2nd person cured of HIV thanks to stem cell transplant – Medical News Today

Researchers in the United Kingdom have confirmed that a stem cell transplant has cured a second person of HIV.

In 2007, Timothy Ray Brown became the first person ever whom doctors declared to be cured of HIV. At the time, they referred to him publicly as the Berlin patient.

His journey toward a cure was not straightforward. After having received an HIV diagnosis in the 1990s, Mr. Brown received antiretroviral treatment the usual course of action for an HIV infection.

However, later on, he also received a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, for which he eventually required a stem cell transplant.

As he was looking for a suitable donor match, his doctor had the idea to try an experiment. He looked for a donor with a specific genetic mutation that made them practically immune to HIV.

Receiving stem cells from this donor, it turned out, not only treated Mr. Browns leukemia but also cured the HIV infection.

Now, as a study featuring in The Lancet shows, another person has officially been cured of HIV, also thanks to a stem cell transplant.

In this second case, the person received a stem cell transplant with cells that did not express the CCR5 gene, which produces a protein that helps the virus enter cells.

The cells without the CCR5 gene were part of a bone marrow transplant, which the person was undergoing as a treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Following the transplant, and at 30 months after the person ceased antiretroviral therapy, doctors confirmed that the HIV viral load remained undetectable in blood samples.

This finding means that whatever traces of the viruss genetic material might still be in the system, they are so-called fossil traces, meaning that they cannot lead to further replication of the virus.

The specialists confirmed that HIV also remained undetectable in samples of cerebrospinal fluid, semen, intestinal tissue, and lymphoid tissue.

We propose that these results represent the second ever case of a patient to be cured of HIV, says the studys lead author, Prof. Ravindra Kumar Gupta, from the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

Our findings show that the success of stem cell transplantation as a cure for HIV, first reported 9 years ago in the Berlin patient, can be replicated.

Prof. Ravindra Kumar Gupta

However, Prof. Gupta emphasizes that [i]t is important to note that this curative treatment is high risk and only used as a last resort for patients with HIV who also have life threatening hematological [blood] malignancies.

Therefore, this is not a treatment that would be offered widely to patients with HIV who are on successful antiretroviral treatment, the researcher goes on to caution.

Commenting on these findings, other researchers involved in the study express the hope that, in the future, scientists may be able to use state-of-the-art gene editing tools as part of interventions meant to treat and cure HIV.

Dr. Dimitra Peppa, who is from the University of Oxford in the U.K. and co-authored the study, notes that [g]ene editing using the CCR5 has received a lot of attention recently.

Nevertheless, she points out, there is still a long way to go before such therapies may become viable.

There are still many ethical and technical barriers e.g., gene editing, efficiency, and robust safety data to overcome before any approach using CCR5 gene editing can be considered as a scalable cure strategy for HIV, she says.

Continued here:
2nd person cured of HIV thanks to stem cell transplant - Medical News Today

Insights Into the $8.8 Billion Cell Therapy Industry, 2020-2027 – Rising Adoption of Regenerative Medicine, Introduction of Novel Platforms &…

DUBLIN, March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cell Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Use-type (Research, Commercialized, Musculoskeletal Disorders), by Therapy Type (Autologous, Allogeneic), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cell therapy market size is expected to reach USD 8.8 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 5.4%, over the forecast period.

Cellular therapies hold a great therapeutic promise across various clinical applications. This has resulted in substantial global investments in research and clinical translation. Moreover, rapid advances in stem cell research hold the potential to fulfill the unmet demand of pharmaceutical entities, biotech entities, and doctors in disease management. These factors have boosted revenue growth for the market.

Currently, there are a limited number of FDA-approved commercial stem and non-stem cell therapies in the market. Furthermore, LAVIV (Azficel-T), manufactured and commercialized by Fibrocell Technologies, witnessed revenue wind-down in the past years. Key developers are making substantial investments in the adoption of advanced technologies to address the aforementioned challenges.

The introduction of proprietary cell lines is recognized as the primary means by which a single cell can be exploited for the production of a robust portfolio of candidates. Companies are leveraging new technologies not only for the expansion of their product portfolio but also for establishing out-licensing or co-development agreements with other entities to support their product development programs.

