Stem cell treatment for ALS gets clinical trial greenlight from FDA

(Reuters) - BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the start of a mid-stage clinical trial of its adult stem cell treatment for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The Phase II trial will be launched initially at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Worcester.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Connell O'Reilly Cell Manipulation Core Facility will manufacture BrainStorm's NurOwn cells for these two clinical sites. The trial will also be conducted at the Mayo Clinic, the Israel-based company said on Sunday. The trials are expected to start soon.

"Today's announcement represents the most significant milestone BrainStorm has achieved to date," the company's president, Chaim Lebovits, said.

This trial will be the first Phase II double-blinded stem cell study to be conducted for ALS, he added.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

BrainStorm's Phase II trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transplantation of the stem cells in 48 ALS patients. The cells will be administered via intramuscular and intrathecal injection.

Patients will be followed monthly for three months before transplantation and for six months following transplantation.

Earlier clinical trials have shown that treatment with NurOwn cells was well tolerated and safe.

Last week, Cytokinetics Inc said its experimental treatment for Lou Gehrig's Disease failed the main goal in a mid-stage trial.

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Stem cell treatment for ALS gets clinical trial greenlight from FDA

Center for Joint Regeneration in Phoenix Now Offering Stem Cell Procedures for Nonoperative Rotator Cuff Tendon Repair

Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) April 28, 2014

Center for Joint Regeneration is now offering stem cell procedures for nonoperative rotator cuff repair with Board Certified orthopedic doctors. The regenerative medicine procedures are performed as an outpatient and involve either bone marrow derived or amniotic derived stem cell material. Call (480) 466-0980 for more information and scheduling.

Millions of Americans are affected by shoulder pain due to a rotator cuff bursitis or tendon tear. The pain may persist for months and may end up needing surgery if traditional treatments fail. These may include steroid injections, physical therapy and pain medication.

Treatment with regenerative medicine has now become available with stem cell material. The Board Certified orthopedic doctors at Center for Joint Regeneration offer stem cell procedures for rotator cuff injuries with either bone marrow or amniotic derived stem cells.

The bone marrow stem cells involve harvesting the material in a short procedure from the patient, with immediate processing to concentrate the stem cells and growth factors for injection into the shoulder. The amniotic material is obtained from consenting donors after a scheduled c-section procedure. There is no fetal tissue used at all, alleviating any ethical concerns.

Small studies to date have shown stem cell procedures to work well for pain relief and restoration of function with musculoskeletal conditions such as knee arthritis, ligament injury and tendonitis. The stem cell material includes growth factors, stem cells, hyaluronic acid and anti-inflammatory medicine as well.

Center for Joint Regeneration also offers stem cell procedures for joint arthritis, ligament injuries and tendonitis of other areas of the body as well. This helps patients avoid surgery as well as helping athletes return to sporting activities.

For more information and scheduling to discuss regenerative medicine stem cell procedure options, call (480) 466-0980.

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Center for Joint Regeneration in Phoenix Now Offering Stem Cell Procedures for Nonoperative Rotator Cuff Tendon Repair

Stem Cell Treatment For MS Working Wonders – Video

Stem Cell Treatment For MS Working Wonders
We are in Panama City Panama for treatment of my wife #39;s Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. She has been through the first round of treatment with litt...

By: Stem Cell Patient

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Stem Cell Treatment For MS Working Wonders - Video

Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: Upcoming Lecture at Thousand Oaks Library

Thousand Oaks, CA (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, PC, located in Irvine, California, announces a free public seminar on the use of stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief.

The seminar will be held on Tuesday, April 29th at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, CA.

At the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, utilizing investigational protocols, adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be deployed to improve patients quality of life with a number of degenerative conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (also called stromal vascular fraction (SVF)). Adipose tissue is exceptionally abundant in ADSCs. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.

ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys damaged cells. The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center only uses autologous stem cells from a person's own fat no embryonic stem cells are used. Our current areas of study include: Heart Failure, Emphysema, COPD, Asthma, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, and orthopedic joint injections. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the stem cell protocols offered by Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Gionis directly at (949) 679-3889, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.StemCellsUSA.net.

About Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN). We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Research Protections; and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information contact: Info(at)StemCellsUSA(dot)net or visit our website: http://www.StemCellsUSA.net.

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Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center: Upcoming Lecture at Thousand Oaks Library

Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center Visits the Forum at Deer Creek: Senior Living Center

Deerfield Beach, Florida (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, PC, located in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Boca Raton, Florida, announces their invite to speak at the Forum at Deer Creek in Deerfield, Florida on the use of stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. This will be provided by Dr. Nia Smyrniotis, Medical Director.

This seminar will be held on April 28 at 2:30 pm at the Forum at Deer Creek, 3001 Deer Creek Country Club Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.

At the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, utilizing investigational protocols, adult adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be deployed to improve patients quality of life with a number of degenerative conditions and diseases. ADSCs are taken from the patients own adipose (fat) tissue (also called stromal vascular fraction (SVF). Adipose tissue is exceptionally abundant in ADSCs. The adipose tissue is obtained from the patient during a 15 minute mini-liposuction performed under local anesthesia in the doctors office. SVF is a protein-rich solution containing mononuclear cell lines (predominantly autologous mesenchymal stem cells), macrophage cells, endothelial cells, red blood cells, and important Growth Factors that facilitate the stem cell process and promote their activity.

ADSCs are the body's natural healing cells - they are recruited by chemical signals emitted by damaged tissues to repair and regenerate the bodys damaged cells. The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center only uses autologous stem cells from a person's own fat no embryonic stem cells are used. Our current areas of study include: heart failure, emphysema, COPD, asthma, Parkinsons disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and orthopedic joint injections. For more information, or if someone thinks they may be a candidate for one of the stem cell protocols offered by Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, they may contact Dr. Nia Smyrniotis directly at (561) 331-2999, or see a complete list of the Centers study areas at: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com.

About Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center:

The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center is an affiliate of the Cell Surgical Network (CSN). We provide care for people suffering from diseases that may be alleviated by access to adult stem cell based regenerative treatment. We utilize a fat transfer surgical technology to isolate and implant the patients own stem cells from a small quantity of fat harvested by a mini-liposuction on the same day. The investigational protocols utilized by the Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center have been reviewed and approved by an IRB (Institutional Review Board) which is registered with the U.S. Department of Health, Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) and the study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information contact: Info(at)MiamiStemCellsUSA(dot)com or visit our website: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com.

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Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center Visits the Forum at Deer Creek: Senior Living Center

Prosecutors say Stamina treatment hurt, not helped, patients

Charges of criminal association may be filed in medical case

(ANSA) - Turin, April 23 - Not only was a discredited stem-cell treatment useless, investigations found that it actually hurt a number of patients, prosecutors said Wednesday as they concluded a probe of 20 suspects involved in the Stamina treatment. That includes Davide Vannoni, founder of the Stamina Foundation, who may face indictment in the case now that prosecutors have finished a lengthy probe. Charges could include criminal association to commit aggravated fraud and administration of dangerous drugs, according to prosecutors whose probe examined the treatment of slightly more than 100 patients and found "adverse reactions" in some cases. Another 37 donors of stem cells used in the controversial treatment, rejected by the health ministry, were examined during the investigation. According to prosecutors, Vannoni and other suspects "falsely pretended" to patients and their families that there was "high chance" of recovery from serious illness if they agreed to the Stamina treatment. Vannoni, a former psychology lecturer who was indicted earlier this year for alleged attempted fraud against the Piedmont Region, had also tried to discredit health officials and the national health system while raising social tension, according to prosecutors. Earlier this month, hospitals in Italy that used the discredited stem-cell treatment announced they had suspended the program. That followed announcements last fall by Italy's health ministry that the Stamina Foundation - the nonprofit foundation that developed the treatment - would not be allowed to test it on humans. The foundation was also stripped of its non-profit status after a study found its treatment was "ignorant of stem-cell biology". Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said she was "not surprised" by the outcome of the investigation. "It is a story that had Italians holding their breath with many concerns and anxieties," she said. "It is important that (the findings) come out clearly, because there are victims, the thousands of people who believed they could have a cure," she said. The Stamina treatment 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. Supporters of the therapy thought it could be a cure for fatal degenerative nerve diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, while detractors said it was devoid of scientific merit. A panel of experts appointed by Italy's health ministry said in January it found the therapy seriously lacking in both premise and practice. Their report cited "serious imperfections and omissions in the Stamina protocol, including conceptual errors and an apparent ignorance of stem-cell biology". The Stamina Foundation had asked for 500,000 euros of funding to develop a stem-cell laboratory, a request that earlier prosecutors had argued was fraudulent because the efficacy of the treatment has been "completely disproved".

