Boston Children’s Hospital ranked #1 in the nation – PR Newswire (press release)

"At Boston Children's we care for children from all backgrounds, unique needs and many with the most complex conditions," says Sandra L. Fenwick, President and CEO. "The U.S. News rankings provide invaluable insights for patients and families as they navigate their health care needs. It is our mission to provide the best experience and outcomes possible to every family that walks through our doors. That is accomplished by our dedicated staff going above and beyond every single day."

U.S. News introduced the Best Children's Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are the only comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric centers.

"Our patients and families drive our determination to reach higher and explore new and innovative approaches to care," says Kevin B. Churchwell, EVP of Health Affairs and COO. "These rankings reflect how they inspire us to be better, to do more and to constantly move the bar higher."

Boston Children's is home to the largest research program at a pediatric medical center in the world, making advances in stem cell, neurobiology and genetics and genomics research, among others. At the forefront of innovation, Boston Children's works to refine simulation training and improve 3D printing models to provide patients and families with the highest level of personalized care.

The 11th annual rankings recognize the top 50 pediatric facilities across the U.S. in 10 pediatric specialties. The rankings rely on clinical data and on an annual survey of pediatric specialists. The rankings methodology considers clinical outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates, efficiency and coordination of care delivery and compliance with "best practices."

Survival rates after surgery, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure and patient volume, availability of programs for particular illnesses and conditions and much more can be viewed here.

Boston Children's Hospital is made up of great stories. We encourage you to share yours. Visit our Facebook page or give us a shout using #BostonChildrens #BestHospitals

Boston Children's Hospitalis home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including sevenmembers of the National Academy of Sciences,11members of the Institute of Medicine and10members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Boston Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children's today is a 415-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. Boston Children's is also the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

For more, visit ourVectorandThrivingblogsand follow us on our social media channels: @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, FacebookandYouTube.

CONTACT:Erin Tornatore 617-919-3110 erin.tornatore@childrens.harvard.edu

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SOURCE Boston Children's Hospital

http://www.childrenshospital.org

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Boston Children's Hospital ranked #1 in the nation - PR Newswire (press release)

Neovii: Long-term Outcomes After Standard Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GvHD) Prophylaxis in Hemopoietic Cell … – PR Newswire (press release)

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/527086/Neovii_Pharmaceuticals_Logo.jpg )

"The significantly improved composite endpoint 'Severe GvHD free and relapse free survival' clearly indicates the impact of ATLG in the cure of patients without ongoing morbidity, which is the main aim of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. This is supported by the fact that the vast majority of patients alive after ATLG-containing GvHD prophylaxis are free of immunosuppressive therapy," said Professor Jrgen Finke, the principal investigator of the study and Deputy Head of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center at the University of Freiburg, Germany. Professor Finke is also Chairman of the German Stem Cell Transplant Working Group (DAG-KBT). He added, "The results clearly demonstrate the importance of ATLG administration in matched unrelated stem cell transplantation and will certainly influence decision-making and patient counselling in the long run."

Alexandre Sudarskis, CEO of Neovii, commented, "These ground-breaking results undoubtedly prove the long-term efficacy of Grafalon administration as part of a myeloablative conditioning regimen." He added, "Neovii strives to better meet the needs of our patients and to improve their quality-of-life with our effective antibody therapies, allowing physicians to apply a safe and robust therapy." Neovii supports research and development activities in the fields of stem cell transplantation, solid organ transplantation, and immune and hemato-oncological disorders.

About the study

Prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase 3 study of Grafalon comparing standard ciclosporin A and methotrexate containing GvHD prophylaxis. Patients were randomized to either receive or not receive Grafalon. The study was conducted in 9 European countries and Israel in 31 study centers, enrolling 202 patients. Patients had acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome or myeloproliferative disease in an early (n=107) or advanced disease status (n=94). After myeloablative conditioning, patients received transplantation of blood stem cells (n=164) or bone marrow grafts (n=37). Study results were published in 2009[2] and 2011[3].

About GvHD

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a serious, life threatening complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. It develops when the new immune system, which arises from the transplanted stem cells (graft), attacks tissues and organs of the recipient (host). It can be classified as acute or chronic, depending on the time of occurrence and/or the pathology.

