Scientists move closer to creating cartilage from stem cells

Scientists have succeeded in producing cartilage formed from embryonic stem cells that could in future be used to treat the painful joint condition osteoarthritis.

In research funded by Arthritis Research UK, Professor Sue Kimber and her team in the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester has developed a protocol under strict laboratory conditions to grow and transform embryonic stem cells into cartilage cells (also known as chondrocytes).

Professor Kimber said: This work represents an important step forward in treating cartilage damage by using embryonic stem cells to form new tissue, although its still in its early experimental stages.

Their research was published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

During the study, the team analysed the ability of embryonic stems cells to become precursor cartilage cells. They were then implanted into cartilage defects in the knee joints of rats.

After four weeks cartilage was partially repaired and following 12 weeks a smooth surface, which appeared similar to normal cartilage, was observed. Further study of this newly regenerated cartilage showed that cartilage cells from embryonic stem cells were still present and active within the tissue.

Developing and testing this protocol in rats is the first step in generating the information needed to run a study in people with arthritis. Before this will be possible more data will need to be collected to check that this protocol is effective and that there are no toxic side-effects.

But researchers say that this study is very promising as not only did this protocol generate new, healthy-looking cartilage but also importantly there were no signs of any side-effects such as growing abnormal or disorganised, joint tissue or tumours. Further work will build on this finding and demonstrate that this could be a safe and effective treatment for people with joint damage.

Chondrocytes created from adult stem cells are currently being experimentally used but as they cannot be currently be produced in large amounts the procedure is expensive.

With their huge capacity to proliferate, embryonic stem cells, which can be manipulated to form almost any type of mature cell, offer the possibility of high-volume production of cartilage cells. Their use would also be cheaper and applicable to greater number of arthritis patients, the researchers claim.

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Culture clash: How stem cells are grown affects their genetic stability

Methods to multiply pluripotent cells for potential therapies raise worries about cancer

The therapeutic promise of human stem cells is indisputably huge, but the process of translating their potential into effective, real-world treatments involves deciphering and resolving a host of daunting complexities.

Writing in the February 25 online issue of the journal PLOS ONE, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with collaborators from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), have definitively shown for the first time that the culture conditions in which stem cells are grown and mass-produced can affect their genetic stability.

"Since genetic and epigenetic instability are associated with cancers, we worry that similar alterations in stem cells may affect their safety in therapeutic transplants. Certain mutations might make transplanted stem cells more likely to form tumors, introducing the risk of cancer where it didn't exist before," said co-corresponding author Louise Laurent, MD, PhD, assistant professor and director of perinatal research in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

"This study shows the importance of quality control," added Jeanne F. Loring, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at TSRI, and adjunct professor in the UC San Diego Department of Reproductive Medicine and the study's other co-corresponding author. "It's almost certain these cells are safe, but we want to make sure they are free from any abnormalities."

To exploit the transformative powers of human pluripotent stem cells, which include embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, requires producing them in large numbers for transplantation into patients.

"During this culturing process, mutations can occur, and mutations that increase cell survival or proliferation may be favored, such that the cells carrying such mutations could take over the culture," said Laurent.

Human pluripotent stem cells are cultured in several different ways. Key variables are the surfaces upon which the cells are cultured, called the substrate, and the methods used to transfer cells from one culture dish into another as they grow, called the passage method.

Originally, scientists determined that stem cells grew best when cultured atop of a "feeder" layer that included other types of cells, such as irradiated mouse embryonic fibroblasts. For reasons not fully understood, these cells provide stem cells with factors that support their growth. However, concerns about the feeder cells also introducing undesirable materials into stem cells has prompted development of feeder-free cultures.

Moving cells from one culture dish to another has traditionally been done manually, with technicians physically separating the cultured cells into small clumps with an instrument. "It's very labor-intensive," said Laurent, "so new methods that use enzymes to separate individual cells were created."

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Culture clash: How stem cells are grown affects their genetic stability

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. Announces Launch of New Stem Cell Harvesting Products

MIAMI (PRWEB) February 24, 2015

In answer to industry-wide requests for more accessible solutions to stem cell procedures, Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. and Regenestem have announced the launch of two new stem cell harvesting and isolation kits.

