Stem Cell Clinic

Mutations Linked to Huntington’s Increase Cells’ Resistance to Manganese, Study Finds – Huntington’s Disease News

By Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Mutations associated with Huntingtons disease increase nerve cells resistance to high levels of manganese, according to a recent study.

The results of the study, Huntingtons disease associated resistance to Mn neurotoxicity is neurodevelopmental stage and neuronal lineage dependent, were published in NeuroToxicology.

Manganese (Mn) is a trace metal that plays a key role in many cellular processes. It is essential in the production of neurotransmitters chemical substances that allow communication between nerve cells and in the regulation of nerve cells metabolism. However, high levels of Mn in the body are associated with neurotoxicity.

Levels of Mn change substantially in different regions of the brain throughout its development. However, it is still unclear if these regional differences could be linked to the fact that certain types of nerve cells may be more sensitive to higher levels of Mn than others at specific time-points during brain development.

Certain neurological disorders have been associated with alterations in brain Mn levels. It has been shown that human and mouse nerve cell precursors containing a genetic mutation associated with Huntingtons disease have limited access to Mn and are more resilient to its neurotoxic effects.

Investigators from Vanderbilt University and their collaborators now set out to explore the sensitivity of different types of neurons at different developmental stages, from patients with Huntingtons disease and healthy individuals (controls), to Mn neurotoxicity.

We hypothesized that there would be differences in Mn sensitivity between lineages and developmental stages, the researchers said.

The team used several lines of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) fully matured cells that can be reprogrammed back to a stem cell state, where they are able to grow into almost any type of cell from patients and controls to generate neuroprogenitor cells (NPCs).

The NPCs then were cultured in a lab dish with different cocktails of growth factors to differentiate them into distinct types of neurons. Specifically, there were three different types: striatal neurons, which can be found in the striatum, a brain region involved in motor control; cortical neurons, which can be found in the cortex, or the outer layer of the brain; and midbrain dopaminergic neurons, which can be found in the substantia nigra, a brain region involved in the control of voluntary muscle movements.

The researchers then compared sensitivity to Mn neurotoxicity during each developmental time-point for each cell type between the two groups those with and without Huntingtons.

Their findings revealed that striatal and cortical NPCs derived from Huntingtons patients were more resistant to high levels of Mn compared with those that had been obtained from individuals who did not have the disease. These results were similar to those seen in other studies.

Moreover, the investigators found that patient-derived hiPSCs were themselves more resistant to Mn neurotoxicity than their counterparts.

However, at intermediate stages of development, midbrain neurons that had been derived from patients became more sensitive to the toxic effects of Mn.

The researchers said the sensitivity of midbrain NPCs and mature cortical neurons to Mn neurotoxicity was similar in both groups.

Altogether, these findings suggest that the harmful effects of Mn can be influenced by the presence of genetic mutations associated with Huntingtons disease. That, in turn, depends on the particular developmental stages and neuronal cell types.

In conclusion, our findings may provide insight into therapeutic strategies for diseases in which Mn has been shown to play a role such as HD [Huntingtons disease], especially through specific lineage-targeted interventions, the researchers said.

Joana is currently completing her PhD in Biomedicine and Clinical Research at Universidade de Lisboa. She also holds a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Evolutionary and Developmental Biology from Universidade de Lisboa. Her work has been focused on the impact of non-canonical Wnt signaling in the collective behavior of endothelial cells cells that make up the lining of blood vessels found in the umbilical cord of newborns.

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Ana holds a PhD in Immunology from the University of Lisbon and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Instituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM) in Lisbon, Portugal. She graduated with a BSc in Genetics from the University of Newcastle and received a Masters in Biomolecular Archaeology from the University of Manchester, England. After leaving the lab to pursue a career in Science Communication, she served as the Director of Science Communication at iMM.

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Mutations Linked to Huntington's Increase Cells' Resistance to Manganese, Study Finds - Huntington's Disease News

MGH doctors perform first-ever live-cell pig skin graft to burn patient – Boston Herald

By Uncategorized

Burn specialists at Massachusetts General Hospital are the first in the world to successfully use live-cell, genetically engineered pig skin to temporarily close a burn wound in a human patient but the breakthrough has drawn opposition from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The ultimate holy grail is the end to the worlds organ shortage, that would be the holy grail, this has come at a time when genetic editing is really hot and what we could do in years, we can do in weeks, said Dr. Jeremy Goverman of the MGH Sumner Redstone Burn Service.

The pig tissue, known as xenoskin, was transplanted directly onto a human burn wound next to a larger piece of human skin.

Five days later, surgeons removed the human skin and the pig tissue to see that both grafts were stuck to the wound bed and were indistinguishable from each other.

Following the procedure, the burn wound was then treated further with a skin graft taken from the patients thigh. Healing progressed well and the patient will return to work soon.