About Grafalon

Grafalon (formerly commercialized as ATG Fresenius), is a rabbit anti-human T-lymphocyte immunoglobulin, used as part of immunosuppressive regimens for the prevention of graft versus host disease in stem cell transplantation, prevention and treatment of rejection in solid organ transplantation or as immunosuppressive in the treatment of aplastic anemia (according to country-specific approved indications). With more than 200,000 treated patients to date in more than 50 countries, Grafalon enjoys worldwide recognition among solid organ and stem cell transplant teams and has transformed the way transplant teams manage the care of their patients around the world.

About Neovii

Neovii is an independent, dynamic and rapidly-growing global biopharmaceutical company with a patient-focused mission to develop and market novel life-transforming therapies. Neovii has been dedicated for over three decades to improving outcomes in transplantation medicine, hemato-oncological and immune disorders.

Neovii Pharmaceuticals AG global headquarters is in Rapperswil, Switzerland, with offices in Massachusetts, USA. Its biologics manufacturing facility is in Grfelfing, Germany.

Neovii has a global reach with products sold in over 50 countries worldwide.

References

[1] Finke, Jrgen et al. Long-term outcomes after standard graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis with or without anti-human-T-lymphocyte immunoglobulin in haemopoietic cell transplantation from matched unrelated donors: final results of a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Haematology, June 2017; 4(6):e293-e301.

[2] Finke, Jrgen et al. Standard graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis with or without anti-T-cell globulin in haematopoietic cell transplantation from matched unrelated donors: a randomised, open-label, multicentre phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncology, September 2009; 10(9):855-64.

[3] Soci, Gerard et al. Chronic graft-versus-host disease: long-term results from a randomized trial on graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis with or without anti-T-cell globulin ATG-Fresenius. Blood, June 2011; 117(23):6375-82.

For further information

Contact info@neovii.com or call us at +41 55 210 05 00. For details on the full publication, visit http://www.thelancet.com.

SOURCE Neovii Pharmaceuticals AG

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Neovii: Long-term Outcomes After Standard Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GvHD) Prophylaxis in Hemopoietic Cell ... - PR Newswire (press release)

Study says some stem cells dangerous for heart patients – The Times of Israel

A new study at Tel Aviv University shows that stem cell therapy, one of the few treatments available to patients with severe and end-stage heart failure, can actually harm them unless it is done differently.

We concluded that stem cells used in cardiac therapy should be drawn from healthy donors or be better genetically engineered for the patient, said lead researcher Jonathan Leor of the universitys Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center.

Doctors use tissue or adult stem cells to replace damaged tissue, which encourages regeneration of blood vessel cells and new heart muscle tissue. But cardiac stem cells from a diseased heart can lead to a toxic interaction via a molecular pathway between the heart and the immune system, the study found.

We found that, contrary to popular belief, tissue stem cells derived from sick hearts do not contribute to heart healing after injury, Leor said. Furthermore, we found that these cells are affected by the inflammatory environment and develop inflammatory properties. The affected stem cells may even exacerbate damage to the already diseased heart muscle.

The findings could suggest a way to make stem cell therapy safer for heart disease patients. The treatment is often a last resort, apart from getting a transplant.

Researchers discovered a molecular pathway involved in the toxic interaction while studying stem cells in mice with heart disease. By deleting the gene that makes the pathway, the cells ability to regenerate healthy tissue can be restored, they found.

The researchers are now testing a gene editing technique to delete the problem gene.

We hope our engineered stem cells will be resistant to the negative effects of the immune system, Leor said.

The study was conducted by TAUs Dr. Nili Naftali-Shani and published in the journal Circulation.

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Study says some stem cells dangerous for heart patients - The Times of Israel

Ebensburg native celebrates 5-year cancer survival at center’s event – TribDem.com

EBENSBURG About five years ago, a very physically active Dale Lauer became tired while playing a match of tennis with a friend.

Something just wasnt right.

His wife, Cheryl, immediately made him a doctors appointment. Blood tests revealed Lauer had leukemia.

Today, Lauer, an Ebensburg native, is cancer-free.

