Cancer Stem Cell Discovery Could Hold Key To First Real Cure For The Disease

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

In some cancers, doctors find that tumors shrink with treatment, yet only briefly, and then come back with a vengeance. Now, recent studies on three different types of tumors suggest that cancer stem cells are resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and may explain why cancer becomes resistant to treatment.

A team of independent researchers came to the realization while studying tumors of the brain, intestines and skin in mice. Properties of so-called cancer stem cells that the researchers found could be further investigated and hopefully lead to new strategies in killing them off, said Luis F. Parada, a molecular geneticist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and senior author of the brain cancer study published on Wednesday.

If these cells are indeed the cells that fuel tumor growth then maybe you can target these cells, Professor Cedric Blanpain of the Free University of Brussels, who led the skin cancer study, told Pallab Ghosh at BBC News.

In the three separate cancer studies, the researchers have shown the growth and life of a tumor to be dependent on one small group of stem cells, they call mother cells. These cells are thought to fuel the diseases spread around the body the most common reason patients die from cancer.

Scientists had long believed certain cells were responsible for cancers coming back after treatment. But until now, nobody had proved them to exist in tumors.

The breakthrough, reported in the journals Nature and Science, brings researchers hope that they can finally find a cure for a disease that kills more than 150,000 people each year in the UK alone.

Scientists liken killing cancer stem cells to killing dandelions by pulling them out by the roots, rather than just removing the head. By combining a drug that attacks the stem cells with current treatments for cancer, they say a cure could likely occur.

But that could be easier said than done. Since the newly-discovered stem cells are very similar to healthy stem cells responsible for growing and renewing tissue in the body, any therapy targeting cancer stem cells could also destroy healthy cells. Researchers would need to deeply examine both types of cells to tease apart an differences that could be targeted in one cell and not the other.

Despite the roadblocks ahead, the confirmation that these cells even exist is important and groundbreaking for future cancer research, said Professor Hugo Snippert of the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, who led the study into intestinal tumors.

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Cancer Stem Cell Discovery Could Hold Key To First Real Cure For The Disease

Stem cells in tumors may fuel cancer regrowth, new studies suggest

(AP) Why does cancer come back after a tumor has been seemingly eradicated? Three new studies from American, Belgian, British and Dutch researchers may have an answer.

Study: Stem cells boost brain tumor treatments

The studies bolster a long-debated idea that tumors contain their own pool of stem cells that can multiply and keep fueling the cancer, seeding regrowth. If that's true, scientists will need to find a way to kill those cells, apart from how they target and attack the rest of the tumor.

Stem cells in healthy tissues are known for their ability to produce any kind of cell. The new research deals with a different kind, cancer stem cells. Some researchers, but not all, believe they lurk as a persisting feature in tumors.

Over the past decade, studies have found evidence for them in tumors like breast and colon cancers. But this research has largely depended on transplanting human cancer cells into mice that don't have immune systems, an artificial environment that raises questions about the relevance of the results.

Now, three studies reported online Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science present evidence for cancer stem cells within the original tumors. Again, the research relies on mice. That and other factors mean the new findings still won't convince everyone that cancer stem cells are key to finding more powerful treatments.

But researcher Luis Parada, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, believes his team is onto something. He says that for the type of brain tumor his team studied, "we've identified the true enemy."

If his finding applies to other cancers, he said, then even if chemotherapy drastically shrinks a tumor but doesn't affect its supply of cancer stem cells, "very little progress has actually been made."

The three studies used labeling techniques to trace the ancestry of cells within mouse tumors.

Collectively, they give "very strong support" to the cancer stem cell theory, said Jeffrey M. Rosen, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He did not participate in the work but supports the theory, which he said is widely accepted.

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Stem cells in tumors may fuel cancer regrowth, new studies suggest

8. Hui Linn back in Seoul for stem cell treatment

GEORGE TOWN: Acid attack survivor Tan Hui Linn has undergone stem cell injection on parts of her face in the second stage of a corrective surgery in Seoul.

The procedure went smoothly for the 20-year-old at JK Plastic Surgery Centre where doctors first conducted CO2 laser operation on her before the injection.

Her attending physician Dr Bae Joon-sung conducted the procedure in a two-hour operation that started at about 12.30pm Malaysian time yesterday, said Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi who coordinated Hui Linn's trip.

