Study: potentially life-saving blood stem cells regenerate in artificial bone marrow

A team of biochemists has engineered artificial bone marrow capable of hosting hematopoietic stem cells -- the potentially life-saving cells used in the treatment of leukemia -- for regeneration.

The work was carried out at the KIT Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart and Tbingen University in Germany, where Cornelia Lee-Thedieck led a team in building a scaffold for stem cell regeneration.

Hematopoietic stem cells, which are derived from both blood and bone marrow, are known for their extraordinary regenerative properties -- they can differentiate into a whole series of specialised cells in the body and travel into the blood from the bone marrow. This makes it an excellent treatment for cancers of the blood, including leukemia and lymphoma where underdeveloped white blood cells multiply out of control. In these cases the patient's own supply of hematopoietic cells is destroyed and they are replenished via a bone marrow transplant from a matched donor. These are not in plentiful supply, so for years artificial bone marrow has been in development to help fill the need -- existing hematopoietic stem cells only replenish and thrive within the complex, porous structure of bone marrow and do not survive without it. If researchers could develop a suitable host, they could continually transplant cells onto that host to regenerate cells and meet demand.

"Multiplication of hematopoietic stem cells in vitro with current standard methods is limited and mostly insufficient for clinical applications of these cells," write the team in the journal Biomaterials. "They quickly lose their multipotency in culture because of the fast onset of differentiation. In contrast, HSCs efficiently self-renew in their natural microenvironment (their niche) in the bone marrow."

The team believes it has now created a potentially game-changing host that mimics that niche. They used synthetic polymers to build macroporous hydrogel scaffolds that mimic the spongy texture of bone marrow. Protein building blocks were then introduced, which would encourage introduced stem cells to stick to the scaffold. They had to introduce a number of other cells which importantly also thrive within bone marrow to exchange nutrients and oxygen.

To test the scaffold, stem cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood were introduced. It took a few days, but those from the cord blood began to multiply.

The authors concluded: "Co-culture in the pores of the three-dimensional hydrogel scaffold showed that the positive effect of MSCs on preservation of HSPC stemness was more pronounced in 3D than in standard 2D cell culture systems."

This is not the first time that artificial bone marrow has been attempted, however. Back in 2008 a team from the University of Michigan maintained that it had created a replica that could make red and white blood cells, and within which blood stem cells could replicate and produce B cells (important immune cells). In this instance, scaffolds were made from a transparent polymer using tiny spheres that were then dissolved to create pores the nutrients could pass through. It's unclear for how long the stem cells thrived, and Wired.co.uk has contacted the team to try and find out how the research has progressed and if the engineered bone marrow has continued to be effective.

If the research is successful going forward, it could mean the beginning of "blood farming", where artificial bone marrow is used to produce red and white blood cells and platelets to be banked for transfusions.

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Study: potentially life-saving blood stem cells regenerate in artificial bone marrow

A shift in stem cell research

Jan. 10, 2014

A team of engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created a process to improve the creation of synthetic neural stem cells for use in central nervous system research.

The process, outlined in a paper published in Stem Cells last month, will improve the state of the art in the creation of synthetic neural stem cells for use in central nervous system research.

Randolph Ashton

Human pluripotent stem cells have been used to reproduce nervous-system cells for use in the study and treatment of spinal cord injuries and of diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntington's.

Currently, most stem cells used in research have been cultured on mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), which require a high level of expertise to prepare. The expertise required has made scalability a problem, as there can be slight differences in the cells used from laboratory to laboratory, and the cells maintained on MEFs are also undesirable for clinical applications.

Removing the high level of required skill and thereby increasing the translatability of stem cell technology is one of the main reasons why Randolph Ashton, a UW-Madison assistant professor of biomedical engineering and co-author of the paper, wanted to create a new protocol.

Rather than culturing stem cells on MEFs, the new process uses two simple chemical cocktails to accomplish the same task. The first mixture, developed by John D. MacArthur Professor of Medicine James Thomson in the Morgridge Institute for Research, is used to maintain the stem cells in the absence of MEFs. The second cocktail allows researchers to push the stem cells toward a neural fate with very high efficiency.

These chemical mixtures help to ensure the consistency of the entire process and give researchers a better understanding of what is driving the differentiation of the cells. "Once you remove some of the confounding factors, you have better control and more freedom and flexibility in terms of pushing the neural stem cells into what you want them to become," says Ashton.

