USC researchers discover the healing power of 'rib-tickling'

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

12-Sep-2014

Contact: Cristy Lytal lytal@med.usc.edu 323-442-2172 University of Southern California - Health Sciences

Unlike salamanders, mammals can't regenerate lost limbs, but they can repair large sections of their ribs.

In a new study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, a team directed by USC Stem Cell researcher Francesca Mariani takes a closer look at rib regeneration in both humans and mice.

The first author of the paper, USC medical student Marissa K. Srour, was a USC undergraduate when she started the project, which earned a 2011 USC Discovery Scholar Prize. Each year, 10 graduating seniors win these coveted prizes, which recognize exceptional new scholarship.

Using CT imaging, Srour, Mariani and their colleague Janice Lee from the University of California, San Francisco, monitored the healing of a human rib that had been partially removed by a surgeon. The eight centimeters of missing bone and one centimeter of missing cartilage did partially repair after six months.

To better understand this repair process, they surgically removed sections of rib cartilage ranging from three to five millimeters from a related mammal, mice. When they removed both rib cartilage and its surrounding sheath of tissue called the "perichondrium," the missing sections failed to repair even after nine months. However, when they removed rib cartilage but left its perichondrium, the missing sections entirely repaired within one to two months.

They also found that a perichondrium retains the ability to produce cartilage even when disconnected from the rib and displaced into nearby muscle tissue further suggesting that the perichondrium contains progenitor or stem cells.

"We believe that the development of this model in the mouse is important for making progress in the field of skeletal repair, where an acute clinical need is present for ameliorating skeletal injury, chronic osteoarthritis and the severe problems associated with reconstructive surgery," said Mariani, assistant professor of Cell and Neurobiology and principal investigator in the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. "At the early stages in our understanding, the mouse provides us with an exceptional ability to make progress, and we are excited about the potential for using cells derived from the rib perichondrium or using rib perichondrium-like cells for regenerative therapy."

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USC researchers discover the healing power of 'rib-tickling'

World's first lab grown stem cells implanted

Tokyo, Sep 13 (IANS): Japanese researchers have successfully implanted lab-grown retinal tissue from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) into a woman in her 70s - the world's first recipient of stem cells.

In a two-hour procedure, a team of three eye specialists led by Yasuo Kurimoto of the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital transplanted a 1.3 by 3.0 millimetre sheet of retinal pigment epithelium cells into an eye of the woman who was suffering from an age-related macular degeneration.

The procedure was performed at the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital, next to the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) where ophthalmologist Masayo Takahashi had developed and tested the cells.

Kurimoto performed the procedure in a mere four days after a health ministry committee gave Takahashi clearance for the human trials, the scientific journal Nature reported.

She took the patient's skin cells, converted them into iPS cells and then coaxed them to differentiate into retinal cells.

The patient experienced no effusive bleeding or other serious problems.

"The patient took on all the risks that came along with treatment and surgery. I have deep respect for the bravery she showed in resolving to go through with it," Kurimoto said in a statement.

Kurimoto also thanked Shinya Yamanaka, a stem-cell scientist at the Kyoto University "without whose discovery of iPS cells, this clinical research would not be possible".

Yamanaka shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work.

"We have taken a momentous first step toward regenerative medicine using iPS cells," Takahashi concluded.

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World's first lab grown stem cells implanted

Scientists regenerate rat muscle tissue, with an eye toward human applications

Muscle lost through traumatic injury, congenital defect, or tumor ablation may soon be regenerated from within. A team of researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has shown how stem cells in the body of mice and rats can be mobilized to form new muscle in damaged regions.

"Working to leverage the bodys own regenerative properties, we designed a muscle-specific scaffolding system that can actively participate in functional tissue regeneration," explains Sang Jin Lee, senior author on the study. This scaffold was implanted in the rats' tibialis anterior muscle (which is found below the knee), serving as a kind of home for the muscle progenitor cells to grow and develop.

After four weeks, a significant population of host stem cells and a mature network of blood vessels had formed within the scaffolds, with the most effective scaffold holding up to four times the number of cells of plain scaffolds thanks to its myogenic factor a protein, in this case insulin-like growth factor 1, that binds to specific DNA sequences to encourage or accelerate the formation of muscular tissue (in a process called myogenesis).