The Regenestem BMAC 60 mL concentrating system is a high performing concentrating system for bone marrow aspirate. This kit come complete with a bone marrow filter, a bone marrow aspirating needle and a locking syringe to help maintain suction during the aspirating process. The BMAC 60 kit includes bone marrow concentrate up to 11 times the baseline values, to produce 6-8 mL BMC from a 60 mL sample of bone marrow aspirate.

The Regenestem 60 mL Adipose Derived Stem Cell (ADSC) Kit System includes all the tools and consumables for the extraction of adipose-derived stem cells from 60 mL of lipoaspirated fat. The ADSC kit is currently being used in clinical procedures for lung disease, intra-articular injections for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, cosmetic surgery and acne scarring, dermal injections, stem cell enriched fat transfer, wounds, chronic ulcers and other chronic conditions. The enzymatic component used to obtain the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is provided by Adistem.

The Regenestem ADSC Kit System is available in three versions:

Gold, to conduct in-office stem cell procedures with certified GMP components for reliable performance.

Platinum, with all the benefits of the basic (gold) kit plus a sterilized PRP close system with vortex engineering method to minimize platelet loss. One set of individually packed Tulip Gems instruments are added for safe and precise adipose tissue extraction.

Titanium, the perfect state-of-the-art deluxe kit system used by a growing number of regenerative medicine physicians and recognized as the perfect preparation for virtually all clinical applications. Built with Emcyte technology, the Regenestem Titanium kit has been independently reviewed and proven in various critical performance points that make a difference in patient outcomes.

The Titanium kit is currently being used in topical procedures such as intra-articular injection for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, cosmetic surgery and acne scarring, dermal injection, stem cell enriched fat transfer, wounds chronic ulcers among other chronic conditions.

According to Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas, the entire Global Stem Cells Group faculty and scientific advisory board worked together to develop the kits.

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Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. Announces Launch of New Stem Cell Harvesting Products

CIRM's Klein proposes $100B biomed program

Bob Klein describes his vision of how to increase biomedical funding to hasten discovery and commercialization of disease treatments. He spoke Thursday, Feb. 19, at the annual UCSD Moores Cancer Center symposium.

The main architect of California's groundbreaking 2004 stem cell initiative has proposed a $100 billion international bond program in life sciences, to speed up research and clinical testing of disease therapies. The program would be focused on stem cells and genomics.

Bob Klein, a real estate developer who spearheaded the creation of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, unveiled his proposal at at last Thursday's UCSD Moores Cancer Center symposium.

The United States and a few other countries would jump-start the program and other countries would join, said Klein, a real estate investor. He likened the international participation to that already taking place with CIRM, created by the 2004 initiative, Proposition 71. CIRM got $3 billion from that initiative; the total to be repaid by taxpayers is $6 billion, including interest.

The stem cell agency has partnered with 14 other countries to co-fund international research projects. Foreign partners fund scientists in their own countries, while CIRM funds California-based scientists. Klein was CIRM's first chairman. Although he left the agency's governing board in 2011, he remains involved in advancing the agency's objectives.

This partnership leverages funding to create a much greater total impact, Klein said in an on-stage interview with Rep Scott Peters, D-San Diego. Peters, one of the post prominent supporters of federal biomedical funding in Congress, represents much of San Diego's biotech heartland of La Jolla and Sorrento Valley. Beside the financing issues, they also discussed ways to increase political support for biomedical research.

Klein drew from his real estate knowledge of crafting bonds to describing how the program would work. The bond program would be seeded by a much smaller amount of seed funding through government-supported agencies, creating leverage.

"Just to give you (an idea) of the multiple effect of bringing critical funds upfront in the process, $100 million (a year) in bonds at the World Bank borrowing rate creates about $2.5 billion in bonds that are supported," Klein said. "At a time of scarce resources for Congress, if they would appropriate on a long term commitment to support international bonds, we could really leverage up to maybe a $100 billion program."