Other than her face, doctors will also carry out stem cell treatment on other affected parts on her chest, neck and thigh area.

It is claimed that stem cells can help rejuvenate and speed up the recovery of her transplanted skin.

Hui Linn, who arrived in Seoul on June 30, had undergone procedures to extract bone marrow on July 5 to cultivate stem cells, a process which will take 28 days.

The stem cell treatment was a result of a collaboration between JK Plastic Surgery and stem cell company Pharmicell.

Dr Bae said each treatment period was two weeks and her next injection had been scheduled on Aug 17; while she would undergo another laser treatment on Merdeka Day (Aug 31) along with the stem cell treatment. The fourth stem cell treatment is scheduled on Sept 14.

Doctors will evaluate her progress on Sept 25 before deciding on her next stage of treatment.

Each injection is estimated to cost about RM32,000 and are sponsored by the centre.

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8. Hui Linn back in Seoul for stem cell treatment

Hui Linn back in Seoul for stem cell treatment

GEORGE TOWN: Acid attack survivor Tan Hui Linn has undergone stem cell injection on parts of her face in the second stage of a corrective surgery in Seoul.

The procedure went smoothly for the 20-year-old at JK Plastic Surgery Centre where doctors first conducted CO2 laser operation on her before the injection.

Her attending physician Dr Bae Joon-sung conducted the procedure in a two-hour operation that started at about 12.30pm Malaysian time yesterday, said Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi who coordinated Hui Linn's trip.

Other than her face, doctors will also carry out stem cell treatment on other affected parts on her chest, neck and thigh area.

It is claimed that stem cells can help rejuvenate and speed up the recovery of her transplanted skin.

Hui Linn, who arrived in Seoul on June 30, had undergone procedures to extract bone marrow on July 5 to cultivate stem cells, a process which will take 28 days.

The stem cell treatment was a result of a collaboration between JK Plastic Surgery and stem cell company Pharmicell.

Dr Bae said each treatment period was two weeks and her next injection had been scheduled on Aug 17; while she would undergo another laser treatment on Merdeka Day (Aug 31) along with the stem cell treatment. The fourth stem cell treatment is scheduled on Sept 14.

Doctors will evaluate her progress on Sept 25 before deciding on her next stage of treatment.

Each injection is estimated to cost about RM32,000 and are sponsored by the centre.

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Hui Linn back in Seoul for stem cell treatment

Evidence Grows for Existence of Cancer Stem Cells

They could be the cause of cancer relapsebut may also offer new approaches to treatment.

Tumor triggers: Evidence is growing for the existence of cancer stem cells, a population of tumor cells with stem-cell like properties, such as the cells that glow green in these two images of mouse brain tumors. Nature, Chen et al, 2012

Several independent studies have provided strong evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells in some brain tumors, and potentially in skin and colon cancers as well. Like their powerful, healthy counterparts, the putative cancer stem cells have the ability to endlessly self-renew and produce progeny that can develop into all the different types of cells within a tumor. Some may even be resistant to many standard cancer therapies, and could be the cause of cancer relapse. But whether they actually exist in solid tumors is a controversial notion. Three studies published today won't end the debate, but they do lend greater credence to the theory, and could provide support for new approaches to cancer treatment.

Cancer stem cells are controversial partly because the experiments suggesting their existence have yielded inconsistent results. Experts say that could be due to the methods used to study them. Today's studies take advantage of imaging techniques that let researchers trace the fate of a cell and its progeny within a single mouse. All three groups looked at models of skin, brain, and colon cancer, and each study yielded varying degrees of support for cancer stem cells. The results suggest that at least some solid tumors carry the powerful cells, which may require special attention during cancer treatment.

"Cancer stem cells might explain why certain tumors might come back after treatment," says Hugo Snippert, a cancer biologist at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands and an author of one of the studies. "You can imagine if you get rid of the whole tumor except for one cancer stem cell, then the cancer stem cell fuels a new tumor, and you get back to original scenario," he says.

But it doesn't make sense to attack cancer stem cells alone, says Snippert. One of the mysteries of this cell type is its origin. Such cells could be deranged forms of normal stem cells in the body, or they could arise from other cell types that gain the stem-like abilities, which suggests that non-stem cells within a tumor could transform into the dangerous subtype. "If you follow and accept that line of argument," says Robert Weinberg, a cancer biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was not involved in today's studies, you then need to eliminate both the stem cells and non-stem cells in the tumors.

