Stem cell therapy following meniscus knee surgery may reduce pain, restore meniscus

Jan. 16, 2014 A single stem cell injection following meniscus knee surgery may provide pain relief and aid in meniscus regrowth, according to a novel study appearing in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS).

More than one million knee arthroscopy procedures are performed each year in the U.S. primarily for the treatment of tears to the meniscus -- the wedge-shaped pieces of cartilage that act as "shock absorbers" between the thighbone and shinbone in the knee joint.

In the first-of-its-kind study, "Adult Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) Delivered via Intra-Articular Injection to the Knee, Following Partial Medial Meniscectomy," most patients who received a single injection of adult stem cells following the surgical removal of all or part of a torn meniscus, reported a significant reduction in pain. Some patients?24 percent of one MSC group and 6 percent of another?experienced at least a 15 percent increase in meniscal volume at one year. There was no additional increase in meniscal volume at year two.

"The results demonstrated that high doses of mesenchymal stem cells can be safely delivered in a concentrated manner to a knee joint without abnormal tissue formation," said lead study author C. Thomas Vangsness, Jr., MD. "No one has ever done that before." In addition, "the patients with arthritis got strong improvement in pain" and some experienced meniscal regrowth.

Specific Study Details The study involved 55 patients, ages 18 to 60, who underwent a partial medial meniscectomy (the surgical removal of all or part of a torn meniscus) at seven medical institutions. Patients were randomly placed in one of three treatment groups: Group A patients (18) received a "low-dose" injection of 50 million stem cells within seven to 10 days after meniscus surgery; Group B patients (18), a higher dose of 100 million stem cells; and the "control group (19)," sodium hyaluronate only. Patients were assessed to evaluate safety, meniscus regeneration through MRI and X-ray images, overall condition of the knee joint and clinical outcomes through two years. While most of the patients had some arthritis, patients with severe (level three or four) arthritis, in the same compartment as the meniscectomy, were excluded from the study.

Key Study Findings

"The results of this study suggest that mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to improve the overall condition of the knee joint," said Dr. Vangsness. "I am very excited and encouraged" by the results. With the success of a single injection, "it begs the question: What if we give a series of injections?"

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Stem cell therapy following meniscus knee surgery may reduce pain, restore meniscus

SmartChoice® Adult Stem Cell Procedures – Back Pain Relief – Video

SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Back Pain Relief
SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures can help relieve your knee and back pain as well as other orthopedic conditions. Hear first hand what our patient has...

By: Hardesh Garg

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SmartChoice® Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Back Pain Relief - Video

Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center Upcoming Public Lectures

(PRWEB) January 16, 2014

The Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center, PC, located in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Boca Raton, Florida, announces a series of free public seminars on the use of stem cells for various degenerative and inflammatory conditions. They will be provided by Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, Surgeon-in-Chief, and, Dr. Nia Smyrniotis, Medical Director.

The seminars will be held on January 18th and 19th. On January 18th, the seminar will be held at the Boca Raton Marriot, at Boca Town Center, 5150 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, Florida 33486, at 1 p.m.; and on January 19th at the Courtyard Marriot Aventura, 2825 NE 191st Street, Aventura, Florida 33180, at 1 p.m.

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 or Dr. Gionis 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 Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center (Irvine, California) and 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 Research Protections; and the study is registered with http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). For more information, contact: Miami(at)MiamiStemCellsUSA(dot)com or visit our website: http://www.MiamiStemCellsUSA.com.

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Miami Stem Cell Treatment Center Upcoming Public Lectures

The International Society for Stem Cell Research announces its 2014 award recipients

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

14-Jan-2014

Contact: Michelle Quivey mquivey@isscr.org 224-592-5012 International Society for Stem Cell Research

CHICAGO The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has announced the following 2014 award recipients, who will be formally recognized at its 12th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, taking place June 18-21, 2014:

The McEwen Award for Innovation, supported by the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, recognizes original thinking and groundbreaking research pertaining to stem cells or regenerative medicine that opens new avenues of exploration toward the understanding or treatment of human disease or affliction. The winner receives $100,000 USD. Past winners include James Thomson, Rudolf Jaenisch, Kazutoshi Takahashi and Shinya Yamanaka.

Award recipient Surani is a world leader in the field of epigenetics and the development of the mammalian germ line. His work on early mammalian development led to his involvement in the discovery of genomic imprinting and ongoing contributions to understanding the mechanistic basis of imprinting. Most relevant to stem cell biology, is his work on the cellular and molecular specification of the mammalian germ cell lineage, which impacted the field's understanding of how the germ line is established and the molecular mechanisms responsible for reprogramming the epigenome in order to generate the totipotent state.

