Stem Cell Clinic

New study reveals why breast cancer spreads to the brain – USC News

Most cancers kill because tumor cells spread beyond the primary site to invade other organs. Now, a USC study of brain-invading breast cancer cells circulating in the blood reveals they have a molecular signature indicating specific organ preferences.

The findings, which appear in Cancer Discovery, help explain how tumor cells in the blood target a particular organ and may enable the development of treatments to prevent the spread of cancers, known as metastasis.

In this study, Min Yu, assistant professor of stem cell and regenerative medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, isolated breast cancer cells from the blood of breast cancer patients with metastatic tumors. Using a technique she developed previously, she expanded or grew the cells in the lab, creating a supply of material to work with.

Analyzing the tumor cells in animal models, Yus lab identified regulator genes and proteins within the cells that apparently directed the cancers spread to the brain. To test this concept, human tumor cells were injected into the bloodstream of animal models. As predicted, the cells migrated to the brain. Additional analysis of cells from one patients tumor predicted that the cells would later spread to the patients brain and they did.

Yu also discovered that a protein on the surface of brain-targeting tumor cells helps them to breach the blood-brain barrier and lodge in brain tissue, while another protein inside the cells shield them from the brains immune response, enabling them to grow there.

We can imagine someday using the information carried by circulating tumor cells to improve the detection, monitoring and treatment of the spreading cancers, Yu said. A future therapeutic goal is to develop drugs that get rid of circulating tumor cells or target those molecular signatures to prevent the spread of cancer.

Yu is a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, and her laboratory is located in the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In addition to Yu, other authors of the study are Remi Klotz, Amal Thomas, Teng Teng, Sung Min Han, Oihana Iriondo, Lin Li, Alan Wang, Negeen Izadian, Matthew MacKay, Byoung-San Moon, Kevin J. Liu, Sathish Kumar Ganesan, Grace Lee, Diane S. Kang, Michael F. Press, Wange Lu, Janice Lu, Bodour Salhia and Frank Attenello, all of the Keck School of Medicine; Sara Restrepo-Vassalli, James Hicks and Andrew D. Smith of USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; and Charlotte S. Walmsley, Christopher Pinto, Dejan Juric and Aditya Bardia of Massachusetts General Hospital.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (DP2 CA206653) the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation, the Stop Cancer Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander & Margaret Stewart Trust, the SC CTSI pilot grant (UL1TR001855 and UL1TR000130), a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) postdoctoral fellowship and a CIRM Bridges award (EDUC2-08381), and the National Cancer Institute (P30CA014089).

More stories about: Cancer, Research

Read more here:
New study reveals why breast cancer spreads to the brain - USC News

Meet the axolotl: A cannibalistic salamander that regenerates its limbs and might help us better understand human stem cell therapy -…

Imagine youre a smiley-faced, feathery-gilled Mexican salamander called an axolotl. Youve just been born, along with hundreds of brothers and sisters. But salamanders like you live in the wild only in one lake near Mexico City, and that habitat isnt big enough for all of you. Theres not enough food. Only the strongest can survive. What do you do?

If youre an axolotl, you have two choiceseat your siblings arms, or have your arms eaten.

But even if you are the unfortunate victim of this sibling violence, not all hope is lost. In a few months, youll grow a whole new armbones, muscle, skin, nerves and all.

Its pretty gruesome, but cannibalism is a possible reason why they grow their arms back, says associate biology professor James Monaghan. His lab studies regeneration in axolotls, a peculiar species that can grow back limbs and other organs to various degrees.

When an injury occurs, some cues are released in that animal that tells cells near the injury to go from a resting state into a regenerative state, Monaghan says.

His lab is trying to figure out what those cues are, and how we might induce that response in humans, who have very limited regenerative abilities.

Humans are notoriously bad at regenerating, Monaghan says. After were done growing, the genes that tell our cells to grow new organs are turned off.

Thats a good thing because otherwise itd be chaos, he says. No one wants to spontaneously grow an extra finger.

Axolotls can turn back on those genes that we turn off permanently, Monaghan says.

Understanding the specific mechanisms that induce regenerative responses in axolotls is no small task since axolotls have the largest genome ever sequenced.

So far, the lab has identified one molecule, neuregulin-1, which is essential for regeneration of limbs, lungs, and possibly hearts.

