd, among others. The major institutions include PGIMER and AIIMS.

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IDIBELL signs agreement with Histocell to use … – Stem Cell Cafe

By adminMarch 29, 2013Stell Cell Research

Mar 28

The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has signed a licensing agreement with the Spanish biotech company Histocell to make use of a patent for the treatment of acute pulmonary diseases with mesenchymal stem cells. These cells, administered intravenously, have the ability to go directly to the damaged lungs, acting as a &smart drug&.

To enhance the effect, researchers have modified this cells by genetic engineering. The studies have been developed by a team led by Josep Maria Aran, researcher at the Human Molecular Genetics group of IDIBELL, in collaboration with researchers of the Pneumology group at Vall d&Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Biomedical Research Network Centre for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES). The outcomes of the research have supposed an international patent application managed by the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at IDIBELL.

The researchers use adult mesenchymal stem cells extracted from adipose tissue obtained from liposuction. These cells are capable of enhancing the regeneration of the damaged lung tissue and secrete inflammatory proteins therein when injected into the blood.

Improvements

The novelty patented by IDIBELL and VHIR researchers has been the insertion of improvements through genetic engineering that can significantly enhance the anti-inflammatory and regenerative power of the mesenchymal cells. Specifically, researchers have modified the antagonist to secrete interleukin 33, a regulatory protein (cytokine) that has a fundamental role in the inflammatory process.

The treatment has proven to be very effective given intravenously, although it could be considered the option of administering it by inhalation.

In the administered dose, these stem cells do not involve immune rejection, because the body removes them after their function is performed. This makes them particularly useful for treating acute diseases.

Good results

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Study finds stem cells in deer antler – Stem Cell Cafe

By adminMarch 21, 2013Stell Cell Research

A team of researchers in Seoul, Korea have reported finding evidence that deer antlers unique in that they regenerate annually contain multipotent stem cells that could be useful for tissue regeneration in veterinary medicine.

The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal Cell Transplantation, and is now freely available on-line.

We successfully isolated and characterized antler tissue-derived multipotent stem cells and confirmed that the isolated cells are self-renewing and can differentiate into multiple lineages, said study co-author Dr. Kyung-Sun Kang of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Seoul National University. Using optimized culture conditions, deer antler displayed vigorous cell proliferation.

Deer antler has been an issue in the news recently when professional athletes allegedly therapeutically used deer antler sprays, said to contain the insulin-like growth factor, IGF-1, to recover from injuries. The Korean research team did not investigate the potential for deer antler to be used in human therapies, but suggested that it could be used in veterinary medicine due to the impact of two important factors; the regenerative and the proliferative capabilities of the stem cells they isolated.

Stem cells, cells with the capability to differentiate into varieties of cells, have been isolated from a number of tissues, including bone marrow, fat tissues, umbilical cord blood, placenta and menstrual blood. Stem cell research in the last two decades has focused on both pluripotent stem cells, able to differentiate into all cell types of the body, and multipotent stem cells, able to differentiate into some but not all cell types, the latter of which has a longer history of study as they were identified earlier.

Researchers have sought to use transplanted stem cells for many regenerative purposes from using them to regenerate neural cells following stroke or spinal cord injuries, to using stem cells to help regenerate failing or injured organs.

Deer antler is of interest, said the researchers, because antlers are very peculiar organs in that they are lost and re-grown annually.a rare example of a completely regenerating organ in mammals.

According to the researchers, they subjected deer antler to differentiation assays for osteogenic (bone), adipogenic (fat) and chondrogenic (cartilage) lineages under culture conditions specific for each lineage to confirm the multi-lineage differentiation ability of antler multipotent stem cells. They concluded that deer antler tissue might be a valuable source of stem cells that could be a potentially useful source of regenerative therapeutics in veterinary science.

The researchers noted that the development of deer-specific antibodies is essential to confirm the identification of antler multipotent stem cells.

They specifically noted that injury to wild animals, including deer, might be treated using deer antler derived cells. They also pointed out that studies involving the use of horse stem cells have found clinical application of equine-derived stem cells.

