Stem Cell Clinic

Blood Test Finds Cancer Before Symptoms Start – NBCNews.com

By adminAugust 17, 2017Uncategorized

Scientists have discovered that dying tumor cells release small pieces of their DNA into the bloodstream. These pieces are called cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). National cancer Institute

The test is a long way from being used to screen for cancer, but the study shows a way to get there, the team reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

There is a lot of excitement about liquid biopsies, but most of that has been in late-stage cancer or in individuals where you already know what to look for, said Dr. Victor Velculescu, professor of oncology and pathology at the Johns Hopkins University Kimmel Cancer Center.

The surprising result is that we can find a high fraction of early-stage patients having alterations in their blood, said Velculescu, who led the study team.

It was not a slam dunk, but the test found cancer in the blood of more than half the patients who had been diagnosed with stage 1 cancer. It was even more accurate in finding late-stage cancers, but the goal would be to catch cancer in its earliest, easiest-to-treat stage.

There were no false positives in 44 people who did not have cancer, they said.

Several different liquid biopsies are already on the market, used to help track whether cancer treatments are working. But theres nothing yet that can detect cancer in someone who has not yet been diagnosed.

Its easy to find tumor mutations if you know what to look for. The challenge was to develop a blood test that could predict the probable presence of cancer without knowing the genetic mutations present in a persons tumor, Velculescu said.

Velculescus team developed an approach called targeted error correction sequencing (TEC-Seq for short).

We have used this approach to examine 58 cancer-related genes, the team wrote in their report. The method involved deep sequencing sequencing DNA 30,000 times over to look for mutations in DNA from tumor cells that floats in the blood.

Cancer patients had more of this DNA in their blood, the team found.

They identified 62 percent of the patients with stage I cancer four out of eight colon cancer patients, and 90 percent of colon cancer patients with stage II, III or IV disease.

They got a positive in 45 percent of the lung cancer patients with stage I disease, 67 percent of ovarian cancer patients with stage I disease and 67 percent of breast cancer patients with stage I disease.

While that's good, it's not a great result. The test still missed a large percentage of cancers and will need much improvement, Velculescu said.

It will also have to be tried in larger groups of patients, and patients with different cancers. The first goal would be to try it in people at high risk of cancer but no symptoms yet such as smokers, or people with cancer-causing gene mutations like BRCA mutations, Velculescu said.

Catching cancer in its earliest stages could save many lives, he said. Cancer is the No. 2 killer overall in the United States.

The survival difference between late stage and early stage disease in these cancers would account for more than a million lives each year worldwide, Velculescu said.

The genetic sequencing is also expensive right now on the order of several thousand dollars for the 30,000 repeats the team did. But costs are coming down steadily, he said.

Velculescu said Johns Hopkins had patented this test, and Velculescu is himself the founder of a company that does liquid biopsies for advanced cancer patients called Personal Genome Diagnostics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The agency has chastised a company called

Its also

Currently, colon cancer can be detected very early

Mammograms can detect

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Blood Test Finds Cancer Before Symptoms Start - NBCNews.com

Ask the Doctors: Stem cell therapy may help worn-out knees | The … – Bennington Banner (subscription)

By adminAugust 16, 2017Stem Cell Doctors

By Robert Ashley, M.D.

A: "Worn out" is a good way to term what happens to the knee joint with prolonged use. Let's look at how this happens, starting with cartilage.

The lower portion of the knee joint (at the tibia) contains shock absorbers called menisci made of cartilage. You have one on the inner portion and another on the outer portion of each knee. The upper portion of the knee joint (at the femur) is lined with cartilage as well. All of this cartilage helps protect the bones at the joint but it doesn't heal or regenerate well due to limited blood supply. When severe, worn cartilage leads to arthritis of the knee. In knee X-rays of people over the age of 60, 37 percent have shown evidence of arthritis of the knees.