When we removed it, regeneration stopped. And when we added it back in, it induced the regenerative response, Monaghan says. Im not saying its a golden bullet for inducing regeneration in humans, too, but it could be part of the puzzle.

A lot of researchers study limb regeneration in axolotls. But Monaghans lab is interested in extending this research to other organs, as well.

When you think of the human condition, most of our issues with disease are with internal organs, Monaghan says.

Take retina regeneration, for example. Monaghan says we can either learn the process axolotls undergo that allows their specialized cells to return back to developmental cells, and then mimic that process in human eyes. Or, we can learn which elements of the axolotl enable their cells to behave this way, and then add those elements to human stem cell therapy.

To test the latter, Monaghan has teamed up with a Northeastern associate professor of chemical engineering, Rebecca Carrier, and her lab to figure out the best way to transplant mammalian retinal cells using molecules found in the axolotl.

In the experiment, Monaghan and Carrier used pig eyes, which are similar to human eyes. When they transplanted stem cells from the retina of one pig into the retina of another, 99 percent of the transplanted cells died. Somethings missing, Monaghan says. The cells dont have the right cues.

But when Carrier and Monaghan injected those same pig stem cells into the axolotl eye, fewer cells died. They were much happier, Monaghan says. Theres something in the axolotl retina that the mammalian cells like.

One reason axolotls are so good at receiving transplants is because, unlike humans, they dont have a learned immune system, meaning they cant distinguish between themselves and foreign entities.

Its really easy to do grafts between animals because the axolotls cant tell that the new tissue isnt theirs, he says. They dont reject it like we might.

An obvious example of this can be seen in axolotls that are genetically modified with a green fluorescent protein found in jellyfish. These naturally white axolotls glow neon green in certain lighting.

With this we can ask really basic questions, like do cells change their fate when they participate in regeneration? Monaghan says.

For example, if Monaghan grafts muscle tissue from a green fluorescent animal onto a white axolotl and then that axolotl regenerates, does the axolotl grow green muscle? Do its bones glow green, too? What about its skin?

Researchers have found, however, that cells dont actually change. Green muscle yields green muscle only.

The axolotl isnt the only animal that can regrow organs. Starfish, worms, frogs, and other species of salamanders can also regenerate. But axolotls are special because, unlike other animals, they can regrow organs that are just as robust as the originals, no matter how old they get.

For example, tadpoles can regenerate limbs. But once they undergo metamorphosis and become frogs, they can only regrow a spike, Monaghan says. They lose the ability to grow back their digits.

The axolotls ability to fully regrow organs, even as it ages, could be partially due to its perpetual juvenile state. Axolotls, unlike most other amphibians, dont undergo metamorphosis naturally, which means they never technically reach adulthood, even though they can reproduce. This condition is called neoteny.

Axolotls come from a species that used to walk on land, Monaghan says. They do have legs, after all. But some mutation occurred that keeps them in the lake and from reaching adulthood.

To test whether their neotenic state is responsible for their ability to regenerate, Monaghan took a group of axolotl siblings and induced metamorphosis in one half by exposing them to thyroid hormones, a chemical that flips on the maturity switch in these amphibians. The other half was kept in the juvenile state.

In the experiment, the juveniles regenerated normally, but all of their adult siblings regenerated slower than usual, and had deformities in their regrown limbs.

There is some association with neoteny and the ability to regenerate, Monaghan says. But its not the main factor.

That main factor is yet to be discovered. But even though some of this might sound like science fiction, you already made an arm once, Monaghan says. If we could just learn how to turn back on those programs, our bodies might do the rest of the work.

For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.

Read more:
Meet the axolotl: A cannibalistic salamander that regenerates its limbs and might help us better understand human stem cell therapy -...

More awareness needed on stem cell donation: expert – The Hindu

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), popularly known as bone marrow transplantation (BMT), is a curative modality for a number of benign and malignant blood disorders, said Dr. Murali Krishna Voonna, surgical oncologist and managing director of Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital and Research Institute.

Speaking at an awareness programme on stem cell donation organised here by the hospital, in association with Datri Blood Stem Cell Donor Registry, he said hematopoietic stem cells are immature cells that can develop into all types of blood cellswhite blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. They are found in the peripheral blood and bone marrow.

A sizeable population are diagnosed to have benign diseases such as thalassemia major, sickle cell anaemia and aplastic anaemia, and the HSCT is among the efficient curative measures. Acute leukaemia and other blood cancers also need this procedure, he said.

