Scientists Stimulate Dental Stem Cells With Laser

May 29, 2014

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Researchers led by a team from Harvard University have successfully used a low-power laser to stimulate stem cell differentiation within the body, according to a study published on Wednesday by Science Translational Medicine.

[ Watch the Video: What Are Stem Cells? ]

The study team used a laser to stimulate dental stem cells and cause them to form dentin the hard tissue that makes up the majority of a tooth. The study was also able to identify and describe the molecular mechanism behind the growth process.

Study author David Mooney noted that the work could eventually lead to testing of a non-invasive dental procedure.

Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low, said Mooney, a professor of bioengineering at Harvards School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), in a recent statement. It would be a substantial advance in the field if we can regenerate teeth rather than replace them.

The study team began by drilling holes in the molars of rodents. Next, the team treated the tooth pulp containing dental stem cells with a low-power laser, applied short term caps, and kept the animals secure and in good health. After around 12 weeks, observations confirmed that the treatment regimen induced improved dentin development.

It was definitely my first time doing rodent dentistry, said study author Dr. Praveen Arany, a clinical investigator at the National Institutes of Health. The dentin was strikingly similar in composition to normal dentin, but did have slightly different morphological organization.

Moreover, the typical reparative dentin bridge seen in human teeth was not as readily apparent in the minute rodent teeth, owing to the technical challenges with the procedure, he added.

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Scientists Stimulate Dental Stem Cells With Laser

Human stem cell treatment gets mice with MS-like condition walking again

Disabled mice regained the ability to walk less than two weeks after receiving human neural stem cells (Photo: Shutterstock)

When scientists at the University of Utah injected human stem cells into mice disabled by a condition similar to multiple sclerosis, they expected the cells to be rejected by the animals' bodies. It turned out that the cells were indeed rejected, but not before they got the mice walking again. The unexpected finding could have major implications for human MS sufferers.

In multiple sclerosis, the body's immune system attacks the myelin sheath that covers and insulates nerve fibers in the spinal cord, brain and optic nerve. With that insulation gone, the nerves short-circuit and malfunction, often compromising the patient's ability to walk among other things.

In the U Utah study (which was begun at the University of California, Irvine) human neural stem cells were grown in a Petri dish, then injected into the afflicted mice. The cells were grown under less crowded conditions than is usual, which reportedly resulted in their being "extremely potent."

As early as one week after being injected, there was no sign of the cells in the animals' bodies evidence that they had been rejected, as was assumed would happen. Within 10 to 14 days, however, the mice were walking and running. After six months, they still hadn't regressed.

This was reportedly due to the fact that the stem cells emitted chemical signals that instructed the rodents' own cells to repair the damaged myelin. Stem cells grown under the same conditions have since been shown to produce similar results, in tests performed by different laboratories.

Additional mouse trials are now planned to assess the safety and durability of the treatment, with hopes for human clinical trials down the road. "We want to try to move as quickly and carefully as possible," said Dr. Tom Lane, who led the study along with Dr. Jeanne Loring from the Center for Regenerative Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute. "I would love to see something that could promote repair and ease the burden that patients with MS have."

A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

Source: University of Utah

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Human stem cell treatment gets mice with MS-like condition walking again

Spinal cord, HIV stem cell treatments funded

Phil Reyes, one of the Parkinson's patients in Summit 4 Stem Cell, urges California's stem cell agency to support its research.

A potentially groundbreaking trial to treat spinal cord injuries with tissue grown from human embryonic stem cells will resume, after being funded by the California's stem cell agency.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's governing committee approved without opposition a $14.3 million award to Asterias Biotherapeutics of Menlo Park. Asterias is taking over from Geron, which stopped clinical trials in November, 2011. Geron, also of Menlo Park, said it discontinued the trials for business reasons. Asterias is a subsidiary of Alameda-based BioTime.

Patients will be given transplants of neural tissue grown from the embryonic stem cells. The hope is that the cells will repair the severed connections, restoring movement and sensation below the injury site.

CIRM also unanimously approved a $5.6 million grant for another potential breakthrough: a clinical trial by Sangamo Biosciences of Richmond, Calif, to cure HIV infection with gene therapy. The trial is now in Phase II. Immune cells are taken from the patient and given a mutant form of a gene that HIV uses to get inside the cells. The mutated gene resists infection. The genetically altered cells are then given back to the patient.

Approval of both grants had been expected, as staff reports had recommended their approval. The agency met in San Diego.