The goal is to replace skin with xenoskin thats like it enough that it doesnt get rejected, said Goverman. Down the line we hope to ultimately create something thats not temporary.

The biggest push now is actually decreasing your donor site size and decreasing how much skin you have to harvest, said Goverman.

Patients who receive this type of graft typically have severe burns that require more than one operation and about a week of hospitalization.

Weve been using dressing like this in the past, we just havent been able to use anything with live cells. The live cells have all the appropriate factors that could really stimulate and regenerate and close our wounds for us, said Goverman.

MGH worked with Boston-based XenoTherapeutics, which designed the safety protocols for the special live-pig tissue graft.

Paul Holzer, CEO of XenoTherapeutics said, We have taken a small but unprecedented step in bringing xenotransplantation from theory to therapy, one that we hope will advance this promising field of medicine and benefit patients around the world.

Human skin grafts are subject to a national shortage and can be expensive, therefore using the pig skin can serve as a viable alternative, according to MGH.

But Alka Chandna, vice president of laboratory investigations cases at PETA, said there is no shortage of donated skin grafts.

Its categorically unethical to steal organs from another sentient being whos still using them. Pigs are individuals, not warehouses for spare parts, said Chandna.

Chandna said, Tinkering with the genes of these intelligent, sensitive beings to turn them into organ factories is a waste of lives, time and money and the suffering caused is unimaginable.

The advancement of the procedure reaches back decades to genetically modified pigs that were developed in the 1990s at MGH by Dr. David Sachs.

The modifications removed a gene specific to pigs and not present in humans, allowing the pig skin to appear less foreign to the human immune system.

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MGH doctors perform first-ever live-cell pig skin graft to burn patient - Boston Herald

Single-Cell Sequencing: Paving the Way for Precision… – Labiotech.eu

By Uncategorized

Next-generation sequencing techniques to determine an individuals unique genetic code gave rise to personalized treatments. Single-cell sequencing is the next step towards making precision medicine more accurate.

Each cell in our body is unique. Even genetically identical cells can behave differently in response to a certain treatment. With next-generation sequencing, scientists can study how the average cell within a group behaves. However, this can lead to erroneous conclusions.

It is like population surveys which tell us the average American family has 1.2 children. Thats useless. Thats not helpful. Not a single family has 1.2 children, stated Christoph Lengauer, CEO of Celsius Therapeutics, in an interview with STAT News. His company has raised more than 60M to develop precision therapies using machine learning.

Single-cell sequencing, by contrast, can indicate which family has six children, and which has just one and a dog, Lengauer said. Its orders of magnitude more granular.

This is a huge paradigm shift. Single-cell sequencing was recognized as method of the year by Nature in 2013. Since then, the number of publications from both academia and the industry exploded.

In recent years, there has been a shift in the technology available to perform single-cell sequencing. Fluidigm used to hold the bulk of the market with products across the entire workflow but is currently suffering from poor sales due to new competitors.

At the forefront is US-based 10X Genomics, founded in 2012, which registered a 20-fold revenue increase between 2015 and 2017. Its sequencing platform allows large populations of cells to be separated and analyzed with high resolution. The company is also developing a technology to study how cells are positioned in 3D which could be used to see how tumors grow and expand.

Another contender is the alliance between two giants, Bio-Rad Laboratories and Illumina. They announced in January 2019 a joint single-cell sequencing solution that streamlines the whole workflow. Mission Bio, a spin-off from the University of California San Francisco is selling a single-cell sequencing platform that targets clinical applications with a lower price per run compared to its competitors.

Despite the rapid market growth, the use of single-cell sequencing is so far limited to a narrow circle of initiates. Over the past years, academic facilities have started providing single-cell sequencing services to researchers. For example, the technology is used at the Institut Curie in Paris to study cancer cells.

More recently, companies have started working in this area, often using technology initially developed in academia to identify new biomarkers and drug targets. All seem to have a common goal: personalized medicine.

Research on most diseases related to genetic or epigenetic mutations could benefit at some point from single-cell sequencing. There are already scientific publications applying this technology in microbiology, neurology, immunology, digestive and urinary conditions.

Among them, oncology is probably the most promising and mature application. Previously, bulk analysis of cells from a tumor biopsy only gave information on the predominant type of cells. In contrast, single-cell sequencing can provide information about other tumor cells, which might be resistant to a certain therapy and result in a relapse after the first line of treatment.

This technique is highly sensitive and is able to detect rare cell types from limited amounts of sample material. Combined with technology to isolate circulating tumor cells from a blood sample, single-cell sequencing can be used to select patients in personalized medicine trials.

IsoPlexis is one of the very few companies with an advanced program to apply single-cell sequencing to proteomic studies looking at the role of protein expression in cancer. The company is developing a technology to measure the levels of a dozen molecules secreted by immune cells that are primed to recognize and attack a tumor. Last year, this was used to predict, for the first time, the response that a person with blood cancer will have to CAR T-cell therapy. The company claims that it could also be applied to cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy.

