A New Path for US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) – The Oracle Dispatch

US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) is working its way back after a fall last week after news broke the company abandoning RMAT designation for its Myocell product. There was a feeling that the FDA told the company that it was not going to happen and USRM tried to bury the press, but the market saw it and shares tanked.

Since then, shares have been slowly working their way back. The stock is near .06 and has scored a few rips since June 21st, when the price fell to .03. This is an early player in the industry and recently received some nice funding ($5 million from General American Capital Partners).

US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) bills itself as a company committed to the development of effective cell technologies to treat a variety of diseases and injuries. USRMs discoveries include multiple cell therapies in various stages of development that repair damaged tissues throughout the body due to injury or disease so that patients may return to a normal lifestyle.

USRM is focused on regenerative medicine. While most stem cell companies use one particular cell type to treat a variety of diseases, U.S Stem Cell utilizes various cell types to treat different diseases.

According to company materials, US Stem Cell, Inc. (formerly Bioheart, Inc.) is an emerging enterprise in the regenerative medicine / cellular therapy industry. We are focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of cell based therapeutics that prevent, treat or cure disease by repairing and replacing damaged or aged tissue, cells and organs and restoring their normal function. We believe that regenerative medicine / cellular therapeutics will play a large role in positively changing the natural history of diseases ultimately, we contend, lessening patient burdens as well as reducing the associated economic impact disease imposes upon modern society.

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Now that Plan B is in place; however, it is a little unclear of what the ceiling is for USRM. The company will now expand stem cell treatment centers and clinics in the U.S. The company, based in Florida, had recently expanded to Miami Beach, but now the plans call for truly national expansion. USRM will set up stem cell treatment centers in huge metropolitan areas like Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Denver. Moreover, the company has emphasized that it will focus squarely on revenue-generating programs that are treating patients right now.

USRMs press detailed the new path for the company: To be clear, U.S. Stem Cell will focus on our revenue generating programs that are treating patients NOWwhich have successfully helped over 7000 patients thus far. Our company was founded in 1999 and has completed more clinical treatments (for both humans and animals) than any other regenerative medicine company in the world. In addition to our efforts at US Stem Cell Training and VetBiologics, our focus will be expanding and opening additional clinics throughout the U.S. to offer these cutting-edge technologies to more patients.

US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) caught a bad break but still has strong technology and experience to hedge against the tide. USRM is not a company to completely throw out and they carry a market cap of $22.81 million with 335.43 million shares outstanding. We will be providing updates as the company take shape. For continuing coverage on shares of $USRM stock, as well as our other hot stock picks, sign up for our free newsletter today and get our next hot stock pick!

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A New Path for US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) - The Oracle Dispatch

UIC Launches Stem Cell, Regenerative Medicine Center – Chicago Tonight | WTTW

Chicago Tonight | WTTW

UIC Launches Stem Cell, Regenerative Medicine Center Chicago Tonight | WTTW The University of Illinois at Chicago is launching a new center that will focus on understanding tissue regeneration and spearheading future developments in stem cell biology as a means to repair diseased organs and tissues, according to a university ... Chicago Medical School Launches Stem Cell Biology CenterPeoria Public Radio Center to advance tissue regeneration, stem cell discoveriesUIC News all 3 news articles »

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UIC Launches Stem Cell, Regenerative Medicine Center - Chicago Tonight | WTTW

Stem Cell Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine: Spinal …

John W. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D. an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute taps into the bodys own repair mechanisms in search of treatments for spine injury.

Stem cells allow us to address questions Ive thought about forever. These are really exciting times for the repair of the nervous system, because we can move beyond mere correlation and get definitive answers.

Despite what I was taught in medical school, nervous system cells do divide and grow. Not all of them. But oligodendrocytes are the most prominent ones that do. If we were to follow newly born cells in an adult human brain for an hour, the majority of those cells would go on to become oligodendrocytes.

Injury and the consequence of injury disrupts the turning over of cells, basically because of reduced electrical activity, which oligodendrocytes depend on for survival and myelination.

Im convinced that endogenous stem cells in the spinal cordthose naturally born there by the million, every hour, even in spinal cord injured adultsrepresent an important therapeutic target.