Current treatment for large-scale muscle repair involves surgically moving a segment of muscle from one part of the body to another, resulting in reduced functionality at the donor site (and usually also at the implant site, compared to pre-injury or pre-tumor).

A new technique already under development involves taking a smaller number of healthy muscle cells from the body, expanding them in the lab, and then combining with a natural and/or synthetic biomaterial scaffold for later implantation. But this requires a donor tissue biopsy and it often results in a heterogenous (diverse) sample of cells that's difficult to standardize ahead of the extensive cell expansion process.

"Our aim was to bypass the challenges of both of these techniques and to demonstrate the mobilization of muscle cells to a target-specific site for muscle regeneration," Lee says.

Having achieved that goal, the scientists will now evaluate whether the regenerated muscle can restore function. They will also test the clinical feasibility of using the approach in humans and other large animals.

A paper describing the research appeared in the journal Acta Biomaterialia.

Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

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Scientists regenerate rat muscle tissue, with an eye toward human applications

Rare stem cells hold potential for infertility treatments …

Rare stem cells in testis that produce a biomarker protein called PAX7 help give rise to new sperm cells -- and may hold a key to restoring fertility, research by scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center suggests.

Researchers studying infertility in mouse models found that, unlike similar types of cells that develop into sperm, the stem cells that express PAX7 can survive treatment with toxic drugs and radiation. If the findings hold true in people, they eventually could lead to new strategies to restore or protect fertility in men undergoing cancer treatment.

"Unfortunately, many cancer treatments negatively impact fertility, and men who receive such treatments are at high risk of losing their fertility. This is of great concern among cancer patients," said Dr. Diego H. Castrillon, Associate Professor of Pathology and Director of Investigative Pathology. "The PAX7 stem cells we identified proved highly resistant to cancer treatments, suggesting that they may be the cells responsible for the recovery of fertility following such treatments."

Infertility, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates affects as many as 4.7 million men in the United States, is a key complication of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The new findings, presented in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, provide valuable insight into the process of sperm development. Known as spermatogenesis, sperm development is driven by a population of "immature" stem cells called progenitors in the testes. These cells gradually "mature" into fully differentiated sperm cells. Dr. Castrillon and his team tracked progenitor cells that express the protein PAX7 in mouse testes, and found that these cells gradually give rise to mature sperm.

"We have long known that male fertility is driven by rare stem cells within the testes, but the precise identity of these stem cells has been disputed," said Dr. Castrillon, who holds the John H. Childers, M.D. Professorship in Pathology. "Our findings suggest that these rare PAX7 cells are the key cells within the testes that are ultimately responsible for male fertility."

Importantly, even after exposure to toxic chemotherapy or radiation treatments, the PAX7-expressing cells continued to divide and thus could contribute to restoring sperm development.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by UT Southwestern Medical Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Rare stem cells hold potential for infertility treatments ...

Stem Cells Star in Marriage of Art and Science

By Daniella Walsh on September 04th, 2014

By Daniella Walsh | LB Indy

Leslies stem cell

Janet Dreyer earned a doctorate in molecular biology, but in her 50s enrolled at the Pasadena College of Art and Design and became hooked on art. After a hiatus from both science and art for travel, shes back to art, creating a work that combines her training in both fields, The Stem Cell Scientist.

Dreyers computer generated work came to life at the request of Laguna Beach glass and multi-media artist Leslie Davis, who organized The Art of Stem Cells. The show features conceptual works by 29 artists. Their themes address debilitating diseases and injuries and the work of scientists trying to find cures. The month-long exhibition opens Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Ana.

Dreyer delved into history when she built a mosaic for the show. The work includes references to the regenerating powers of the Egyptian scarab god Khepri, showing him rolling a cell instead of the sun, among other images. I chose the mosaic format because the tiles create a sense of motion reminding me of developing cells, Dreyer said.

The exhibitions opening and closing receptions will not only showcase what results when artists interact with 23 scientists, but also introduce art patrons to researchers and examples of their state-of-the art stem cell pursuits. Half of all proceeds will benefit research at the center, led for the past eight years by Dr. Peter Donovan, to whom the show is dedicated.

With a keen interest in science and particularly stem cell therapy, Davis has forged a connection to UC Irvines Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. But since 2005, Davis twin interests have yielded three other medical related art exhibitions, including one for Mission Hospital.

It was her brainpower that led to pairing center researchers with artists selected on the strength and nature of their work.