Highlighting that stem cell donation and a registry are vital, Dr. Muralikrishna explained for a successful hematopoietic stem cell transplant, the patients genetic typing (HLA typing) needs a close match with that of the donor. Every patient has 25% chance of finding a match within the family, he said.

Dr. Muralikrishna stated that in such cases, finding a donor is a pressing need. There are over 80 donor registries and more than 30 million registered donors across the globe, with a very few Indians being a part of it. This reduces the chances of finding a possible match for patients of Indian origin. Patients are more likely to find a possible match within their ethnicity, which means people sharing the same cultural linguistic and biological traits, he explained.

The problem can be solved if the donors enroll themselves with a registry which will store the stem cell details and the details. Pledging to donate stem cells is easy like swabbing the inner-cheek. The donors are contacted if patients have HLA matching, he said, adding that the stem cell donation was carried out only when a match was found for a patient, not when one pledge to donate.

A blood stem cell collection centre was inaugurated at the hospitals premises on the occasion. Earlier, to avail of such service and for HLA-typing, one has travel to Hyderabad and Chennai, Dr. Muralikrishna said.

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

Register to The Hindu for free and get unlimited access for 30 days.

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

View post:
More awareness needed on stem cell donation: expert - The Hindu

Lucknow: In a first, 26-yr-old DMD patient in UP survives with stem cell therapy – ETHealthworld.com

Lucknow: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a deadly genetic disorder, 99.9 per cent people suffering from which, die between the age of 13 to 23 years. However, in a first, a 26-year-old patient from Lucknow has survived DMD by regularly taking stem cells for the last five years.

Children, suffering from DMD, usually die of cardio-respiratory failure. But with the stem cell therapy, this patient has not lost muscle power in last five years and heart and lung muscles and the upper half of the body are working well.

Dr. B.S Rajput, the surgeon who is treating this patient, said, "DMD is a type of muscular dystrophy and being a genetic disorder, it is very difficult to treat. Autologous (from your own body) bone marrow cell transplant or stem cell therapy in such cases was started in Mumbai about 10 years back.

Dr Rajput, who was recently appointed as visiting professor at GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, said he has treated several hundred DMD patients and recently this combination protocol was published in the international Journal of Embryology and stem cell research.

According to Dr Rajput, this disease is endemic in eastern UP, especially Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ballia and some of the adjoining districts of Bihar, and one out of every 3,500 male child, suffers from the disease.

Yet the disease is not given as much attention as it should be.

Dr Rajput, who is consultant bone cancer and stem cell transplant surgeon from Mumbai, said though patients in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar get financial support from the Chief Minister's Relief Funds, the treatment of autologous bone marrow cell transplant is not included in the package list of Ayushman Bharat scheme, which deprives many from getting the treatment.

The doctor further informed that efforts are being made to establish the department of regenerative medicine in the medical college, where bone marrow cell transplant and stem cell therapy would be done even for other intractable problems like spinal cord injury, arthritis knee and motor neurone disease.

Read more from the original source:
Lucknow: In a first, 26-yr-old DMD patient in UP survives with stem cell therapy - ETHealthworld.com

Registration Open for The Eye and The Chip Research Congress – Newswise

MEDIA CONTACT

Available for logged-in reporters only

Announcement

MEDICINE

Newswise DETROIT Registration is now open for the 11th The Eye and The Chip research congress, which will take place Nov. 10-12, 2019 at The Henry Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan. This years research congress will focus on the relationship between neurobiology and nanoelectronics with respect to artificial vision. The ultimate goal of the research congress is to advance progress toward artificial vision for many people who suffer from blindness.

Results from this research congress will help move us towards the day when many people who are currently blind will be able to recover some level of useful vision, said Phillip Hessburg, M.D., Medical Director of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology, the research arm of Henry Ford Health Systems Department of Ophthalmology. At this collaborative event, the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology brings together more than 30 authorities from various vision science and technology fields.

The Eye and the Chip is dedicated to fostering collaborative relationships between major programs in Europe, America, Asia and Australia that are working to make advances and identify challenges remaining in the global pursuit of true artificial vision. The research congress also seeks to present outcomes of device implantation where it is occurring and identify progress toward FDA approval of various visual neuro-prosthetic devices implantated in humans.