For instance, MaxCyte has more than 40 high-value cellular therapy partnership programs within immune-oncology, regenerative medicine, and gene editing, including fifteen clinical-stage programs. Increase in the number of collaborations between entities for product commercialization is anticipated to accelerate market revenue to a major extent in the coming years.

In Asia-Pacific, the market is anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period. This is attributed to rising awareness cellular therapies among patients and healthcare entities in chronic disease management. In addition, availability of therapeutic treatment at lower prices is also driving the regional market. Japan is likely to witness fast growth over the forecast period attributed to increasing research activities on regenerative medicine.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Key Topics Covered

Chapter 1 Executive Summary

Chapter 2 Research Methodology

Chapter 3 Cell Therapy Market Variables, Trends & Scope3.1 Market Segmentation & Scope3.1.1 Market driver analysis3.1.1.1 Rise in number of clinical studies pertaining to the development of cellular therapies3.1.1.2 Rising adoption of regenerative medicine3.1.1.3 Introduction of novel platforms and technologies3.1.2 Market restraint analysis3.1.2.1 Ethical concerns related to stem cell research3.1.2.2 Clinical issues pertaining to development & implementation of cell therapy3.1.2.2.1 Manufacturing issues3.1.2.2.2 Genetic instability3.1.2.2.3 Stem cell culture condition3.1.2.2.4 Stem cell distribution after transplant3.1.2.2.5 Immunological rejection3.1.2.2.6 Challenges associated with allogeneic mode of transplantation3.2 Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping For Therapy Type, 20193.3 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells)-Swot Analysis, by Factor (Political & Legal, Economic and Technological)3.4 Industry Analysis - Porter's3.5 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells)-Regulatory Landscape

Chapter 4 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells) Categorization: Use-type Estimates & Trend Analysis4.1 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells): Use-type Movement Analysis4.2 Clinical-use4.3 Research-use

Chapter 5 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells) Categorization: Therapy Type Estimates & Trend Analysis5.1 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells): Therapy Type Movement Analysis5.2 Allogeneic Therapies5.3 Autologous Therapies

Chapter 6 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells) Categorization: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis, by Product6.1 Cell Therapy Market (Stem & Non-stem Cells) Share by Regional, 2019 & 20276.2 North America6.3 Europe6.4 Asia-Pacific6.5 Latin America6.6 MEA

Chapter 7 Competitive Landscape7.1 Strategy Framework7.2 Company Profiles7.2.1 Kolon TissueGene, Inc.7.2.2 JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.7.2.3 MEDIPOST7.2.4 Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.7.2.5 Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc.7.2.6 Cells for Cells7.2.7 NuVasive, Inc.7.2.8 Fibrocell Science, Inc.7.2.9 Vericel Corporation7.2.10 Pharmicell Co. Ltd.7.2.11 Anterogen Co. Ltd.7.2.12 Celgene Corporation

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Stem cells to help the heart – Science Magazine

Shinya Yamanaka's 2006 discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ignited a revolution in the field of stem cell biology (1). For the first time, nearly all human somatic tissues could be produced from iPSCs reprogrammed from blood or skin cells, in a process that took only weeks. This advance was particularly crucial for obtaining surrogate tissues from cell types that are otherwise difficult to procure and do not readily expand in vitro, such as cardiac or neural cells. Additionally, many ethical concerns are avoided, because this technology uses a patient's own genetic material to create iPSCs rather than relying on embryonic stem cells. In the aftermath of Yamanaka's discovery, entire biomedical industries have developed around the promise of using human iPSCs (hiPSCs) and their derivatives for in vitro disease modeling, drug screening, and cell therapy (2).

The hiPSC technology has had a particularly notable impact in cardiac regenerative medicine, a field where scientists and clinicians have been working to devise new methods to better understand how cardiovascular disease manifests and how to restore cardiovascular function after disease strikes (3). The heart is limited in its ability to regenerate lost cardiomyocytes (beating heart muscle cells), following an adverse event such as a heart attack (4). Cardiomyocytes derived from hiPSCs (hiPSC-CMs) may represent a potential replacement option for dead cells in such a scenario. However, certain issues remain to be addressed, such as whether hiPSC-CMs can integrate with host myocardial tissue in the long term (5).