Last week, he joined more than 135 fellow five-year cancer survivors at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, Illinois, to participate in Cancer Treatment Centers of Americas 29th annual Celebrate Life event.

Celebrate Life is an event that brings together cancer survivors and caregivers for a day of support, celebration and encouragement for those who arestill fighting their battles with cancer.

Lauer said a friend of the family connected him with the Cancer Center in Zion, where he completed two unsuccessful rounds of induction chemotherapy.

On Oct. 3 of that year, Lauer had a stem-cell transplant a procedure with a success rate of less than 10 percent that allowed him to be cancer-free ever since.

It was extremely aggressive treatment, he recalls.

On June 9, Lauer, his wife and three sons Joel, Ryan and Brock arrived with the other survivors at the Midwestern Regional Medical Center, walking down a red carpet lined with family, friends, caregivers and hospital care team members.

After the red carpet walk, Lauer and his family were part of a commemorative tree-planting ceremony.At each of the 29 annual Celebrate Life events, a tree is planted in honor of each five-year cancer survivor in attendance.

After five years of survivorship, Im back to doing the things I love, Lauer said. By staying positive, paying attention to my health and maintaining a will to live, Ive returned to riding bikes, playing tennis and surrounding myself with my loving family and community.

Five years ago, this amazing group of cancer survivors came to Cancer Treatment Centers of America with a great sense of hope, searching for answers and cancer care that fit their specific needs, said Scott Jones, president and CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern.While everyones journey and experience is unique, we honor and respect the strength and perseverance it takes for them to be here.

Lauer said his longest say at the Cancer Center in Zion was about four months, during which every staff member treated him like family.

Its not a hospital, its heaven on earth, he said.

When you walk in the door, theres people in there who want you to have the best day of your life. Its really like a family.

Lauer is also involved with the Cancer Fighters program at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, where he said hes thrilled to share my story.

Cancer Fighters allows survivors and caretakers such as Lauer and his wife to answer questions and share their journey with recently diagnosed patients seeking treatment at Cancer Treatment Centers across the country.

Lauer especially creditsthe support of family, friends, neighbors, doctors and nurses provided during his battle against leukemia.

The miracles that came my way were just astronomical, he said.

Jocelyn Brumbaugh is a reporter for the Tribune-Democrat. Follow her on Twitter @JBrumbaughTD.

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Ebensburg native celebrates 5-year cancer survival at center's event - TribDem.com

Therapists say Ryan Custer moved two fingers on his right hand – WRGT TV Fox 45

WSU Basketball players sending well wishes to injured Ryan Custer (Photo courtesy Assistant Coach of WSU basketball Nick Goff)

CHICAGO (WKEF/WRGT) - A Wright State basketball player who fractured his C-5 vertebrae at an off-campus party in late April was able to move two of his fingers on his right hand, according to his therapist.

Ryan Custer's mother posted the update on his recovery Facebook page, saying therapists saw him move his ring and little fingers, but his parents have yet to see the movement themselves.

Custer will also be moved to Craig Hospital in Denver, the family's choice rehab facility, after his time at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago. The family said Craig Hospital did not take patients on anti-rejection medication for stem cell, so it had to be temporarily ruled out while he underwent his experimental surgery and follow-up treatment.

They said therapy will be more individualized and Custer's workouts will come in a gym-like facility after the move, which works for him since he grew up playing on sports teams.

Custer also reportedly had another bout of C. diff, which was worse for him this time around, and has been having a lot of discomfort.

He's set to go to Rush on June 20 for follow-up before flying out to Denver the day after.

Custer was originally injured when he jumped into a makeshift pool and hit his head off someone's knee. His team has been out to Chicago to see him.

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Therapists say Ryan Custer moved two fingers on his right hand - WRGT TV Fox 45

Newly identified method of gene regulation challenges accepted science – Stanford Medical Center Report

The work builds upon a previous study from Barnas laboratory that was published June 1 in Cell. The lead author of that study was postdoctoral scholar Deniz Simsek, PhD. It showed that ribosomes also differ in the types of proteins they accumulate on their outer shells. It also identified more than 400 ribosome-associated proteins, called RAPs, and showed that they can affect ribosomal function.