Single-cell sequencing can also be combined with CRISPR gene editing to make elaborated large-scale studies of how a genetic modification affects cell behavior. The Austrian company Aelian Biotechnology is combining both techniques to observe gene functions with single-cell resolution, establishing a new paradigm for next-generation CRISPR screening. This approach has broad applications, including identifying novel drug targets or studying unknown mechanisms of actions of drugs.

Either for research or clinical diagnostics, single-cell sequencing remains challenging and is far from being used routinely. One of the main reasons is that single-cell collection is tricky, as the amount of sample material used is low but the analysis still requires a sufficient amount of cells to make sure all cell types are represented. The time it currently takes to complete an experiment is another major concern. Companies developing single-cell sequencing technology need to work on creating streamlined and optimized workflows that limit these problems.

Although experimental methods for single-cell sequencing are increasingly accessible to laboratories, handling the data analysis remains challenging. There are currently limited guidelines as to how to define quality control metrics, the removal of technical artifacts, and the interpretation of the results. With larger experiments, the data analysis burden increases.

Single-cell data requires the analysis of millions of data points for a single tumor, said Andrei Zinovyev, who leads a machine learning project focusing on single-cell data analysis at the Institut Curie in Paris.

There are many software tools developed by academics, mostly available in open source. However, their use is limited to a small community of researchers that have been able to successfully combine advanced bioinformatics and statistical skills with in-depth knowledge of the biological systems they study. Companies such as 10X Genomics and Fluidigm also provide software tools, but this area remains in its infancy and gold-standard tools have yet to be developed.

For single-cell analysis to spread to a broader community, user-friendly analysis tools are needed. In this area, Swiss startup Scailyte is developing an AI-based solution to discover biomarkers from single-cell data, analyzing complex datasets in just a few hours. The US startup Cellarity is also working in this area, seeking to combine single-cell sequencing with artificial intelligence and CRISPR gene editing.

The use of single-cell sequencing is limited due in part to its high cost. Most of the instruments and reagents needed are costly. For someone looking to incorporate single-cell sequencing into their laboratory, 10X Genomics for example sells its instruments for about 70,000. A typical run, including cell isolation and sequencing, can cost anywhere between 3,000 and 10,000 per sample, depending on the number of cells.

Due to the high cost, it is becoming popular for laboratories with the equipment to offer single-cell sequencing and analysis as a service. The US company Mission Bio is tackling this issue, aiming to reduce the cost to between $1,000 and $2,000 for a typical run.

As is mostly the case in any area with a huge market potential, intellectual property can cause conflict, which can negatively impact the development of new technologies. For example, back in 2015, Bio-Rad sued 10X Genomics for patent infringement, and the jury determined it would have to pay 21M in damages. Furthermore, 10X Genomics could not sell their products to new customers, being therefore limited to servicing historical clients with all past and future sales subject to a 15% royalty.

Several months later, the US company Becton Dickinson also sued 10X Genomics. After that, the company decided to build a new piece of equipment to reinforce its intellectual property position. In September, 10X Genomics countersued Becton Dickinson.

The single-cell sequencing market experienced a growth spike between 2017 and 2018 due to several key stakeholders entering the market. But we are only at the beginning. According to most business reports, this market is expected to see a 300% growth, reaching a size of almost 1.4B by 2023.

Competitors are innovating at an insane rate to take the lead, but there is still a long way to go before single-cell sequencing can be widely used. A huge amount of investment would be needed to fully unlock its potential for research, drug discovery, and diagnostics. Nonetheless, the field has momentum and once it tackles the challenges, there is no doubt that single-cell sequencing will pave the way to breakthrough innovations in personalized medicine.

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Single-Cell Sequencing: Paving the Way for Precision... - Labiotech.eu

Prevent the spread of the flu virus – Baylor College of Medicine News

By Uncategorized

If there is anything we have learned from previous years, its that flu season is unpredictable. However, getting your flu shot now offers the best protection for the entire season, according to an expert at Baylor College of Medicine.

Its difficult to predict the duration and intensity of the flu season, but we know that it will be here and it will have a significant health impact on everyone, said Dr. Pedro A. Piedra, professor of molecular virology and microbiology and of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.

This years flu vaccine includes two updated components to better reflect what flu strains may be circulating this year, the influenza A H1N1 and the influenza A H3N2 components.

The ability to predict what strains will circulate each flu season is not perfect, Piedra said, and, at times, the vaccines dont match well with what is circulating. Despite that, influenza vaccines can have a significant impact on the health of an individual as well as the health of the community, he said.

During last years flu season, multiple viruses circulated. Flu vaccines contain three or four components to protect against multiple viruses.

You could be infected early in the flu season and still be susceptible to other influenza viral infections because they can be entirely different, which is why it is always best to be vaccinated before the flu season begins. Thats when you will get the best protection, Piedra said. Vaccines work best when they are delivered prior to the flu season because it will provide duration of protection through the full season.