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UCLA researchers explore cutting edge of stem cells – Stem Cell Cafe

By adminMarch 10, 2013Stell Cell Research

Skin cells can be reprogrammed into the type of stem cells that can grow into any tissue, bone or body part in a process that doesnt involve human eggs or embryos, a UCLA researcher told scientists and students Friday at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

William Lowry, a professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology, was part of the first research team in California that reprogrammed adult stem cells into the pluripotent cells that are naturally found in embryos. Because they can grow into any kind of human cell and can also replicate themselves, pluripotent stem cells may one day be used to replaced injured or diseased cells or to create new medicines.

In theory you should be able to make them from anybody, at any time of life, from any tissue, he said of reprogramming at a CLU symposium Friday on new stem cell research.

Reprogramming avoids the controversies triggered by using stored embryos for stem cells, although embryonic cells are still part of the ongoing research at UCLA. It also opens the possibility of allowing researchers to use a persons own skin cells to create embryonic-like stem cells that could be used to treat that same persons injury or illness.

The tailor-made cells should eliminate the risk of the body identifying the new cells as foreign entities and rejecting them, Lowry said.

His research is aimed at using reprogrammed stem cells to recreate a disease in a petri dish, allowing researchers to better understand why certain illnesses kill specific kinds of cells. The studies could lead to new medicines and better ways to assess the effectiveness of new drugs.

But there are barriers. Scientists are still figuring out how to make a disease created in a laboratory that acts the same way as, say, how Lou Gehrigs disease affects nerve cells in the brain. Theyre trying to understand how the reprogrammed cells march through development. Early efforts have produced the kind of cells that would come from fetuses but not from adults.

Were not able to make cells that were born 60 years ago, he said.

The symposium focused on research at UCLA. Professor Hanna Mikkola leads a team studying how to turn pluripotent stem cells that are reprogrammed or come from early-stage embryos into blood stem cells.

The goal is to create cells tailored for a specific person in a process that could potentially help find cures to inherited diseases like sickle cell anemia. The scientists have had the most success in figuring out how to disrupt the process of making a blood stem cell.

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FRC’s Dr. David Prentice Congratulates Kansas … – Stem Cell Cafe

By adminMarch 5, 2013Stell Cell Research

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ Family Research Council (FRC) Senior Fellow Dr. David Prentice, a native Kansan, congratulated the Kansas state senate for passing S.B. 199, a bill that would establish the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, a regional hub to advance and deliver adult and cord blood stem cell therapies to patients and serving as a resource for adult and cord blood stem cells for therapies. The Center would also inform professionals and the public about such therapies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080930/FRCLOGO)

Dr. Prentice, a cell biologist who was selected by George W. Bushs Council on Bioethics to write a comprehensive review of adult stem cell research in 2004, testified before the Kansas Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare in support of S.B. 199 on Feb. 25. Dr. Prentice additionally serves as adjunct professor of molecular genetics at the John Paul II Institute at the Catholic University of America, and formerly served as professor of life sciences at Indiana State University and adjunct professor of medical and molecular genetic at Indiana University School of Medicine.

The bill will now go to the Kansas House of Representatives for consideration.

In his testimony Dr. Prentice said:

There are significant opportunities right now for Kansas to benefit from the establishment of a center of excellence specializing in the application of adult stem cell therapies for certain diseases, as well as educating physicians as well as the public about the advantages and availability of stem cell treatments.

Kansas is moving forward as a potential leader in the area of adult and cord blood stem cell therapies. Estimates are that KU Med has done over 1,000 adult stem cell transplants, from bone marrow as well as a growing number from umbilical cord blood. These include stem cell transplants for various cancers and leukemias, but also initiating clinical trials to treat heart damage. Much more is possible.

Kansas is well-positioned to become a leader in this area, and a global resource. The potential benefits for patients are incalculable. I urge you to support S.B. 199.

To read Dr. Prentices testimony, click here: http://www.frc.org/testimony/testimony-of-dr-david-prentice-before-the-committee-on-public-health-and-welfare-kansas-senate

SOURCE Family Research Council

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OHSU Doernbecher Scientists First To Grow Liver Stem Cells In …

By adminMarch 1, 2013Stell Cell Research

New mouse research in Nature raises hope that human liver stem cells can be similarly grown, transplanted

For decades scientists around the world have attempted to regenerate primary liver cells known as hepatocytes because of their numerous biomedical applications, including hepatitis research, drug metabolism and toxicity studies, as well as transplantation for cirrhosis and other chronic liver conditions. But no lab in the world has been successful in identifying and growing liver stem cells in culture using any available technique until now.