Every biology student learns the basics of how the genetic code is used to govern cellular life. In broad strokes, the DNA in the nucleus carries the building instructions for about 20,000 genes. Genes are chosen for expression by proteins that land on the DNA and transcribe the DNA sequence into short pieces of mobile, or messenger, RNA that can leave the nucleus. Once in the cells cytoplasm, the RNA binds to ribosomes to be translated into strings of amino acids known as proteins.

Every living cell has up to 10 million ribosomes floating in its cellular soup. These tiny engines are themselves complex structures that contain up to 80 individual core proteins and four RNA molecules. Each ribosome has two main subunits: one that binds to and reads the RNA molecule to be translated, and another that assembles the protein based on the RNA blueprint. As shown for the first time in the Cell study, ribosomes also collect associated proteins called RAPs that decorate their outer shell like Christmas tree ornaments.

Until recently, ribosomes have been thought to take an important but backstage role in the cell, just taking in and blindly translating the genetic code, said Barna. But in the past couple of years there have been some intriguing hints of a more complex scenario. Some human genetic diseases caused by mutations in ribosomal proteins affect only specific organs or tissues, for example. This has been very perplexing. We wanted to revisit the textbook notion that all ribosomes are the same.

In 2011, members of Barnas lab showed that one core ribosomal protein called RPL38/eL38 is necessary for the appropriate patterning of the mammalian body plan during development; mice with a mutation in this protein developed skeletal defects such as extra ribs, facial clefts and abnormally short, malformed tails.

Shi and Fujii used a quantitative proteomics technology called selected reaction monitoring to precisely calculate the quantities, or stoichiometry, of each of several ribosomal proteins isolated from ribosomes within mouse embryonic stem cells. Their calculations showed that not all the ribosomal proteins were always present in the same amount. In other words, the ribosomes differed from one another in their compositions.

We realized for the first time that, in terms of the exact stoichiometry of these proteins, there are significant differences among individual ribosomes, said Barna. But what does this mean when it comes to thinking about fundamental aspects of a cell, how it functions?

To find out, the researchers tagged the different ribosomal proteins and used them to isolate RNA molecules in the act of being translated by the ribosome. The results were unlike what they could have ever imagined.

We found that, if you compare two populations of ribosomes, they exhibit a preference for translating certain types of genes, said Shi. One prefers to translate genes associated with cell metabolism; another is more likely to be translating genes that make proteins necessary for embryonic development. We found entire biological pathways represented by the translational preferences of specific ribosomes. Its like the ribosomes have some kind of ingrained knowledge as to what genes they prefer to translate into proteins.

The findings dovetail with those of the Cell paper. That paper showed that there is more to ribosomes than the 80 core proteins, said Simsek. We identified hundreds of RAPs as components of the cell cycle, energy metabolism, and cell signaling. We believe these RAPs may allow the ribosomes to participate more dynamically in these intricate cellular functions.

Barna and her team have taken a big step toward understanding how ribosomes control protein synthesis by looking at unperturbed stem cells form mammals, said Jamie Cate, PhD, professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley. They found built-in regulators of translation for a subset of important mRNAs and are sure to find more in other cells. Cate was not involved in the research.

The fact that ribosomes can differ among their core protein components as well as among their associated proteins, the RAPs, and that these differences can significantly affect ribosomal function, highlights a way that a cell could transform its protein landscape by simply modifying ribosomes so that they prefer to translate one type of gene say, those involved in metabolism over others. This possibility would free the cell from having to micromanage the expression levels of hundreds or thousands of genes involved in individual pathways. In this scenario, many more messenger RNAs could be available than get translated into proteins, simply based on what the majority of ribosomes prefer, and this preference could be tuned by a change in expression of just a few ribosomal proteins.

Barna and her colleagues are now planning to test whether the prevalence of certain types of ribosomes shift during major cellular changes, such as when a cell enters the cell cycle after resting, or when a stem cell begins to differentiate into a more specialized type of cell. Theyd also like to learn more about how the ribosomes are able to discriminate between classes of genes.

Although the findings of the two papers introduce a new concept of genetic regulation within the cell, they make a kind of sense, the researchers said.

About 60 percent of a cells energy is spent making and maintaining ribosomes, said Barna. The idea that they play no role in the regulation of genetic expression is, in retrospect, a bit silly.