At the end of this three-day research congress, attendees will:

Presenters from around the world will take the stage at this years research congress. For an up-to-date and complete list of presenters and topics, and access to the full congress agenda, please visit the confirmed speakers website. 21.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) (TM) are available, as are 21.50 Non-Physician Credit Hours.

For more information, go to henryford.com/TheEyeAndTheChip or contact program coordinator Roseanne Horne at 313-936-1968 or rhorne1@hfhs.org.

About Henry Ford Health System and the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology:

Henry Ford Health System is a six-hospital system headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the nations leading comprehensive, integrated health systems, recognized for clinical excellence and innovation. Henry Ford provides both health insurance and health care delivery, including acute, specialty, primary and preventive care services backed by excellence in research and education. Henry Ford Health System is led by President & CEO Wright Lassiter III. Visit HenryFord.com to learn more.

The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (DIO) is the research arm of the Henry Ford Department of Ophthalmology, committed to the education and support of the visually impaired, helping them maintain dignity and independence, while learning to how to live productively in a sighted world. The DIO is also a world leader in facilitating collaborative research, sponsoring two international research congresses. Visit HenryFord.com/DIO to learn more.

Read this article:
Registration Open for The Eye and The Chip Research Congress - Newswise

‘I’ve potentially saved a stranger’s life by donating my blood stem cells and it was painless’ – inews

NewsReal LifeLydia Burgess-Gamble has helped a sick woman in her twenties after they were genetically matched

Tuesday, 22nd October 2019, 10:38 am

Lydia Burgess-Gamble felt a lump in her throat when she got the letter saying her stem cells were a match for someone sick.

The 42-year-old had signed up to the register to be a donor almost three years earlier and hadn't given it much thought since.

Ahead of her 40th birthday, she'd wanted to do something altrusistic. Now she had the chance to potentially save someone's life who was battling a blood cancer or blood disorder.

Donating stem cells today is almost as easy as giving blood. "It was a straightforward and painless process and being able to relax and read a book for a few hours was a luxury," she said.

Patients face difficult odds

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer, such as leukaemia, myeloma or lymphoma. That's more than 30,000 people a year. Worldwide, it's one every 30 seconds.

Patients suffering with these types of cancers can have their bone marrow damaged by the cancer itself, or from chemotherapy and radiation treatments. A stem cell transplant lets the new stem cells take over from the damaged marrow so the body can produce healthy, cancer-free blood cells.

Even though there are over 27 million people on the worldwide register, this isnt enough, according to charity DKMS. At any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a transplant.

Matching donors and patients isnt easy because it's determined by tissue type, not blood group. There are thousands of different human leukocyte antigen (HLA) characteristics, in millions of combinations. Doctors look to relatives for a match but two out of three of those in need are unable to find one, and so must rely on the generosity of strangers.

Most donations are day cases at hospital

Lydia, an environmental research scientist from Brighton, became aware of the process involved through a Facebook post. "A friend shared an appeal for a loved one who needed a donor," she said. "I remember watching a documentary about donating bone marrow in the 90s and I hadn't realised it mainly doesn't involve an invasive procedure until I read this post."

The donation usually involves a nonsurgical procedure called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation for around 90 per cent of all cases, which is the method Lydia used.

With this method, blood is taken from one of the donors arms and a machine extracts the blood stem cells from it. The donors blood is then returned to their body through their other arm. It is an outpatient procedure that usually takes four to six hours.

'I had no side effects, other than I felt a little more tired than usual the next day'

Lydia Burgess-Gamble

This procedure doesn't "deplete" a donor's supply of stem cells, as a donor's stem cells will completely replenish themselves within two to four weeks afterwards.

"I had no side effects, other than I felt a little more tired than usual the next day but within 24 hours I was completely back to normal," said Lydia.

"All I know about my recipient is that it's a woman in her twenties who lives in Turkey. I'd love to make contact one day. I'm not expecting anything but I'm hoping she gets well and we may be able to meet."

The other 10 per cent of donations are made through bone marrow, where donors give cells from the bone marrow in their pelvis. This is under general anaesthetic so that no pain is experienced. The collection itself takes one to two hours and most donors return to their regular activities within a week. Two weeks after donation, your bone marrow will have recovered fully, and the hip bone will have fully healed within six weeks.

Donating: the process

To become a potential blood stem cell donor first check your eligibility on the DKMS website and request a swab kit for your cheek.

