Upper Dublin girl names semi-finalist for medical school scholarship

Jennifer Deasy has suffered from migraines since she was 11 years old more than half the 18-year-old Upper Dublin girls life. And she has an idea that just may ease the pain a bit for her and other migraine sufferers.

It also could net her a medical school scholarship.

Basically, her idea is to cure migraines with stem cell treatment.

Deasy has been named one of 12 semi-finalists for a National Academy Medical School Scholarship Challenge sponsored by the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists.

Three of the 12 will be selected to present their research proposals at the November Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, D.C., according to an academy press release. One will receive a medical school scholarship up to $185,000, with $10,000 scholarships going to the runners-up.

The winners will be determined by scholars attending the November Congress.

Deasy was one of 3,100 honor high school students who attended the February Congress, where students were challenged to identify an unsolved medical/scientific/world health problem and create an original investigation to solve that problem.

My guidance counselor nominated me to attend the February Congress, said Deasy, a 2014 Upper Dublin High School grad and current freshman at Franklin & Marshall. Attending medical school has been a dream for as long as I can remember.

I always found [medicine] cool and interesting, she said, noting her dad is an oral surgeon, three uncles are doctors and one is a nurse. She hopes to become a neurologist, both seeing patients and doing research on the brain and its workings with different hormones and how they can affect brain function, like seizures and migraines.

Pain medication or caffeine pills are currently used to treat migraine symptoms, she said. It is not known what causes the severe headaches often accompanied by nausea, and there is no cure. Continued...

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Upper Dublin girl names semi-finalist for medical school scholarship

Beat tennis elbow with stem cell injections: Patients are …

By Roger Dobson for the Daily Mail

Published: 18:06 EST, 22 September 2014 | Updated: 18:06 EST, 22 September 2014

Scientists believe stem cells will provide a more effective solution fortendon injuries

Patients are receiving jabs of their own cells in an attempt to heal hard-to-treat tendon injuries, such as tennis elbow.

The treatment, which has previously been used on injured racehorses, uses a patient's stem cells to super-charge the body's natural repair mechanisms.

Millions of Britons suffer tendon injuries. Tendons are the tough bands of tissue that connect muscle to bone. They can become damaged through wear and tear or injury, causing inflammation or tears.

Such damage is notoriously difficult to treat because tendons have a very poor blood supply, so healing compounds cannot reach the injury site. As a result, tough scar tissue often forms around the tendon, significantly hampering movement and flexibility.

Treatments include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroid injections and physiotherapy, but experts say they have limited success. Scientists believe stem cells - which have the ability to turn into different types of cells in the body - will provide a more effective solution.

Early-stage laboratory studies, as well as reports from treating racehorses, have shown that, over several weeks, the stem cells encourage the growth of new tendon tissue and reduce scar tissue.

This may be because stem cells can recruit compounds called growth factors that help regenerate damaged tissue.

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Beat tennis elbow with stem cell injections: Patients are ...

Beat tennis elbow with stem cell injections: Patients are receiving jabs to heal hard-to-treat tendon injuries

By Roger Dobson for the Daily Mail

Published: 18:06 EST, 22 September 2014 | Updated: 18:06 EST, 22 September 2014

Scientists believe stem cells will provide a more effective solution fortendon injuries

Patients are receiving jabs of their own cells in an attempt to heal hard-to-treat tendon injuries, such as tennis elbow.

The treatment, which has previously been used on injured racehorses, uses a patient's stem cells to super-charge the body's natural repair mechanisms.

Millions of Britons suffer tendon injuries. Tendons are the tough bands of tissue that connect muscle to bone. They can become damaged through wear and tear or injury, causing inflammation or tears.

Such damage is notoriously difficult to treat because tendons have a very poor blood supply, so healing compounds cannot reach the injury site. As a result, tough scar tissue often forms around the tendon, significantly hampering movement and flexibility.

Treatments include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroid injections and physiotherapy, but experts say they have limited success. Scientists believe stem cells - which have the ability to turn into different types of cells in the body - will provide a more effective solution.