Other Stanford co-authors are graduate students Kyle Kovary and Naomi Genuth; postdoctoral scholar Hannes Rost, PhD; and Mary Teruel, PhD, assistant professor of chemical and systems biology.

The research was supported by the New York Stem Cell Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Mallinckrodt Foundation, a Pew Scholars Award and the National Institutes of Health (a Directors New Innovator Award and grants R21HD086730, R01DK101743, R01DK106241 and P50GM107615).

Stanfords departments of Developmental Biology and of Genetics also supported the work.

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Newly identified method of gene regulation challenges accepted science - Stanford Medical Center Report

Cardiac stem cells from heart disease patients may be harmful – Medical Xpress

June 15, 2017

Patients with severe and end-stage heart failure have few treatment options available to them apart from transplants and "miraculous" stem cell therapy. But a new Tel Aviv University study finds that stem cell therapy may, in fact, harm heart disease patients.

The research, led by Prof. Jonathan Leor of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center and conducted by TAU's Dr. Nili Naftali-Shani, explores the current practice of using cells from the host patient to repair tissueand contends that this can prove deleterious or toxic for patients. The study was recently published in the journal Circulation.

"We found that, contrary to popular belief, tissue stem cells derived from sick hearts do not contribute to heart healing after injury," said Prof. Leor. "Furthermore, we found that these cells are affected by the inflammatory environment and develop inflammatory properties. The affected stem cells may even exacerbate damage to the already diseased heart muscle."

Tissue or adult stem cells"blank" cells that can act as a repair kit for the body by replacing damaged tissueencourage the regeneration of blood vessel cells and new heart muscle tissue. Faced with a worse survival rate than many cancers, many heart failure patients have turned to stem cell therapy as a last resort.

"But our findings suggest that stem cells, like any drug, can have adverse effects," said Prof. Leor. "We concluded that stem cells used in cardiac therapy should be drawn from healthy donors or be better genetically engineered for the patient."

Hope for improved cardiac stem cell therapy

In addition, the researchers also discovered the molecular pathway involved in the negative interaction between stem cells and the immune system as they isolated stem cells in mouse models of heart disease. After exploring the molecular pathway in mice, the researchers focused on cardiac stem cells in patients with heart disease.

The results could help improve the use of autologous stem cellsthose drawn from the patients themselvesin cardiac therapy, Prof. Leor said.

"We showed that the deletion of the gene responsible for this pathway can restore the original therapeutic function of the cells," said Prof. Leor. "Our findings determine the potential negative effects of inflammation on stem cell function as they're currently used. The use of autologous stem cells from patients with heart disease should be modified. Only stem cells from healthy donors or genetically engineered cells should be used in treating cardiac conditions."

The researchers are currently testing a gene editing technique (CRISPER) to inhibit the gene responsible for the negative inflammatory properties of the cardiac stem cells of heart disease patients. "We hope our engineered stem cells will be resistant to the negative effects of the immune system," said Prof. Leor.

Explore further: Adult stem cell types' heart repair potential probed

More information: Nili Naftali-Shani et al, Left Ventricular Dysfunction Switches Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Toward an Inflammatory Phenotype and Impairs Their Reparative Properties Via Toll-Like Receptor-4Clinical Perspective, Circulation (2017). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.023527

Journal reference: Circulation

Provided by: Tel Aviv University

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Cardiac stem cells from heart disease patients may be harmful - Medical Xpress

John Theurer Cancer Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Announce 100th Blood Stem Cell Transplant – PR Newswire (press release)

The BMT program at MedStar Georgetown is a joint effort with specialists from John Theurer Cancer Center and a key component of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only cancer program in the Washington, D.C. region designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a comprehensive cancer center.

"Once considered experimental, BMT is today's established gold standard for treating patients with a number of malignant and other non-malignant diseases of the immune system, blood, and bone marrow, including multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and acute and chronic leukemia. For some conditions, blood stem cell transplant can provide a cure in patients who have failed conventional therapies," says Scott Rowley, M.D., chief of the BMT program at MedStar Georgetown as well as a member of the John Theurer Cancer Center's Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation. "For some conditions, it can actually be a cure; for others, it prolongs survival and improves quality of life. Having performed 100 BMTs at MedStar Georgetown including allogenic transplantation illustrates the strength and maturity of our program achieved in rather short time."