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A shift in stem cell research

Learn about stem cell therapy and application at Vail event

VAIL The Vail Symposium hosts Dr. Scott Brandt, Dr. Kristin Comella and Dr. Stan Jones who will lead an interactive discussion on the history, evolution, practical applications and clinical results around stem cell treatments Friday evening in Vail.

The program is part of the Symposiums ongoing Living at Your Peak series, which is dedicated to exploring new breakthroughs in medicine and helping people live healthier, more active lives.

This program fits perfectly with our Living at Your Peak series, said Tracey Flower, the Symposiums executive director. There is a lot surrounding this topic, and has been for quite some time. With recent research in a changing medical industry, it is a great topic to discuss.

An example of breakthroughs in stem cell therapy comes in the form of the record-shattering Broncos quarterback, Peyton Manning. After failed surgeries, Manning traveled to Germany to undergo stem cell treatment on his cervical spine. At 37, Manning is playing his best football.

During this educational program, panelists will discuss the evolution of the stem cell field, explain current procedures, present research and clinical findings, and talk about the potential for stem cell applications in the future.

Join the Vail Symposium at 5 p.m. Friday at the Antlers Hotel in Vail for this event, titled: Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine is Now. Space is limited; reserve your tickets at http://www.vailsymposium.org/calendar or call the Vail Symposium at 970-476-0954.

More about the panelists

Dr. Scott Brandt: Brandt, the medical director of ThriveMD in Edwards, specializes in regenerative and restorative medicine. Brandt completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and attended medical school at Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He then completed his anesthesiology residency training and internship at the University of Illinois and Michael Reese Hospitals in Chicago. As a resident in anesthesiology, Brandt specialized in interventional pain management. Since 1997, this focus has kept him on the leading edge of medical innovations that provide longer lasting solutions for acute and chronic pain. The advancement of stem cell therapy, coupled with Brandts expertise in image-guided injections, has made joint rejuvenation an important part of his practice.

Dr. Kristin Comella: In 2013, Comella was named as one of the 25 most influential people in the stem cell field. She has more than 14 years of experience in regenerative medicine, training and education, research, product development and has served in a number of senior management positions with stem cell related companies. Comella has more than 12 years of cell culturing experience including building and managing the stem cell laboratory at Tulane Universitys Center for Gene Therapy. She has also developed stem cell therapies for osteoarthritis at Osiris Therapeutics. Comella has been a member of the Bioheart senior management team since 2004 and is currently serving as its chief scientific officer.

Dr. Stan Jones: Widely known for performing a ground-breaking stem cell infusion on Governor Rick Perry during a spinal surgery in 2011, Jones is a surgeon and stem cell expert. He received his bachelors degree from Texas Tech in Lubbock before earning his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Jones continued his medical training at the University of Utah Medical School in Salt Lake City and a residency at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Jones was awarded a fellowship to study the lower back at Wellseley Hospital in Toronto, Canada. In addition, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corp as a Captain. He is licensed to practice in the state of Texas and is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.

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Learn about stem cell therapy and application at Vail event

Bone marrow stem cells could defeat drug-resistant …

Wed Jan 8, 2014 7:01pm EST

* Early study shows stem cell infusion can cure superbug TB

* Researchers say more research needed to test treatment

* Some 450,000 people worldwide have drug-resistant TB

By Kate Kelland

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Patients with potentially fatal "superbug" forms of tuberculosis (TB) could in future be treated using stem cells taken from their own bone marrow, according to the results of an early-stage trial of the technique.

The finding, made by British and Swedish scientists, could pave the way for the development of a new treatment for the estimated 450,000 people worldwide who have multi drug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB.

In a study in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday, researchers said more than half of 30 drug-resistant TB patients treated with a transfusion of their own bone marrow stem cells were cured of the disease after six months.

"The results ... show that the current challenges and difficulties of treating MDR-TB are not insurmountable, and they bring a unique opportunity with a fresh solution to treat hundreds of thousands of people who die unnecessarily," said TB expert Alimuddin Zumla at University College London, who co-led the study.

TB, which infects the lungs and can spread from one person to another through coughing and sneezing, is often falsely thought of as a disease of the past.