Complete the swabs posted to you at home and send them back. Then yourtissue type will be analysed and your details will be added to the UK stem cell registry. Your details can be searched for a genetic match for people all over the world who need a second chance at life.

The odds are you may never be called upon, but if you are, you will have a blood test at your local GP or hospital and will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire and consent form. If you're deemed fit and healthy enough, you'll have a further medical assessment and consultation at a specialist collection centre (where you will later donate your blood stem cells).

It's important to read about the methods used to collect blood stem cells PBSC and bone marrow donation because if youre on the register, you should be willing to donate in either way. The method will be determined by what the doctors believe will be best for the patient. However, you will of course always have the final decision on whether you are happy to proceed.

When a donor is matched with a patient, DKMS will cover the costs (including any travel, meals, or accommodation expenses that may be necessary and lost wages if you are not covered by your employer).

Your blood stem cells will never be stored, they last for around 72 hours and are delivered straight to the person in need by a special courier.

You will be allowed to meet the patient, if they consent, eventually UK guidelines state this can happen two years after the donation (and tules vary by country).Contact through anonymous letters can be established before this time via DKMS.

You will stay on the register until your 61st birthday.

See the rest here:
'I've potentially saved a stranger's life by donating my blood stem cells and it was painless' - inews

Cesca Therapeutics Forms Joint Venture with Healthbanks Biotech (USA) to Provide Immune Cell Banking and Cell Processing Services – P&T Community

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., Oct. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cesca Therapeutics Inc.(Nasdaq: KOOL), a market leader in automated cell processing and autologous cell therapies for regenerative medicine, and ThermoGenesis, its wholly owned device subsidiary, today announced that the company has entered into a definitive joint venture agreement with HealthBanks Biotech (USA) Inc., one of the world's leading stem cell bank networks, to commercialize its proprietary cell processing platform, CAR-TXpress, for use in immune cell banking as well as for cell-basedcontract development and manufacturing services (CMO/CDMO). The joint venture will be named ImmuneCyte Life Sciences Inc. ("ImmuneCyte") and is expected to officially launch during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Under terms of the agreement, ImmuneCyte will initially be owned 80% by HealthBanks Biotech and 20% by Cesca. Cesca will contribute to ImmuneCyte exclusive rights to use ThermoGenesis' proprietary cell processing technology for the immune cell banking business and non-exclusive rights for other cell-based contract development and manufacturing services. Cesca will also contribute its clinical development assets to the joint venture, as the company has decided to discontinue these activities in order to focus exclusively on the device business.

Once operational, ImmuneCyte will be among the first immune cell banks in the U.S. to provide clients with the opportunity to bank their own healthy immune cells for future use as a resource for cell-based immunotherapies, such as dendritic cell and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. ImmuneCyte will utilize ThermoGenesis' proprietary CAR-TXpress platform which allows for the isolation of different components from 200 ml of blood in cGMP compliant, closed system. Given that the CAR-TXpress platform can increase cell processing efficiency by up to 16-fold as compared with the traditional, labor-intensive ficoll gradient centrifugation-based cell processing method, ImmuneCyte is expected to offer customers an unparalleled competitive advantage, including an ability to store their own immune cells at a tangibly lower cost.

"The ImmuneCyte joint venture will be paramount to the execution of our strategy to become a preferred cell processing and manufacturing solution provider in the cell and gene therapy field," said Dr. Chris Xu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cesca Therapeutics. "CAR-T therapeutic research is advancing rapidly. Partnering with HealthBanks Biotech, one of the foremost stem cell bank networks, with an experienced team and an established global infrastructure, will offer customers the ability to preserve younger, healthier and uncontaminated immune cells for potential future use. By applying our proprietary CAR-TXpress technology to immune cell banking and other CDMO cellular manufacturing services, we will allow for the manufacture and production of more effective and less costly immunotherapies."

In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two CAR-T cell therapies, under breakthrough designation, for the treatment of advanced B cell leukemia and lymphomas. Both use autologous (a patient's own) immune T cells to fight cancer and have reported an over 80% response rate in the "no-option" patient group, for those who have failed both chemo- and radiation therapies. This has helped to spur massive global interest for the development of additional CAR-T immunotherapies1. By the end of September 2019, there were over 800 CAR-T cell clinical trials registered on the http://www.clinicaltrials.gov website, targeting a wide variety of blood cancers and solid tumors.