While two of the reports looked at early-stage, largely benign tumors, a third report from Luis Parada's group at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas studied deadly brain cancers called gliomas. They found that following chemotherapy, a subpopulation of cells with stem cell-like properties survived and seemed to instigate new tumor growth. They did this by producing a transient population of highly proliferative cells, which set up the hierarchy of cancerous cell types in a tumor.

If this subpopulation exists for a significant proportion of solid tumors, it will have a profound impact on how to treat and monitor cancers, says Parada. "If the cancer stem cell model is true, then assessing the efficacy of the therapy by tumor size or shrinkage would be less relevant, because what would really matter would be the effect of any therapy on the cancer stem cell population," he says.

While the cancer stem cell model may not be accepted as truth in all cornerseven with these three studiesthe possibility of the existence of such cells has prompted some groups to find ways to seek and destroy them. One such group is Boston-area Verastem, a company cofounded by Weinberg. Verastem is developing tools to specifically monitor them, and is designing drugs to selectively decrease cancer stem cell numbers. The company says several of its experimental models indicate that cancer stem cells resist standard treatments, but can be selectively destroyed by its three lead drug candidates.

Sean Morrison, a stem-cell biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center who was not involved in today's studies, says the papers "offer varying degrees of support that in at least certain kinds of tumors, there really are subpopulations of tumor cells that are responsible for tumor growth. The important question for the field is what fraction of cancers fall into each: is it really only a minority of malignancies that follow the cancer stem cell model, or are there many malignancies that follow the model? Nobody knows."

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Evidence Grows for Existence of Cancer Stem Cells

Lame dogs brought to heal with stem cells Save

July 29, 2012, 3 a.m.

Up for a walk ... Denise Stuckey, with her dog, Bella, who has had stem cell treatment from vet Joe Sulyok.

Stem cell injections in dogs will become routine in the next two years and will probably cost less than $1000.

The first data, collated last week, into the use of the procedure where cultured cells are injected into the joints of dogs with hip dysplasia or canine osteoarthritis has shown a success rate of 96 per cent.

The procedure will be made available to veterinary clinics, promoted at dog shows and possibly in a television campaign.

It has been transformed in little more than a year with stem cells from one animal used to treat other dogs.

Previously, an invasive procedure was necessary, with incisions to remove subcutaneous or fatty tissue from the affected dog and stem cells isolated in a laboratory before being injected back into the dog.

The procedure resulted in a culture containing only about 10 per cent to 15 per cent stem cells, while the culture from a donor in a breed with a genetic line clear of arthritis can been screened to provide a culture containing 100 per cent stem cells.

The figures were collected from vets by Australian Veterinary Stem Cells, which supplies stem cell treatments and has a partnership with the immunology and stem cell research department at Monash University in Melbourne.

The sample size for the study was small at 150 but only about 1000 animals have had the treatment.

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Lame dogs brought to heal with stem cells Save

It saved Ciaran, but America split on stem-cell cure

When news emerged last week that 13-year-old Ciaran Finn-Lynch is healthy two years on from having revolutionary stem-cell surgery to replace his windpipe, Atlanta's Erica Lyles Greene, whose brother underwent a similar procedure last November, had words of praise for the teen.

"Thank you for being so brave," Erica said of young Ciaran. "He did it two years ago. And how amazing is it that he is alive and well? This is exactly what my brother had hoped for."

Christopher Lyles (30) was diagnosed with a rare form of tracheal cancer in June 2011. Over the next three months, he endured 33 rounds of radiation treatment and seven of chemotherapy.

Finally, his doctors informed him that the tumour was too big to operate on and that they could do no more.

Erica and an aunt began trawling the internet for possible cures, when they came across Dr Paolo Macchiarini, the director of the Advanced Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who was at the cutting-edge of tracheal transplants.

Amazingly, in spite of the fact that reports about Dr Macchiarini's work were easily found on the internet, Christopher's doctors hadn't a clue about it.

"They had no idea that someone was performing tracheal transplants," Erica said. "And they said 'It's in Europe. Why are you looking there? That's kinda kooky.' And we said 'No, it's not'."