"The ISSCR is thrilled to announce the McEwen Award for Innovation, our most prestigious award, will be presented to Azim Surani," Janet Rossant, ISSCR president, said. "His pioneering research, which has changed the face of epigenetics and advanced the field of stem cell biology, is a rare and significant contribution from a single individual."

The ISSCR-BD Biosciences Outstanding Young Investigator Award recognizes exceptional achievements by an ISSCR member and investigator in the early part of their independent career in stem cell research. The winner receives a $7,500 USD personal award and an opportunity to present at the ISSCR Annual Meeting. Past winners include Marius Wernig, Cdric Blanpain, Robert Blelloch, Joanna Wysocka and Konrad Hochedlinger.

Award recipient Greco established a noninvasive method to directly visualize skin stem cell division in real time in living animals the first of its kind for imaging any stem cell. By combining this method with laser ablation and transgenic lineage tracing, she captured previously inaccessible key information on stem cell behavior during tissue maintenance and regeneration. She demonstrated that the niche location of stem cells dictates their fates, the niche is required for tissue maintenance, and that a -catenin-mediated extrinsic mechanism regulates stem cell activation.

"The ISSCR is looking forward to presenting our Outstanding Young Investigator Award to Valentina Greco," Rossant said. "Her enthusiastic nomination by over a dozen leaders in the field of stem cell research demonstrates the significance of her early-career contributions to stem cell biology and regenerative medicine."

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The International Society for Stem Cell Research announces its 2014 award recipients

T-cell research sheds light on why HIV can persist despite treatment

Jan. 14, 2014 Ryan Zurakowski, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Delaware, is co-author of a paper appearing in Nature Medicine on Jan. 12 highlighting the role of T-cells in HIV.

The paper, titled "HIV-1 Persistence in CD4+ T-Cells with Stem Cell-Like Properties," provides evidence that a particular T-cell type may help researchers better understand why HIV can persist despite treatment.

Zurakowski's co-authors include Mathias Lichterfeld, the paper's lead author, and researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH); Ragon Institute of MGH, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University; the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University; Brigham and Women's Hospital; and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Zurakowski explained that HIV treatments do not kill infected cells. Instead, they stop the infection of new cells, and rely on the virus itself to kill the infected cells. Unfortunately, some cells infected by the virus -- memory T-cells -- are not killed by the virus.

T-cells are a type of lymphocyte, or white blood cell, produced by the thymus gland, that actively participates in the body's immune response. "Memory" T-cells can live for years, or even decades, providing life-long immunity to previously encountered diseases. They can form "quiescent" infections, which last for years, and cause HIV to rebound whenever a patient stops treatment.

During a decade-long study, the researchers discovered that not all memory T-cells are alike. A subgroup of memory T-cells, called "Stem-Cell Memory T-cells" (Tscm), are different, particularly in their ability to produce daughter cells.

The researchers were able to show that the HIV-infected Tscm cells in patients on HIV therapy decayed more slowly than any other type of T-cell. As a result, after 10 years of therapy, the Tscm cells represented 24 percent of the total HIV infected cell population, despite being only 1 percent of the total T-cell population.

This finding is significant, Zurakowski said, because it demonstrates that Tscm cells are the slowest-decaying portion of the HIV reservoir.

"Over time this particular cell type plays an increasingly significant role in sustaining HIV infection in patients that have remained on therapy," he said.

Zurakowski credits the finding to the diligence of Lichterfeld and the researchers at the Ragon Institute in carefully following the same HIV patients for a decade.

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T-cell research sheds light on why HIV can persist despite treatment

T-Cell Finding Sheds Light on Why HIV Can Persist Despite Treatment

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Newswise Ryan Zurakowski, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Delaware, is co-author of a paper appearing in Nature Medicine on Jan. 12 highlighting the role of T-cells in HIV.

The paper, titled HIV-1 Persistence in CD4+ T-Cells with Stem Cell-Like Properties, provides evidence that a particular T-cell type may help researchers better understand why HIV can persist despite treatment.

Zurakowskis co-authors include Mathias Lichterfeld, the papers lead author, and researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH); Ragon Institute of MGH, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University; the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University; Brigham and Womens Hospital; and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Zurakowski explained that HIV treatments do not kill infected cells. Instead, they stop the infection of new cells, and rely on the virus itself to kill the infected cells. Unfortunately, some cells infected by the virus memory T-cells are not killed by the virus.

T-cells are a type of lymphocyte, or white blood cell, produced by the thymus gland, that actively participates in the bodys immune response. Memory T-cells can live for years, or even decades, providing life-long immunity to previously encountered diseases. They can form "quiescent" infections, which last for years, and cause HIV to rebound whenever a patient stops treatment.