Although highly effective, several recent studies on the eligibility of patients to enroll in CAR-T clinical trials showed that as many as 30-50% of cancer patients may not be eligible to enroll or to get sufficient CAR-T cells manufactured for the therapy. Reasons may include: (1) the function of the immune system declines with age and can be negatively affected by other medical conditions, (2) most standard cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation, destroy the immune system, and (3) in many cases of advanced cancer, cancer cells will enter circulation, invade and interfere with the body's natural production of immune cells. According to a recently reported JULIE trial, a CAR-T clinical trial in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), one-third of the 238 screened patients failed to be enrolled, and more than half of the 238 failed to receive the intended CAR-T therapy2,3. ImmuneCyte will offer customers the ability to preserve younger, healthier and uncontaminated immune cells, for potential future use in advanced cancer immunotherapy.

About HealthBanks Biotech (USA) Inc.HealthBanks Biotech, headquartered in Irvine, CA, is one of the leading stem cell bank networks in the world and offers services globally through its sister companies located in the United States and other regions and nations. HealthBanks Biotech is accredited by the FDA, AABB, and CAP. The HealthBanks Biotech group was originally founded in 2001 with a vision that stem cells and cell and gene therapies could transform modern medicine. HealthBanks Biotech is a subsidiary of Boyalife Group, Inc. (USA), an affiliate of Boyalife (Hong Kong) Limited, the largest stockholder of Cesca. For more information about HealthBanks Biotech (USA) Inc., pleasevisit:www.healthbanks.us.

About ImmuneCyte Life Sciences Inc.ImmuneCyte will provide clients with the opportunity to bank their own immune cells when the cells are "healthy and unaffected" as a future resource for cellular immunotherapies, such as CAR-T. ImmuneCyte utilizes a proprietary CAR-TXpress platform, a GMP compliant close-system capable of automated separating and cryopreserving different components from blood.For more information about ImmuneCyte Life Sciences Inc., pleasevisit:www.immunecyte.com.

About Cesca Therapeutics Inc.Cesca Therapeuticsdevelops, commercializes and markets a range of automated technologies for CAR-T and other cell-based therapies. Its device division, ThermoGenesis develops, commercializes and markets a full suite of solutions for automated clinical biobanking, point-of-care applications, and automation for immuno-oncology. The Company has developed a semi- automated, functionally closed CAR-TXpressplatform to streamline the manufacturing process for the emerging CAR-T immunotherapy market. For more information about Cesca and ThermoGenesis, pleasevisit: http://www.cescatherapeutics.com.

Company Contact:Wendy Samford916-858-5191ir@thermogenesis.com

Investor Contact:Paula Schwartz,Rx Communications917-322-2216pschwartz@rxir.com

References:

1. Facts About Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapy, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (2018). https://www.lls.org

2. Updated Analysis of JULIET Trial: Tisagenlecleucel in Relapsed or Refractory DLBCL (2018).

3. Eligibility Criteria for CAR-T Trials and Survival Rates in Chemorefractory DLBCL. Journal of Clinical Pathways (2018).

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cesca-therapeutics-forms-joint-venture-with-healthbanks-biotech-usa-to-provide-immune-cell-banking-and-cell-processing-services-300942618.html

SOURCE Cesca Therapeutics Inc.

Link:
Cesca Therapeutics Forms Joint Venture with Healthbanks Biotech (USA) to Provide Immune Cell Banking and Cell Processing Services - P&T Community

CST and Cell Press launch Cell Mentor in China – BSA bureau

Online Resource to Help Scientist Achieve Experimental and Career Success Now Available

US headquartered Cell Signaling Technology(CST), a leading provider of antibodies, kits, and services, andCell Press, a leading publisher of over 40 primary research and review journals, have announced thatCell Mentor, an educational resource for biology students and researchers is available inChina.

Originally launched at AACR onMarch 30th, Cell Mentor enables biology students and researchers to easily navigate their careers, get published, and strengthen their laboratory skills to reach experimental success. Scientists inChinawill now have the ability to utilize Cell Mentor in their native Mandarin language atwww.cellmentor.cn.

Cell Mentor is full of educational content from both Cell Press and CST and information is presented according to the types of challenges students and researchers face during their careers. It is designed to address real-life quandaries faced by students and researchers in and out of the lab.

To celebrate the new Cell Mentor section, CST hosted IUIS 2019 Featured Forum: New Frontiers in Immunology, New Beginnings with Cell Mentor onOctober 21st. In the forum, renowned opinion leaders in immunology introduced the new frontiers in infection andimmunity, NK cell-based immunotherapy of cancer,stem cell research and applications.