Stem-cell research has been contested terrain in America for decades. The battle has largely revolved around the issue of embryonic stem-cells.

Pro-life activists have waged a very active campaign to block the use of embryonic stem-cell use, insisting that life begins at conception and that destroying an embryo is, therefore, taking a human life.

Stem-cell research in the US still lags behind efforts in other parts of the world.

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It saved Ciaran, but America split on stem-cell cure

StemCells, Inc. Broadens HuCNS-SC(R) Patent Portfolio With Key Patent in Japan

NEWARK, Calif., July 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (STEM) today announced that the Japan Patent Office has granted to the Company Patent Number 5007003, titled "Enriched Central Nervous System Stem Cell and Progenitor Cell Populations, and Methods for Identifying, Isolating and Enriching for Such Populations." The patent broadly covers the prospective isolation and enrichment of neural stem and progenitor cells using antibody selection, as well as the use of these cells to treat disorders of the central nervous system. Some of the more noteworthy claims in the '003 patent include methods for isolating human neural stem cells, as well as compositions of matter comprising enriched neural stem cells, such as the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC cells, and the use of enriched neural stem cells as a medicament for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, acute brain injury and dysfunction of the central nervous system. The invention claimed by the '003 patent was the result of groundbreaking research conducted by the Company's stem cell researchers, including Nobuko Uchida, Ph.D., Vice President of Stem Cell Biology at StemCells, Inc., who is a named inventor on the patent. The patent term of the '003 patent extends into 2020.

"The issuance of the '003 patent in Japan further strengthens our intellectual property position around our neural stem cell technology," said Martin McGlynn, President and CEO of StemCells, Inc. "Our HuCNS-SC clinical development program continues to move forward, targeting such conditions as Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, myelin disorders, and diseases of the eye. This patent is another testament to the excellent and innovative science conducted by our researchers, who are leaders in the field of stem cell biology and, like the rest of our IP portfolio, will help to protect the significant investment we have made in developing our unique neural stem cell technology."

The Company's patent portfolio consists of approximately 40 issued U.S. patents, 250 issued foreign patents and active patent prosecution in over 14 distinct patent families claiming different types of stem and progenitor cells, cell culture media, stem cell research tools and techniques, and similar technologies. The Company's issued neural stem cell patents broadly cover human neural stem cells irrespective of whether they were derived from embryonic, juvenile or adult tissue, or derived using presently known induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) technologies. The Company's neural stem and progenitor cell patents cover (i) compositions of matter, (ii) methods of manufacture (isolation, proliferation, purification, genetic modification, etc.), and (iii) methods of use, including the use of these cells both as therapeutics and as tools for drug screening and testing.

About StemCells, Inc.

StemCells, Inc. is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery. The Company's lead therapeutic product candidate, HuCNS-SC(R) cells (purified human neural stem cells), is currently in development as a potential treatment for a broad range of central nervous system disorders. In a Phase I clinical trial in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in children, the Company has shown preliminary evidence of progressive and durable donor-derived myelination in all four patients transplanted with HuCNS-SC cells. The Company is also conducting a Phase I/II clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury in Switzerland and recently reported positive interim safety data for the first patient cohort. The Company has also initiated a Phase I/II clinical trial in dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and is pursuing preclinical studies in Alzheimer's disease. StemCells also markets stem cell research products, including media and reagents, under the SC Proven(R) brand. Further information about StemCells is available at http://www.stemcellsinc.com.

The StemCells, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7014

Apart from statements of historical fact, the text of this press release constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is subject to the safe harbors created therein. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the prospect of enforcing the Company's intellectual property against infringers, the potential breadth and length of patent protection in Japan or in any other geography; the likelihood that any of the Company's intellectual property will be found to be valid and enforceable; and whether the Company will be able to manufacture HuCNS-SC cells consistently and as needed to conduct the Company's on-going clinical studies. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Such statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions that may or may not ultimately prove valid. The Company's actual results may vary materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject, including the Company's ability to obtain the increased capital resources needed to continue its current operations and to conduct the research, preclinical development and clinical trials necessary for regulatory approvals and for continued patent prosecution efforts; uncertainty regarding the validity and enforceability of the Company's existing patents; the fact that additional trials will be required to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Company's HuCNS-SC cells for the treatment of any disease or disorder; uncertainty as to whether the FDA or other applicable regulatory agencies will permit the Company to continue clinical testing in spinal cord injury, age related macular degeneration or in future clinical trials of proposed therapies for other diseases or conditions; uncertainties regarding the Company's ability to commercialize a therapeutic product and its ability to successfully compete with other products on the market; and other factors that are described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.

