Dr. Aaron Schimmer Receives the Till and McCulloch Award – Award Lecture to be Presented Today on Drug Screening with …

MONTRAL, April 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Canada's most coveted stem cell prize will be awarded to a Stem Cell Network researcher who has used drug screening to find a potential new treatment for a deadly form of cancer.

Dr. Aaron Schimmer, associate professor in the University of Toronto's Department of Medical Biophysics and a clinician-scientist in the Princess Margaret Cancer Program/Ontario Cancer Institute at University Health Network, has received the 2012 Till & McCulloch Award, presented each year by the Stem Cell Network in recognition of the year's most influential peer-reviewed article by a researcher in Canada. Dr. Schimmer will accept the award and present a lecture entitled "Novel therapeutic strategies to target leukemia stem cells" as part of the Till and McCulloch Meetings in Montral at 2 p.m. this afternoon.

In an advance interview, Dr. Schimmer described his findings and their potential as a new drug therapy in the treatment of leukemia.

"When you treat patients with leukemia, you can kill off 99 per cent of their leukemic cells with just about anything, and yet, 80 per cent or more of patients relapse," Schimmer explained. "When we examined this in a really objective way, the question was not how to kill off those bulk cells - we already knew how to do that - but are we really missing a critical component of what we should be targeting?"

Dr. Schimmer and his team eventually found that cutting off the energy production capacity of bulk leukemia cells and leukemia stem cells was a way of treating the disease, and that the compound tigecyclinean FDA-approved antibiotic sometimes used to treat skin and abdominal infectionswas up to the task.

"Tigecycline appeared to work by essentially shutting down the energy supply of the leukemia cells and stem cells," said Dr. Schimmer. "Essentially it is like producing a selective power outage in leukemia cells but not normal cells."

By focusing on FDA-approved drugs, Dr. Schimmer was able to produce results that were quickly translated into clinical trials. Less than two years passed between his initial findings and the commencement of a phase-one clinical triala process that can otherwise take three or four times that long.

"It is incredibly impressive how much progress Dr. Schimmer has made in such a short period of time by using these stem cell screening techniques," said Stem Cell Network Scientific Director Michael Rudnicki. "By identifying drugs which are already approved for human therapies and testing their efficacy in treating diseases such as leukemia, Dr. Schimmer has shaved years off of the clinical trial process. It is likely that his discovery will improve the outcomes for many patients in the near future."

In 2005, the Stem Cell Network established the Till & McCulloch Award in honour of Canadians Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, whose pioneering work established the field of stem cell research. The Award had been granted at the Stem Cell Network's Annual Scientific Meeting, but became part of the Till & McCulloch Meetings this year.

The previous winner was Timothy Caulfield, who was recognized for his global leadership in the field of stem cell ethics.

Read this article:
Dr. Aaron Schimmer Receives the Till and McCulloch Award - Award Lecture to be Presented Today on Drug Screening with ...

Bellevue doctor tests stem-cell cream as anti-aging therapy

by JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News

KING5.com

Posted on April 27, 2012 at 11:01 PM

A Bellevue doctor is one of only two researchers in the country testing stem cells as an anti-aging treatment.

Working with volunteer patients, Dr. Fredric Stern extracts stem cells with a liposuction-like procedure. The cells are then mixed with a special medium.

"Half is saved cyrogenically for future use and the other half is shipped to the laboratory in Arizona where on that end the stem cells are grown further," Stern said.

The end product goes into a cream called tropoelastin. The hope is that high concentrations of a patient's own stem cells in the cream will boost the skink's ability to repair itself.

If the eye cream proves successful in the eight-week study, the company will also offer a facial cream. Both could be available within a few months.

Stern said he expects the price to be comparable to high-end cosmetic products that typically cost hundreds of dollars.

Stern said the skin treatment is just the beginning. He said wound care is another possible use.

Read this article:
Bellevue doctor tests stem-cell cream as anti-aging therapy

The fat stopper: Protein that regulates the creation of fat cells identified

ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2012) Biological sciences major Adam Reese may have found the key to keep fat cells from forming.