In the journal Nature, physician-scientists in the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Childrens Hospital, Portland, Ore., along with investigators at the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Utrecht, Netherlands, describe a new method through which they were able to infinitely expand liver stem cells from a mouse in a dish.

This study raises the hope that the human equivalent of these mouse liver stem cells can be grown in a similar way and efficiently converted into functional liver cells, said Markus Grompe, M.D., study co-author, director of the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at OHSU Doernbecher Childrens Hospital; and professor of pediatrics, and molecular and medical genetics in the OHSU School of Medicine.

In a previous Nature study, investigators at the Hubrecht Institute, led by Hans Clever, M.D, Ph.D., were the first to identify stem cells in the small intestine and colon by observing the expression of the adult stem cell marker Lgr5 and growth in response to a growth factor called Wnt. They also hypothesized that the unique expression pattern of Lgr5 could mark stem cells in other adult tissues, including the liver, an organ for which stem cell identification remained elusive.

In the current Nature study, Grompe and colleagues in the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at OHSU Doernbecher used a modified version of the Clever method and discovered that Wnt-induced Lgr5 expression not only marks stem cell production in the liver, but it also defines a class of stem cells that become active when the liver is damaged.

The scientists were able to grow these liver stem cells exponentially in a dish an accomplishment never before achieved and then transplant them in a specially designed mouse model of liver disease, where they continued to grow and show a modest therapeutic effect.

We were able to massively expand the liver cells and subsequently convert them to hepatocytes at a modest percentage. Going forward, we will enlist other growth factors and conditions to improve that percentage. Liver stem cell therapy for chronic liver disease in humans is coming, said Grompe.

The study, In vitro expansion of single Lgr5+ liver stem cells induced by Wnt-driven regeneration, was funded by National Institutes of Health Grant R0I DK05192.

Investigators who contributed to this research include: Grompe, Craig Dorrell, Annelise Haft, Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute, OHSU Doernbecher Childrens Hospital; Clever, Meritxell Huch, Sylvia Boj, Johan van Es, Vivian Li, Mare van de Wetering, Toshiro Sato, Karien Hamer, Nobuo Sasaki, Robert Vries, Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research; and Milton Finegold, Texas Childrens Hospital Houston.

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‘Holy Grail’ of stem cell research discovered – Stem Cell Clinic …

By adminMarch 1, 2013Stell Cell Research

Washington, February 27 (ANI): Scientists have developed sugar-coated scaffolding to improve stem cell technology to cure some of the worlds incurable diseases and conditions.

Stem cells have the unique ability to turn into any type of human cell, opening up all sorts of therapeutic possibilities for diseases from Alzheimers to diabetes.

But how to encourage stem cells to turn into the particular type of cell required to treat a specific disease is the problem that scientists are facing now.

Now researchers at the University of Manchesters School of Materials and Faculty of Life Sciences have developed a web-like scaffold, coated with long-sugar molecules, that enhances stem-cell cultures to do just this.

The scaffold is formed by a process known as electrospinning, creating a mesh of fibres that mimic structures that occur naturally within the body.

The teams results are particularly promising, as the sugar molecules are presented on the surface of the fibres, retaining structural patterns important in their function. The sugars are also read by the stem cells grown on the surface, stimulating and enhancing the formation of neuronal cell types.

These meshes have been modified with long, linear sugar molecules, which we have previously shown play a fundamental role in regulating the behaviour of stem cells. By combining the sugar molecules with the fibre web, we hoped to use both biochemical and structural signals to guide the behaviour of stem cells, in a similar way to that used naturally by the body. This is the Holy Grail of research into developing new therapeutics using stem cell technology, said lead author Dr Catherine Merry, from Manchesters Stem Cell Glycobiology group.

The group anticipate that the combination of the sugar molecules with the fibre web will aid both the growth of stem cells and the formation of different cell types from the stem cell population.

Possible applications include tissue engineering, where the meshes could support cells differentiating to form bone, liver or blood vessels, for example.

The meshes also have potential therapeutic implications in the treatment of diseases such as multiple osteochondroma (MO), a rare disease creating bony spurs or lumps caused by abnormal production of these sugar molecules.