Early-stage laboratory studies, as well as reports from treating racehorses, have shown that, over several weeks, the stem cells encourage the growth of new tendon tissue and reduce scar tissue.

This may be because stem cells can recruit compounds called growth factors that help regenerate damaged tissue.

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Beat tennis elbow with stem cell injections: Patients are receiving jabs to heal hard-to-treat tendon injuries

Will This New Stem Cell Treatment End The Controversy? – Video

Will This New Stem Cell Treatment End The Controversy?
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they can become almost any type of cell. Since stem cell research is so controversial, researchers might have found a more ethical way to use stem...

By: DNews

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Will This New Stem Cell Treatment End The Controversy? - Video

New molecule allows for up to 10-fold increase in stem cell transplants

Investigators from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the Universit de Montral have just published, in the journal Science, the announcement of the discovery of a new molecule, the first of its kind, which allows for the multiplication of stem cells in a unit of cord blood. Umbilical cord stem cells are used for transplants aimed at curing a number of blood-related diseases, including leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma. For many patients this therapy comprises a treatment of last resort.

Directed by Dr. Guy Sauvageau, principal investigator at IRIC and hematologist at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the research has the potential to multiply by 10 the number of cord blood units available for a transplant in humans. In addition, it will considerably reduce the complications associated with stem cell transplantation. And it will be particularly useful for non-Caucasian patients for whom compatible donors are difficult to identify.

A clinical study using this molecule, named UM171 in honor of the Universit de Montral, and a new type of bioreactor developed for stem culture in collaboration with the University of Toronto will be initiated in December 2014 at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.

According to Dr. Guy Sauvageau, "This new molecule, combined with the new bioreactor technology, will allow thousands of patients around the world access to a safer stem cell transplant. Considering that many patients currently cannot benefit from a stem cell transplant for lack of matching donors, this discovery looks to be highly promising for the treatment of various types of cancer."

The Centre of Excellence for Cellular Therapy at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital will serve as production unit for these stem cells, and grafts will then be distributed to patients in Montreal, Quebec City and Vancouver for this first Canadian clinical study. Tangible results should be available one year later, that is, in December 2015. The significance of this new discovery is such that over time, conclusive clinical results could revolutionize the treatment of leukemia and other blood-related illnesses.

"These extraordinary advances result from the efforts of a remarkable team that includes extremely gifted students and postdoctoral investigators working in the IRIC laboratories," adds Dr. Guy Sauvageau. "Among them, the first authors of this publication: Iman Fars, doctoral student, and Jalila Chagraoui, research officer, along with the professionals in IRIC's medical chemistry core facility under the direction of Anne Marinier, who optimized the therapeutic properties of this new molecule."

Context

Umbilical cord blood from newborn children is an excellent source of hematopoietic stem cells for stem cell transplants, since their immune system is still immature and the stem cells have a lower probability of inducing an adverse immune reaction in the recipient.

Furthermore, it is not necessary for the immunological compatibility between donor and recipient to be perfect, unlike in a bone marrow transplant. However, in most cases the number of stem cells obtained from an umbilical cord is much too low for treating an adult, and its use is confined above all to the treatment of children. With the new molecule UM171 it will be possible to multiply stem cells in culture and to produce enough of them to treat adults, especially those who are not Caucasian, and who because of the lack of donors have limited access to transplants.

Collaborators from the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the British Columbia Cancer Agency, the Ontario Cancer Institute and the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center also played an important role in evaluating the biological properties of this new molecule, and those from the University of Toronto in developing the bioreactor.

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New molecule allows for up to 10-fold increase in stem cell transplants

Worlds first tendon replacement using Nanofiber and activated MediVet Stem Cell Fraction

Friesland, Netherlands (PRWEB) September 20, 2014

MediVet America and NanoFiber Veterinary combined stem cell technologies to perform a groundbreaking surgery at the specialized Wolvega Horse Clinic.

Due to a serious incident, the mare's superficial digital flexor tendon was ruptured 90% and her deep digital flexor tendon 50%. Typically, this kind of injury is a death sentence for a horse.