While using hiPSC-CMs for in vivo cell therapy may become practical in the future, employing hiPSC-CMs for high-throughput drug discovery and screening is becoming a reality in the present (6). Cardiovascular diseases can be recapitulated in a dish with patient-specific hiPSC-CMs. For example, if a patient exhibits a cardiac arrhythmia caused by a genetic abnormality in a sarcomeric protein or ion channel, that same rhythm problem can be recapitulated in vitro (7). Thanks to advances in hiPSC differentiation protocols, hiPSC-CMs can now be mass-produced to study cardiovascular disease mechanisms in vitro (8).

My graduate thesis in the laboratories of Joseph Wu and Sean Wu at Stanford University focused on in vitro applications of hiPSC-CMs for cardiovascular disease modeling and for high-throughput screening of chemotherapeutic compounds to predict cardiotoxicity. I initially embarked on a project using hiPSC-CMs to model viral myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart, caused by the B3 strain of coxsackievirus (9). I began by demonstrating that hiPSC-CMs express the receptors necessary for viral internalization and subsequently found that hiPSC-CMs were highly susceptible to coxsackievirus infection, exhibiting viral cytopathic effect within hours of infection. I also identified compounds that could alleviate coxsackievirus infection on hiPSC-CMs, a translationally relevant finding, as there remains a shortage of treatments for viral myocarditis.

Using a genetically modified variant of coxsackievirus B3 expressing luciferase, I developed a screening platform for assessing the efficacy of antiviral compounds. Pretreatment with interferon-, ribavirin, or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate markedly suppressed viral replication on hiPSC-CMs by activating intracellular antiviral response and viral protein clearance pathways. These compounds alleviated viral replication in a dose-dependent fashion at low concentrations without causing cellular toxicity.

I next sought to use hiPSC-CMs to screen anticancer chemotherapeutic compounds for their off-target cardiovascular toxicities (10). Cardiotoxicity represents a major cause of drug withdrawal from the pharmaceutical market, and several chemotherapeutic agents can cause unintended cardiovascular damage (11). Using cultured hiPSC-CMs, I evaluated 21 U.S. Food and Drug Administrationapproved tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), commonly prescribed anticancer compounds, for their cardiotoxic potential. HiPSC-CMs express the major tyrosine kinase receptor proteins such as the insulin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors, lending validity to this cellular model.

Initially, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be produced by reprogramming skin or blood cells by nonviral or viral reprogramming methods. Cardiac differentiation protocols allow for the creation of cardiomyocytes derived from hiPSCs (hiPSC-CMs) for downstream applications, including in vitro disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative cell therapy.

With data from a battery of cellular apoptosis, contractility, electrophysiology, and signaling assays, I generated a cardiac safety index to help align in vitro toxicity data to clinical drug safety guidelines (12). From the safety index, I determined that a subclass of VEGF receptor 2/PDGF receptorinhibiting tyrosine kinase inhibitors, some of which exhibit toxicity clinically, also elicited cardiotoxicities in hiPSC-CMs. These manifested as substantial alterations in cellular electrophysiology, contractility, and viability when administered at clinically relevant concentrations. I also discovered that cotreatment with either IGF or insulin partially rescued TKI-induced toxicity by up-regulating antiapoptotic signaling pathways. This work could prove useful for groups aiming to develop effective screening platforms to assess new chemotherapeutic compounds for cardiotoxic side effects.

I also collaborated with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to send a sample of hiPSC-CMs to the International Space Station. As humankind ventures beyond our home planet, it is imperative that we better understand how the heart functions for long periods of time in microgravity. Analysis of these hiPSC-CMs revealed microgravity-induced alterations in metabolic gene expression and calcium handling (13).

In recent years, the stem cell field has experienced an explosion of studies using hiPSC-CMs as a model cellular system to study cardiovascular biology. As improvements in hiPSC-CM mass production continue, we will see a rise in studies using these cells for disease modeling and drug screening. Thus, although hiPSC-CM technology is in its infancy, it holds great potential to improve cardiovascular health.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF A. SHARMA

FINALIST

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Having completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard Medical School, Sharma is now a senior research fellow jointly appointed at the Smidt Heart Institute and Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His research seeks to develop in vitro platforms for cardiovascular disease modeling and drug cardiotoxicity assessment. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/367/6483/1206.1

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Stem cells to help the heart - Science Magazine

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Market Expected to Witness the Highest Growth 202 – ITResearchBrief.com

Recently, Market Study Report, LLC, added a research on the ' Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells market' which encompasses significant inputs with respect to market share, market size, regional landscape, contributing players, and revenue projection of this industry vertical. The report also educates investors regarding the existing tends, prime challenges, and current expansion strategies applied by the key organizations that constitute the hyperactive competitive gamut of this business sphere.