Recently, researchers found that the traditional, egg-based influenza vaccine may not protect well against the H3N2 strain, so Piedra recommends seeking out the vaccines that are made from insect cell lines or mammalian cell lines, which may offer better protection against the H3N2 strain and provide comparable protection against the other influenza viruses (influenza A H1N1 and influenza B strains).

Because the flu vaccine is administered at a time when other viral infections are circulating, some people may feel like they have a cold right around the time they receive the vaccine. However, Piedra, who also is with Texas Childrens Hospital, said that it is not related to the vaccine. Its most likely that they were ill with another virus at the time they were vaccinated and didnt know. Some individuals will have soreness or redness at the site of injection. Mild to moderate local reactions are associated with the influenza vaccine. Overall, influenza vaccines are well tolerated and safe in children, adults, pregnant women and older adults.

There can be breakthrough infection, and antivirals are available for those who become infected with the flu virus. Antivirals need to be started within 48 hours of the onset of illness to get the full benefit.

For high-risk individuals, such as older adults or children less than 5 years of age or children and adults with asthma, heart disease, diabetes or other health conditions, Piedra recommends reaching out to their physician before the influenza season on how to best use antiviral drugs if they are infected with the flu. He recommends that they have a plan with their physician on how to get the antiviral drug within 24 hours of the onset of illness.

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Prevent the spread of the flu virus - Baylor College of Medicine News

HIV Latent Reservoir Forms Near the Time of ART Initiation, Researchers Find – AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

By Uncategorized

While antiretroviral therapy (ART) can suppress HIV infection, ART cannot completely eradicate HIV, which remains in a latent reservoir in CD4-positive T cells during treatment; discontinuation of ART leads to rapid rebound of the virus. This reservoir forms even when ART is initiated early on in the infection, and while the most widely accepted model of how the reservoir forms involves infection of a CD4-positive T cell as it transitions to a resting state, the dynamics and timing of the reservoirs formation have been largely unknown.

This reservoir forms even when ART is initiated early on in the infection, and while the most widely accepted model of how the reservoir forms involves infection of a CD4-positive T cell as it transitions to a resting state, the dynamics and timing of the reservoirs formation have been largely unknown.

This month, in a paper in Science Translational Medicine, researchers report that they have now identified evidence showing that initial use of ART alters the host environment to allow the formation or stabilization of the most long-lived HIV reservoir that persists for multiple years during treatment.

The researchers used archived pre-ART viremic samples from the CAPRISA 002 cohort, based in South Africa, to establish a temporal record of viral evolution in 9 women who enrolled from the time of their primary HIV infection. Because the patients enrolled prior to initiating ART, the researchers could use the differences in viral sequences to measure different time points.

Using this viral record, the investigators estimated when the viruses had persisted after more than 4 years during therapy and entered the latent reservoir. In most of the patients, the majority of viruses entered the reservoir around the time that therapy was started; 71% of the unique viruses from the post-therapy latent reservoir were genetically similar to viruses replicating just before ART was initiated.

These findings suggest, say the authors, that ART itself alters the host environment by suppressing viral replication to favor long-lived cells, some of which have latent HIV infection.

This comes as a big surprise, said co-senior author Ronald Swanstrom, PhD, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the UNC School of Medicine, in a statement on the findings. Our work suggests that if we could understand the reservoir-forming process better, we might be able to intervene at the start of treatment to reduce the majority of the reservoir that forms at this time.

According to Swanstrom, combining ART with a drug that inhibits the transition of CD4-positive cells to the memory cell state could help prevent some of the viral reservoir from forming in the first place.

A major goal of current HIV research is to allow people to stop therapy without having the virus come back, Swanstrom said. One strategy to achieve this is to eradicate the latent reservoir. Starting with a smaller reservoir could help make that an attainable goal.

Reference

Abrahams MR, Joseph SB, Garrett N, et al. The replication-competent HIV-1 latent reservoir is primary established near the time of therapy initiation. Sci Transl Med. 2019;11:eaaw5589. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaw5589.

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HIV Latent Reservoir Forms Near the Time of ART Initiation, Researchers Find - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Sixteen ASCB Fellows to be welcomed at 2019 meeting of cell biologists this December – Newswise

By Uncategorized

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Newswise The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) is pleased to present its cohort of 16 new Fellows for 2019.

Through the ASCB Fellows program, we acknowledge the scope and diversity of the Societys membership. Our Fellows represent not only an elite group of scientists who have contributed significantly to the body of knowledge about cell biology and to the community of scientists studying the cell, but also individuals who have demonstrated throughout their careers their commitment to the mission of the Society, said Erika Shugart, the chief executive officer for ASCB.