The intriguing thing about stem cells is that they have the ability to become any type of cell that the body needs. The cells used for stem cell injections in the knees are called mesenchymal stem cells, and they can differentiate into bone, fat or cartilage cells. These stem cells can come from the fat cells of your body, from your bone marrow or from the inner lining of your knee joint; they're then replicated in the laboratory and injected into the knee joint.

Here's what the research shows so far ...

In a 2013 study, 32 patients with meniscal tears of the knee were injected with a combination of stem cells, platelet-rich plasma and hyaluronic acid. The study reported improved symptoms and even MRI evidence of meniscal cartilage regeneration.

In a 2014 study, 55 patients who had surgery for meniscal tears of the knees were separated into three groups, with two of the groups receiving stem cell injections. Researchers found that, after six weeks, pain had decreased substantially in the two groups that received stem cell injections and that the decrease was even greater at one and two years after the injection.

In a 2017 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers analyzed six studies that used stem cells for osteoarthritis of the knees. In five of the studies, stem cells were given after surgery to the knee; in the other study, stem cells from a donor were administered without surgery. All the studies showed reduced pain and improved knee function. Further, in three of the four trials, MRIs corroborated the cartilage improvements. However, the authors noted, five of the six studies were of such poor methodology that an overall conclusion about the stem cells' effectiveness could not be made.

In all these studies, the most common side effect was knee swelling and stiffness, which improved over time.

There may be benefit to stem cell injections for cartilage loss of the knees, but more data are needed, especially in those who aren't having surgery of the knee. I'd also like to see more data on this type of therapy as a preventive measure for younger patients before their knees are worn out.

Robert Ashley, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o Media Relations, UCLA Health, 924 Westwood Blvd., Suite 350, Los Angeles, CA, 90095. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.

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DHK – Annie McNamara, 27, myelodysplastic syndrome, Boston, with Dr. Robert Soiffer, chief, Hematologic … – WEEI.com