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Prosecutors say Stamina treatment hurt, not helped, patients

Study finds long-term survival of human neural stem cells transplanted into primate brain

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Apr-2014

Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Putnam Valley, NY. (Apr. 23 2014) A team of researchers in Korea who transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) into the brains of nonhuman primates and assessed cell survival and differentiation after 22 and 24 months found that the hNSCs had differentiated into neurons at 24 months and did not cause tumors.

The study will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation but is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-ct1117Antonucci2.

The hNSCs were labeled with magnetic nanoparticles to enable them to be followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They did not use immunosuppressants. According to the researchers, their study is the first to evaluate and show the long-term survival and differentiation of hNSCs without the need for immunosuppression.

The researchers concluded that hNSCs could be of "great value" as a source for cell replacement and gene transfer for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal cord injury and stroke.

"Stroke is the fourth major cause of death in the US behind heart failure, cancer, and lower respiratory disease," said study co-author Dr. Seung U. Kim of University of British Columbia Hospital's department of neurology in Canada. "While tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment within three hours after a stroke has shown good outcomes, stem cell therapy has the potential to address the treatment needs of those stroke patients for whom tPA treatment was unavailable or did not help."

Dr. Kim and colleagues in Korea grafted magnetic particle-labeled hNSCs into the brains of laboratory primates and evaluated their performance to assess their survival and differentiation over 24 months. Of particular interest was determining their ability to differentiate into neurons and to determine whether the cells caused tumorogenesis.

"We injected hNSCs into the frontal lobe and the putamen of the monkey brain because they are included in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory, which is the main target in the development of the ischemic lesion in animal stroke models," commented Dr. Kim. "Thus, research on survival and differentiation of hNSCs in the MCA territory should provide more meaningful information to cell transplantation in the MCA occlusion stroke model."

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Study finds long-term survival of human neural stem cells transplanted into primate brain

Probe finished in controversial stemcell therapy

Next step by prosecutors could be indictments

(ANSA) - Turin, April 23 - Prosecutors said Wednesday they have completed their investigation into a controversial stem-cell treatment involving 20 individuals, including Davide Vannoni, founder of the Stamina Foundation. The notice means prosecutors could now proceed to indictments in the case that may involve charges of fraud. Earlier this month, hospitals in Italy that used the discredited stem-cell treatment announced they have suspended the program. That followed announcements last fall by Italy's health that the Stamina Foundation - the nonprofit foundation that developed the treatment - would not be allowed to test it on humans. The foundation was also stripped of its non-profit status after a study found its treatment was "ignorant of stem-cell biology". Vannoni, a former psychology lecturer, was indicted earlier this year for alleged attempted fraud against the Piedmont Region. The Stamina Foundation had asked for 500,000 euros of funding to develop a stem-cell laboratory, a request prosecutors had earlier argued was fraudulent because the efficacy of the treatment has been "completely disproved". The Stamina treatment 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. Supporters of the therapy thought it could be a cure for fatal degenerative nerve diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, while detractors said it was devoid of scientific merit. A panel of experts appointed by Italy's health ministry said in January it found the therapy seriously lacking in both premise and practice. Their report cited "serious imperfections and omissions in the Stamina protocol, including conceptual errors and an apparent ignorance of stem-cell biology".