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Leaked files slam stem-cell therapy

Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto/Corbis

Potential patients have offered vocal support for Staminas stem-cell treatment in Italy.

A series of damning documents seen by Nature expose deep concerns over the safety and efficacy of the controversial stem-cell therapy promoted by Italys Stamina Foundation. The leaked papers reveal the true nature of the processes involved, long withheld by Staminas president, Davide Vannoni. Other disclosures show that the successes claimed by Stamina for its treatments have been over-stated. And, in an unexpected twist, top Italian scientists are dissociating themselves from an influential Miami-based clinician over his apparent support for the foundation.

Stamina, based in Brescia, claims that it successfully treated more than 80 patients, mostly children, for a wide range of conditions, from Parkinsons disease to muscular dystrophy, before the health authorities halted its operations in August 2012. A clinical trial to assess the treatment formally was approved by the Italian government last May, and an expert committee was convened by the health ministry to study Staminas method and to recommend which illnesses the trial should target.

Stamina says that its technique involves extracting mesenchymal stem cells from a patients bone marrow, culturing them so that they turn into nerve cells, and then injecting them back into the same patient. But full details of the method have never been revealed, and Vannoni provided the full protocol to the expert committee only in August.

In October, the committees report prompted health minister Beatrice Lorenzin to halt plans for the clinical trial. That led to public protests in support of Stamina, and, after an appeal by Vannoni, a court ruled in early December that the expert committee was unlawfully biased. Some members had previously expressed negative opinions of the method, the ruling said. As a result, Lorenzin appointed a new committee on 28December, reopening the possibility of a clinical trial.

Staminas protocol, together with the original committees report, was leaked to the press on 20 December (Nature has also been shown transcripts of the committees deliberations). The leaked papers reveal that the original expert committee identified serious flaws and omissions in Staminas clinical protocol. It did not apply legally required Good Manufacturing Practice standards, the committee says. The protocol exposed an apparent ignorance of stem-cell biology and relevant clinical expertise, the report argues, as well as flawed methods and therapeutic rationale (see Protocol opinion).

What the expert committee said on Staminas methods.

The report of the original expert committee tasked with looking at Staminas clinical protocol includes the following opinions:

The protocol contains no method for screening for pathogens such as prions or viruses, even though the culture medium used could contain them.

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Leaked files slam stem-cell therapy

Stem cells on the road to specialization

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Jan-2014

Contact: Joshua Brickmann joshua.brickman@sund.ku.dk 45-51-68-04-38 University of Copenhagen

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have gained new insight into how both early embryonic cells and embryonic stem cells are directed into becoming specialised cell types, like pancreatic and liver cells. The results have just been published in the scientific journal eLife.

This latest research from the Danish Stem Cell Center (Danstem) at the University of Copenhagen, helps identify how stem cells create so called pathways and roads supporting their own specialisation. This understanding is an important step towards stem cell-based cell therapies for conditions like diabetes and liver diseases.

"The new insight that we have gained into the impact of the physical environment on cell development is highly valuable," says Professor Joshua Brickman from DanStem, "It enables us to create the optimal physical environment in the laboratory for stem cells and progenitor cells to develop into specific, mature cells."

On the road

Developing cells constantly move and while moving around, they organise and build a physical environment very much like a small city with pathways and roads. The new research published in the scientific journal eLife shows two important things. Firstly the embryonic cells receive signals from other cells that actually instruct them in how to organise and build the road leading the cells towards early stages of pancreas and liver cells.

Professor Brickman and his team also found that they could isolate these roads from the developing stem cells and literally freeze them. The saved roads were then used in a separate experiment which showed that in the absence of an important cell signal, the road alone can be used to improve the cells' development and differentiation towards mature cells.

"Apart from gaining new important insight into cell development, our work also suggests that some of the current approaches to human embryonic stem cells specialisation towards both pancreatic and liver cells may not have been effective, because the important role of these roads, the so called extra-cellular matrix, was ignored," says Joshua Brickman.

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Stem cells on the road to specialization

StemGenex® Offers New Options to Diabetes Patients through Cutting-Edge Stem Cell Therapy

http://www.StemGenex.com. This image must be used in conjunction with the news release with which it was originally distributed.(PRNewsFoto/StemGenex/Rafe Swan/Cultura/Getty Images)

LA JOLLA, Calif., Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to The American Diabetes Association there are over 25 million people in the US living with diabetes. These patients are suffering from complications such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy and amputation. Since adult stem cells have the ability to differentiate into many different types of cells, such as those required for proper pancreatic functioning, StemGenex believes there is hope for these patients.