Election as a Fellow of ASCB is an honor bestowed upon ASCB members by their peers. The list of approved Fellow nominees is reviewed and approved by the ASCB Council. The new cohort of ASCB Fellows will be formally recognized before the keynote speech at the 2019 ASCB|EMBO Meeting in Washington, DC, Dec. 7.

The new ASCB Fellows include:

David Asai, Senior Director of Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Kerry Bloom, Thad L. Beyle Distinguished Professor and Chair of Biology; Professor of Cancer Cell Biology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Anthony Bretscher, Professor of Cell Biology in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University

Mary Dasso, Senior Investigator, Section on Cell Cycle Regulation, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health

Erin Dolan, Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Innovative Science Education, University of Georgia

Ian Macara, Chair of the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University

Erika Matunis, Professor of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

David Mitchell, Professor, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Denise Montell, Duggan Professor and Distinguished Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara

Gregory Pazour, Professor of Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts School of Medicine

Birgit Satir, Professor in Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein Medical College

Susan Strome, Distinguished Professor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz

Vassie Ware, Professor of Molecular Biology and Co-Director of the HHMI Bioscience Program, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Susan Wente, Interim Chancellor/Provost and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University

Mark Winey, Dean of the College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis

Xin Xiang, Professor of Biochemistry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD

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Sixteen ASCB Fellows to be welcomed at 2019 meeting of cell biologists this December - Newswise

A predator’s world? Top analyst sees the ‘haves’ and the ‘haven’ts’ diverge as biotech bubbles form and collapse – Endpoints News

By Uncategorized

Count Pfizer in as a top player in the blockbuster game of JAK1 inhibitors.

Over the weekend the pharma giant posted some stellar Phase III efficacy data for their heavyweight contender abrocitinib in atopic dermatitis (eczema) that lines up ahead of a booming Dupixent (dupilumab), a blockbuster in the portfolios of Regeneron and Sanofi. And they put some real distance ahead of Eli Lillys trailing Olumiant, which made a delayed initial arrival on the market for rheumatoid arthritis after the FDA hobbled it with some additional hurdles on safety concerns.

JADE-MONO-1 scores well for Pfizer, teeing up what will be an intensely followed breakdown of the JADE MONO-2 data, which the pharma giant recently top-lined as similar to the first Phase III when tested against a placebo a control group that has been easily outclassed by all the drugs in this market niche.

As of now, Pfizer looks to be equipped to run into the review stage advantaged by a breakthrough therapy designation that is intended to speed up the regulatory process.

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A predator's world? Top analyst sees the 'haves' and the 'haven'ts' diverge as biotech bubbles form and collapse - Endpoints News

The global wound care market is growing at a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period20182024 – Yahoo Finance

By Stem Cell Clinic

The adoption of wound care biologics is augmenting the growth of the global wound care market. The commercial availability of a wide array of wound biologics is likely to encourage many end-users to use them in treating wounds as they are clinically proven, safe, and effective than other products.

New York, Oct. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Wound Care Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2019-2024" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05822880/?utm_source=GNW The growing incidence of infections caused in lesions is another factor accelerating the growth of anti-microbial dressings market segment. Anti-microbial agents such as chlorhexidine, maggots, silver, iodine, and honey are increasingly becoming important in the global wound care market. Therefore, the incorporation of anti-microbial agents in wound dressing products is improving clinical outcomes for the treatment of wounds, thereby driving the global wound care market.

The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of the wound care market during the forecast period: Growing Focus on the Development and Commercialization of Wound Biologics The emergence of Stem Cell Therapy for Wound Healing New Product Approvals/Launches Increasing Number of Surgical Procedures

This research report on the global wound care market covers sizing and forecast, market share, industry trends, growth drivers, and vendor analysis. The market study includes insights on segmentation by products (advanced wound care products, sutures and stapling devices, traditional wound care products, and hemostats and surgical sealants), wound type (acute wound and chronic wound), end-users(hospitals and specialty wound care clinics, long-term care facilities, home healthcare,and others), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, Latin America, and MEA).

The study considers the present scenario of the wound care market and its market dynamics for the period 2018?2024. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The study covers both the demand and supply aspect of the market. The report profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent companies operating in the wound care market.

Wound Care Market: SegmentationThis research report includes detailed market segmentation by products, wound type, end-users, and geography. The increase in the geriatric population is a major contributing factor for the growth of the advanced wound care segment as the prevalence of diabetes and other diseases is more common in the elderly age group than youth. The advanced segment is also growing as the majority of market players are offering innovative products to meet the demand for wound care worldwide. The rising incidence of diabetes and associated diabetic foot ulcers in the elderly population globally is fueling steady growth for traditional products. The market is also growing steadily as products such as gauze bandages and adhesive bandages witness sustainable demand for small cuts, bruises as well as for chronic wounds and burns, especially in developing countries. Developing regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America are the largest contributors to the traditional products.