This research report on Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells market is an in-depth assessment of this business space, along with a brief overview of its different market segments. The study details the entire market scenario through a basic summary of the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells market with respect to its current position and industry size, in terms of revenue and volume. The research also encompasses the important insights about the geographical outlook of the market, coupled with an elaborate study of the competitive backdrop of the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells market.

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Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Regional Market Analysis

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment Market Share Forecast to 2027: Orion Pharma, Kringle Pharma, Inc., Aquestive Therapeutics, Apotex Inc, Bausch…

Global Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment Market By Disease Type (Benign Focal Amyotrophy of ALS, Infantile Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Juvenile Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Kugelberg-Welander Disease, Primary Lateral Sclerosis, Progressive Bulbar Palsy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Upper Motor Neuron Disease, Werdnig-Hoffman Disease, Wohlfart-Disease), Drug Type (Riluzole and Edaravone (Radicava)), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, and Retail & Online Pharmacies), Treatment type (Chemotherapy, Stem cell therapy) End- User (Hospitals, Homecare, Specialty Clinics, Others), Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends & Forecast to 2026

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Few of the major competitors currently working in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment market are Sanofi (France), Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Japan), BrainStorm Cell Limited (US), ViroMed Co., Ltd (South Korea), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (US), Genervon Biopharmaceuticals, LLC (US), Biogen (US), ORPHAZYME A/S (Denmark), Orion Pharma (Finland), Kringle Pharma, Inc. (Japan), Aquestive Therapeutics (US), Apotex Inc (Canada), Bausch Health Companies Inc. (Canada), Neuralstem, Inc. (US), Implicit Bioscience (Australia), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), TREEWAY (Netherlands), CYTOKINETICS, INC. (US), AB Science (France), Advanz Pharmaceutical (Canada) and few among others.

Market Analysis:Global Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment Market

Global amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment market is expected to rise gradually to an estimated value of USD 3.6 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 21.6% in the forecast period of 2019-2026 with the annual sales of USD 0.75 billion in the year of 2018. This rise in market value can be attributed to the increasing awareness and concerns regarding the health of patients.

Market Definition:Global Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment Market

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease, also known as motor neuron disease (MND) and Lou Gehrigs disease that affects nerve cells (motor neurons) of brain, brain stem and spinal cord that controls voluntary muscles. This disease is progressive in nature.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were approximately 14,000 15,000 people in US in 2016 having ALS, almost more than half of these cases could have been avoided with the availability of proper medical treatment. This significant number is expected to act as a driver to the market growth.

Market Drivers

Market Restraints

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Segmentation: Global Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment Market

By Disease Type

ByDrug Type

By Distribution Channel

By Treatment Type

By End- User

ByGeography

Key Developments in the Market:

Competitive Analysis:

Global amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment market for global, Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.

Primary Respondents

Demand Side: Doctors, Surgeons, Medical Consultants, Nurses, Hospital Buyers, Group Purchasing Organizations, Associations, Insurers, Medical Payers, Healthcare Authorities, Universities, Technological Writers, Scientists, Promoters, and Investors among others.

Supply Side: Product Managers, Marketing Managers, C-Level Executives, Distributors, Market Intelligence, and Regulatory Affairs Managers among others.

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment Market Share Forecast to 2027: Orion Pharma, Kringle Pharma, Inc., Aquestive Therapeutics, Apotex Inc, Bausch...

Second patient cured of HIV using stem cell transplant treatment – The Japan Times

PARIS A second patient has been cured of HIV after undergoing stem cell transplant treatment, doctors said Tuesday, after finding no trace of infection 30 months after he stopped traditional treatment.

The London Patient, a cancer sufferer originally from Venezuela, made headlines last year when researchers at the University of Cambridge reported they had found no trace of the AIDS-causing virus in his blood for 18 months.

Ravindra Gupta, lead author of the study published in The Lancet HIV, said the new test results were even more remarkable and likely demonstrated the patient was cured.

Weve tested a sizeable set of sites that HIV likes to hide in and they are all pretty much negative for an active virus, Gupta told AFP.