The University of Delaware junior believes he has identified the trigger that turns a stem cell into a fat cell. Located on the surface of cells, the trigger -- a protein called endoglin -- regulates what type of cell an existing stem cell will become.

Working in the UD Department of Biological Sciences' laboratory of cellular signaling and dynamics with assistant professor Anja Nohe, Reese investigates ways to combat osteoporosis. His findings may also have implications for obesity.

Patients afflicted with osteoporosis lose bone mass as they age. Bone is a dynamic tissue, constantly renewed by removal or reabsorption of old bone and formation of new bone. Through this cellular remodeling process, roughly one-fifth of an adult's skeleton is replaced each year. Of the limited treatments developed to reduce bone loss, most have potentially serious side effects, are cost prohibitive, or are difficult to use.

Reese, with the help of graduate student Joyita Dutta, found that the amount of endoglin on a cell's surface indicates whether the cell will become a fat cell or a bone cell.

"What would happen if you could make the cell stop making the protein?" Reese said. "You could affect whether or not it's even a fat cell."

If the amount of endoglin on the cell surface could be decreased, the amount of cells turning into bone would rise, leading to an increase in bone strength, thus ending osteoporosis.

"I didn't really expect it. I expected the data would be the other way around," said Nohe, Reese's undergraduate research adviser. "It's very exciting."

According to Nohe, researchers did not previously know if endoglin was the key controlling the cells' change or if it was just a marker. She believes Reese's data shows endoglin is the driver, and pinpointing that could lead to a cure.

"Now we have a target that we could hit," she said.

Read this article:
The fat stopper: Protein that regulates the creation of fat cells identified

Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico Presents Summary of Clinical Data at the International Society of Stem Cell …

TIJUANA, Mexico, April 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico (RMI) will be among top scientists and physicians presenting cutting edge data at the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). The ISSCR's annual meeting has become the world's premier stem cell research event. The meeting serves as the largest forum for stem cell and regenerative medicine professionals from around the world. The ISSCR 10th Annual Meeting will be held June 13 - 16, 2012 at the Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan.

A summary of data on the use of adult stem cells from adipose tissue to treat heart failure and COPD will be presented by Kristin Comella, Chief Scientific Officer of Bioheart Inc. Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. RMI is currently running Phase I/II trials at the Hospital Angeles in collaboration with Bioheart and the Ageless Regenerative Institute.

Dr. Javier Lopez, President and CEO of RMI and a member of ISSCR said that "We are proud to share our initial results with the scientific community at such a prestigious event."

For more information on RMI, visit http://www.regenerativemedicine.mx

Visit link:
Regenerative Medicine Institute, Mexico Presents Summary of Clinical Data at the International Society of Stem Cell ...

Starr Foundation Continues Support for Stem Cell Research in New York with $50 Million Gift

Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative Pursues Cutting-Edge Stem Cell Research and Therapies

Newswise NEW YORK (April 23, 2012) -- The Starr Foundation is continuing its historic commitment to stem cell research with a $50 million gift in support of the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative (Tri-SCI), which was established through a generous grant from the Foundation in 2005. The new gift, awarded to the original Tri-SCI members -- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medical College, all in New York City -- will support and enhance collaborative, pioneering stem cell research at the three adjacent Manhattan campuses.

With support from The Starr Foundation, Tri-SCI laboratories are investigating the properties of embryonic stem cells, which have the potential to differentiate into any cell type in the body, and adult stem cells, which are found in various tissues and can give rise to specific cell types. These studies are opening new avenues for understanding a range of health conditions, including developmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. The knowledge gained through this research is also laying the groundwork for the design of regenerative therapies to replenish tissues lost to illness or injury.

Under the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative, investigators work across institutional and disciplinary boundaries to advance scientific understanding in a rapidly expanding field of biomedicine. The Tri-SCI funds technology development, seminars and symposia to foster intellectual exchange, and fellowships to train future leaders in stem cell research.

"Stem cell research has undergone a remarkable expansion and transformation in the seven years since this initiative was launched," says Maurice R. Greenberg, chairman of The Starr Foundation's Board of Directors. "There are many exciting developments on the horizon, and I am delighted that The Starr Foundation can renew its support of this important collaborative effort at such a promising time."