In addition CIRM's Independent Citizens Oversight Committee funded $16.2 million in grants to bring three stem cell researchers to California. That vote was more contentious, with some committee members arguing that it made no sense to bring more scientists to California without a specific need. In addition, they argued that CIRM's main emphasis needs to be on funding clinical trials.

Member Jeff Sheehy said that bringing the scientists to California doesn't create more scientific capacity. However, a vote to deny funding failed, and a subsequent vote to approve funding passed.

CIRM is projected to run out of its $3 billion in bond funding by 2017, and supporters of the public agency are considering asking California voters for more money.

Also appearing at the CIRM meeting were advocates of funding a stem cell-based therapy for Parkinson's disease. The therapy, which may be approved in 2015 for a clinical trial, uses artificial embryonic stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells grown from the patient's own skin cells. The group, Summit 4 Stem Cell, plans to ask for funding to help with the trial in the near future.

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Spinal cord, HIV stem cell treatments funded

European rights court says Stamina ban legit

Discredited stem-cell treatment loses in Strasbourg

(ANSA) - Strasbourg, May 28 - The European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday ruled that an Italian ban on a controversial stem-cell therapy was legitimate. The case centered around a woman suffering from a degenerative brain disease since birth who argued her rights had been violated by the State denying her Stamina treatment. The process involves extracting bone-marrow stem cells from a patient, turning them into neurons by exposing them to retinoic acid for two hours, and injecting them back into the patient. But its credibility has long been suspect, and last fall the health ministry ruled that the Stamina Foundation would no longer be allowed to test the treatment on humans. The foundation was also stripped of its non-profit status after a study found its treatment was "ignorant of stem-cell biology". Recent investigations have shown risks of the treatment range from nausea to cancer, and as many as one quarter of all patients treated have experienced "adverse effects". The head of the foundation, Davide Vannoni, may face indictment.

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European rights court says Stamina ban legit

Dr Tariq Drabu Welcomes Tooth Stem Cell Treatment for Stroke Patients

(PRWEB) May 26, 2014

Dr Tariq Drabu is a leading dentist and specialist oral surgeon in Manchester in the United Kingdom. He was one of the youngest dentists to ever graduate in the UK and has spent years working in busy dental hospitals in the UK and abroad. Dr Drabu is the owner of the successful Langley Dental Practice and is also the Clinical Lead Dentist for the Oral Surgery Assessment Clinic and Treatment Services at NHS Heywood Middleton and Rochdale. He also tutors and mentors postgraduate dentists in oral surgery at the UCLAN Dental Clinic in Preston.

Dr Tariq Drabu was talking about an article published in the Denistry website on the GDCs review on their new approach to their fees. The full article can be read here.

Dr Tariq Drabu said All dental professionals have to register with the GDC (General Dental Council) in the UK. It is a legal requirement and a very important one for patient and public protection. It is important for patients that their dentist is registered, especially as we welcome more dentists from other countries who may have different ways of working with patients compared to what we have in the UK.

Dr Tariq Drabu went on to say The GDC require dental professionals to pay an ARF, an annual retention fee, which is a complex fee made up of different levels and amounts. It is welcome news that the GDC are taking steps to make this a simplified process for dentists around the country by being completely transparent in the different levels and fee structures. Often dentists will need to change their level and now they will have the necessary information at their fingertips to know what level they are at and what level they should be paying for. The GDCs review includes information on why fees are legally required, what the fees are used for and they go into detail on explaining the different levels available.

Dr Tariq Drabu closed in saying Patients can enjoy peace of mind in knowing their dentist is registered with the General Dental Council. The council puts rules and regulations in place to try and ensure all patients receive the highest level of care and safety from their dental professional. This is important for dentists that move to the UK from other countries, so they can understand the rules and regulations that we abide to here in the UK to provide our patients with high quality dental care.

About Dr Tariq Drabu Dr Tariq Drabu is a leading dentist and specialist oral surgeon. This Manchester born and educated dentist was one of the youngest dentists to graduate in the United Kingdom. He has worked at some of the busiest hospitals in the UK and Saudi Arabia and completed his Fellowship in Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He is the owner of the very successful Langley Dental Practice and is also the Clinical Lead Dentist for the Oral Surgery Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services at NHS Heywood Middleton and Rochdale. Dr Tariq Drabu also teaches and mentors postgraduate dentists in oral surgery at the UCLAN Dental Clinic in Preston.