In addition,Jay Dong, Vice President and General ManagerChinaandAsia Pacificat CST introduced the origin of Cell Mentor and how it can facilitate scientific experiments, andPeter Lee, Editor-In-Chief of Immunity and Publishing Director at Cell Press, discussed how to publish papers inCell,Immunityand beyond.

Read more here:
CST and Cell Press launch Cell Mentor in China - BSA bureau

How stem cells are helping to mend broken hearts – Belfast Telegraph

How stem cells are helping to mend broken hearts

BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

In recent years, it's become apparent that stem cells will be a key ingredient of future medical treatments. And nowhere is the use of these 'building block cells' more important than through their amazing ability to repair the heart.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/how-stem-cells-are-helping-to-mend-broken-hearts-38616582.html

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/article38616581.ece/72ec8/AUTOCROP/h342/2019-10-22_lif_54303088_I1.JPG

In recent years, it's become apparent that stem cells will be a key ingredient of future medical treatments. And nowhere is the use of these 'building block cells' more important than through their amazing ability to repair the heart.

The Heart Cells Foundation charity (heartcellsfoundation.com) is funding pioneering research into potentially lifesaving treatment using a patient's own stem cells as a natural repair system to treat heart problems, including heart disease, heart failure and cardiomyopathy. Trials show the stem cells may be able to restore damaged heart tissue, and the treatment is being offered to selected heart failure patients at the Heart Cells Foundation-funded Compassionate Unit at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. It's the first treatment of its kind in Europe.

Professor Metin Avkiran, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation (bhf.org.uk), says: "Our hearts have very limited ability to repair themselves following damage from heart attacks and other conditions. This can lead to heart failure, an incurable condition with a worse survival rate than many cancers.

"Stem cells hold immense promise in helping repair damaged hearts, and there have been some encouraging results from a number of studies in patients treated with such cells."

And consultant cardiologist Professor Anthony Mathur, principal investigator on the Heart Cells Foundation's stem cell trials at St Bart's Hospital, adds: "This is a truly exciting field from the perspective of patients healing themselves with their own cells. Clinical trials have helped our understanding of how stem cells may be isolated and then injected into the heart, to promote healing, and we've been fortunate in our own trials to see so many patients with heart disease report improvement in their symptoms, having previously been told no more could be done.

"With more than one million people suffering with heart disease and failure in the UK, the need for treatment in this field has never been greater. As the clinical trial was so successful, we have now been able to launch The Compassionate Treatment Programme at St Bartholomew's Hospital, which is the first of its kind in the UK, and will enable us to treat patients suffering from heart disease on compassionate grounds."

Professor Mathur explains more about stem cells and how they could help mend broken hearts ...

What are stem cells?

"Stem cells have a unique ability to transform into any type of cell within the human body, making them an exciting and revolutionary treatment option for a variety of different conditions."

Are stem cells donated or do patients use their own?

"The therapy used in the trials and the Compassionate Unit utilises the patient's own stem cells to repair the heart. Stem cells are extracted from a patient's bone marrow and injected into the damaged area of their heart."

What heart conditions can stem cells treat?

"The programme based at the Barts Heart Centre has focused on the use of autologous stem cell therapy (patient's own cells) and we have conducted four clinical trials over the last 15 years, to understand what role stem cell therapy has in treating heart disease. Our results have identified individuals with dilated cardiomyopathy and ischaemic heart disease achieve the most benefit from stem cell therapy."

How do stem cells help?

"In the specific case of heart failure, stem cells initiate a repair process within the heart which improves heart function and also patient symptoms, resulting in an improved quality of life. It's the same process of cardiac repair for heart disease and cardiomyopathy. They are still likely to be part of a reparative process. This treatment is no longer just in the laboratory, it's improving the lives of patients all over the UK."

What research has been completed?

"In the programme's last clinical trial, patients with heart disease were treated using stem cell therapy and analysed against a placebo group. Results proved the patients' hearts had started to pump more efficiently, and patients also reported an overall improved physiological and psychological state, enabling them to return to a lifestyle nearer to normal."

What's the next step for heart stem cell research?