The acute wound market is growing mainly due to the rise in surgical site infections (SSI) and the increase in the number of burn cases worldwide. Chronic wounds do not heal through the normal healing process. The segment is growing due to the growing burden of diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, and some surgical site infections that do not heal naturally or with medicines. Further, about 70% of lower-extremity ulcers are caused by chronic venous insufficiency. People aged 65 years or above are vulnerable to venous ulcers. The overweight and obese population also develop a high risk for diabetes and associated chronic wounds. Therefore, the growing incidence of several chronic wounds is driving the growth of the segment.

The shift from traditional lower technology wound care treatments to the adoption of advanced treatments is a major factor for the high share of the hospitals and specialty wound clinic segment. Long-term care facilities segment is growing at a steady pace because of the growing incidence of chronic wounds due to the increase in chronic diseases such as diabetes. The growing elderly population is contributing to the growth of the segment as they are more prone to chronic diseases.

Market Segmentation by Products Advanced Wound Care Products Sutures and Stapling Devices Traditional Wound Care Hemostats and Surgical SealantsMarket Segmentation by Wound Type Acute Wounds Chronic WoundsMarket Segmentation by End-users Hospitals and Specialty Wound Care Clinics Long-term Care Facilities Others (ASCs, solo practitioners, and other acute care settings) Home Healthcare

Wound Care Market: Geography

The growth in the number of people suffering from several acute and chronic wounds in the US is the primary factor for the high market share of the North American market. The rise in the geriatric population is another key factor driving the market growth of the wound care market in the region.Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and Spain are witnessing significant growth in the wound care market. Factors such as the presence of highly sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, the increase in the patient population, and high awareness regarding the availability of advanced treatment options are the major growth factors.

Market Segmentation by Geography North Americao USo Canada APACo Japano Chinao Indiao South Koreao Australia Europeo Germanyo Franceo UKo Spaino Italy Latin Americao Brazilo Mexicoo Argentine MEAo Turkeyo Saudi Arabiao South Africao Iran

Key Vendor AnalysisThe global wound care market is highly competitive and dynamic characterized by the presence of several global, regional, and local vendors, offering a diverse range of products and devices for treating various acute and chronic wounds. There are approximately more than 400 vendors providing a wide array of wound care products worldwide. Multiple product launches, strategic acquisitions, and differentiated products have fueled the growth in recent years. New product launches and strategic acquisitions, collaborations will be crucial for companies to maintain revenue growth in the coming years. Large and diversified companies account for nearly 48% of the market share. Also, the majority of key players have demonstrated consistent growth in the last three years. Moderate to the high growth of major players will continue to boost the market growth. In addition, both established and emerging players are developing or commercializing wound care products and devices. Major players are focusing on technological innovations, thereby investing substantial amounts on R&D activities for offering advanced wound care products such as advanced wound dressings, skin grafts, and wound biologics.

Key Vendors 3M Acelity Cardinal Health Coloplast ConvaTec Medtronic Mlnlycke Health Care PAUL HARTMANN Smith & Nephew

Prominent Vendors Acell Adhesys Medical Advanced Medical Solutions Group Advancis Medical AediCell AlloSource AMERX Health Care AOTI AxioBiosolution Baxter B. Braun Melsungen BD BSN Medical BTI Biotechnology Institute Carilex Medical Cohera Medical CONMED Cork Medical Covalon Technologies CryoLife DeRoyal Industries Ethicon Grena Hollister Integra LifeSciences Intuitive Surgical LOHMANN & RAUSCHER (L&R) Medline Industries MiMedx MPM Medical MTF Biologics Ocular Therapeutix Organogenesis Osiris Therapeutics Pters Surgical Purple Surgical Reach surgical Sealantis Sechrist Sonoma Pharmaceuticals Sutures India Synovis MCA Talley Group TRIAGE MEDITECH Tricol Biomedical URGO Group Vivostat Waston Medical Appliance

Key Market InsightsThe report provides the following insights into the wound care market for the forecast period 20192024. Offers market sizing and growth prospects of the wound care market for the forecast period 20192024. Provides comprehensive insights on the latest industry trends, market forecast, and growth drivers in the wound care market. Includes a detailed analysis of market growth drivers, challenges, and investment opportunities. Delivers a complete overview of market segments and the regional outlook of the wound care market. Offers an exhaustive summary of the vendor landscape, competitive analysis, and key market strategies to gain a competitive advantage in the market.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05822880/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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The global wound care market is growing at a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period20182024 - Yahoo Finance

UK biotech startup Mogrify injects $16M to get novel cell therapies to market soon – TechCrunch

By Stem Cell Treatment

Cambridge, UK-based biotech startup Mogrify, which is working on systematizing the development of novel cell therapies in areas such as regenerative medicine, has closed an initial $16 million Series A.

The raise from investors Ahren Innovation Capital,Parkwalkand24Haymarketfollows a $4M seed in February taking its total raised to date to $20M.