Under that program, each participating country would be allocated an amount of upfront financing to pay.

"Because the borrowing is so much cheaper than anything a country can do, from the surplus funds we raise, which are about 35 percent to 40 percent more than most countries can raise from the same amount of money, we can have an international pool, where we can collaborate and compete through peer review," Klein said.

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CIRM's Klein proposes $100B biomed program

Defending the First Amendment since 1911 | The independent student newspaper of Texas State University

Since the inception of stem cell research, controversy has unfortunately dominated much of the debate without properly considering the potential benefit it may bring to humanity.

Stem cell research involves the manipulation and transfer of undesignated cells in hopes of regenerating other body cells that have been affected by general degeneration. This includes organ failure, tissue damage and even specific ailments like cancer, diabetes and Parkinsons disease. A stem cell may be used to create additional cells for skin, bone, liver, muscle, fat and even nerves. They are all crucial to the development and maintenance of the human bodys immune system.

This research also occasionally utilizes cells from human embryoswhich is where most of the moral debate stems from. Critics of stem cell research typically condemn the practice for ethical reasons. Opponents claim it destroys life and physicians play God in terms of deciding the fate of a lab-grown human embryo.

Without truly lending credence to the wonders of advanced medicine, anti-stem cell critics arent realizing that this research could potentially be Gods work. After all, such procedures unequivocally lead to the extension and increased protection of human life.

Moral obligations aside, the arguments against stem cell research on the basis of embryonic origins have more to do with a misunderstanding of science and less to do with the substantiated concern of saving unborn lives.

Embryonic cells used in stem cell research are typically three to five days old. They are fertilized in vitro within a clinical setting and are provided with consent by the donors.

So say, for instance, a mother with fertility issues utilized eggs from a donor and was over-fertilized. Instead of terminating the remaining pregnancies, the mother could donate the additional eggs to stem cell researchthus saving herself from a difficult and otherwise harmful pregnancyand allow other people who are combating illness to seek a potentially life-saving alternative.

Concerns about how sensitive the embryos may be are also irrelevant, seeing as how those used in stem cell research are only a couple of days old. Fetuses do not fully contain the neurological pathways necessary to feel pain until they are 24 weeks old.

Much like the anti-vaccination movement, many critics against stem cell research are unfortunately misguided on the subject. While the concern is noble, resistance to advances in modern medicine that may ultimately be the deciding factor in how we treat potentially catastrophic diseases isnt a step back from the right direction but an unnecessary fear of moving forward.

Follow Greg Arellano on Twitter @GregGonewild.

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Defending the First Amendment since 1911 | The independent student newspaper of Texas State University

Cynata Therapeutics to provide status of stem cell product manufacturing technology

(MENAFN - ProactiveInvestors)

() has been granted an ASX trading halt regarding the status of its Cymerus mesenchymal stem cell product manufacture.

The halt will last until the earlier of the announcement being made or the start of trade on Thursday 19th February 2015.

Its Cymerus technology enables large scale production of mesenchymal stem cells from a single one-time donor a pivotal requirement for pharmaceutical companies moving into stem cell medicine.

Earlier this month it partner with the University of Western Australia to test its stem cells in lung fibrosis disease model.

Proactive Investors Australia is the market leader in producing news articles and research reports on ASX Small and Mid-cap stocks with distribution in Australia UK North America and Hong Kong / China.

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Building Mini-Brains to Study Disorders Caused by HIV and Meth Use

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Newswise A University of California, San Diego School of Medicine project involving the creation of miniature models of the human brain developed with stem cells to study neurological disorders caused by HIV and methamphetamine use has been named one of five recipients of the 2015 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

The project, headed by Tariq M. Rana, PhD, professor of pediatrics, will receive $500,000 per year for five years.

The human cerebral cortex has evolved strikingly compared to those of other species, and no animal model accurately captures human-specific brain functions, said Rana. The creation of mini-brains, or organoids, will permit, for the first time, study of the toxic effects of addiction and HIV on the human brain in a dish. This offers us the exciting opportunity to design patient-specific model systems, which could potentially revolutionize drug discovery and precision medicine for central nervous system disorders.