"We are now raising funds (approximately 8m) to conduct a larger Phase III trial to consolidate these findings. If successful, the final trial will provide further evidence to the NHS to consider adopting this therapy as standard care. Currently, until the Phase III trials are complete, we have the compassionate programme only. The future timing depends on funding the Phase III trials, which have been planned and are ready to go."

Can someone with a heart problem get stem cell treatment at the moment?

"Stem cell therapy isn't currently available within the NHS. However, the Compassionate Unit at St Bartholomew's allows us to treat patients from across the UK suffering with heart failure due to ischaemic heart disease of dilated cardiomyopathy, who have no further treatment options available to them. The Compassionate Unit is happy to receive enquiries from patients, GPs, cardiologists and healthcare professionals."

Belfast Telegraph

More:
How stem cells are helping to mend broken hearts - Belfast Telegraph

Iran sends US list of names for its proposed prisoner swap – Stars and Stripes

TEHRAN, Iran Iran's foreign ministry said Monday it has sent the United States a list of names it is demanding in a proposed prisoner swap, opening a potential new channel with Washington amid recent growing tensions.

Iran did not detail the names it relayed, but Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped to hear soon "good news" about the release of Iranian scientist Masoud Soleimani. U.S. federal authorities arrested Soleimani last year on charges that he had violated trade sanctions by trying to have biological material brought to Iran. Zarif said he raised the issue last month in his visit to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the Islamic Republic has relayed which Iranians should be included in the suggested swap with the United States and other Western nations. Iran holds several American nationals and did not detail whom it would consider freeing.

"We have handed over a list of names (to the United States) who must be freed," Mousavi said, in a briefing with reporters. "We hope that these efforts, if paired with good will, would pay off soon and we would see freedom of Dr. Soleimani and other Iranians from the Americans' captivity."

Iran contends Soleimani and others were detained over what they called "baseless" accusations of bypassing unilateral American sanctions on Iran. It's not clear how many other Iranians the U.S has detained, and there was no immediate American reaction.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have steadily escalated since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal last May and re-imposed sanctions on Iran. Prosecutors in Atlanta got an indictment the following month against Soleimani, who works in stem cell research, hematology and regenerative medicine. U.S. officials revoked his visa and arrested him in October when he landed in Chicago.

The U.S. blames Iran for a series of mysterious oil tanker attacks this year and alleges it carried out last month's attack on the world's largest oil processor in Saudi Arabia, which caused oil prices to spike by the biggest percentage since the 1991 Gulf War.

Iran denies the accusations and has warned any retaliatory attack targeting it will result in an "all-out war," as it has begun enriching uranium beyond the terms of its 2015 nuclear deal. Iran also shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone and seized oil tankers.

A prisoner swap could offer a breakthrough following a pair of conciliatory moves.

A month ago, the U.S. deported Iranian Negar Ghodskani who was brought to the U.S. to face criminal conspiracy charges. She was sentenced to time served for conspiracy to illegally export restricted technology from the U.S. to Iran.

In June, Iran released Nizar Zakka, a U.S. permanent resident from Lebanon who advocated for internet freedom and has done work for the U.S. government. He was sentenced to 10 years on espionage-related charges and was freed after serving less than four years.

However, in May, Iran sentenced former U.S. Navy cook Michael R. White from Imperial Beach, California, to 10 years in prison in Iran, becoming the first American known to be imprisoned there since Trump took office.

Three other American citizens are known to be held in Iran, though Iran does not recognize their dual nationality

Iranian-American Siamak Namazi and his octogenarian father Baquer, a former representative for the U.N. children's agency UNICEF who served as governor of Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed shah, are both serving 10-year sentences on espionage charges.

Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari and his Iranian wife, Afarin Neyssari, received 27-year and 16-year prison sentences, respectively.

Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly "infiltrating" the country while doing doctoral research on Iran's Qajar dynasty.

Iranian-American Robin Shahini was released on bail in 2017 after staging a hunger strike while serving an 18-year prison sentence for "collaboration with a hostile government." Shahini has since returned to America and is now suing Iran in U.S. federal court.

Former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran in 2007 while on an unauthorized CIA mission, remains missing. Iran says that Levinson is not in the country and that it has no further information about him, though his family holds Tehran responsible for his disappearance.

Others held with Western ties include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the "soft toppling" of Iran's government while traveling with her young daughter. Her daughter left Iran for Britain last week.

____

Heller reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Originally posted here:
Iran sends US list of names for its proposed prisoner swap - Stars and Stripes