Put simply, Mogrifys approach entails analysis of vast amounts of genomic data in order to identify the specific energetic changes needed to flip an adult cell from one type to another without having to reset it to a stem cell state with huge potential utility for a wide variety of therapeutic use-cases.

What were trying to do with Mogrify is systematize that process where you can say heres my source cell, heres my target cell, here are the differences between the networks and here are the most likely points of intervention that were going to have to make to drive the fate of an adult cell to another adult cell without going through a stem cell stage, says CEO and investor Dr Darrin Disley.

So far he says its successfully converted 15 cells out of 15 tries.

Were now rapidly moving those on through our own programs and partnership programs, he adds.

Mogrifys business has three main components: Internal program development of cell therapies (current cell therapies its developing include enhancing augmented cartilage implantation; non-invasive treatment of ocular damage; and for blood disorders). Its also developing a universal source of cells for use in immunotherapy to act as disease-eaters, asDisley puts it.

Speculative IP development is another focus. Because of the systematic nature of the technology were in a position very rapidly to identify areas of therapy that have particular cell conversions at their essence and then drive that IP generation around those cells very quickly and create an IP footprint, he says.

Partnering deals is the third piece. Mogrify is also working with others to co-develop and bring targeted cell therapies to market. Disley says its already closed some partnerships, though its not announcing any names yet.

The startup is drawing on around a decades worth of recent work genomics science. And specifically on a data-set generated by an international research effort, called Fantom 5, which its founders had early access to.

We started with that massive Fantom data-set. Thats the baseline, the background if you like. Think of it like two cities in America: Chicago and New York. Theres your source cell, theres your target cell. And because you have all the background data of every piece of the network every building, every skyscraper if you look at the two you can identify the difference in the gene expression, therefore you can identify which factors will regulate a wide array of those genes. So you can start identifying the differences between the two, explainsDisley.

Weve then added to that massive data sets in DNA-protein and protein-protein interactions so you start to now overlay all of that data. And then weve added on top of that new next-gen sequencing data and epigenetic data. So youve now got this massive data-set. Its like having a network map between all the different cell types. So youre therefore then able to make predictions on how many interventions, what interventions are needed to drive that change of state and its systematic. It doesnt just recommend one set. Theres a ranking. It can go down to hundreds. And there is some overlap and redundancies, so for example if one youre preferred thing doesnt work the way you wanted it to you can go back and select another.

Or if theres an IP issue around that factor you can ignore that piece of the network and use an alternative route. And once youve got to your target cell, if it needs to some tweaking you can actually re-sequence it and take that back and thats your starting cell again. And you can go through this optimization process. So what comes out at the other end youve got a patent that it like a small molecule composition of matter patent; its the therapeutic. So youre not coming out with the target, youre actually coming out with here is the composition of matter on the cell.

In terms of timeframe for getting novel cell therapies from concept to market Disley suggests a range of between four and seven years.

Once youve identified the cell type that can be be the basis of your GMP manufacturable process and then you can tweak that to take it to the therapeutic indication you can develop a cell therapy and bring that to market in five years, he says. Its not like the old days with small molecules where it can take ten, 15, 20 years to get a serious therapy on the market.

When youre treating patients is because there are no other treatments for them, when you go into phase two and do your safety study [and] efficacy study youre actually treating patients already in terms of their disease. And if you get it right you can get a fast track approval. Or a conditional approval so that you may not even have to do a phase 3 [testing].

Were not using any artificial intelligence here, he also emphasizes, pointing to his experience investing in companies in the big extreme data space which he argues do best by using unbiased approaches.

AI I think is still trying to find its way, he continues. Because in its essence it will be able to get to answers with smaller amounts of data but its only as good as the data you train it on. And the danger with AI it just learns to recognize what you want it to recognize. It doesnt know what it doesnt know.

In combination, once you continue to generate this massive cell network data etc you can start applying aspects of machine learning and AI. But you couldnt do Mogrify with AI without the data. You have to do it that way. And the data is so complex and combinatorial 2,000 transcription factors, in terms of regulation of those genes, they then interact in network to do the protein-protein interactions, youve got epigenetic aspects of that, you could even start adding cell microbiome effects to that later so youve got a lot of factors that could influence the phenotype of the cell thats coming out the other end.

So I think with AI you have to be a little careful. I think it will be a more optimizing tool once youve got sufficient confidence in your system.

The plan for the Series A funding is to ramp up Mogrifys corporate operations and headcount including bringing in senior executives and expertise from industry as well as spending to fund its therapy development programs.

Disley notes its recent appointment of Dr Jane Osbourn as chair as one example.

Were bringing in more people with a lot of cell therapy experience from big pharma, around then more on the manufacturing and delivery of that so really building so that were not just a tech company, he says. Weve very strong already, were already 35 people on the tech and early stage drug discovery side were going to add another 30 to that. But thats going to be increasingly more people with big pharma, cell therapy development, manufacturing experience to get products on to market.