The Avant-Garde Awards are granted to scientists who propose high-impact research that could open new avenues for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS among drug abusers. The term avant-garde is used to describe highly innovative approaches that have the potential to be transformative.

Despite the success of combined antiretroviral therapies, HIV remains a chronic disease with a host of debilitating side effects that are exacerbated in those suffering from substance use disorders, said NIDA director Nora D. Volkow, MD. These scientists have proposed creative approaches that could transform the way we think about HIV/AIDS research, and could lead to the development of exciting new tools and strategies to prevent infections and improve the lives of substance abusers infected with HIV.

The other 2015 recipients are:

*Don C. Des Jarlais, PhD, Mount Sinai Beth Israel *Eli Gilboa, PhD, University of Miami School of Medicine *Nichole Klatt, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle *Alan D. Levine, PhD, Case Western Reserve University

For more information about the Avant-Garde Award Program and 2015 recipients, visit http://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/organization/offices/office-nida-director-od/aids-research-program-arp/avant-garde-award-hivaids-research

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Building Mini-Brains to Study Disorders Caused by HIV and Meth Use

Grace Centurys Provia Labs receives provisional approval status by Commonwealth of the Bahamas Regulatory Committee

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE (PRWEB) February 04, 2015

Grace Centurys portfolio firm, Provia Laboratories, LLC, is pleased to announce the provisional approval of Provia Laboratories Bahamas Ltd., Provia s sister entity, to conduct stem cell storage and research. The approval also represents the next step of Provias international expansion to include certain markets in South and Central America.

The announcement comes within weeks, though partnership, of entrance into Europe.

"This an incredible chance to work with entities at the highest level, who recognize the importance of stem cells, and the opportunity to contribute to one of the first sovereign efforts in the field, Scott Wolf, CEO of Grace Century commented.

Wolf added, The commonwealth has demonstrated a true desire to improve the healthcare advancements for their people, and simultaneously establish the Bahamas as a true force in medical therapies using stem cells. In conclusion, this will enable Provia to open and service the Caribbean market plus certain markets in South and Central America.

We are delighted to receive provisional approval and plan to work together with local investors, the government, and the local healthcare community to bring our technologies to this market, Dr. James A. Manganello, Board member of Provia Laboratories commented. The Bahamian government has proven its desire to bring the best stem cell technologies to their country and Provia plans to have a significant role in the future of Bahamian stem cell advancements.

About Grace Century, FZ LLC Grace Century FZ LLC is an International research and private equity consultancy located in Ras Al Khaimah, (north of Dubai) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Grace Century specializes in game-changing life science and health related private equity projects. For more information visit http://gracecentury.com.

About Provia Laboratories, LLC Headquartered in Littleton, MA (USA), Provia Laboratories, LLC is a healthcare services company specializing in high-quality bio-banking (the collection, transport, processing and cryogenic storage of biological specimens). Provia Labs offers the Proviasette product range for use in bio-banking environments to improve sample logistics, security and quality. The company manages and promotes its own bio-bank for a dental stem cell banking service, Store-A-Tooth, which gives families the option to store stem cells to protect their childrens future health and take advantage of advances in stem cell therapies.

Provia advises industrial, academic and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, as well as ESBB, the European, Middle Eastern & African Society for Bio-preservation & Bio-banking. For further information about the firms products and services, please call Provia Labs at +1 (781) 652-4815, email hgreenman(at)provialabs(dot)com, or visit http://www.store-a-tooth.com.

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Grace Centurys Provia Labs receives provisional approval status by Commonwealth of the Bahamas Regulatory Committee

The Dallas PRP and Stem Cell Institute Announces Their Grand Opening

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) February 02, 2015

The Dallas PRP and Stem Cell Center (PASC Institute) announces the establishment of a Clinical Institute where patients with musculoskeletal injuries and conditions can go for cutting edge treatments to accelerate recovery and promote healing without surgery. The Institute treats patients with platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections derived from their own blood and with stem cell injections derived from their own bone marrow.