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Dr Tariq Drabu Welcomes Tooth Stem Cell Treatment for Stroke Patients

New insight into stem cell development

13 hours ago

The world has great expectations that stem cell research one day will revolutionize medicine. But in order to exploit the potential of stem cells, we need to understand how their development is regulated. Now researchers from University of Southern Denmark offer new insight.

Stem cells are cells that are able to develop into different specialized cell types with specific functions in the body. In adult humans these cells play an important role in tissue regeneration. The potential to act as repair cells can be exploited for disease control of e.g. Parkinson's or diabetes, which are diseases caused by the death of specialized cells. By manipulating the stem cells, they can be directed to develop into various specialized cell types. This however, requires knowledge of the processes that regulate their development.

Now Danish researchers from University of Southern Denmark report a new discovery that provides valuable insight into basic mechanisms of stem cell differentiation. The discovery could lead to new ways of making stem cells develop into exactly the type of cells that a physician may need for treating a disease.

"We have discovered that proteins called transcription factors work together in a new and complex way to reprogram the DNA strand when a stem cell develops into a specific cell type. Until now we thought that only a few transcription factors were responsible for this reprogramming, but that is not the case", explain postdoc Rasmus Siersbaek, Professor Susanne Mandrup and ph.d. Atefeh Rabiee from Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark.

"An incredibly complex and previously unknown interplay between transcription factors takes place at specific locations in the cell's DNA, which we call 'hotspots'. This interplay at 'hotspots' appears to be of great importance for the development of stem cells. In the future it will therefore be very important to explore these 'hotspots' and the interplay between transcription factors in these regions in order to better understand the mechanisms that control the development of stem cells", explains Rasmus Siersbaek.

"When we understand these mechanisms, we have much better tools to make a stem cell develop in the direction we wish", he says.

Siersbaek, Mandrup and their colleagues made the discovery while studying how stem cells develop into fat cells. The Mandrup research group is interested in this differentiation process, because fundamental understanding of this will allow researchers to manipulate fat cell formation.

"We know that there are two types of fat cells; brown and white. The white fat cells store fat, while brown fat cells actually increase combustion of fat. Brown fat cells are found in especially infants, but adults also have varying amounts of these cells.

"If we manage to find ways to make stem cells develop into brown rather than white fat cells, it may be possible to reduce the development of obesity. Our findings open new possibilities to do this by focusing on the specific sites on the DNA where proteins work together", the researchers explain.

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New insight into stem cell development

And Now the Good News #85: 5/20/2014 – Video

And Now the Good News #85: 5/20/2014
Learn more about the stories featured in this video at the following sources: "Mice With MS-Like Condition Walk Again After Human Stem Cell Treatment" http://tinyurl.com/o7ho6kw "Caught in...

By: Steve Shives

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And Now the Good News #85: 5/20/2014 - Video

Kim Kardashian Wedding Prep: Bride Gets $550 Stem Cell Facial

Like most brides, Kim Kardashian is making her way through her wedding day checklist. Squeezing in a few workouts? Check. Enjoying quality time with her love Kanye West? Check, check. Indulging in a $500 stem cell facial? Check!

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Before jetting off to Paris for her wedding weekend, Kardashian, 33, visited Lancer Dermatology for a treatment on Friday, May 16. "Kim's longtime aesthetician Louise Deschamps has been giving Kim stem cell facials for years," a source tells Us Weekly.

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The facial, which starts at $550, begins with the typical cleansing, exfoliating, and extractions. Then a rose oil-coated custom sheet mask is applied.

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After, the aesthetician uses Lancer's famed vegan stem cell serum. The anti-aging Lift Serum Intense ($275, Lancerskincare.com) uses stem cells from a marine plant, which are thought to firm and lift the skin. After a layer is applied, an LED light helps the skin absorb the serum for long-lasting results.

PHOTOS: Kim and more stars with and without bangs

The results of the facial should last a week, so just in time for Kardashian to walk down the aisle.

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Kim Kardashian Wedding Prep: Bride Gets $550 Stem Cell Facial

A brave new world: Stem cell therapy in Lebanon

BEIRUT: Fat removal and a non-surgical facelift at the same time might sound like a two-for-one offer too good to be true. But that is a pretty common combination at the Innovi Stem Cell Therapy Clinic, where doctors extract stem cells from the bodys fat to do any number of cosmetic cleanups, from scar removal to diminishing fine lines and wrinkles.

The clinic opened five months ago in the Beirut neighborhood of Sodeco, bringing Lebanon its first specialized center in stem cell research.