The patient, who revealed his identity this week as Adam Castillejo, 40, was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and had been on medication to keep the disease in check since 2012.

Later that year, he was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkins lymphoma, a deadly cancer.

In 2016 he underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat blood cancer, receiving stem cells from donors with a genetic mutation present in less than 1 percent of Europeans that prevents HIV from taking hold.

He becomes only the second person to be cured of HIV after American Timothy Brown, known as the Berlin Patient, recovered from HIV in 2011 following similar treatment.

Viral tests of Castillejos cerebral fluid, intestinal tissue and lymphoid tissue more than two years after stopping retroviral treatment showed no active infection.

Gupta said the tests uncovered HIV fossils fragments of the virus that were now incapable of reproducing, and were therefore safe.

Wed expect that, he said.

Its quite hard to imagine that all trace of a virus that infects billions of cells was eliminated from the body.

Researchers cautioned that the breakthrough did not constitute a generalized cure for HIV, which leads to nearly 1 million deaths every year.

Castillejos treatment was a last resort as his blood cancer would likely have killed him without intervention, according to Gupta.

The Cambridge doctor said that there were several other patients who had undergone similar treatment but who were less far along in their remission.

There will probably be more but they will take time, he said.

Researchers are currently weighing up whether or not patients suffering from drug-resistant forms of HIV might be eligible for stem cell transplants in future, something Gupta said would require careful ethical consideration.

Youd have to weigh up the fact that theres a 10 percent mortality rate from doing a stem-cell transplant against what the risk of death would be if we did nothing, he said.

Commenting on The Lancet study, Sharon Lewin, an infectious disease expert at the University of Melbourne, said the findings could provide comfort to patients.

But she advised caution.

Given the large number of cells sampled here and the absence of any intact virus, is the London patient cured? she said.

Unfortunately in the end, only time will tell.

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Second patient cured of HIV using stem cell transplant treatment - The Japan Times

What Jason Hope Says About New Longevity Research – HealthTechZone

Throughout the past decade, various topics related to stem cells have made headlines across all platforms. From being hailed as the most innovative method for eradicating specific diseases, to being protested by various groups and organizations, the use of stem cells has gained national attention repeatedly. With promising initial scientific findings, and avid researchers aiming to solidify the presence of stem cell usage in the realm of science on a normalized basis, increasing numbers of startups, biotech giants, and independent companies are forging ahead with stem cell-related projects. As global connectivity, technological advancements, and the marriage between medicine and technology continues to evolve swiftly, Jason Hope sees stem cells will undoubtedly remaining in the spotlight.

Over 20 years ago, scientists successfully extracted the first human embryonic stem cells, and effectively grew these cells in a lab setting. The remarkable feat of being able to successfully grow the parent cells, which essentially allow for the growth of new cells in the body, was a hopeful moment for the medical sector involved in creating effective regenerative treatments for conditions like heart disease, Alzheimers, stroke, and Parkinsons Disease. Using basic reasoning, the successful regeneration of parent cells could provide the regeneration of undesired cells, leading to anti-aging results, or effective care for many age-related conditions that deteriorate the body over time.

Though this initial breakthrough was promising, the scientific community has not yet made significant strides in bringing stem cell therapy to market in a way that is well-researched, backed by medical associations, and commonly accepted by the scientific community. In fact, the only readily utilized stem cell treatments are related to successfully growing blood cells from matching donors for patients with various blood disorders. According to entrepreneur, philanthropist, and expert in the realm of anti-aging and longevity, Jason Hope, these initial utilization of stem cells are commendable, but require a lot more research in order to maximize the potential widespread benefits of stem cells in medicine.

Hope, who has devoted much of his philanthropic endeavors within the medical industry via groups like the SENS Organization, recognizes that most stem cell implementations are rightfully considered experimental until appropriate research, testing, and development can occur. As an expert in the realm of anti-aging, and the championing of increasing health throughout a lifetime, Jason Hope recognizes the potential distrust that can be formulated by the general public as a result of eager companies making lofty claims or promoting potentially faulty treatments not yet fully vetted by the medical community. Thus, while he remains avidly enthralled by the potential maximization of stem cell therapies, hope supports the long-term research needed to safely, successfully, and effectively generate breakthrough stem cell treatments.