Through the transplantation work were doing in mice, were learning a lot about the natural environment of cells in the nervous system. For example, mouse embryonic stem cells have the innate mechanism to overcome physical and chemical barriers. Their presence changes the microenvironment enough so that endogenous cells are able to cross barriers such as scars. We are working on figuring how to activate the same cues that cause those microenvironment changes without actually transplanting stem cells.

The whole nervous systemall the signaling between cellsruns by electrical activity. Were just now getting access to the imaging tools to be able to see and begin to understand it. If that ensemble of activity is disrupted by injury, what percent of connections remain, and how can we use what remains to recreate the orchestra?

New imaging methods now are confirming earlier animal studies that as much as 30 percent of connections can still remain below the level of spinal cord injury, even in the severe injury scenarios. This realizationthat we dont need to cure the nervous system, we just need partial repairis born out in people whove had bad spinal cord injuries who now can regain substantial function and even walk..

Our strategy is to maximize the physical integrity of your body so it can meet a cure halfway when a cure comes. We discovered that we can make a great impact on an individuals own spontaneous recovery by facilitating the bodys own micro-repair system.

What we do in lab is geared toward understanding these mechanisms of microrepair. We already know that myelination and birth of oligodendrocytes are incredibly dependent on electrical activity.

Our focus now is on figuring out how to empower a bodys own endogenous stem cells, and using embryonic stem cells as scientific tools of discovery.

--Interviewed by Maryalice Yakutchik

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Stem Cell Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine: Spinal ...

INTERNATIONAL REGENERATIVE MEDICINE COMMUNITY TO … – GlobeNewswire (press release)

May 10, 2017 10:59 ET | Source: Regenerative Medicine Foundation Miami, Florida, May 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The 13ththWorld Stem Cell Summit http://www.worldstemcellsummit.com is taking place January 23-26, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Miami. Produced by the nonprofit Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF), the event is the global ecosystem meeting for advanced therapies; fostering public understanding, promoting positive policy initiatives and collaborations.

The World Stem Cell Summit will be co-located with the fields premier industry partnering event, Phacilitate Leaders Forum, Cell & Gene Therapy World and Immunotherapy World.

In addition to compelling keynotes, plenary and focus sessions, thediverse four-day program includesexpert lunch roundtables; a centrally located Expo packed with innovators in industry, academia and government; a poster forum showcasing science and policy research; the galaStem Cell Action Awards Dinnerhttp://regmedfoundation.org/awards/; as well as many exclusive networking and partnering opportunities.

RMF Executive Director Bernard Siegel, founder and co-chair of the Summit said, We are proud to select Miami to be our host for the next World Stem Cell Summit. Miami is often referred to as the 'City of the Future' and in 2018 it will be the center of the stem cell universe. Its the perfect venue for Summit attendees to gain knowledge, network and collect opportunities to advance their goals, in a superlative, cosmopolitan setting.

ABOUT RMFRegenerative Medicine Foundation is dedicated to accelerating regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit, honoring leaders through the Stem Cell Action Awards http://worldstemcellsummit.com/stem-cell-action-awards/, publishing the World Stem Cell Report and RegMed Newsletter, organizing educational initiatives such as the upcoming Regenerative Medicine Essentials Course http://www.wakehealth.edu/Research/WFIRM/RMEssentials/Regenerative-Medicine-Essentials.htm and fostering strategic collaborations.

For more information about RMF, visitwww.regmedfoundation.orgor contact Bernard Siegel directly at Bernard@regmedfoundation.org.

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Fighting arthritis: Researchers edit stem cells to fight inflammation – Kasmir Monitor

In a major development, researchers have developed a cartilage that fights inflammation caused by arthritis and other chronic conditions, using the gene-editing technique called CRISPR. For the breakthrough, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine converted skin cells from the tails of mice into stem cells. They then used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to remove a gene involved in inflammation and replace it with one that produces anti-inflammatory drug. They called the resulting cells as SMART cells, which stands for Stem cells Modified for Autonomous Regenerative Therapy. "Our goal is to package the rewired stem cells as a vaccine for arthritis, which would deliver an anti-inflammatory drug to an arthritic joint but only when it is needed," said Farshid Guilak, Professor at Washington University School of Medicine, and senior author of a study published online in the journal Stem Cell Reports. "To do this, we needed to create a 'smart' cell," Guilak said. According to the study, SMART cells, develop into cartilage cells that produce a biologic anti-inflammatory drug that could replace arthritic cartilage and simultaneously protect joints and other tissues from damage that occurs with chronic inflammation. Many current drugs used to treat arthritis attack an inflammation-promoting molecule called tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). But the problem with these drugs is that they are given systemically rather than targeted to joints. As a result, they interfere with the immune system throughout the body and can make patients susceptible to side effects such as infections. "We want to use our gene-editing technology as a way to deliver targeted therapy in response to localised inflammation in a joint, as opposed to current drug therapies that can interfere with the inflammatory response through the entire body," Guilak said. The research has been published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