MedStar Georgetown's program is also the only comprehensive BMT center within Washington, D.C. and southern Maryland with accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) for adult autologous procedures, where the patient donates his or her own cells.

The BMT program at John Theurer Cancer Center is one of the top 10 transplant programs in the United States, with more than 400 transplants performed annually.

A BMT involves a two-step process: first, collecting bone marrow stem cells from the patient and storing them for future use. Then, a week or so later, patients receive high dose chemotherapy to eliminate their disease. The previously stored cells are reinfused back into the bloodstream, where after reaching the bone marrow, they begin repopulating and allow the patient to recover their blood counts over the following 2 weeks.

"Even though BMT is considered standard therapy for myeloma worldwide, in the United States fewer than 50 percent of the patients who could benefit from BMT are referred for evaluation," says David H. Vesole, M.D., Ph.D., co- chief and director of Research of John Theurer Cancer Center's Multiple Myeloma division and director of MedStar Georgetown's Multiple Myeloma Program.

"That's mostly due to physicians' concerns that a patient is too old or compromised from other health conditions like diabetes, cardiac disease or renal failure. But new techniques and better supportive care have improved both patient outcomes and the entire transplant process, extending BMT to more patients than ever before."

The MedStar Georgetown/Georgetown Lombardi Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Program is part of a collaborative cancer research agenda and multi-year plan to form an NCI-recognized cancer consortium. This recognition would support the scientific excellence of the two centers and highlight their capability to integrate multidisciplinary, collaborative research approaches to focus on all the aspects of cancer.

The research areas include expansion of clinical bone marrow transplant research; clinical study of "haplo" transplants use of half-matched stem cell donor cells; re-engineering the function and focus of key immune cells; and the investigation of "immune checkpoint" blocking antibodies that unleash a sustained immune response against cancer cells.

"In this partnership, we've combined John Theurer's strength in clinical care with Georgetown Lombardi's strong research base that significantly contributes to clinical excellence at MedStar Georgetown. By working together, we have broadened our cancer research to offer more effective treatment options for tomorrow's patients," says Andrew Pecora, M.D., FACP, CPE, president of the Physician Enterprise and chief innovations officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. "This is one of many clinical and research areas that have been enhanced by this affiliation."

"Our teams are pursuing specific joint research projects we feel are of the utmost importance and significance in oncology particularly around immuno-oncology as well as precision medicine," says Andr Goy, M.D., MS, chairman of the John Theurer Cancer Center and director of the division chief of Lymphoma; chief science officer and director of Research and Innovation, RCCA; professor of medicine, Georgetown University. "Together our institutions have a tremendous opportunity to transform the delivery of cancer care for our patient populations and beyond."

ABOUT THE JOHN THEURER CANCER CENTER AT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center is New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive center dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, management, research, screenings, and preventive care as well as survivorship of patients with all types of cancers. The 14 specialized divisions covering the complete spectrum of cancer care have developed a close-knit team of medical, research, nursing, and support staff with specialized expertise that translates into more advanced, focused care for all patients. Each year, more people in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area turn to the John Theurer Cancer Center for cancer care than to any other facility in New Jersey. Housed within a 775-bed not-for-profit teaching, tertiary care, and research hospital, the John Theurer Cancer Center provides state-of-the-art technological advances, compassionate care, research innovations, medical expertise, and a full range of aftercare services that distinguish the John Theurer Cancer Center from other facilities.www.jtcancercenter.org.