Providing continued backing for the extensive research completed at the SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence) Organization, Hopes contributions aid in the research aiming to create preventative treatments for degenerative diseases and utilizing breakthrough science to increase the overall long-term quality of life for individuals. Instead of focusing on the treatment of symptoms and the disease throughout the progression of the condition, the scientists at SENS work to examine ways to successfully prevent the disease from happening. Through this boundary-pushing work, a lot of their research focuses on stem cell intervention. According to Hope, stem cell treatments for Parkinsons Disease are now in the second stage of clinical trials at SENS. While the process of undergoing such extensive trials may appear slow, it is crucial to maintaining overall public support via successful treatment launches and promising in terms of the long-term possibilities linked to stem cell treatments.

In addition to the research being conducted by SENS, preliminary medical studies are being conducted with a myriad of uses for stem cells. Experimental stem cell transplants of retinal cells were recently utilized in a small research study of macular generation, providing initially promising results for the handful of patients who have received artificially generated retinal cells. Elsewhere, scientists have begun to explore ways to minimize potential rejection of stem cells in organs like the liver, through maximizing the most conducive environment for stem cells to thrive. While these slow-moving vehicles of change are less prominent than startups promising the proverbial Fountain of Youth via experimental stem cell treatments, these medically sound research studies are forming the backbone of stem cell treatment for the future.

As with all scientific and medical innovations, Hope also recognizes the potential risks, hurdles, and roadblocks within the growing field of stem cell research, and integration into medicine. From supply chain concerns to potential long-term side effects, and the risk of overly eager startups making too-lofty claims, Hope understands that the road to the everyday utilization of stem cells remains lengthy and potentially bumpy. However, the proverbial juice may very well be worth the squeeze in this example. As stem cells harvest the potential power to overturn the degenerative effects of some of the most prominent diseases, allow individuals to maintain active health for elongated periods of time, and increase the quality of life for countless individuals, expanding upon the initial promising research is potentially a pivotal point for the medical community and humankind. Though the road to successful scientific integration of stem cells is long, the potential healthcare benefits are limitless, and according to industry experts like Jason Hope, worth investing in, exploring, and championing.

About Jason Hope

An avid entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, Jason Hope is a futurist involved in the championing of technological advancement, community involvement, and innovative medical interventions. Deeply passionate about the anti-aging, longevity, and human advancement niche of biomedicine, Hope remains actively involved in various scientific organizations.

After receiving a degree in Finance from ASU, and a subsequent MBA from ASUs W.P. Carey School of Business, Hope developed a successful mobile communications company. Professionally, he currently focuses on investing in startups and developing grant programs for small businesses.

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What Jason Hope Says About New Longevity Research - HealthTechZone

Here’s how to treat coronavirus, according to research – Daily Nation

By XINHUAMore by this Author

China has released the seventh version of the diagnosis and treatment guideline on the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Here are some drugs and therapies that have been recommended by the guideline, and some medicines that have been found to have the potential to defeat the virus and have entered clinical trials.

Chloroquine Phosphate, a widely used anti-malaria and autoimmune disease drug, has been used for more than 70 years.

The drug has been used in treating 285 critically ill Covid-19 patients in a hospital in Wuhan, and no obvious adverse reactions have been found so far.

In the latest version of the treatment guideline, Chloroquine Phosphate is recommended for Covid-19 patients from 18 to 65.

The amount for patients over 50 kg is 500 mg per dose twice a day for seven days.

The guideline also noted that patients should take less than three antiviral drugs.

Tocilizumab, with the common brand name Actemra, is an injectable synthetic protein that blocks the effects of IL-6 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

IL-6 is a protein that the body produces when there is inflammation.The latest version of the guideline suggests the use of Tocilizumab in patients with an increasing level of IL-6 and with extensive lesions in both lungs or severe symptoms.

Chinese researchers have found that a cause of death for severe and critically ill patients infected with the novel coronavirus is cytokine storm, an overreaction of the immune system.

These patients are found with a higher level of IL-6 in their blood.

Last month, the increasing level of IL-6 was recommended as a warning sign that the patient's situation could possibly deteriorate.

Currently, the drug is under clinical trials in 14 hospitals in Wuhan and a total of 272 severe patients had been treated with Tocilizumab as of March 5.

Convalescent plasma, processed from the plasma collected from recovered Covid-19 patients, contains a large number of protective antibodies.