By adminAugust 16, 2017Stem Cell Doctors

Earlier had a guest on that protects it you might just that might we'll just talk music you know but yes I've done and yes. We have another and now I. You felt it just at the time we got her elbow and grad and out whose family owns the Portland sea dogs and I had to admit I'd bounce the first pitch up. Portland seed in their video of this hole and I thought I asked rotate another chance to sit. Her family owns the airport into dogs and there's been. Apparently I Wii I know exactly where to go to the video thank you very much day. Any back to Mary's here and and her doctor doctor Robert Zoellick for. And that any. It's 27 years old hat Milo this plastic syndrome which I have to admit. I've been sixteen of these things but that's a new one on me at I don't think effort that went before what what exactly did in tale. Yes so it's blood disorder again normally found it again. Older folks. So it was sort of rare for at 25. Year old to be diagnosed with that. But certainly shared today is a bone marrow transplant so. I mean was it meant it to Dana Farber once I found out hands. Did three rounds of chemo outpatient acting forever. An and accepting of both Americans and last June. It's as the impatient at the breakdown. That doctor cipher was my transplant doctor and tenth harbor. And doctor Roberts worked for is here and I heard you say yes when she talked about the rarity of the disease how rare is it. How he treated well itself. It's the disease that as Annie said he's much more common old people. People in the 60s80s. Very uncommon. Twenty's. He can be treated with support here medications and little dose chemotherapy when picked Poulter. When patients younger. We generally want to all Americans clause with out of bone marrow transplant mild to split will lead to keep. And it becomes very eager to treat so. Despite the rarity of the disease and he was that. Attracted the entire time she just made it head on. Did it too tough to what I have to do. I'll take the chemotherapy in the transplant her sister was her daughter which is remarkable story also that. She showed remarkable courage through the entire process in and it even knows something was wrong or you feel like how long that laughed. Tired. Too. Much. The bar. Like an appealing their I don't got a good story and that's what you're gonna carry you through the. I cannot relate to that I. But it hadn't had it takes I knew something really often action difficult. Week. So. It's late night after what happened to inch its way. Saturday Javed Ali counted that's very Massachusetts. My word and act out there. That come back. It's. It doctor Lieberman can tear your donor with your sister Molly. I assume that might have been a ten for ten match perhaps. Yes it was an exact match was awesome. Sister is a senior at the academy's actors like frank. Steamers that reflects well. Making sure to keep a schedule worked with the sisters schedule them. In between graduation. Widgets so. I was really fortunate to. Match. A week later after such a perfect. It worked out I was able to hurt at mission. And I. Speaking we transplant a year after the transplant something significant happened in your life tell us what that is and. Yes so I got engaged. Almost. Exactly here after the transplant which was pretty special. Dan my fiance was served with me through the whole ride. So it was awesome very exciting ends. Its focus on planning a wedding now wedges. And that. All of that in the past years. And he was right there was Hewitt said he knows the real deal yeah really just aren't as good as our guys. Yep it's sealed the deal. And had a question for your doctors is finding that match fortunately she had a sister without match there for the bone marrow transplant was once the match but for those who don't have sisters don't have a brother that able to do that how tricky can nappy. Will things really change over the past five to eight years the better. Twenty years ago we would only do bone marrow transplant on a patient who had eight siblings a brother or sister who matched. At about fifteen years ago we started to transplants from unrelated donors volunteers dealers. Who were able to actually provided the source of stem cells and actually good outcomes. More recently we've been able to even use half matches so even a win eight other sister does it. Match fully ten out of ten match dale said a week you actually get by with a five of ten match almost as well as we can't attempt. Our friend Tara who's going to be here tomorrow had her bone marrow transplant in November. And I know she was kind of isolated for about nine months I assume you've had a similar sort of regiment you had to go through. Yes of the first hundred days I was inside you know sort of contact them on in the outside world besides my family. So I was definitely tough and then. I work for an Austin Co. act Clijsters and so I was able to work from home through the spring. And they were awesome. Sort of helping me get through flu season because my immune system. Receivers susceptible to catching something. So yeah I was you know at home until April. Answered just get getting back in readjusted to you. I. It's a real family affair doc watched any buyers Oprah folks beyonc really all came together it. That'll give her support of actually help keep healthy. A community effort. When's the wedding I'd accept. If congratulations a couple of things that couples swapping one you do work out some companies how to increase in credit out of great Fredricka. And secondly in the scouting reports and future sea dogs that we should be looking out or. Bully doesn't devers Africans as loyal you know he's doing pretty well. Commandant and the obviously. I don't have a scouting report right now but I'm sure things. You're in the nickel you need a great little bull market. Yeah it's I'd love going up there and Ankara practice hitting get a chance to. Endeavour's much he was there are very now really kind of scooted through town and yes. Now he's here hitting home runs things like every every game every other game. We took into been intently from you two's yeah. Yeah I'm not a you've got your children to this point yes it's critical to see them say it. Progress. It's to fat cats watch. Well it's great to visit with both of you and MacNamara fallible Malone multi faceted. Can not just in case you didn't hear ripped up. And doctor Robert Lichter thanks you guys that are very much for coming in it's great people that it. Thanks for having classy guys into the past. Thank you thank you and good luck with a wedding thank you and I hear from September whenever that is good luck. Think it's.

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Friends come together for benefit concert for Joni Eickhoff – Grand Island Independent

By adminAugust 16, 2017Stem Cell Clinic

When Dianne Schneider found out her friend and fellow parishioner Joni Eickhoff was trying to raise money to pay for an unconventional medical treatment for her pulmonary cystic fibrosis, she knew what she had to do perform a concert.

Schneider, who is a longtime music minister at St. Marys Cathedral, didnt think she would ever say that. But a few years ago, Eickhoff encouraged Schneider to record a CD of her music with fellow musician Claudette Sekutera. The CD of contemporary Christian music was recorded in 2012 and half of the funds raised by the sale of the CD have gone to benefit St. Marys Cathedral.

She would always come up and say how beautiful the music was and she was the one who always told me I should record a CD, Schneider remembered. She just wanted so much for me to do a concert back then, but I didnt really want to. I dont know if it was that I didnt want to draw the attention to myself or that deep down I didnt think anyone would come.