During a decade-long study, the researchers discovered that not all memory T-cells are alike. A subgroup of memory T-cells, called "Stem-Cell Memory T-cells" (Tscm), are different, particularly in their ability to produce daughter cells.

The researchers were able to show that the HIV-infected Tscm cells in patients on HIV therapy decayed more slowly than any other type of T-cell. As a result, after 10 years of therapy, the Tscm cells represented 24 percent of the total HIV infected cell population, despite being only 1 percent of the total T-cell population.

This finding is significant, Zurakowski said, because it demonstrates that Tscm cells are the slowest-decaying portion of the HIV reservoir.

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T-Cell Finding Sheds Light on Why HIV Can Persist Despite Treatment

Study identifies population of stem-like cells where HIV persists in spite of treatment

Jan. 12, 2014 Although antiviral therapy against HIV suppresses viral replication and allows infected individuals to live relatively healthy lives for many years, the virus persists in the body, and replication resumes if treatment is interrupted. Now investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard may have found where the virus hides -- in a small group of recently identified T cells with stem-cell-like properties.

"Most human cells are short lived, so it has been unclear how HIV manages to stick around for decades in spite of very effective antiviral treatment," says Mathias Lichterfeld, MD, of the MGH Infectious Disease Division, corresponding author of the report receiving advance online publication in Nature Medicine. "This question led to the hypothesis that HIV might infect stem cells -- the most long-lasting cells in the body -- but traditional organ-specific stem cells, even those that give rise to all immune and blood cells, are resistant to HIV infection. We have discovered that a new group of T cells, called T memory stem cells, are susceptible to HIV and likely represent the longest lasting cellular niche for the virus."

HIV has such a devastating impact on the human immune system because it infects the CD4-positive T cells that normally direct and support the infection-fighting activities of other immune cells. Several subtypes of CD4 T cells have different functions; and all are capable of being infected by HIV, although antiviral treatment keeps the virus in those cells from replicating. Most of these CD4 T cells are short-lived and die relatively soon. What is distinct about CD4 T memory stem cells is their ability to live for decades, while giving rise to several subgroups of T cells. Therefore, HIV-infected T memory stem cells could continuously regenerate new HIV-infected cells, fueling the fire of HIV persistence in the human body.

The MGH/Ragon team found that T memory stem cells express both CD4 and CCR5 -- the receptor proteins used by HIV to enter cells -- suggesting that these long-lived cells could be the long-sought HIV reservoir. They then found that these cells can be readily infected with HIV, which was unexpected since traditional stem cells resist HIV infection. Importantly, the investigators found that levels of HIV DNA in patients receiving long-term antiviral treatment were highest in T memory stem cells.

Testing blood samples that had been taken from patients soon after initial infection and several years later revealed that the viral sequences found in T memory stem cells after 6 to 10 years of treatment were similar to those found in circulating T cells soon after infection, indicating that HIV had persisted relatively unchanged in T memory stem cells. In addition, the amount of HIV DNA in these cells remained relatively stable over time, even after long-term treatment caused viral levels to drop in other T cell subsets.

"Our findings suggest that novel, specific interventions will have to be designed to target HIV-infected T memory stem cells," says Lichterfeld, an assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Methods of inhibiting stem cell pathways are being studied to eliminate cancer stem cells -- persistent cells that are responsible for tumor recurrence after conventional treatments kill proliferating tumor cells. We are now investigating whether any of the drugs that target cancer stem cells might be effective against HIV-infected T memory stem cells.

"Identifying the reservoirs for HIV persistence is a critical step toward developing interventions that could induce a long-term remission without the need for antiviral medication, or possibly eliminate the virus entirely," Lichterfeld adds. "Although a real cure for HIV has been elusive, it is not impossible."

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Study identifies population of stem-like cells where HIV persists in spite of treatment

New Treatment For Blood Diseases Using Artificial Bone Marrow

January 12, 2014

Image Caption: Scanning electron microscopy of stem cells (yellow / green) in a scaffold structure (blue) serving as a basis for the artificial bone marrow. Credit: C. Lee-Thedieck/KIT

Rebekah Eliason for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

An exciting breakthrough is offering hope for the treatment of blood diseases such as leukemia using artificial bone marrow.

Specialized cells, known as hematopoietic stem cells, located within bone marrow, continuously replace and supply new blood cells such as red blood cells and white blood cells. Traditionally a blood disease like leukemia is treated with bone marrow transplants that supply the patient with new hematopoietic stem cells. Researchers have now discovered a way to artificially reproduce hematopoietic stem cells.