Around the world at any given medical conference, from fields as diverse as orthopedics to dentistry, stem cells have become one of the main events, as researchers believe these undifferentiated cells hold the cure to some of the gravest human diseases: cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, to name a few.

In a country like Lebanon, stem cell specialists figured the best way to support their research was to offer one of the most in-demand medical procedures: cosmetic surgery.

Walking through the halls of the elegant, albeit quaint, clinic, one will see top-of-the-line fat freezing technology, equipment for laser hair removal and facilities where doctors carry out medical face peels and stretch mark treatment.

They also offer Ozone therapy, which uses pure oxygen that can supposedly alleviate a range of maladies from skin disorders and premature aging to chronic pain.

But we are not a beauty clinic, said one of the doctors, who asked not to be identified due to Lebanons strict medical advertising laws.

These cosmetic procedures complement their work in stem cells, a far less understood and rapidly evolving area of medicine. Innovi, for example, has built the Middle Easts only stem cell bank, where up to 19,000 vials can be frozen and preserved with liquid nitrogen. The closet housing the bank, which looks like an enormous washing machine, now holds the stem cells of a modest 10 clients.

The clinic has become a hub for various stem cells research. Doctors have visited from Europe and a Syrian doctor is now working with a couple to try and grow sperm from the stem cells of a man with aspermia.

But cosmetic treatments and stem cells go well together as doctors have been using fat-derived cells, also called adipose stem cells, as a Botox-like filler for almost a decade.

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A brave new world: Stem cell therapy in Lebanon

Dr. Todd Malan Named Chief Cell Therapy Officer at Okyanos Heart Institute

Freeport, The Bahamas (PRWEB) May 20, 2014

Okyanos Heart Institute has announced the addition of Dr. Todd Malan to their executive medical team as Chief Cell Therapy Officer and General Surgeon. He will perform and oversee the liposuction step of Okyanos treatment, removing a small amount of fat from patients from which their own stem cells are isolated. Cardiac cell therapy is intended for no-option heart patients who have exhausted the currently available standards of care for their condition, of which there are about 2 million in the United States alone.

Dr. Malan is founder of the Innovative Cosmetic Surgery Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, specializing in advanced liposuction and fat transfer procedures. A pioneer in adipose- (fat) derived stem cell research and fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, Dr. Malan became the first physician in the United States to utilize adult stem cells from fat tissue for soft tissue reconstruction. He has co-authored two medical textbooks on fat-derived stem cell therapies and has served as principal investigator on two Institutional Review Board- (IRB) approved adult stem cell trials.

As an active member of the adipose stem cell research community, Dr. Malan is very familiar with the therapeutic benefits of adult stem cells for cardiac, as demonstrated in clinical trials, said Dr. Howard Walpole, chief medical officer at Okyanos. He lends his experience and integrated knowledge of both innovative cosmetic surgery and stem cell therapy to our medical leadership team, he added.

"It is truly gratifying to see the gathering of like-minded researchers, clinicians, and administrators who see the remarkable value of developing evidence-based protocols for effective stem cell therapies, said Dr. Malan. He added, This project is a culmination of years of experience between industry leaders who are dedicated to making Okyanos a premier cell therapy center in the world. The work we do today will define the future of medicine for years to come."

Okyanos cardiac cell therapy is the first stem cell-based procedure for heart failure available to patients outside of clinical trials, wherein the patients own adipose-derived stem cells are infused directly into the damaged part of the heart via catheter. Okyanos will begin treating advanced heart disease patients in Freeport, The Bahamas, in the summer of 2014.

ABOUT OKYANOS HEART INSTITUTE: [Oh key AH nos] Based in Freeport, The Bahamas, Okyanos Heart Institutes mission is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using cardiac stem cell therapy. Okyanos adheres to U.S. surgical center standards and is led by founder and CEO Matt Feshbach, as well as Chief Medical Officer Howard T. Walpole Jr., M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Okyanos Treatment utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from ones own adipose (fat) tissue. The cells, when placed into the heart via a minimally-invasive procedure, can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis facilitates blood flow in the heart, which supports intake and use of oxygen (as demonstrated in rigorous clinical trials such as the PRECISE trial). The literary name Okyanos, the Greek god of rivers, symbolizes restoration of blood flow.

For more information, please visit http://www.okyanos.com/.

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Dr. Todd Malan Named Chief Cell Therapy Officer at Okyanos Heart Institute