When Schneider saw the flyer in church asking for donations for Eickhoffs GoFundMe account, she thought differently.

I kept thinking about it and thought that this is the time for a concert because now it has a purpose, she said.

The benefit concert is scheduled for 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Marys Cathedral. Besides Sekutera, Schneider will perform with Amy and Andy Schneider, Jeanne Allen and Sue Stueben. There is no charge to attend, but a freewill offering will be accepted. A group from Woodmens Insurance has offered to match the proceeds. Schneider will also be selling her CD Gratitude for $10, with half of those proceeds going to Eickhoff as well.

Eickhoff was more than just a little surprised by Schneiders offer.

You talk about tears that come down, Eickhoff said. Shes just one of a kind. Shes my guardian angel.

Pulmonary cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that causes thickened mucus to block airways, making it difficult to breathe.

Diagnosed in 2015, Joni had all but exhausted conventional medical treatments when she and her husband, Ramon, learned about stem cell treatments at a pulmonary clinic in Dallas, Texas.

The cost was prohibitive, though, as the procedure was not covered by Medicare or insurance. The Eickhoff family set up a GoFundMe account to raise $11,000, which included the cost of transportation to and from the clinic. They posted a flyer at St. Marys Cathedral and shortly after that, Eickhoffs husband was approached by another parishioner who offered to cover the entire cost.

The Eickhoffs accepted the offer on the condition that they be able to pay back the gift. The donor agreed and Joni underwent the procedure on April 20 and has been steadily improving. Since the treatment, her husband said, she has gone from being able to take 56 steps without oxygen to 101 steps without oxygen.

Each time we do a walk test without oxygen, her recovery time has gone to five or six minutes, where before it was only a couple of minutes, he said.

It was very successful, Joni said. All I did was sit in a chair.

Eickhoff said drawing the blood at the clinic was a six-hour procedure over the course of two days, three hours each day. When she asked her doctor when she could expect to see results, the doctor told her three to six months.

Im just doing so good, she said, after just a little over three months. Of course, when I talk, it takes a lot of air.

Eickhoff and her husband have been so encouraged by her results, they want to spread the word about stem cell treatments. Ramon said there are five similar clinics in the United States and they advertise an 82 to 83 percent success rate.

If you can do the stem cell treatment, you can be off oxygen, Joni said. There are 150,000 people that are dying that dont have to.

Colleen Gallion is the associate editor of the West Nebraska Register.

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‘Unexpected fountain of youth’ found in cardiac stem cells, researcher says – FOX31 Denver

By adminAugust 16, 2017Stem Cell Clinic

Cardiac stem cells derived from young hearts helped reverse the signs of aging when directly injected into the old hearts of elderly rats, astudypublished Monday in the European Heart Journal demonstrated.

The old rats appeared newly invigorated after receiving their injections. As hoped, the cardiac stem cells improved heart function yet also provided additional benefits. The rats fur fur, shaved for surgery, grew back more quickly than expected, and their chromosomal telomeres, which commonly shrink with age, lengthened.

The old rats receiving the cardiac stem cells also had increased stamina overall, exercising more than before the infusion.

Its extremely exciting, said Dr. Eduardo Marbn, primary investigator on the research and director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. Witnessing the systemic rejuvenating effects, he said, its kind of like an unexpected fountain of youth.

Weve been studying new forms of cell therapy for the heart for some 12 years now, Marbn said.

Some of this research has focused on cardiosphere-derived cells.

Theyre progenitor cells from the heart itself, Marbn said. Progenitor cells are generated from stem cells and share some, but not all, of the same properties. For instance, they can differentiate into more than one kind of cell like stem cells, but unlike stem cells, progenitor cells cannot divide and reproduce indefinitely.

From hisown previous research, Marbn discovered that cardiosphere-derived cells promote the healing of the heart after a condition known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, which affects more than 50% of all heart failure patients.