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BioMarin Licenses Factor VIII Gene Therapy … – Stem Cell Cafe

By adminFebruary 26, 2013Stell Cell Research

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb. 21, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) announced today that it has licensed a Factor VIII gene therapy program for hemophilia A from University College London (UCL) and St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. The company expects to select a development candidate this year, initiate and complete IND-enabling toxicology studies next year and initiate proof of concept human studies by the end of 2014. The license and commitment to support the research program was made possible by UCL Business, UCLs wholly-owned technology transfer company, working with Professor Amit Nathwani of the UCL Cancer Institute.

Gene therapy is emerging as a powerful and viable way to treat genetic disorders and is complementary to our current suite of commercial products and research programs, said Jean-Jacques Bienaime, Chief Executive Officer of BioMarin. Hemophilia is an attractive target for gene therapy as factor levels in the blood serve as good biomarkers, relatively low factor levels are required for a clinically important benefit in severe patients and the current standard of care of intravenous infusions three times a week is quite onerous. We remain committed to maintaining a rich pipeline with the goal of filing an IND every twelve to eighteen months.

Mr. Cengiz Tarhan, Managing Director of UCL Business said, This is an excellent partnership for UCL Business, which combines the world class translational research strengths of Professor Nathwani and his team with the significant development and commercialization capabilities of BioMarin to progress this ground breaking therapy for hemophilia A.

Professor Stephen Caddick, Vice-Provost (Enterprise) at University College London added, UCL and BioMarin each bring distinct strengths to the partnership. UCL is a world leader in the biomedical sciences, with an unremitting commitment to outstanding research and translation into healthcare benefits for patients. We welcome this partnership which will continue to build on the excellence of our research to fully explore the potential of gene therapy as a life-saving treatment for people with hemophilia.

Andrew Davidoff, M.D., Chair, Surgery, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, added, We are pleased that our research with UCL on gene therapy for hemophilia has led to the development of a potential therapeutic tool for treating this devastating disease. This licensing agreement underscores St. Judes commitment to rapidly translating our research into effective clinical interventions.

About Hemophilia A

The current market for hemophilia A products is about $6.0 billion worldwide. There are approximately 90,000 patients in territories where BioMarin has commercial operations and an annual incidence of about 400 new patients in the U.S. The standard of care for the 60 percent of hemophilia A patients who are severe is a prophylactic regimen of IV infusions three times per week. Even with the likely prospect of less frequently dosed products coming to the market, feedback from thought leaders indicates that significant unmet need will remain as factor replacement therapy will inevitably leave patients vulnerable to bleeding events. Many patients on factor replacement therapy still have bleeding events and experience debilitating damage to joints as a result of chronically low factor levels.

About BioMarin

BioMarin develops and commercializes innovative biopharmaceuticals for serious diseases and medical conditions. The companys product portfolio comprises four approved products and multiple clinical and pre-clinical product candidates. Approved products include Naglazyme(R) (galsulfase) for mucopolysaccharidosis VI (MPS VI), a product wholly developed and commercialized by BioMarin; Aldurazyme(R) (laronidase) for mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I), a product which BioMarin developed through a 50/50 joint venture with Genzyme Corporation; Kuvan(R) (sapropterin dihydrochloride) Tablets, for phenylketonuria (PKU), developed in partnership with Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany; and Firdapse(TM) (amifampridine), which has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS). Product candidates include BMN-110 (N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfatase), formally referred to as GALNS, which successfully completed Phase III clinical development for the treatment of MPS IVA, PEG-PAL (PEGylated recombinant phenylalanine ammonia lyase), which is currently in Phase II clinical development for the treatment of PKU, BMN-701, a novel fusion protein of insulin-like growth factor 2 and acid alpha glucosidase (IGF2-GAA), which is currently in Phase I/II clinical development for the treatment of Pompe disease, BMN-673, a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, which is currently in Phase I/II clinical development for the treatment of genetically-defined cancers, and BMN-111, a modified C-natriuretic peptide, which is currently in Phase I clinical development for the treatment of achondroplasia. For additional information, please visit http://www.BMRN.com. Information on BioMarins website is not incorporated by reference into this press release.

The BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11419

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