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Stem Cells Star in Marriage of Art and Science

UT Southwestern Scientists Identify Rare Stem Cells in Testis That Hold Potential for Infertility Treatments

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Newswise DALLAS Sept. 4, 2014 Rare stem cells in testis that produce a biomarker protein called PAX7 help give rise to new sperm cells and may hold a key to restoring fertility, research by scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center suggests.

Researchers studying infertility in mouse models found that, unlike similar types of cells that develop into sperm, the stem cells that express PAX7 can survive treatment with toxic drugs and radiation. If the findings hold true in people, they eventually could lead to new strategies to restore or protect fertility in men undergoing cancer treatment.

Unfortunately, many cancer treatments negatively impact fertility, and men who receive such treatments are at high risk of losing their fertility. This is of great concern among cancer patients, said Dr. Diego H. Castrillon, Associate Professor of Pathology and Director of Investigative Pathology. The PAX7 stem cells we identified proved highly resistant to cancer treatments, suggesting that they may be the cells responsible for the recovery of fertility following such treatments.

Infertility, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates affects as many as 4.7 million men in the United States, is a key complication of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The new findings, presented in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, provide valuable insight into the process of sperm development. Known as spermatogenesis, sperm development is driven by a population of immature stem cells called progenitors in the testes. These cells gradually mature into fully differentiated sperm cells. Dr. Castrillon and his team tracked progenitor cells that express the protein PAX7 in mouse testes, and found that these cells gradually give rise to mature sperm.

We have long known that male fertility is driven by rare stem cells within the testes, but the precise identity of these stem cells has been disputed, said Dr. Castrillon, who holds the John H. Childers, M.D. Professorship in Pathology. Our findings suggest that these rare PAX7 cells are the key cells within the testes that are ultimately responsible for male fertility.

Importantly, even after exposure to toxic chemotherapy or radiation treatments, the PAX7-expressing cells continued to divide and thus could contribute to restoring sperm development.

First author Gina Aloisio, a student in UT Southwesterns Medical Scientist Training Program, is the recipient of a Fellowship Award from the UT Southwestern Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences. Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the work include Dr. Kent Hamra, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology; Dr. James Amatruda, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Molecular Biology, the Horchow Family Scholar in Pediatrics and holder of the Nearburg Family Professorship in Pediatric Oncology Research; Dr. Anita Sengupta, Assistant Professor of Pathology; Dr. Ileana Cuevas, Instructor of Pathology; Dr. Yuji Nakada, Instructor of Pathology; Abhijit Bugde, Department of Cell Biology; graduate student researchers Hatice Saatcioglu, Christopher Pea, and Hema Manjunath; and former UT Southwestern researchers Dr. Michael Baker, Dr. Edward Tarnawa, and Jishnu Mukherjee.

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UT Southwestern Scientists Identify Rare Stem Cells in Testis That Hold Potential for Infertility Treatments

Caribbean International Holdings (CIHN) Announces Change in Control; Seasoned Veteran in Stem Cell Industry Appointed …

SOURCE: Caribbean International Holdings, Inc.

Mark Farber MD, PhD, MS Received Degrees From Brown University and SUNY; During His Time at Harvard Medical School He Developed Bioreactor Designs for Stem Cell Based Tissue Engineered Heart Valves

SARASOTA, FL--(Marketwired - September 04, 2014) - Caribbean International Holdings (PINKSHEETS: CIHN) through its subsidiary, Regenerative BioScience, Inc. ("RBS"), announced today that on August 27, 2014, a private investment group, J3 Financial, has acquired a controlling interest in the Company. Former CEO and former controlling shareholder, Steven Swank has resigned as of that same date; and effective as of August 28, 2014, the Company has appointed Mark Farber MD, PhD, MS as the new CEO of CIHN.

A spokesperson for J3 stated that: "We had been tracking CIHN for some time and found its business model very attractive. We feel that this is a company that is ready to emerge and being able to acquire the talents and services of someone like Dr. Farber, will help us establish a sound foundation for future growth. We feel very lucky to have him onboard."

The Company also said that it intends to identify, recruit and hire additional industry professionals within the emerging stem cell industry as it builds the infrastructure to support a solid but steady growth. It will also be adding administrative and other veteran executives in key positions.