StemGenex is currently studying ways to regenerate insulin producing cells within the pancreas by using adult stem cells. By harvesting adipose derived stem cells through a mini-liposuction procedure, the doctors can then minimally manipulate the stem cells in an on-site lab before reintroducing them back into the patient's body, the very same day. Once the stem cells are reintroduced, StemGenex believes they may differentiate into insulin producing cells of the pancreas. StemGenex is studying outcomes such as better glycemic control, decreases in insulin requirement, as well as reductions in HBA1C and triglyceride levels.

Stem cell treatment studies are currently being offered by StemGenex to patients diagnosed with Diabetes as well as degenerative neurological diseases. StemGenex takes a unique approach of compassion and empowerment while providing access to the latest stem cell therapies for diseases including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, stroke recovery, COPD and others. Rita Alexander, founder of StemGenex and the company's first stem cell patient, insists that all patients be treated like they are one of our loved ones. "Hope, compassion, and the relentless pursuit for an end to these diseases are our primary focus."

StemGenex is extremely proud of its reputation as a leader in the stem cell industry as well as its dedication to putting patients first. StemGenex actively tracks and posts its patient satisfaction rates on its website in multiple categories as a way to share with the public how patients have been positively affected through these stem cell studies. These statistics are updated monthly and can be found here: StemGenex Patient Satisfaction Ratings

To find out more about stem cell therapy, contactStemGenexeither by phone at (800) 609-7795 or email Contact@stemgenex.com.

Image with caption: "www.StemGenex.com". Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140107/LA41524-a

Image with caption: "www.StemGenex.com". Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140107/LA41524-b

Image with caption: "www.StemGenex.com". Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140107/LA41524-c

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StemGenex® Offers New Options to Diabetes Patients through Cutting-Edge Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cell transplant complication gains attention at UW Health

After Susan Derse Phillips had chemotherapy for leukemia, she received a stem cell transplant, getting blood-forming cells from a donor to restore her immune system and attack any remaining leukemia cells.

The procedure apparently cured her leukemia, a type of blood cancer. But her skin turned red, her mouth and eyes became dry and she developed diarrhea, fatigue, bronchitis and pneumonia.

She had graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD, a life-threatening complication of the transplant. Her donors cells the graft werent attacking just her leukemia. They were attacking her skin, her gut, her lungs and other organs essentially, her body, the host.

It got pretty scary pretty quickly, said Phillips, 66, of Madison, who continues to struggle with the condition two years after the transplant.

More than half of patients who get donor stem cell transplants develop GVHD, and at least 20 percent of them die from it, said Dr. Mark Juckett, a hematologist at UW Health. But the complication, which likely is under-reported, receives relatively little attention.

Phillips, former president and CEO of Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg, set out to change that in Wisconsin. With $500,000 from two donors as seed money, she persuaded UW Health to launch a program to focus on the condition.

UW Carbone Cancer Centers new GVHD program aims to provide better treatment for the 250 or so UW Health patients with the condition and up to 1,000 such patients in Wisconsin and parts of neighboring states, said Juckett, one of the programs two leaders. The program will also study ways to prevent GVHD.

Too often, when doctors give donor stem cell transplants, were trading one disease for another, said Juckett, Phillips doctor. Theres been a lot of focus on how best to do the transplant ... but theres never been a real recognition of dealing with GHVD as a real problem.

Nationwide, about 18,500 stem cell or bone marrow transplants were performed in 2011, according to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research in Milwaukee.

At UW Hospital, about 150 patients receive the transplants each year. Roughly 100 of them get infusions of their own stem cells, after high-dose chemotherapy or radiation, for conditions such as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. They are not at risk for GVHD.

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Stem cell transplant complication gains attention at UW Health

Gene Patent Case Fuels U.S. Court Test of Stem Cell Right

As scientists get closer to using embryonic stem cells in new treatments for blindness, spinal cord injuries and heart disease, a U.S. legal debate could determine who profits from that research.