The clinic has performed numerous successful MediVet America stem cell treatments. This revolutionary regenerative option for ruptured tendons has only been performed once in the United States, but the results were very promising. Together with MediVet's European team, two 20 cm long Nanofiber replacement tendons where created and seeded with MediVets patented activated Stem Cell Fraction. These first generation stem cells allow for acute treatment in-clinic.

Dr.s Don van Winkel and Aart Schutrups, two equine surgeons, performed the breakthrough procedure. Once on the operating table, they found the injury worse than expected. Dr.s van Winkel and Schutrups successfully connected the scaffolds seeded with the mares own stem cells to the remaining threads of original tendons. The two replacement tendons serve as scaffolds for the stem cells that where harvested through a liposuction technique and then isolated using MediVets patented in-clinic stem cell isolation and activation technology. Within the next few months, the stem cells will regenerate the lost tissue along the 3D Nanofiber scaffolds and restore functional tendons. After nine months the Nanofiber scaffolds will have been broken down and replaced by functional tendons. The Nanofiber scaffolds can also be used for extensive internal and external wounds, tendon and ligament injuries, bone regeneration and more.

About MediVet America: MediVet is a global leader in veterinary regenerative medicine with over 1,000 clinics practicing this incredible technology in the US, Mexico, Canada and 28 other countries. Headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, MediVet America develops advanced cellular treatments designed to maximize animal performance, repair, recovery and general wellness. MediVet America's Adipose-Derived Stem Cell procedure kit is a major scientific advancement in animal stem cell regenerative therapy that offers an affordable solution for owners of pets suffering from osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, ligament and cartilage injuries and similar ailments. MediVets global initiatives include providing veterinarians around the world access to novel treatments based in science at an affordable cost to owners.

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Worlds first tendon replacement using Nanofiber and activated MediVet Stem Cell Fraction

Kickstarter Promo Update Sept 15 2014 – Stem Cell Treatment for Hope, Love and Freedom – Video

Kickstarter Promo Update Sept 15 2014 - Stem Cell Treatment for Hope, Love and Freedom
Hello my name is Sonny, I was born with a nerve disease, a genetic mutation that causes the muscles in my arms, hands, legs and feet to atrophy and to become weak. I now have perfect legs....for...

By: Sonny Davis

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Kickstarter Promo Update Sept 15 2014 - Stem Cell Treatment for Hope, Love and Freedom - Video

Stem cell revolution gets closer

Edgar Irastorza was just 31 when his heart stopped beating in October 2008.

A Miami property manager, Irastorza had recently gained weight as his wife's third pregnancy progressed. "I kind of got pregnant, too," he said.

During a workout one day, he felt short of breath and insisted that friends rush him to the hospital. Minutes later, his pulse flatlined. He survived the heart attack, but the scar tissue that resulted cut his heart's pumping ability by a third. He couldn't pick up his children. He fell asleep every night wondering if he would wake up in the morning.

Desperation motivated Irastorza to volunteer for a highly unusual medical research trial: getting stem cells injected directly into his heart. "I just trusted my doctors and the science behind it, and said, 'This is my only chance,' " he said recently.

Over the last five years, by studying stem cells in lab dishes, test animals and intrepid patients like Irastorza, researchers have brought the vague, grandiose promises of stem cell therapies closer to reality.

Stem cells broke into the public consciousness in the early 1990s, alluring for their potential to help the body beat back diseases of degeneration like Alzheimer's, and to grow new parts to treat conditions like spinal cord injuries.

Progress has been slow. But researchers are learning how to best use stem cells, what types to use and how to deliver them to the body findings that are not singularly transformational, but progressive and pragmatic.

As many as 4,500 clinical trials involving stem cells are under way in the United States to treat patients with heart disease, blindness, Parkinson's, HIV, blood cancers and spinal cord injuries, among other conditions.

Initial studies suggest that stem cell therapy can be delivered safely, said Dr. Ellen Feigal, senior vice president of research and development at the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the state stem cell agency, which has awarded more than $2 billion toward stem cell research since 2006.