Partner search is another focus for the Series A. Were trying to find the right strategy partners. Were not doing services, were not doing products so we want to find the right strategic partners in terms of doing multi-programs in a partnership, he adds. And then a series of more tactical deals where people have got a specific problem with a cell conversion. These more turnkey deals, if you like. We still get up-fronts, milestones and royalties but theyre smaller.

Despite now having enough money for the next two to two and half years its also leaving the Series A open to continue expanding the round over the next 12 months up to a maximum of another $16M.

We have so many interested investors, Disley tells us. This round we didnt actually open our round. We did it with internal investors and people were very close to who weve worked with before, and there were investors lining up [so] we are leaving it open so that in these next 12 months we may choose to increase the amount we bring in.

It would be a maximum of another $16M if it was an A round but we may decide just to go straight forward if we progress very fast to a much bigger B round.

See more here:
UK biotech startup Mogrify injects $16M to get novel cell therapies to market soon - TechCrunch

Ridgefield woman, her mother write book about battle with MS – The Columbian

By Stem Cell Treatment

It hurt Margaret Godfrey to see daughter Rachel Carter in pain, so she painted.

And once the worst pain had passed, Carter needed a way to move forward, so she wrote.

In 2000, at age 24, Carter was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease where the immune system eats away at the lining of nerves and impairs or disables the brain and central nervous system.

Carter is now a married 43-year-old mother of three who lives in Ridgefield. But when she was diagnosed with MS, it marked a significant shift in her life. The woman who ran marathons, rode a motorcycle to high school and was once a deckhand on a small riverboat cruise ship to prove a point because she was told a woman couldnt hold that job, slowly morphed as her disease altered life.

It started with a fall on vacation during a run. Then falling on runs became more frequent. Gone went the marathons. In came the treadmill. Slowly, over the course of 12 years, the MS progressed and symptoms became debilitating. Running left completely. Neuropathic pain caused her to feel like she was sunburned in the morning, and by the afternoon or evening it felt like third degree burns. Carter left her job in sales in 2013.

I would always end up in tears in the bed, Carter said.

Carter has chronicled her battle with MS, and a stem cell treatment she credits with turning her prognosis around, in a new book called Enduring the Cure: My MS Journey to the Brink of Death and Back. Her mother helped her edit the book, and provided the books cover art. Adrienne van Der Valk also edited the book.

Through pain, Carter and her mother have created art. About five years ago, Carter underwent an experimental stem cell transplant in Seattle to help her rebuild her immune system. Carter lived in Seattle for about three months, while her parents watched two of her children, and the other child lived with an aunt.

As part of the procedure, Carters own stem cells were harvested and then reintroduced to her body after chemotherapy depleted most of her immune system. Its what she described as a rebooting of her whole immune system, in hopes that it would stop attacking her brain and spinal cord. Carter still has her previous brain damage, which impacts her memory and brain power; but so far, the stem cell transplant has improved her condition greatly, she said.

Carter has more energy she used to sometimes not be able to leave bed some days. She also can stand upright and walk easily she used to rely on a walker. And her pain is minimal now, the biggest improvement.

Carters family kept notes during her treatment, and Carter decided to use those, and the memories of her family, to help her write the book with van Der Valk.

Thinking was very fatiguing for Carter, since she still has the brain damage from MS. She could only work about one to two hours on the book at a time. She said writing was frustrating and hard in many ways. Parts of my brain are gone, Carter explained. She said it requires her about 10 times as much brain matter as the average person to process something simple.

Its so much pressure to have something you feel like you have to do, and then you cant do it. I had so little energy, Carter said. I cant explain very well because so many words dont come to me.

In spite of the challenges, Carter feels like sharing her experience will help others because, in life, we all have hard situations, she said.

Godfrey, a 70-year-old painter who lives in Blue River, Ore., found art in the familys experience. She drew inspiration from Gustav Klimt, an Austrian symbolist, who painted in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and created symbolic paintings of her daughter. Godfrey said art makes her an intellectual because of how she has to think about what shes painting. This time she was researching her own child.

Godfrey did a painting of Carter surrounded by old running shoes, a life she had to give up. She did a painting of Carter without her hair, which centered on Carters worries. She did a painting of Carter covered by a quilt with her three kids on it, what kept her going and allowed her to recover. She did a painting of Carter lying in a hospital bed, looking exhausted and resigned, which is the books cover. The final painting in the series, called The Journey Is Not Done, features Carter with hair, months after treatment. It has an unfinished mosaic because Carters journey isnt over.

Creating art is a very meditative thing, Godfrey said. Rather than getting wrapped up in emotions, once I start painting the world is me and paper. All the worries of life disappear. It was a way to enjoy that experience of just being able to throw out my expression, without getting too emotionally tangled up.

See more here:
Ridgefield woman, her mother write book about battle with MS - The Columbian

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