Since not every leukemia patient can find a suitable transplant, there is a need for other forms of treatment. The lack of appropriate transplants could be solved by artificial reproduction of hematopoietic stem cells. Previously, reproduction of the cells has been impossible due to their inability to survive anywhere but in their natural environment. Hematopoietic stem cells are found in a special niche of the bone marrow. If the cells reside out of the bone marrow, the specialized properties are modified. Consequently, to effectively reproduce the cells, the stem cell niche environment must also be created.

In the microscopic environment of the stem cell niche, there are several specific properties of importance. Areas in the bone that house the stem cells are extremely porous like a sponge. Making things even more complex, the spongy tissue is also home to other cell types which exchange signal substances with the stem cells. Also, the space among the cells creates an environment ensuring stability along with a place for the cells to anchor. Furthermore, the stem cell niche supplies the cells with nutrients and oxygen.

Dr. Cornelia Lee-Thedieck is head of the Young Investigators Group Stem Cell-Material Interactions, which consists of scientitsts from the KIT Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart and Tbingen University. The team was successful at artificially reproducing major properties of bone marrow at the laboratory.

Using synthetic polymers, the researchers were able to create a porous structure that simulated the spongy environment of the blood-forming bone marrow. Also, they were able to add protein building blocks which are similar to those found naturally in the environment of the bone marrow that enable cells to anchor. Finally, they added the other types of cells needed for exchanging signaling substances.

After the artificial bone marrow was created, the scientists placed hematopoietic stem cells that had been isolated from cord blood into it. For several days the cells were bred. Various analytical methods were then used to determine that cells were able to reproduce in the artificial bone marrow. When compared with standard cell cultivation methods, a larger number of stem cells in the artificial bone marrow retained their specific properties.

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New Treatment For Blood Diseases Using Artificial Bone Marrow

Stem cell replacement for frequent age-related blindness

Jan. 10, 2014 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of blindness. Scientists at the Department of Ophthalmology at the Bonn University Hospital and from the Neural Stem Cell Institute in New York (USA) have developed a method for using stem cells to replace cells in the eye destroyed by AMD. The implants survived in rabbit eyes for several weeks. Additional research is needed for clinical application. The results are now presented in the journal "Stem Cell Reports."

About four and a half million people in Germany suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is associated with a gradual loss of visual acuity and the ability to read or drive a car can be lost. The center of the field of vision is blurry, as if covered by a veil. This is caused by damage to a cell layer under the retina, known as the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). It coordinates the metabolism and function of the sensory cells in the eye. Inflammatory processes in this layer are associated with AMD and "metabolic waste" is less efficiently recycled. To date, there is no cure for AMD; treatments can only relieve the symptoms.

Scientists from the Bonn University Department of Ophthalmology, together with researchers in New York (USA), have now tested a new method in rabbits by which the damaged RPE cells in AMD may be replaced. The researchers implanted different RPEs which were obtained, among others, from stem cells from adult human donors. "These cells have now been used for the first time in research for transplantation purposes," says lead author Dr. Boris V. Stanzel from the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bonn. The discovery and characterization of the adult RPE stem cells was performed in the group of Prof. Sally Temple and Dr. Jeffrey Stern from the Neural Stem Cell Institute (NSCI) in New York, USA. Dr. Timothy Blenkinsop at NSCI pioneered methods to grow them to closely resemble true RPE.

Researchers in Bonn developed the implantation techniques

The implantation techniques for the new method were developed by researchers working with Dr. Stanzel from the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bonn. They allowed the stem cell derived RPE to grow on small polyester discs, thus yielding a thin cell layer. The researchers implanted this human RPE monolayer in rabbits under the retina. "Our research group developed special instruments to implant the replacement cells can under the retina," reports Dr. Stanzel. After four days, the researchers used tomographic methods to check whether the replacement cells had integrated into the surrounding cell layers. "The implanted cells were alive," reports the researcher at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bonn. "That is a clear indication that they have joined with the surrounding cells." After one week, the implanted cell layer was still stable. Even after four weeks, tissue examinations showed that the transplant was intact.

A new approach for possible treatment of AMD

"The results from the experiments prove that retinal pigment epithelial cells obtained from adult stem cells have the potential to replace cells destroyed by age-related macular degeneration," summarizes Dr. Stanzel. Moreover, using the newly developed basic method, it will be possible in the future to test which stem cell lines are suitable for transplantation in the eye. "However, clinical application is still far away," says Dr. Stanzel. More research is needed.

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Stem cell replacement for frequent age-related blindness

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