Since heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is similar to aging, Marbn decided to experiment on old rats, ones that suffered from a type of heart problem thats very typical of what we find in older human beings: The hearts stiff, and it doesnt relax right, and it causes fluid to back up some, Marbn explained.

He and his team injected cardiosphere-derived cells from newborn rats into the hearts of 22-month-old rats thats elderly for a rat. Similar old rats received a placebo injection of saline solution. Then, Marbn and his team compared both groups to young rats that were 4 months old. After a month, they compared the rats again.

Even though the cells were injected into the heart, their effects were noticeable throughout the body, Marbn said

The animals could exercise further than they could before by about 20%, and one of the most striking things, especially for me (because Im kind of losing my hair) the animals regrew their fur a lot better after theyd gotten cells compared with the placebo rats, Marbn said.

The rats that received cardiosphere-derived cells also experienced improved heart function and showed longer heart cell telomeres.

The working hypothesis is that the cells secrete exosomes, tiny vesicles that contain a lot of nucleic acids, things like RNA, that can change patterns of the way the tissue responds to injury and the way genes are expressed in the tissue, Marbn said.

It is the exosomes that act on the heart and make it better as well as mediating long-distance effects on exercise capacity and hair regrowth, he explained.

Looking to the future, Marbn said hes begun to explore delivering the cardiac stem cells intravenously in a simple infusion instead of injecting them directly into the heart, which would be a complex procedure for a human patient and seeing whether the same beneficial effects occur.

Dr. Gary Gerstenblith, a professor of medicine in the cardiology division of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said the new study is very comprehensive.

Striking benefits are demonstrated not only from a cardiac perspective but across multiple organ systems, said Gerstenblith, who did not contribute to the new research. The results suggest that stem cell therapies should be studied as an additional therapeutic option in the treatment of cardiac and other diseases common in the elderly.

Todd Herron, director of the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Centers Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, said Marbn, with his previous work with cardiac stem cells, has led the field in this area.

The novelty of this bit of work is, they started to look at more precise molecular mechanisms to explain the phenomenon theyve seen in the past, said Herron, who played no role in the new research.

One strength of the approach here is that the researchers have taken cells from the organ that they want to rejuvenate, so that makes it likely that the cells stay there in that tissue, Herron said.

He believes that more extensive study, beginning with larger animals and including long-term followup, is needed before this technique could be used in humans.

We need to make sure theres no harm being done, Herron said, adding that extending the lifetime and improving quality of life amounts to a tradeoff between the potential risk and the potential good that can be done.

Capicor, the company that grows these special cells, is focused solely on therapies for muscular dystrophy and heart failure with ongoing clinical trials involving human patients, Marbn said.

Capicor hasnt announced any plans to do studies in aging, but the possibility exists.

After all, the cells have been proven completely safe in over 100 human patients, so it would be possible to fast-track them into the clinic, Marbn explained: I cant tell you that there are any plans to do that, but it could easily be done from a safety viewpoint.

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'Unexpected fountain of youth' found in cardiac stem cells, researcher says - FOX31 Denver

Local chiropractor educating patients about stem cell treatments – WZZM

By adminAugust 16, 2017Stem Cell Treatment

Denise Pritchard, WZZM 12:44 PM. EDT August 14, 2017

Woman's Bones

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - Stem cell injections are being used to treat all sorts of illness, from joint pain to tissue damage. Dr. Michael Kwast is a chiropractor who's sold on the benefits of stem cell treatments.

He joined The Exchange to explain how they work and describe the results hes seen for patients.

Dr. Kwasts group, Medical Services Providers, is affiliated with the Stem Cell Institute of America.

For more information about stem cell therapy, visit http://www.stemcellgrandrapids.com. Or, you may attend a free seminar on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. Its at 475 Lake Michigan Dr. NW in Grand Rapids. Register now by calling 616-888-3160.

Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WZZM 13 app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.