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit advocacy group, wants an appeals court to invalidate a University of Wisconsin-Madisons patentfor stem cells derived from human embryos, saying its too similar to earlier research. The Santa Monica, California, group also says the U.S. Supreme Courts June ruling limiting ownership rights of human genes should apply to stem cells, a potentially lucrative field for medical breakthroughs.

The challenge to Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the universitys licensing arm, is about whether patents help or hinder U.S. stem-cell research, which has been stymied by political debate. The consumer group says it drives up the cost of research by requiring companies and some academics to pay a licensing fee to the university.

What were asking the government to do is say WARF has no right to the patent, said Dan Ravicher, executive director Public Patent Foundation in New York, which is handling the challenge for Consumer Watchdog. Its like the government sent a check to WARF they didnt deserve.

Consumer Watchdog lost a challenge at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in January 2013. It wants the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington to review that decision and consider new arguments based on the Supreme Courts finding that genes -- like stem cells -- are a natural material that cant be patented. Beyond the science question, the case has become a flashpoint over how far members of the public can go to invalidate patents on policy grounds.

While the patent expires in April 2015 and the university has other stem-cell-related patents, Consumer Watchdog is continuing a six-year battle to invalidate it because stem-cell research is starting to get some traction into therapeutic uses, Ravicher said.

The promise of embryonic stem cells is to create or repair tissues and organs using material taken from eggs fertilized in the laboratory. The cells created can be replicated indefinitely, and with the right biological cues, may aid in treating damaged heart tissue and spinal cords, or generate therapies for diabetes and cancer. Companies like StemCells Inc. (STEM) and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. are testing therapies to treat macular degeneration, a cause of blindness.

The next paradigm shift in medicine will be advances in cell therapy -- its under way, said Jason Kolbert, senior biotechnology analyst with Maxim Group LLC in New York. He said pharmaceutical makers such as Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) of Petach Tikva, Israel, and Pfizer (PFE) Inc. of New York are working with stem-cell researchers on new therapies.

Stem-cell science in the U.S. was curbed in 2001 when then-President George W. Bush issued an executive order limiting research to existing cell lines amid controversy over human embryo destruction, even though they were never in a womans uterus. President Barack Obama reversed that order in 2009.

Some scientists have avoided the public debate by using adult cells to find the unlimited potential they have in embryonic cells.

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Gene Patent Case Fuels U.S. Court Test of Stem Cell Right

West Coast Stem Cell Clinic, TeleHealth, Now Offering Stem Cell Injections for Ligament Sprains

Orange County, CA (PRWEB) January 06, 2014

Top West Coast Stem Cell Clinic, TeleHealth, is now offering stem cell injections for ligament sprains. This includes injuries of the ankle, knee, wrist and other extremity joints. Board Certified doctors administer the outpatient injections which can help patients heal quicker than conventional treatments. For more information and scheduling, call (888) 828-4575.

In adults, ligament sprains can take months to heal due to limited blood supply and healing potential. This can keep athletes off the field and inhibit the ability of even recreational athletes to walk and run without pain.

Conventional pain relief treatments are able to provide pain relief. This may include steroid injections or anti-inflammatories by mouth. However, these treatments do not alter the course of the healing.

With the advent of regenerative medicine treatments, the potential exists for quicker healing. These treatments include fat or bone marrow derived stem cell injections along with platelet rich plasma therapy.

Platelet rich plasma therapy, known as PRP therapy, involves a simple blood draw from the patient. The blood is spun in a centrifuge, which concentrates the platelets and growth factors. These are then injected into the area of ligament injury.

With the fat or bone marrow derived stem cells, the material is harvested in an outpatient procedure from the patient. It is processed immediately to concentrate the patient's stem cells and then injected right away into the injured region.

Small published studies have shown the treatment to be very effective for healing the injuries faster than with conventional treatments. There is low risk involved, the treatments are outpatient and performed by highly experienced Board Certified doctors who have over twenty years combined experience in regenerative medicine treatments.

Along with the injections for ligament injury, stem cell injections are also offered for degenerative arthritis, rotator cuff injury, back and neck pain, achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and more.

TeleHealth has two offices for treatment, one in Orange and a second in Upland, CA. Call (888) 828-4575 for more information and scheduling.

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West Coast Stem Cell Clinic, TeleHealth, Now Offering Stem Cell Injections for Ligament Sprains