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Probe finished in controversial stemcell therapy

Scientists identify cancer specific cell for potential treatment of gastric cancer

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Apr-2014

Contact: Kimberley Wang kimberley.wang@nus.edu.sg National University of Singapore

A team of scientists led by a researcher from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore has identified the cancer specific stem cell which causes gastric cancer. This discovery opens up the possibility of developing new drugs for the treatment of this disease and other types of cancers.

The research group, led by Dr Chan Shing Leng, Research Assistant Professor at CSI Singapore, demonstrated for the first time that a cancer-specific variant of a cell surface protein, CD44v8-10, marks gastric cancer stem cells but not normal cells. Conceptualised by Dr Chan and Associate Professor Jimmy So, a Senior Consultant from the Department of Surgery at the National University Hospital Singapore, the study is also the first to be conducted with human gastric tissue specimens and took five years to complete. This novel study will be published in the research journal Cancer Research, the official journal of American Association of Cancer Research, in May 2014.

Gastric cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with low survival and high recurrence rates for patients with advanced disease. New therapies for the treatment of gastric cancer are urgently needed.

How CD44v8-10 serves as a biomarker

Many cancer cell types express high levels of a cell surface protein known as CD44. This protein marks cancer stem cells that are thought to be responsible for resistance to current cancer therapy and tumour relapse. There are many forms of CD44 and the standard form of CD44, CD44s, is found in high abundance on normal blood cells. It was previously not known which form of CD44 is found on cancer stem cells. This is critical as an ideal cancer target should mark only cancer cells but not normal cells.

Research by the team and other scientists in the field has led to the hypothesis that the growth of gastric cancer may be driven by cancer stem cells. In this study, the researchers analysed 53 patient tissue samples in conjunction with patient-derived xenograft models which are derived from intestinal type gastric cancer. The team is one of the few groups in the world to have a relatively large collection of patient-derived xenograft models for gastric cancer and the first to use these models for identification of gastric cancer stem cells. A total of eight cancer cell lines were used in this study, including six new cell lines which were established by the researchers.

The scientists discovered a cancer-specific CD44 variant, CD44v8-10 marks gastric cancer stem cells but not normal cells. CD44v8-10 promotes cancer cell growth and it is significantly more abundant in gastric tumour sites compared to normal gastric tissue, which makes it easily detectable. The findings results suggest that CD44v8-10 is an ideal target for developing clinical therapeutics against gastric cancer stem cells. As CD44v8-10 is cancer specific, it may also be used as a biomarker for screening and diagnosis of gastric cancer. This is significant as biomarkers for early detection of gastric cancer are currently not available and doctors rely on endoscopy for the screening and diagnosis of this disease.

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Scientists identify cancer specific cell for potential treatment of gastric cancer

Local patients have option for marrow transplants

by JIM BERGAMO / KVUE News and editor Rob Diaz

kvue.com

Posted on April 22, 2014 at 5:14 PM

Updated today at 7:00 PM

AUSTIN -- Doctors at St. Davids South AustinMedical Center recently performed the first adult hematopoieticstem cell transplant, which is a type of blood and marrowtransplant. Prior to the new comprehensive blood cancer center,patients had to leave Austin to get the treatment they needed.

Earlier this year, Nancy Guerra enjoyed some down time at her Northwest Austin home, putting together an electronic puzzle. But her own health became far more puzzling than anything she could piece together on her I-Pad. She suffered from multiple myeloma and had intense chemotherapy treatments in preparation for a more important procedure.

Doing the chemotherapy is really good, said Guerra. It puts me in remission, but Im not going to stay in remission anywhere near as long as I will when I have a bone marrow transplant.

But like other patients with bone cancer disorders where to go to get that blood marrow is the key question.

Austin is reaching a critical mass size, said David Huffstutler, President and Chief Executive Officer, St. Davids HealthCare. While we already have a wide array of oncology services, bone marrow transplantation was a missing piece.

Until now Central Texas patients had to travel to San Antonio or Dallas for transplants. The procedure takes only a few hours, but it can take several months for the bone marrow transition to be completed. For Guerra, leaving Austin for that length of time was simply out of the question. So in February she became the first patient to receive a transplant at the new, comprehensive blood cancer center at St. Davids South Austin Medical Center.

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Local patients have option for marrow transplants