"We want patients with various orthopedic conditions to benefit from the rapidly advancing field of regenerative medicine," said Don Buford, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and founder of the Institute. Patients with common diagnoses such as arthritis, tendon injuries, muscle injuries, cartilage injuries, back injuries, and inflammatory conditions may benefit from procedures that concentrate the body's healing powers at the site of injury. Most conditions are treated with only 1 to 3 office visits. All procedures are done under ultrasound guidance for pinpoint accuracy in treatment.

The PASC Institute was founded by board certified orthopedic surgeons actively involved in clinical research of regenerative and biological therapies for musculoskeletal conditions. The therapies used at the Dallas PRP and Stem Cell Institute are designed to magnify the body's own healing potential and to avoid surgery. Our staff are uniquely qualified to discuss and counsel our patients on all surgical and nonsurgical options available for treatment. Since we are located in Dallas, Texas, we expect the Institute to be a destination choice for patients interested in treatment with PRP or stem cell therapy. With the rising costs of healthcare, we hope that establishing and validating regenerative treatment options for common orthopedic conditions will lead to better overall health care while saving millions of dollars in surgery that may no longer be necessary.

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The Dallas PRP and Stem Cell Institute Announces Their Grand Opening

Epigenetic drug boosts chemotherapy's efficacy in some lung cancers

IMAGE:This is Carla Kim, PhD, of the Boston Children's Hospital Stem Cell Research Program. view more

Credit: Boston Children's Hospital

BOSTON (January 28, 2015) -- An existing drug may help some patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have become resistant to chemotherapy, finds a study from Boston Children's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). The findings, in human cancer cells and in mice, suggest a window of vulnerability in NSCLC, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.1 The work was published online today by the journal Nature.

NSCLC is a highly genetically complex cancer with many different subtypes, each bearing different mutations. In two common subtypes that do not respond to standard chemotherapy--tumors with BRG1 or EGFR mutations--the researchers increased the effectiveness of etoposide, a common chemotherapy agent, by adding an epigenetic therapy already in clinical testing.

Conversely, when the same epigenetic therapy (inhibition of an enzyme known as EZH2) was added to certain tumors without BRG1 and EGFR mutations, the tumors become more resistant to chemotherapy. Together, the findings advance the idea of individualized, "precision medicine" in cancer, incorporating epigenetic therapy guided by tumor genetic testing.

The study also suggests that genetic tumor testing should screen for mutations in BRG1, a natural tumor suppressor. This test is not done widely now, although testing does look for EGFR mutations and other known cancer "driver" mutations. An estimated 10 percent of patients with NSCLC have BRG1 mutations, and this genetic subtype currently lacks a targeted therapy.

"Etoposide plus an EZH2 inhibitor could be a first-line therapy for BRG1-mutant tumors, and a treatment option for EGFR-mutant tumors that are resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors," says Christine Fillmore, PhD, of Boston Children's Hospital's Stem Cell Research Program, the study's first author.

EZH2 has been strongly linked with cancer progression and is part of a complex of molecules that determine which genes in a cell are turned "on" or "off"--part of the cell's so-called epigenome. Epigenetic therapy has become a hot area in cancer research, and EZH2 inhibitors are in phase I/II trials for other cancers, including B cell lymphomas and malignant rhabdoid tumors.

However, the use of EZH2 inhibitors in lung cancer has needed more rationale in preclinical studies, says oncologist Kwok-Kin Wong, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at DFCI and Harvard Medical School and a collaborator on the study. The researchers hope their findings will inspire the pharmaceutical industry to test EZH2 inhibitors together with chemotherapy in patients whose tumors have BRG1 or EGFR mutations.

"This study provides better predictive information as to which cancer patients will respond to EZH2 inhibitors, and shows that even epigenetic therapy needs to be specified to a genotype," says senior author Carla Kim, PhD, an associate professor at Boston Children's Stem Cell Program and the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.

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Epigenetic drug boosts chemotherapy's efficacy in some lung cancers