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Medical Tourism Corporation Announces Stem Cell Therapy in Mexico With GIOSTAR – NBC Right Now

By adminAugust 16, 2017Stem Cell Treatment

The two entities join hands for all-inclusive stem cell treatment in Los Algodones, Tijuana, and Guadalajara. Package includes personalized therapy protocol, travel assistance, and more. GIOSTAR is a global stem cell leader with more than 4,000 people treated.

DALLAS - August 14, 2017 - (Newswire.com)

The major medical tourism facilitator has added another much-needed treatment to its comprehensive list of medical services, stem cell treatment in Mexico, as a way of helping people with degenerative, immunological, and blood-based diseases receive alternative healthcare and lead a happy, healthy life.

About GIOSTAR Mexico

Founded by a leading stem cell scientist, Dr. Anand Srivastava who is credited with setting up stem cell research programs in Sal Research Institute, UCSD, UCI and Sanford Burnham Institute, GIOSTAR is a visionary organization in the field. With its headquarters in San Diego and multiple top-notch facilities, offices and hospitals in various locations including India, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, the venture is expanding its reach and making treatment for several devastating immunological and blood- related diseases accessible for all.

GIOSTAR Mexico offers stem cell therapy in Tijuana, Guadalajara, and Los Algodones. Current treatments include Diabetes Type I and Type II, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI), among others. The therapies for Alzheimer's, Autism, Anti-Aging Treatments, Parkinson's disease, Heart and Retinal Degeneration, and many more diseases are being developed by the dedicated and skilled members of the institute.

Some prominent features of GIOSTAR are:

About Medical Tourism Corporation (MTC)

The Texas-based Medical Tourism Corporation is a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited health tourism organizer. The corporation aims to connect medical tourists from all over the world to excellent healthcare services without the underlying stress. The most daunting part of the medical tourism process is the lack of information about quality treatments in Mexico, India, and other health tourism hubs. MTC emerges as a helping hand, and assists its customers in planning every little detail of their medical trip and even offers generous post-op services and follow-up care for a safe recovery.

With the introduction of alternative therapies for taxing and draining conditions, such as stem cells for Parkinson's in Mexico, the organization is expanding its arsenal of services and treatments offered.

Medical Tourism Corporation has recently partnered with GIOSTAR with the goal of making quality healthcare come true. The two entities have collaborated to offer personalized protocols for various conditions and injuries, including stem cell therapy for spinal injuries in Mexico.

Aiming to provide exemplary stem cell treatment in Mexico, MTC provides a host of services and features that set the venture apart:

What to Expect?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates up to 23.5 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases. All that is standing between these patients and life-altering medical treatments is a border away.

This timely collaboration between GIOSTAR and MTC is an important step forward in bridging the gap between demand and supply of effective alternative treatments for people suffering from the aforementioned ailments when conventional therapies fail to treat. More information on stem cell therapy in Mexico is available on the official website of Medical Tourism Corporation.

Related Links Stem Cell Treatment for Diabetes Type 1 and 2 in Mexico Stem Cell Treatment for Arthritis in Mexico

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A way to stabilize haploidy in animal cells – Phys.Org

By adminAugust 16, 2017Embryonic Stem Cells

August 15, 2017 SKY analysis of haploid and diploid cells. Credit: CNIO

The emergence in recent years of the first mammalian haploid cell lines has raised great expectations in the scientific community. Despite their potential, these cultures present some issues that complicate their use because haploidy is unstable and can be lost quickly. The Genomic Instability Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has offered an explanation of this phenomenon and proposes a way to overcome it. This work has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

With the exception of the sperm or ovules, cells contain two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. However, organisms with a single set of chromosomes (haploids), such as yeast, are extremely useful for genetic studies and are crucial in identifying key genes and pathways. Laboratory yeasts enabled studies on autophagy by Yoshinori Ohsumi, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016, and the Nobel-winning discovery of the cell cycle regulatory genes.