Based in New York City, the Foundation has long supported medical research, health care, human needs and educational programs in New York City, as well as cultural institutions and public policy projects relating to international relations. Of the nearly three billion dollars in grants made by the Foundation since 1955, more than half has gone to New York-based institutions.

"The goals of the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative are truly ambitious, and only a collaborative venture of this magnitude could provide the resources and expertise needed to achieve them," said Craig Thompson, MD, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "All of us at Memorial Sloan-Kettering are deeply grateful to The Starr Foundation for its incredible vision and generosity in supporting this vital area of research."

"We deeply appreciate The Starr Foundation's generosity and commitment to excellence in biomedical research. The Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative will enable our scientists to continue their pursuit of bold new ideas that will better human health," says Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College.

"To realize the full promise of stem cells in regenerative medicine, we need to understand the molecular mechanisms that determine a stem cell's potential to develop into many types of functional cells in the body," says Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of The Rockefeller University. "As the climate for federal funding of stem cell research remains uncertain, we are grateful to The Starr Foundation for its continued commitment to supporting both existing and exciting new collaborative efforts by stem cell researchers at our three institutions."

Research Highlights from the Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative

More here:
Starr Foundation Continues Support for Stem Cell Research in New York with $50 Million Gift

Finding stem cell donor match warden’s ‘only hope’ for fighting cancer

If all goes according to plan in Gregory Sanborns life over the coming weeks, doctors find a matching stem cell donor for him and he undergoes an aggressive year of procedures and solitary recovery, he can return to work cancer-free.

I let my immune system get strong, I come back to work a year from now, and I live to be old, fat and happy in my garden, Sanborn said.

The alternative: a stem cell match is not found or a matching donation fails to produce the desired results. In that case, Sanborn knows what happens.

The cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that is ravaging his body wins.

And Sanborn dies.

Basically, its my only hope, Sanborn said of the stem-cell transplant he has been left to hope for. If it works, Ill be cured. And if it doesnt, I wont be.

Sanborn, a 46-year-old career game warden who now serves as the deputy chief of the Maine Warden Service, remains optimistic. He is also realistic. And after several months of treatment, Sanborn has learned that his self-reliance always one of his attributes of which he was proudest may stand in the way of his recovery.

Thats why last Friday he was willing to say something he never thought hed say.

As people come up to me now, I look right at them and say, You know what? At this point, Ill take whatever help anyone is willing to give me, because I truly cannot do this alone, Sanborn said.

Sanborn wont have to fight the battle alone. His brother wardens have joined forces with the University of Maine football team to hold a stem cell donor drive on Wednesday. The wardens hope to find a matching donor for Sanborn; the drive itself could benefit patients around the world, as the results will be added to a database that serves those in need of a transplant.

Go here to read the rest:
Finding stem cell donor match warden’s ‘only hope’ for fighting cancer

New stem cell found in brain: Finding could be key to developing methods to heal and repair brain injury and disease

ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2012) esearchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a new stem cell in the adult brain. These cells can proliferate and form several different cell types -- most importantly, they can form new brain cells. Scientists hope to take advantage of the finding to develop methods to heal and repair disease and injury in the brain.

Analyzing brain tissue from biopsies, the researchers for the first time found stem cells located around small blood vessels in the brain. The cell's specific function is still unclear, but its plastic properties suggest great potential.

"A similar cell type has been identified in several other organs where it can promote regeneration of muscle, bone, cartilage and adipose tissue," said Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D., Jay Van Andel Endowed Chair in Parkinson's Research at Van Andel Research Institute (VARI), Head of the Neuronal Survival Unit at Lund University and senior author of the study.

In other organs, researchers have shown clear evidence that these types of cells contribute to repair and wound healing. Scientists suggest that the curative properties may also apply to the brain. The next step is to try to control and enhance stem cell self-healing properties with the aim of carrying out targeted therapies to a specific area of the brain.