The Company spokesperson also said that the Company feels it is important in today's market to keep its shareholders fully abreast of ongoing events and or news and it plans on keeping the market up to date in order to remain fully transparent with the Company's current and/or potential future shareholders and the market at large. In that light, management of the Company will shortly be releasing a Shareholder Update and other pertinent information as it becomes available.

Below is a brief background and bio on the new CEO of CIHN, Mark Farber, MD, PhD, MS.

Dr. Mark Farber received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Brown University in Providence, RI in 2001, followed by a Masters in Science in Engineering from Brown University in 2003.He received his MD/PhD combined degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY in 2013.His PhD project titled "Simultaneous functional diffuse optical tomography and EEG in freely moving rats" involved developing an emerging non-invasive optical imaging technology to investigate brain blood flow in anesthetized, freely foraging, and sleeping rats.

During the development of the diffuse optical tomography optical imager, Dr. Farber's research generated over $7 million in grants, including $130,000 from the competitive NIH Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Award for MD/PhD students from the NIH/NINDS.The technology behind his PhD project for rat brain imaging was sold for over $750,000, and with the assistance of Dr. Farber his technology has been adapted for use in macaque research, clinical research, and the development of brain-machine interfaces.

Prior to completing his education in medicine and engineering, Dr. Farber spent three years working in developing stem cell bioreactors for use in research and tissue engineering.After completing his MS in Engineering, Dr. Farber briefly worked at ViaCell Inc. where he developed bioreactors to maximize stem cell yields from umbilical cord blood cultures.He then moved on to Harvard Medical School, where he worked in the Cardiovascular Pathology department and participated in research projects involving atherosclerosis, heart valve disease, embryology, and tissue engineering.During this time he initiated investigations into novel computerized methods of tissue collagen detection and quantification and developed bioreactor designs for stem cell based tissue engineered heart valves.

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Caribbean International Holdings (CIHN) Announces Change in Control; Seasoned Veteran in Stem Cell Industry Appointed ...

Research in rodents suggests potential for 'in body' muscle regeneration

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

2-Sep-2014

Contact: Karen Richardson krchrdsn@wakehealth.edu 336-716-4453 Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Winston-Salem, N.C. Sept. 2, 2014 What if repairing large segments of damaged muscle tissue was as simple as mobilizing the body's stem cells to the site of the injury? New research in mice and rats, conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, suggests that "in body" regeneration of muscle tissue might be possible by harnessing the body's natural healing powers.

Reporting online ahead of print in the journal Acta Biomaterialia, the research team demonstrated the ability to recruit stem cells that can form muscle tissue to a small piece of biomaterial, or scaffold that had been implanted in the animals' leg muscle. The secret to success was using proteins involved in cell communication and muscle formation to mobilize the cells.

"Working to leverage the body's own regenerative properties, we designed a muscle-specific scaffolding system that can actively participate in functional tissue regeneration," said Sang Jin Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of regenerative medicine and senior author. "This is a proof-of-concept study that we hope can one day be applied to human patients."

The current treatment for restoring function when large segments of muscle are injured or removed during tumor surgery is to surgically move a segment of muscle from one part of the body to another. Of course, this reduces function at the donor site.

Several scientific teams are currently working to engineer replacement muscle in the lab by taking small biopsies of muscle tissue, expanding the cells in the lab, and placing them on scaffolds for later implantation. This approach requires a biopsy and the challenge of standardizing the cells.

"Our aim was to bypass the challenges of both of these techniques and to demonstrate the mobilization of muscle cells to a target-specific site for muscle regeneration," said Lee.

Most tissues in the body contain tissue-specific stem cells that are believed to be the "regenerative machinery" responsible for tissue maintenance. It was these cells, known as satellite or progenitor cells, that the scientists wanted to mobilize.

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Research in rodents suggests potential for 'in body' muscle regeneration

Iowa City-area research institute benefiting from ice bucket challenge

By Erin Jordan, The Gazette

IOWA CITY An Iowa City-area research institute has received donations from around the world as Catholic organizations encourage members to route their Ice Bucket Challenge gifts to an organization that doesnt do research on embryonic stem cells.

The John Paul II Medical Research Institute, founded in 2008 by Dr. Alan Moy, an Iowa City pulmonologist, has gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from people who want to support research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), but dont want the research done with human embryos, said CEO Jay Kamath.

We serve as an alternative to them to donate money that aligns with their values, Kamath said Wednesday.