"As [yeast] has only one set of chromosomes, it is very easy to find interesting mutants, as all you have to do is to alter a single allele to produce a phenotype," says Oscar Fernndez-Capetillo, head of the Genomic Instability Group and the leader of the research project. "In mammals, in the absence of haploid cells, other approaches have been used to identify key genes, such as interfering RNA, but they are sub-optimal methods. All this changed five years ago when haploid cells were discovered in a leukaemia patient (KBM7 and HAP1) and with the emergence of techniques to create mammalian haploid embryonic stem cells, developed originally by Anton Wutz," continues Fernndez-Capetillo.

However, the cultures of such mammalian haploid cells become diploid within a few days. This phenomenon, which has been called "diploidization," is what Fernndez-Capetillo's group has been studying. Their findings suggest that the loss of haploid cells is due to their limited viability, and therefore, they are replaced by existing diploid cells in the cultures.

"When you try to isolate haploid cells, it is very difficult to take only one; you usually separate several so you always drag along a diploid. When you culture them, you invariably observe that the haploid cells die and the diploid cells become the majority," he says. "We now know that this happens because the haploid cells activate death mechanisms via p53."

Their studies show that the problem arises when the haploid cells try to separate their chromosomes during mitosis. The machinery involved in cell division has been designed to handle a fixed amount of DNA (46 chromosomes). When there is more (polyploidy) or less (haploidy), mitosis is more prone to errors during the segregation of the chromosomes, and this activates p53. This is the reason why haploid cell cultures do not thrive. By eliminating p53, as this study demonstrates, haploid cells are able to survive.

"Our findings should facilitate the use of animal haploid cells, making them accessible to a broader range of laboratories and technologies," the authors conclude. Currently, the group is trying to discover chemical forms of stabilizing haploidy in animal cells and is exploring strategies that would allow the creation of organs or even animals that only have a maternal set of chromosomes.

Explore further: First 'haploid' human stem cells could change the face of medical research

More information: A p53-dependent response limits the viability of mammalian haploid cells Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1705133114

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Provided by: Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncolgicas

Stem cell research holds huge potential for medicine and human health. In particular, human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), with their ability to turn into any cell in the human body, are essential to the future prevention and ...

Scientists from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute (NYSCF) have succeeded in generating a new type of embryonic stem cell ...

Scientists long believed that the fungal pathogen Candida albicans was incapable of producing haploid cellswhich contain only one copy of each chromosome, analagous to eggs and spermfor mating. Mixing of genes in sexual ...

A fast and comprehensive method for determining the function of genes could greatly improve our understanding of a wide range of diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, liver disease and cancer.

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From a biological point of view, the world's most exotic sex lives may be the ones lived by fungi. As a kingdom, they are full of surprises, and a new one reported in the journal Nature seems sure to titillate the intellects ...

Markus Knaden and Bill Hansson, and their colleagues at the Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, study ecologically relevant odors in the natural environment of insects, especially vinegar flies. In this new study they ...

Central to understanding why bacteria become antibiotic resistant is knowing how bacteria respond to the drugs trying to kill them. In a new study, Boston College researchers report that antibiotics disrupt the genetic defensive ...

Color in the plant kingdom is not merely a joy to the eye. Colored pigments attract pollinating insects, they protect plants against disease, and they confer health benefits and are used in the food and drug industries. A ...

A new study describes how head-on collisions between protein machines on chromosomes can disrupt DNA replication and boost the rate of gene mutations that help bacteria survive hostile environments, resist antibiotics, and ...

There is a rising risk of human and domestic animal exposure to deadly Hendra virus (HeV) carried by fruit bats in Eastern Australia due to human intrusion into their habitats, human proximity to woodlands and vegetation ...

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Adult brain’s fear HQ can grow new cells – Cosmos

By adminAugust 16, 2017Adult Stem Cells

A new cradle of brain cell formation has been discovered in the adult amygdala, a region that gives memories their emotional bite.

The discovery could lead to a deeper understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and phobias and also to better treatments.

The formation of freshly minted neurons the cells that send and receive signals in the brain was long thought to be non-existent in adults. But that dogma was overturned in the early 1990s with the discovery of neuron-forming stem cells in the adult hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped region that acts as the brains memory hub. The smell-processing olfactory bulb in rodents, at least also churns out baby neurons throughout life.