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Fighting arthritis: Researchers edit stem cells to fight inflammation - Kasmir Monitor

California’s $3-billion bet on stem cells faces final test – Nature.com

Xianmin Zeng/Buck Inst.

Nerve cells derived from human stem cells, in work supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

When California voters approved US$3billion in funding for stem-cell research in 2004, biologists flocked to the state, and citizens dreamed of cures for Parkinsons disease and spinal-cord injuries. Now, the pot of money one of the biggest state investments in science is running dry before treatments have emerged, raising questions about whether Californians will pour billions more into stem-cell research.

If they dont, that could leave hundreds of scientists without support, and strand potentially promising therapies before they reach the market. Its an issue of great concern, says Jonathan Thomas, chair of the board for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in Oakland.

CIRM is now doling out its final $650million, and its leaders are seeking money from the private sector to carry projects beyond 2020, when the money will run out. Advocates are also surveying voters to determine whether a new request for funding stands a chance in state elections next year. But critics argue against this way of funding research.

California voters saw major opportunities for stem cells in 2004 when they passed Proposition 71, which included an agreement to create the corporation that became CIRM. The move was a reaction to then-US president George W. Bushs decision in 2001 to restrict federal funds for work on human embryonic stem cells.

Since CIRM rolled out its first grants in 2006, it has funded more than 750 projects and reported alluring results from clinical trials. In March, a trial partially funded by CIRM showed that nine out of ten children born with severe combined immunodeficiency or bubble-boy disease a potentially lethal condition in which a persons immune system does not function properly, were doing well up to eight years after treatment (K.L.Shaw etal. J. Clin. Invest. http://doi.org/b6bp; 2017). They no longer need injections to be able to go to school, play outside or survive colds and other inevitable infections.

A dozen facilities constructed by CIRM have helped to push California to the forefront of research on ageing and regenerative medicine. Many grant recipients were early-career academics who had not been able to enter the stem-cell field previously because of the federal restrictions which were loosened in 2009 and the high cost of getting started in this kind of work. That barrier makes it difficult for researchers to gather the preliminary data typically required to win grants from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

To milk its remaining $650 million, CIRM partnered last year with the contract-research organization QuintilesIMS in Durham, North Carolina, to carry out clinical trials. CIRM leaders hope that this move will help to guide 40 novel therapies into trials by 2020.

Bob Klein, the property developer who put Proposition 71 on the ballot and established CIRM, isnt waiting for the money to run out. He leads an advocacy group, Americans for Cures, which will soon poll voters to see whether they would approve another $5 billion in funding. If it looks like at least 70% of Californians support that plan, hell start a campaign to put another initiative on the ballot in 2018.

Klein hopes that Californians will rise in support of science at a time when the Trump administration has proposed drastic cuts to the NIH budget. If public enthusiasm is not so strong, Klein says, hell aim for the 2020 elections, when voter turnout should be higher because it will coincide with the next presidential race.

Currently, CIRMs leaders are seeking other sources of support. The majority of our projects will not be ripe for interest from big pharma and the venture-capitalist community by the time we run out of funds, Thomas says. He has been courting large philanthropic foundations and wealthy individuals to raise money to continue the work.

John Simpson, who directs stem-cell oversight work at the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog in Washington DC, plans to oppose any effort to extend CIRM. I acknowledge their scientific advances, but we should not let a flawed process go further, he says. Simpson dislikes the model of using a vote to secure research funding through public bonds, because then the state lacks budgetary control.