The non-profit institute, which employs three researchers at the University of Iowas BioVentures Center in Coralville, has developed a platform for research on adult stem cells, but so far hasnt done any studies on ALS, he said.

We havent had the funding streams, Kamath said.

But thats changing.

Donations have been pouring in since Catholic organizations, such as the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Archdiocese of St. Louis, issued statements encouraging Catholics to donate money to the institute rather than the ALS Association, which started the Ice Bucket Challenge July 29.

The challenge asks people to post videos of themselves being doused with icy water and/or make a donation to an ALS charity. The ALS Association has so far raised more than $94 million from the drive.

The Archdiocese of Dubuque is the latest group to ask Catholics to steer donations to the John Paul II institute.

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Iowa City-area research institute benefiting from ice bucket challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenges stem cell controversy

Because life is precious and human dignity needs to be respected, of course now anti-choice groups are now coming down on the Ice Bucket Challenge.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to question the unlikely philanthropic viral sensation of the summer from its gimmicky premise to the way it overshadows our own governments slashing of medical research funding but its hard to argue with the more than $13 million raised for ALS so far, or the awareness the stunt has raised for the vicious and so far incurable degenerative disease. But the story has taken a new twist as religious groups are now beginning to discourage followers from participating because ALS research at times relies on embryonic stem cells.

This week, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati specifically asked Catholic school leaders at 113 schools to immediately cease any fundraising plans connected to the challenge, because the ALS Association funds at least one study using embryonic stem cells in direct conflict with Catholic teaching. Speaking to Religion News Service Tuesday, ALS Association representative Carrie Munk said, Currently, The Association is funding one study using embryonic stem cells (ESC), and the stem cell line was established many years ago under ethical guidelines set by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); this research is funded by one specific donor, who is committed to this area of research. The project is in its final phase and will come to an end very soon. She added that donors can stipulate where their money goes and can ask that it not pay for embryonic stem cell research.

But thats still not acceptable to some. Archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco explained to Cincinnati.com Thursday that We appreciate the compassion that has caused so many people to engage in this, Andriacco said. But its a well established moral principle that a good end is not enough. The means to that ends must be morally licit. The Archdiocese suggests people who want to do the challenge contribute to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, where the research is only conducted using adult stem cells. Similarly, Father Michael Duffy, in a post for Patheos, wrote earlier this month, While I cant donate to the ALS Association, I will certainly pray for those that suffer from this disease. Ill also be on the lookout for a charity that doesnt violate the Sanctity of Human Life. And LifeNews this week warned that If you give to the ALS Association your money may end up supporting clinical trials that use aborted fetal cells. The reference is likely to a four-year-old clinical trial involving eight-week-old fetal tissue taken from a single source of spinal cord cells: cells that were extracted from fetal tissue, which was donated. The provenance of the source has not been disclosed, but the results of the FDA approved trial were reported last year as extraordinary.Fetal tissue research has existed in the U.S. for decades.Early polio research included the use of embryonic tissue. Thechickenpox, rubella, hepatitis A,shingles and one rabies vaccine all derive from fetal embryo fibroblast cells cultivated in the 1960s and Catholic leadership has wrestled with the ethics of using those vaccines.

Not all religious leaders are opposed to the Ice Bucket Challenge. Don Clemmer of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has called the Cincinnati decision a local matter, and the National Catholics Bioethics Center plans to issue its own statement on the moral controversy that has arisen soon. And evangelical pastor Greg Laurieand Texas megachurch pastor T.D. Jakeshave jumped in, as has Catholic Paul Ryan.

Researchers investigating many other conditions, including Parkinsons, also have been known to use embryonic stem cells. The National Institutes of Health notes that embryonic stem cells are derived from donors and created in vitro and not derived from eggs fertilized in a womans body. And the ALS Association, while acknowledging that stem cell research raises a great deal of ethical questions also calls it a major medical breakthrough.

Medical research almost always inspires moral questions, and those questions need to be asked and debated. There are also plenty of reasons to opt out of the ice bucket challenge and choose to put ones time and money somewhere else; there are reasons to have conversations about embryonic stem cell research and fetal tissue research. But ignorance helps no one, and if youre going to take a stand on an issue, at least do your own soul searching and get the facts straight first.

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The Ice Bucket Challenges stem cell controversy