But enthusiasm for stem cells sometimes outstrips the science. When Gov. Rick Perry of Texas had adult stem cells injected into his spine in 2011 for a back injury, his surgeon had never tried the procedure and had no data to support the experiment. A June review in the New England Journal of Medicine found that "platelet-rich plasma" stem cell therapies praised by a number of athletes worked no better than placebos.

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Stem cell revolution gets closer

World Breakthrough: A New Molecule Allows for an Increase in Stem Cell Transplants

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Newswise Investigators from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the Universit de Montral have just published, in the prestigious magazine Science, the announcement of the discovery of a new molecule, the first of its kind, which allows for the multiplication of stem cells in a unit of cord blood. Umbilical cord stem cells are used for transplants aimed at curing a number of blood-related diseases, including leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma. For many patients this therapy comprises a treatment of last resort.

Directed by Dr. Guy Sauvageau, principal investigator at IRIC and hematologist at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, this world breakthrough has the potential to multiply by 10 the number of cord blood units available for a transplant in humans. In addition, it will considerably reduce the complications associated with stem cell transplantation. And it will be particularly useful for non-Caucasian patients for whom compatible donors are difficult to identify.

A clinical study using this molecule, named UM171 in honor of the Universit de Montral, and a new type of bioreactor developed for stem culture in collaboration with the University of Toronto will be initiated in December 2014 at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.

According to Dr. Guy Sauvageau, This new molecule, combined with the new bioreactor technology, will allow thousands of patients around the world access to a safer stem cell transplant. Considering that many patients currently cannot benefit from a stem cell transplant for lack of matching donors, this discovery looks to be highly promising for the treatment of various types of cancer.

The Centre of Excellence for Cellular Therapy at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital will serve as production unit for these stem cells, and grafts will then be distributed to patients in Montreal, Quebec City and Vancouver for this first Canadian clinical study. Tangible results should be available one year later, that is, in December 2015. The significance of this new discovery is such that over time, conclusive clinical results could revolutionize the treatment of leukemia and other blood-related illnesses.

These extraordinary advances result from the efforts of a remarkable team that includes extremely gifted students and postdoctoral investigators working in the IRIC laboratories, adds Dr. Guy Sauvageau. Among them, the first authors of this publication: Iman Fars, doctoral student, and Jalila Chagraoui, research officer, along with the professionals in IRICs medical chemistry core facility under the direction of Anne Marinier, who optimized the therapeutic properties of this new molecule.

Context

Umbilical cord blood from newborn children is an excellent source of hematopoietic stem cells for stem cell transplants, since their immune system is still immature and the stem cells have a lower probability of inducing an adverse immune reaction in the recipient.

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World Breakthrough: A New Molecule Allows for an Increase in Stem Cell Transplants

Stem cell harvesting methods used by Sydney doctor Ralph Bright untested by clinical trials

ABC Ralph Bright harvests stem cells using the liposuction.

Serious questions have been raised about a stem cell doctor working in Western Sydney who charges $9,000 per procedure and uses methods that are untested by clinical trials.

An investigation by the ABC's 7.30 program has revealed that Dr Ralph Bright bought his liposuction-based technology from an American company.

The US company is now the subject of a multi-million dollar fraud action, which has revealed the cells being marketed as live were in fact dead.

Dr Bright, of Macquarie Stem Cells, is a former GP and self-taught cosmetic surgeon.

He has been working with stem cells for four years, treating more than 400 patients, including the late model Charlotte Dawson, cricketer Geoff Lawson and Olympic volleyballer Kerri Pottharst.

Dr Bright has licensed his methods to other practitioners around the country and because they use the patients' own cells he is not regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Stem cells are often hailed as a miracle cure, but the nation's top stem cell scientists are warning that buyers should beware of these sorts of procedures, which are yet to be subjected to clinical trials.

Professor of Stem Cell Science at the University of Melbourne, Martin Pera, said almost all stem cell therapy was experimental.

"Actually, this whole science of cell therapy is relatively new and it's very, very important to understand that," he said.

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Stem cell harvesting methods used by Sydney doctor Ralph Bright untested by clinical trials