Now, the almond-shaped amygdala can be added to this select club.

Our discovery has enormous implications for understanding the amygdala's role in regulating fear and fearful memories," says Pankaj Sah of the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland, one of the studys lead authors.

The amygdala plays an important role in imbuing memories with emotion. This helps us to learn from our experiences, but the process can go awry in post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or phobias. In these conditions, fear can overwhelm, thanks to an overzealous amygdala.

Researchers have had inklings that the amygdala can make new neurons. But the new work, published in Molecular Psychiatry, is the first to clearly show that stem cells forming in the mouse amygdala grow into bona fide, fully functioning neurons, which is actually pretty revolutionary, says Jee Kim from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, who was not involved in the study.

The discovery is likely to hold true for the similarly wired human amygdala, says Dhanisha Jhaveri of the Queensland Brain Institute, who co-led the study.

The amygdala only contains a small number of these newborn cells fewer than in the hippocampus. But even small numbers could have a big impact," says Jhaveri.

Thats because the newly formed cells are interneurons, cells that dampen down activity in neural circuits. In the amygdala, these cells help to keep emotions like fear in check.

Now that the fledgling neurons have been discovered, the researchers are working to nut out the pulleys and levers that control their formation. In the hippocampus, exercise and antidepressant drugs can spur new cell formation, whereas stress and inflammation stymy the process.

Similar triggers could affect neurogenesis in the amygdala, too, says Jhaveri. Understanding these triggers, and identifying drugs that specifically encourage new cell formation in the amygdala could ultimately lead to better treatments for anxiety-related disorders.

The finding could also help to explain why exposure therapy, designed to gradually dampen a persons response to a phobia or traumatic memory, works, according to Kim. These neurons may be important in how we learn to reduce our fear, she says.

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Adult brain's fear HQ can grow new cells - Cosmos

Adult brains produce new cells in previously undiscovered area – Medical Xpress

By adminAugust 16, 2017Adult Stem Cells

August 15, 2017 Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A University of Queensland discovery may lead to new treatments for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). UQ Queensland Brain Institute scientists have discovered that new brain cells are produced in the adult amygdala, a region of the brain important for processing emotional memories.

Disrupted connections in the amygdala, an ancient part of the brain, are linked to anxiety disorders such as PTSD.

Queensland Brain Institute director Professor Pankaj Sah said the research marked a major shift in understanding the brain's ability to adapt and regenerate.

"While it was previously known that new neurons are produced in the adult brain, excitingly this is the first time that new cells have been discovered in the amygdala," Professor Sah said.

"Our discovery has enormous implications for understanding the amygdala's role in regulating fear and fearful memories."

Researcher Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri said the amygdala played a key role in fear learningthe process by which we associate a stimulus with a frightening event.

"Fear learning leads to the classic flight or fight responseincreased heart rate, dry mouth, sweaty palmsbut the amygdala also plays a role in producing feelings of dread and despair, in the case of phobias or PTSD, for example," Dr Jhaveri said.

"Finding ways of stimulating the production of new brain cells in the amygdala could give us new avenues for treating disorders of fear processing, which include anxiety, PTSD and depression."

Previously new brain cells in adults were only known to be produced in the hippocampus, a brain region important for spatial learning and memory.

The discovery of that process, called neurogenesis, was made by Queensland Brain Institute founding director Professor Perry Bartlett, who was also involved in the latest research.

"Professor Bartlett's discovery overturned the belief at the time that the adult brain was fixed and unable to change," Professor Sah said. "We have now found stem cells in the amygdala in adult mice, which suggests that neurogenesis occurs in both the hippocampus and the amygdala. "The discovery deepens our understanding of brain plasticity and provides the framework for understanding the functional contribution of new neurons in the amygdala," Professor Sah said.

The research, led by Professor Sah, Professor Bartlett and Dr Jhaveri, is published in Molecular Psychiatry.

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Adult brains produce new cells in previously undiscovered area - Medical Xpress