As of February 28, 245 Covid-19 patients have received the therapy and 91 cases have shown improvement in clinical indicators and symptoms.

According to health authorities, plasma therapy has proved safe and effective.

4. TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been proven effective in treating Covid-19 patients.

With TCM treatment, patients with mild symptoms have seen their fever or cough alleviated, according to medical experts.

For severely ill patients, TCM helped relieve symptoms and restore blood oxygen saturation, preventing the patients' conditions from developing into critically ill cases.

TCM decoction Qingfei Paidu Soup has been recommended to medical institutions nationwide on February 6 after data analysis on 214 cases.

As of February 29, the decoction is used in 66 designated hospitals in 10 provincial-level regions in China.

Favipiravir, an influenza drug available on overseas markets, has been put in a parallel controlled study in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, with 80 patients enlisted.

The initial outcome of the trial shows the drug has relatively obvious efficacy and low adverse reactions.

Experts have suggested expanding the trial to further observe and study its effect.

Remdesivir, developed against Ebola infections by American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, has shown fairly good antiviral activity against the novel coronavirus at the cellular level.

Cao Bin, a respiratory expert who is leading the Remdesivir programme, said on Wednesday that two trials for Remdesivir are going on smoothly and China will share the data with the international community after the programme is completed.

Clinical studies on stem cell therapy, which can inhibit the overreaction of the body's immune system, have also been carried out to treat severe patients.

As of February 21, four patients who have received the therapy have been discharged from hospital, and the trial is expected to be further expanded. Currently, three kinds of stem cells mesenchymal, lung and embryonic stem cells are used in treatments.

Researchers usually inject stem cell products into the lungs.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new stem cell drug, CAStem, which has shown promising results in animal experiments.

The research team has applied for urgent assessment by the National Medical Products Administration.

Approvals by the ethics committee, and clinical observation and evaluation, are in progress.

Several research and trials on applying stem cells to treat Covid-19 patients have been carried out in the country.

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Here's how to treat coronavirus, according to research - Daily Nation

Pipeline: Investigational Therapies for COVID-19 – Monthly Prescribing Reference

While no specific treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently available, several therapies are being investigated globally.*

Antivirals

AbbVie: the Company is collaborating with select health authorities and institutions to determine the antiviral activity of lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) against COVID-19.

AIM ImmunoTech: developing Ampligen, a broad-spectrum antiviral that will be tested as a potential treatment for COVID-19 in Japan. A significant survival effect was observed in a trial evaluating mice infected with the earlier Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus.

Gilead: developing remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral agent that is being investigated in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition, Gilead is initiating two phase 3 trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of remdesivir in adults diagnosed with COVID-19, following a rapid review and acceptance by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the investigational new drug filing for the novel antiviral.

Immunotherapies and Other Investigational Therapies

Algernon Pharmaceuticals: developing ifenprodil, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NDMA) receptor glutamate receptor antagonist, which is being prepared for US clinical trials for COVID-19 based on results of an animal study that showed the investigational therapy significantly reduced acute lung injury and improved survivability in H5N1 infected mice.

CEL-SCI: developing an immunotherapy using LEAPS, a patented T cell modulation peptide epitope delivery technology, to stimulate protective cell-mediated T cell responses and reduce viral load.

Innovation Pharmaceuticals: developing brilacidin, a defensin-mimetic, that mimics the human innate immune system and causes disruption of the membrane of pathogens, leading to cell death. It has already been tested in humans in phase 2 trials for other indications.

Mesoblast Limited: investigating remestemcel-L, an allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate, as a treatment for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by COVID-19. Remestemcel-L, which is comprised of culture-expanded MSCs derived from the bone marrow of an unrelated donor, is administered in a series of intravenous infusions and is believed to have immunomodulatory properties to counteract inflammatory processes.

Q BioMed: partnering with Mannin Research to develop a potential treatment that addresses vascular leakage and endothelial dysfunction, which may potentially help patients with severe cases of COVID-19.

Takeda: developing an anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal hyperimmune globulin (H-IG) to treat high-risk individuals with COVID-19 (TAK-888). Pathogen-specific antibodies from plasma will be collected from recovered patients (or vaccinated donors in the future) and will be transferred to sick patients to improve the immune response to the infection and increase the chance of recovery.