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StemCells, Inc. Broadens HuCNS-SC(R) Patent Portfolio With Key Patent in Japan

Stem cell therapy could offer new hope for defects and injuries to head, mouth

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2012) In the first human study of its kind, researchers found that using stem cells to re-grow craniofacial tissues -- mainly bone -- proved quicker, more effective and less invasive than traditional bone regeneration treatments.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research partnered with Ann Arbor-based Aastrom Biosciences Inc. in the clinical trial, which involved 24 patients who required jawbone reconstruction after tooth removal.

Patients either received experimental tissue repair cells or traditional guided bone regeneration therapy. The tissue repair cells, called ixmyelocel-T, are under development at Aastrom, which is a U-M spinout company.

"In patients with jawbone deficiencies who also have missing teeth, it is very difficult to replace the missing teeth so that they look and function naturally," said Darnell Kaigler, principal investigator and assistant professor at the U-M School of Dentistry. "This technology and approach could potentially be used to restore areas of bone loss so that missing teeth can be replaced with dental implants."

William Giannobile, director of the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research and chair of the U-M Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, is co-principal investigator on the project.

The treatment is best suited for large defects such as those resulting from trauma, diseases or birth defects, Kaigler said. These defects are very complex because they involve several different tissue types -- bone, skin, gum tissue -- and are very challenging to treat.

The main advantage to the stem cell therapy is that it uses the patient's own cells to regenerate tissues, rather than introducing human-made, foreign materials, Kaigler said.

The results were promising. At six and 12 weeks following the experimental cell therapy treatment, patients in the study received dental implants. Patients who received tissue repair cells had greater bone density and quicker bone repair than those who received traditional guided bone regeneration therapy.

In addition, the experimental group needed less secondary bone grafting when getting their implants.

The cells used for the therapy were originally extracted from bone marrow taken from the patient's hip. The bone marrow was processed using Aastrom's proprietary system, which allows many different cells to grow, including stem cells. These stem cells were then placed in different areas of the mouth and jaw.

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Stem cell therapy could offer new hope for defects and injuries to head, mouth

Osiris Therapeutics Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR), the leading stem cell company focused on developing and marketing products to treat medical conditions in inflammatory, cardiovascular, orthopedic and wound healing markets, announced today its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012.

Highlights and Recent Developments

This past quarter was not only memorable, but monumental, for Osiris, stated C. Randal Mills, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Osiris Therapeutics. We have set a new benchmark to measure our success, and remain as committed as ever to extending the reach of this remarkable technology. Whether through our Biosurgery or Therapeutics units, we will continue to develop innovative cell therapy solutions for patients in need.

Second Quarter Financial Results

Biosurgery product revenue rose 43% from the previous quarter to $1.63 million. As of June 30, 2012, Osiris had $40.1 million of cash, receivables and short-term investments.

Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2012 were $4.1 million, compared to $5.2 million incurred in the second quarter of 2011. General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $1.4 million for the second quarter of 2012 compared to $3.3 million for the same period of the prior year. The 2011 G&A expense included a non-cash charge of $1.7 million related to the extension of the expiration date of a warrant. Net cash used in operations for the three months ended June 30, 2012 was $4.4 million.

Webcast and Conference Call

A webcast and conference call to discuss the financial results is scheduled for today, July 30, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. ET. To access the webcast, visit the Investor Relations section of the company's website at http://investor.osiris.com/events.cfm. Alternatively, callers may participate in the conference call by dialing (877) 303-6133 (U.S. participants) or (970) 315-0493 (international participants).

A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the call through August 05, 2012. Callers can access the replay by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S. participants) or (404) 537-3406 (international participants). The audio replay confirmation code is 99408506. To access a replay of the webcast, visit the Investor Relations section of the company's website at http://investor.osiris.com/events.cfm.

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Osiris Therapeutics Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results