ABOUT MEDSTAR GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is a not-for-profit, acute-care teaching and research hospital with 609 beds located in Northwest Washington, D.C. Founded in the Jesuit principle of cura personaliscaring for the whole personMedStar Georgetown is committed to offering a variety of innovative diagnostic and treatment options within a trusting and compassionate environment. MedStar Georgetown's centers of excellence include neurosciences, transplant, cancer and gastroenterology. Along with Magnet nurses, internationally recognized physicians, advanced research and cutting-edge technologies, MedStar Georgetown's healthcare professionals have a reputation for medical excellence and leadership. For more information please visit: medstargeorgetown.org/bmsct

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center, a 775-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital located in Bergen County, NJ, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state. Founded in 1888 as the county's first hospital, it is now part of one of the largest networks in the state comprised of 28,000 team members and more than 6,000 physicians. Hackensack University Medical Center was listed as the number one hospital in New Jersey in U.S. News & World Report's 2016-17 Best Hospital rankings - maintaining its place atop the NJ rankings since the rating system was introduced. It was also named one of the top four New York Metro Area hospitals. Hackensack University Medical Center is one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more years in a row. Becker's Hospital Review recognized Hackensack University Medical Center as one of the 100 Great Hospitals in America 2017. The medical center is one of the top 25 green hospitals in the country according to Practice Greenhealth, and received 25 Gold Seals of Approval by The Joint Commission more than any other hospital in the country. It was the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet recognized hospital for nursing excellence; receiving its fifth consecutive designation in 2014. Hackensack University Medical Center has created an entire campus of award-winning care, including: the John Theurer Cancer Center; the Heart & Vascular Hospital; and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women's and Children's Pavilion, which houses the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital and Donna A. Sanzari Women's Hospital, which was designed with The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center and listed on the Green Guide's list of Top 10 Green Hospitals in the U.S. Hackensack University Medical Center is the Hometown Hospital of the New York Giants and the New York Red Bulls and is Official Medical Services Provider to The Northern Trust PGA Golf Tournament. It remains committed to its community through fundraising and community events especially the Tackle Kids Cancer Campaign providing much needed research at the Children's Cancer Institute housed at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital. To learn more, visit http://www.HackensackUMC.org.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-theurer-cancer-center-and-medstar-georgetown-university-hospital-announce-100th-blood-stem-cell-transplant-300471445.html

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health

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John Theurer Cancer Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Announce 100th Blood Stem Cell Transplant - PR Newswire (press release)

New Technology Uses Body Fat to Help Relieve Joint Pain – Healthline

The Lipogems technology has great promise, but experts say itll take time to assess how successful the new procedure is.

What if you could put that little bit of body fat around your midsection to good use?

A procedure called Lipogems utilizes a persons body fat as a source of stem cells to help treat arthritis and joint conditions.

At least thats the promise.

Lipogems was approved for widespread use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2016, and its already garnering a lot of attention.

Rush University Medical Center recently became the first sports medicine specialists in the Midwest to offer treatment with the device.

The technology is ideal for patients with certain orthopedic conditions, such as painful joints including the knee, ankle, or shoulder with limited range of motion. Additionally, it can be used in soft tissue defects located in tendons, ligaments, and/or muscles to improve the biologic environment, said Dr. Brian Cole, professor of orthopedic surgery, and section head of the Rush Cartilage Restoration Center, in a press release.

Read more: Stem cell therapies offering hope for MS patients

Stem cells work by growing and differentiating themselves into different cells in the body based on the site of injection.

They are believed to help the natural regenerative processes in the body.

Hence they have earned the nickname as mini drug stores based on their ability to secrete a spectrum of bioactive molecules and support the natural regeneration of focal injuries.

Stem cells can be harvested from certain parts of the human body, most notably bone marrow and adipose tissue (fat).

Harvesting bone marrow stem cells is a significantly more invasive and time-consuming procedure that is performed using general anesthesia.

Lipogems offers a novel approach to orthopedic stem cell treatments by using a persons own fat.

The procedure uses a small incision into an area of subcutaneous fat, from which a quantity of fat tissue is harvested and processed by the Lipogems apparatus.

The technology itself, which really is the device that processes the fat, creates a concentration of fat that has been cleansed of all the extraneous things like red blood cells and fibrous tissues, Cole told Healthline.

The concentrated stem cells within that fat tissue are then applied to the problematic joint or bone area.

The procedure can be completed in under 30 minutes.

Read more: Stem cell therapy a possible treatment for rheumatoid arthritis

Lipogems offers a streamlined procedure for stem cell treatment, but there is nothing new about the science itself.

The use of stem cells to treat a variety of conditions has been ongoing for some time now.

As Healthline reported earlier this year, stem cells have been touted as a breakthrough treatment for some time, but real proof of efficacy is still being researched.