Tiziana: developing TZLS-501, which has been shown to rapidly deplete circulating levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the blood, a key driver of chronic inflammation. Excessive production of IL-6 is believed to be associated with severe lung damage observed with COVID-19 infections.

Vaccines

Altimmune Inc: developing a single-dose, intranasal vaccine against COVID-19 using its proprietary NasoVAX technology. The vaccine is moving toward animal testing.

Applied DNA Sciences: collaborating with Takis Biotech to develop a DNA vaccine candidate using PCR-based DNA (LinearDNA) manufacturing systems; preclinical testing in animals are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2020.

Codagenix Inc: co-developing a live-attenuated vaccine with the Serum Institute of India using viral deoptimization.

GlaxoSmithKline: collaborating with Clover Biopharmaceuticals to develop a protein-based coronavirus vaccine candidate (COVID-19 S-Trimer) using Clovers proprietary technology (Timer-Tag) and combining it with GSKs pandemic adjuvant system.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals: developing a DNA vaccine (INO-4800) to address COVID-19; human trials to begin in the US in April.

Johnson & Johnson: partnering with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a vaccine using Janssens AdVac and PER.C6 technology, which provide the ability to rapidly upscale production of an optimal vaccine candidate.

Moderna Inc: vials of the Companys mRNA vaccine (mRNA-1273) have been shipped to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to be used in a phase 1 study in the US.

Novavax: currently evaluating multiple recombinant nanoparticle vaccine candidates in animal models; initiation of phase 1 testing is expected in late spring of 2020. The COVID-19 vaccine candidates will likely include the saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance immune responses.

Sanofi: collaborating with BARDA to develop a vaccine using Sanofis recombinant DNA platform. The DNA sequence encoding the antigen will be combined into the DNA of the baculovirus expression platform and used to produce large quantities of the coronavirus antigen which will be formulated to stimulate the immune system to protect against the virus.

*This list is not all inclusive. Updates will be made as more information becomes available.

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Pipeline: Investigational Therapies for COVID-19 - Monthly Prescribing Reference

Muscle cell atlas developed to aid muscular disease and injury research – Drug Target Review

Researchers have created a new technical resource atlas which maps the 15 distinct cell types involved in muscle repair for disease and therapy research.

Scientists have created a cell atlas which catalogues the activity of almost every kind of cell involved in muscle repair. The researchers hope their resource could be used to simplify muscular disease research and potentially lead to better injury rehabilitation strategies.

The collaborative efforts of a team from Cornell Universitys Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology Resource Center, both US, allowed researchers to analyse the gene expression signatures of thousands of cells taken from actively regenerating murine muscle tissue.

The paper published in Cell Reports is the culmination of data from approximately 35,000 individual cells. This atlas is a list of the fifteen unique cell types involved in muscle cell repair, itemising their similarities and differences to provide a technical resource for anyone studying skeletal muscle.

The internal structure of muscles is made up of multiple cell types grouped into fibres.

Because we have such a large dataset, it helps us frame a number of hypothesis-driven questions about not only which cells are involved, but how they are communicating with each other, said research leader Ben Cosgrove, assistant professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering. This resource enabled us to ask: What molecular signals are one type of cells sending to the other cells within the process of muscle repair?'

According to the researchers, the muscle cell atlas emphasises how much heterogeneity exists within each cell type, which enables scientists to explore specific molecular variations that may have previously been overlooked.

The team have already used their atlas to identify how proteins called syndecans enable muscle stem cells to decide between replenishing the stem cell population or differentiating into mature myofiber cells that replace damaged muscle tissue during muscle cell repair.

We took this huge atlas and partitioned it down to the stem cells. And then we organised the stem cells in a way that gives us a framework to think about variation and the choices the cells are making, Cosgrove said.

They identified that syndecan-related variations may direct how muscle stem cells respond to signals from their neighbouring cells and therefore how they differentiate.

Now that we know more about what is happening in the healthy, normal adult repair process, we can ask How do the cellular players get misallocated and misactivated in the disease settings?' Cosgrove said. The team is currently using the atlas to study muscle repair deficiency in ageing and muscular dystrophy.

Related topicsAnalysis, Analytical techniques, Disease research, Drug Targets, Genomics, Informatics, Protein, Protein Expression, Proteomics, Regenerative Medicine, Sequencing, Targets

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Muscle cell atlas developed to aid muscular disease and injury research - Drug Target Review