Oversight of CIRM has been a problem in the past. In 2012, the US Institute of Medicine found that some scientists vetting grant proposals for CIRM had conflicts of interest. In response, CIRM altered its procedures but the public still felt betrayed. Jim Lott, a member of the state board that oversees CIRMs finances, says that he is not satisfied with the changes. He also argues that CIRM may not have been strategic enough in directing research. Some people say if they had a better focus, they might have achieved cures.

But researchers argue that expectations for cures after only a decade are unrealistic, given the typical pace of drug development. It would be a catastrophe for California if people say CIRM did not do what it was expected to do, says Eric Verdin, president of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California. Theyve built the foundation for the field and attracted people from around the world you cant just now pull the plug.

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California's $3-billion bet on stem cells faces final test - Nature.com

Streamlining Stem Cell Manufacturing – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (press release)

Pluripotent Stem Cell Scaleup

PSCs also have garnered much enthusiasm for their potential to provide advances such as for drug screening, disease modeling, and cellular therapies. However, PSC manufacturing scaleup remains a bottleneck.

Laboratory-scale PSC expansion strategies require costly complex media and regular handling by highly trained scientific personnel, noted Gary M. Pigeau, Ph.D., development manager, cell therapy, GE Healthcare. There has yet to be a demonstration of a truly scalable solution for PSC production.

Dr. Pigeau says that the industry needs to make some key changes: Cost-effective manufacturing of PSCs will require scalable suspension-based cultures; minimal (and xeno-free) medium formulations; and automated, closed, and integrated unit operations.

GE Healthcare is developing such solutions, according to Dr. Pigeau. The field is currently working at the 1 L scale, and a suitable solution to meet near- and long-term clinical requirements is needed, he explained. One of the primary challenges in scaling to larger volumes is the difference in vessel configurations, geometries, and mass transfer.

The GE Xcellerex portfolio of single-use, stirred-tank bioreactors is a scalable, modular platform spanning the 10 to 2,000 L range. The key in this scaling trajectory is the maintenance of vessel attributes, which enables the transfer of operating conditions across the product line. By demonstrating PSC expansion in the XDR-10 and beyond, we are intent on enabling the next generation of PSC-derived clinical trials.

Further, GE Healthcare is partnering with the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM), a leader in developing and commercializing regenerative medicine technologies and cell and gene therapies, to build a Centre for Advanced Therapeutic Cell Technologies (CATCT) in Toronto. This initiative plans to BridGE the gap of industrialization for cellular and gene therapies.

The BridGE group is working toward developing the processes and products that will enable clinical trial sponsors to meet their manufacturing needs with respect to efficiency, scale, cost, and quality, reported Dr. Pigeau. We are currently executing on projects in the most active areas of cell and gene therapy to build and demonstrate our best-in-class solutions to manufacturing challenges in this emerging industry.

With respect to the PSC manufacturing initiative, the group recently demonstrated the production of 8 billion cells in one 8 L batch. These cells met our potency quality specifications throughout the manufacturing workflow and were successfully differentiated to high-quality cardiomyocytes, stated Dr. Pigeau. To my knowledge, this is the first successful PSC manufacturing endeavor at this scale. It represents a paradigm shift in modern medicine.

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Streamlining Stem Cell Manufacturing - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (press release)

Cord Blood Association Names STEM CELLS Translational … – Benzinga

AlphaMed Press and the Cord Blood Association (CBA) are pleased to announce that STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) is now the association's official journal.

Durham, NC (PRWEB) March 31, 2017

AlphaMed Press and the Cord Blood Association (CBA) are pleased to announce that STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) is now the association's official journal. With this partnership, SCTM will launch a new journal section dedicated to cord blood research.

"We are delighted to initiate this partnership with the Cord Blood Association," said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "With this new journal section, SCTM further expands the scope of new research reports for our readers with the potential to accelerate progress in regenerative medicine."

CBA is an international nonprofit organization that promotes the work of the cord blood community for the purpose of saving lives, improving health, and changing medicine. The association is the first to join together public and private banks toward a common mission to advocate for cord blood use in order to expand its potentials in cell therapies and regenerative medicine, and to also jointly advocate for global regulations that will allow use of cord blood and cord tissues in medical applications.

SCTM is an international peer-reviewed journal, publishing articles focused on advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and helping speed translations of emerging lab discoveries into clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices and ultimately improve outcomes.