"Our findings show that the cell capacity is much larger than we originally thought, and that these cells are very versatile," said Gesine Paul-Visse, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Lund University and the study's primary author. "Most interesting is their ability to form neuronal cells, but they can also be developed for other cell types. The results contribute to better understanding of how brain cell plasticity works and opens up new opportunities to exploit these very features."

The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, is of interest to a broad spectrum of brain research. Future possible therapeutic targets range from neurodegenerative diseases to stroke.

"We hope that our findings may lead to a new and better understanding of the brain's own repair mechanisms," said Dr. Paul-Visse. "Ultimately the goal is to strengthen these mechanisms and develop new treatments that can repair the diseased brain."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

See the article here:
New stem cell found in brain: Finding could be key to developing methods to heal and repair brain injury and disease

For Holliston teen, medical miracle or doctor fraud?

The treatment is experimental, not approved in the United States. Medical experts call it a scam. They call its overseas practitioners frauds.

A Holliston family knows all this. But they say stem cell treatment helped their daughter once and they believe it could again.

The Ghelli family, whose daughter Jona has cerebral palsy, is raising money for a second trip to Germany for an experimental stem cell treatment.

Many medical experts in the United States caution against the procedure.

A lot of families end up spending a lot of their own private money for something that we dont even know if it works, said Dr. Elizabeth Barkoudah, instructor of neurology in the Neurology Department at Childrens Hospital in Boston.

Jona Ghelli underwent the procedure at the XCell-Center in Dusseldorf, Germany, in October 2010 and her family calls the results miraculous.

With Jona, we saw them within hours, said her mother, Joanne.

Jona, 17, has suffered since birth from cerebral palsy and microcephaly. She has cognitive and physical impairments and struggles to perform simple tasks such as brushing her teeth.

Just two days after the treatment, which Joanne Ghelli said was performed in a clinic inside a hospital, Jonas hand relaxed. Normally it is rigid and extended.

For us, just to see a mild difference is huge, she said.

More:
For Holliston teen, medical miracle or doctor fraud?

Stem Cell Therapy – T6 Spinal Cord Injury (complete) at Stem Cell Institute Panama City, Panama – Video

16-04-2012 16:52 Spinal cord injury patient, Chris Niles, discusses his improvements after undergoing stem cell therapy at the the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama. Chris now has sensation down to about a T10 level and has regained movement in his feet.

View post:
Stem Cell Therapy - T6 Spinal Cord Injury (complete) at Stem Cell Institute Panama City, Panama - Video

FDA approves Pluristem stem cell trial for severe limping

Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR) has obtained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to begin a Phase II clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of its PLX-PAD placental stem cell treatment of intermittent claudication (moderate-severe limping), a subset of peripheral artery disease (PAD), caused by atherosclerosis of the legs.

The clinical trial will include 132 patients at ten locations in the US. The trial will test the safety and efficacy of two dosages of PLX-PAD cells compared with a placebo. The primary endpoint will be the change in the maximal walking distance from baseline during an exercise treadmill test. Secondary endpoints will include hemodynamics and quality of life measurements. The trial will also test safety parameters.

Pluristem chairman and CEO Zami Aberman said, "We are excited to receive the world's FDA first clearance for an intermittent claudication clinical trial using allogeneic cell therapy as a potential preventive treatment for this disease. We believe that our approach of repeatable intramuscular injections will potentially enable us to boost the healing process of our patients. In this trial, we will take benefit of our 'off-the-shelf' PLX properties achieved by our 3D proprietary technology platform for efficient, controlled, mass production of cell therapy product candidates, for the treatment of millions of intermittent claudication patients around the world."

Pluristem cites studies which state that intermittent claudication affects 14 million people in the US, costing $2.5 billion in national healthcare costs.

Pluristem's share price rose 8.9% by mid-afternoon on the TASE today to NIS 8.89, after rising 1.6% on Nasdaq yesterday to $2.22, giving a market cap of $98 million. The share price is up 5.9% in premarket trading on Nasdaq today.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - http://www.globes-online.com - on April 17, 2012

Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012

Read the rest here:
FDA approves Pluristem stem cell trial for severe limping