The same is true for Lipogems.

What were lacking is really good data at this point in the clinical setting, Cole said. There is substantial data in the laboratory suggesting that these cells may function in the way Ive described: reducing inflammation and so forth. But, we really dont have yet much in the way of good solid clinical data saying that definitively this is making a difference.

He further cautions individuals thinking that the new procedure, or that stem cells in general, are a panacea.

Read more: Unproven stem cell treatments offer hope but also risks

Instead, he would like those seeking orthopedic treatment to understand that Lipogems is just one part of a much larger and more complex suite of tools used by physicians.

It has to be taken into context of all the other possible treatment options, from simply icing down a swollen ankle, to changing your daily activity, to surgery.

The unfortunate thing is that people think, well this is the solution that can be used instead of, say, a joint replacement and no longer do we need to do surgery, said Cole.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Nonetheless, Cole and his team are still excited about the possibilities of the Lipogems procedure.

Using a readily available and easily accessible substance like fat as a source of stem cells could have far-reaching implications for procedures in the future.

Were optimistic and intuitively there is a good argument to be made that this is as good or better than any other source of stem cells, said Cole.

Original post:
New Technology Uses Body Fat to Help Relieve Joint Pain - Healthline

Using Stem Cells to Heal Broken Bones – Healthline

A promising new method for regenerating bones using the body's own stem cells may possibly eliminate the need for bone grafts.

When a fracture will not heal, people are typically left with two options.

One is bone grafting, the other is surgery.

A new treatment that uses gene and stem cell therapies could promise success with a less-invasive procedure.

Researchers led by a team from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, tested the therapy on laboratory animals and found that it triggered bones to regrow their own tissue.

If it is found safe in humans, the process could replace bone grafting as the gold standard treatment.

We are just at the beginning of a revolution in orthopedics, Dan Gazit, co-director of the Skeletal Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy Program in the Department of Surgery and the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, said in a statement.

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Bone grafts can result in gaps between fracture edges, and often require surgery to relocate bone from other places in the body to fill in the spaces.

Bone can come from the patient or a cadaver.

But healthy bone isnt always available, and surgeries can lead to other complications.

Read more: First aid for broken bones

The new method involves implanting a collagen matrix made up of bone-inducing genes into stem cells.

It is inserted into the gap over a two-week span. An ultrasound pulse and microbubbles help the matrix get into the cells.

Our method relies on the bodys own repair cells [stem cells], Gadi Pelled, senior author, and an assistant professor of surgery at Cedars-Sinai, told Healthline. We recruit them to the injury site and then activate them to regenerate bone in an efficient way.

The uniqueness of our method is that it is injectable and minimally invasive, Pelled said.

Researchers found that the fractures were healed eight weeks after the procedure. The bone that grew into the empty space was as strong as surgical bone grafts.

We showed that our method was equivalent, in terms of fracture healing, to the use of an autograft [bone graft obtained from the patients own body], which is the gold standard today, Gazit said. Our method does not require the harvest of bone, which often leads to prolonged pain and hospitalization and risk of infection, and that is our advantage.

Read more: Get the facts on broken bones

Because the process uses stem cells from the patients body without external manipulation, it may not face many of the hurdles that other stem cell treatments come up against.

But obviously we will need to show that our method is not toxic and is safe to use in people before it is approved for use in the clinic, added Zulma Gazit, PhD, co-director of the Skeletal Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy Program in the Department of Surgery and the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute.

Read more: Stem cell research advancing rapidly

In cases where there are large gaps or fractures unable to heal, the method can be repeated to grow more bone.

Thats something that will need to be reproduced in additional studies, but the latest study is the first to show that this ultrasound-mediated gene delivery can be used to treat nonhealing bone fractures, Pelled added.

David Forsh, an assistant professor of orthopedics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and chief of orthopedic trauma at Mount Sinai St. Lukes, said the breakthrough needs to be reproduced before it goes mainstream.

Similar research has been conducted in the past, but the way this was done is something new, according to his knowledge.

It sounds good, Forsh told Healthline. Its very promising that they were able to achieve this.

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Using Stem Cells to Heal Broken Bones - Healthline