SCTM provides a platform for reporting the latest research on umbilical cord blood and tissue based therapies; engineering and manufacturing of cord blood immune cells; cord blood and cord tissue banking; the use of cord blood and cord tissue in regenerative medicine; and more. Under the leadership of section co-editors, Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, and Karen K. Ballen, MD, the Cord Blood section launches in early April with its first paper on the safety and feasibly of performing autologous umbilical cord blood infusions in young children with autism spectrum disorder.

"The Cord Blood Association is excited and honored to partner with Stem Cells Translational Medicine to showcase the newest and highest quality translational and clinical applications of cord blood and cord tissue based therapies," said Dr. Kurtzberg. "The mission and goals of both parties are aligned to maximize sharing of advances in these novel cell and tissue based therapies."

About Cord Blood Association: The Cord Blood Association will be an international nonprofit organization that promotes the banking and use of umbilical cord blood and related tissues for disease treatment and regenerative therapies.

About STEM CELLS Translational Medicine: STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), published by AlphaMed Press, is a monthly peer-reviewed publication dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices.

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes two other internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS (http://www.StemCells.com), celebrating its 35th year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist (http://www.TheOncologist.com), also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, entering its 22nd year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. All three journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/04/prweb14204527.htm

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Cord Blood Association Names STEM CELLS Translational ... - Benzinga

3 women blinded in stem cell clinical trial – AOL

Three women suffering from a degenerative eye condition were blindedlikely permanentlyin a clinical trial for stem cell therapy, according to a report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The women, who were all between the ages of 72 and 88, had a common medical condition called age-related macular degeneration, in which cells in the retina begin to die off, resulting in spotty or blurred vision. Researchers suspected stem cells derived from the patient's own body could regenerate some of the cells lost to the disease. So in the clinical trial, which was conducted in 2015, researchers removed some blood and fat from participants' anesthetized abdomens, treated the cells in a standardized way to make them revert to stem cells, then injected into their eyes. They were instructed to use an eyedrops antibiotic for a few days. The three patients had found the trial listed on the government web site clinicaltrials.gov, and had each paid $5,000 for the procedure. The informed consent form listed that blindness was possible as a result of the procedure.

MoreIt's Shockingly Easy To Buy Unregulated Stem Cell Treatments

A few days after the patients received the injected stem cells, the participants ended up in the hospital with vision loss, detached retinas, and hemorrhage. The patients lost vision; subsequent checkups led doctors to conclude that they would likely never regain their sight.

Despite the fact that the participants found the procedure on clinicaltrials.gov, the informed consent forms do not mention that it is in fact a clinical trial. "The patients paid for a procedure that had never been studied in a clinical trial, lacked sufficient safety data, and was performed in both eyes on the same day," the study authors write. Injecting something experimental into both eyes is both not safe and not typical, they continue.

Recently researchers have been testing lots of different medical uses for stem cells, from treating multiple sclerosis to spinal cord injuries. With the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act in December, Congress cleared the way for faster regulatory approval for promising treatments based on stem cells. At least 13 clinical trials were registered to treat AMD alone as of November 2016, the article authors write.

But anecdotes like these bolster those who counsel restraint when it comes to stem cells. "Although numerous stem-cell therapies for medical disorders are being investigated at research institutions with appropriate regulatory oversight, many stem-cell clinics are treating patients with little oversight and with no proof of efficacy," the article authors write.

Jeffrey Goldberg, a professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University and one of the authors of the article, calls this a "call to awareness for patients, physicians and regulatory agencies of the risks of this kind of minimally regulated, patient-funded research," according to a press release.

The post Three Women Blinded In Stem Cell Clinical Trial appeared first on Vocativ.

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3 women blinded in stem cell clinical trial - AOL

Stem Cell Therapies for Degenerative Disc Disease – Clinical Pain Advisor (registration)

Clinical Pain Advisor (registration)

Stem Cell Therapies for Degenerative Disc Disease Clinical Pain Advisor (registration) MSC therapy offers pain relief for patients with DDD and may slow the degenerative process of this condition. ORLANDOMesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy, also known as regenerative medicine therapy, is emerging as a promising treatment for ...

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Stem Cell Therapies for Degenerative Disc Disease - Clinical Pain Advisor (registration)